The Species ( or type) Of Spyder That Hooked You?

[TkoK83Spy]

For me it was the Sage 5...my first Spyderco, literally melted into my hand, loved the compression lock and the wire clip. I was hooked. Then I wanted something a little bigger and that I didn't mind using and abusing a bit for yard work and camping purposes. Got the Manix 2 LW in BD1...Fell in love with the light weight, CBBL and easy to clean scales. From there it's just escalated into a spending spree...I've sold a bunch, but have learned what really works for me along the way. Now I pretty much look for sprints or exclusives of models that appeal to me with the characteristics that I value. But those are the ones that got it all started for me.

[PStone]

I’m still fairly new to Spydercos(about 2 years). Like many others, my first was a Tenacious. Amazing knife and a great value. And it was followed by many, many others.

But it wasn’t the knifes that hooked me. Not one model alone 100% sold me on Spyderco. It was actually the forum here that really started to hook me. For the first time, I was learning about everything knife related. Blade steels, heat treat, geometry and functions of design, collabs vs customs, sharpening advice, reviews, comparison pics, purchasing advice, even funny memes sometimes. Plus the dang founder/owner interacts with us all, and welcomes pretty much every new member personally. All can be had for FREE! Free for us that is. I’m sure it isn’t free for Spyderco. Add on the always amazing customer service from the people in Golden, and that’s why I’m hooked.

[JD Spydo]

I’m still fairly new to Spydercos(about 2 years). Like many others, my first was a Tenacious. Amazing knife and a great value. And it was followed by many, many others.

But it wasn’t the knifes that hooked me. Not one model alone 100% sold me on Spyderco. It was actually the forum here that really started to hook me. For the first time, I was learning about everything knife related. Blade steels, heat treat, geometry and functions of design, collabs vs customs, sharpening advice, reviews, comparison pics, purchasing advice, even funny memes sometimes. Plus the dang founder/owner interacts with us all, and welcomes pretty much every new member personally. All can be had for FREE! Free for us that is. I’m sure it isn’t free for Spyderco. Add on the always amazing customer service from the people in Golden, and that’s why I’m hooked.

Now that's an interesting take on it :cool: Because there is something really enticing about the Forum itself. Like my post I made recently about the first time I ever got on to the Forum back in 2004. I had intended at the time to maybe ask 2 to 3 questions I had and then go back to where I came from. But the group of guys and girls that were on the Forum back then were such a great group of people I made a lot of friends right off the bat. With Chad (Daywalker) and Kurt ( Dr. Hannibal Lecter) along with about 8 others I could mention. It truly was a special time and a very special group of people back then. Of course Paul ( Deacon) he's been here since the Nixon Administration :eek: :D

Yeah it does now make me wonder how many here at Spyderville got hooked by the comradery of the Forum instead of one of the popular models of folder of fixed blade :rolleyes: :cool:

[wrdwrght]

Leafy Spydies hooked me first, their pocket-hoggery be damned.

I started, like many here, with a Tenacious, then graduated to the Superleaf, to Manix2s, to Native5s, to the Chaparral, and to the Caly family. And let’s not forget the Caribbean.

Eventually I saw genius in drop points (the GB1, Stretches) and the straightened spine (PM2s, Millies, the Delica/Endura family, the Police4). Trailing points irritate me.

That's interesting too "wrdwrght" because when I really got started the beginning of the Calypso series really intrigued me a lot along with some of the other Spyderco IN HOUSE designs. It makes me wonder if you ever liked any of the TEMPERANCE line up ( fixed & folder)?

I’ve had the Lil’ Temperance3 on my buy-list from time to time but something comes along to divert me. The Lil’ Native is now closer to what I want.

I can’t see a need for the fixed-blade Temperance that my non-Spyderco fixed blades don’t meet.

[lunde]

PM2

[anycal]

Which one didn’t hook me?! The more I got, the more I wanted.

:spyder: turned knives into a hobby for me. Not something I expected.

Ultimately, the PM2.

[JD Spydo]

Now I know you all are going to find this rather difficult to believe but there have been Spyderco models that I really wasn't all that fond of. I'll start off with the "Maddox' model. Then the Poliwog really didn't do a whole lot to enthuse me. And that's a big statement because I normally like about every model Eric Glesser designs. But that one just didn't thrill me for some reason.
I never really saw much use for the TOAD model. The ROADIE never really blew my skirt up either :rolleyes:

OH I could probably name about 2 to 3 more but you all get the drift I'm sure.

But there are a whole lot more models that I do dearly love so do keep that in mind. And percentage wise there are a whole lot more Benchmade and Boker models that I dislike than there are Spyders I'll pass on. It's like the old Ricky Nelson Song always said "If You Can't Please Everyone, You've got To Please Yourself". And by the way it's time for me to go to a Garden Party :D

[PeaceInOurTime]

The Cara Cara 2 PE LW was the first knife I bought after discovering bladeforums and the other forums around 2011. Before that, I only ever had Gerbers, Winchesters, ,Smith & Wessons, etc. Comfortable ergos, blade shape with just enough belly and a negative blade angle, grippy FRN, thumb hole opener, there is so much Spyderco design for so little money in that knife.

They are cheap enough that I don't feel bad about abusing and modifying them. I don't have a pic on hand right now, but I even ground my own serrations onto the blade to see if I would find a full SE useful. Also found out the wrong way to add a wave opener on a FFG blade and even painted one scale orange.

Around that time, I also just discovered Cold Steel. After seeing their knife test videos, I was worried my Cara Cara 2 and all the other Spydercos I was drooling over were flimsy and incapable of any real work. Thanks to this forum, other forums, and YouTube I was able to see these blades in action and know that I wouldn't be wasting my money on higher priced knives from Spyderco. I specifically remember jdavis882 and Randy Johnson on YouTube doing alot of cut tests and demonstrations and sharpening videos that were very helpful.

Sorry that was so long winded.

My Spyderco knives in order:
-Cara Cara 2 PE LW
-Delica 1 SE LW
-Byrd Meadowlark 2 PE LW
-Tenacious PE
-Dragonfly 2 PE LW VG10
-Native 5 CE LW CPM S35VN
-Byrd Rescue 2 SE LW
-Endura 4 PE LW Cutlery Shop exclusive HAP40 with black on orange Zome handles

[PanChango]

My first Spyderco was a mid 90's Harpy. It was a nice knife, but it was always a secondary one for me. A PE knife was always the primary and I would slip the harpy into my back pocket. It was also not the one that hooked me. That was my second Spyderco about 15 years later, a Caly 3.5 with Aogami Super Blue. It spent 5 solid years as my primary carry before being gifted to a friend. I ended up with 3 of them and close to a dozen of the different iterations of the Caly. They are still my favorite model/pattern.

[James Y]

The first time I ever saw a Spyderco (or at least recalled seeing one) was while watching the movie 'Anaconda' in a theater in 1997. Of course, I didn't know about the company name 'Spyderco'. Then, oddly enough, soon afterwards, I received an unsolicited knife catalog in the mail from a knife business in WA state. It had products from many different knife companies; it was the first time I'd ever heard of Spyderco, Benchmade, Kershaw, etc. I recognized the Delica as the same knife from Anaconda, and learned it was made by a company called 'Spyderco'. When I discovered that a nearby sporting goods store sold them, I bought one. Mine was a PE Delica with integral Zytel (FRN) pocket clip and AUS-8 blade. I liked it, and that was my Spyderco origin story. :) Since then, Spyderco's product evolution and CQI has been nothing short of astonishing.

I was 34 at the time, and had been carrying and using pocketknives for 20 years by then, including knives by Schrade, Buck, Camillus, and especially Victorinox.

Jim

[Wartstein]

Now that's an interesting take on it :cool: Because there is something really enticing about the Forum itself. Like my post I made recently about the first time I ever got on to the Forum back in 2004. I had intended at the time to maybe ask 2 to 3 questions I had and then go back to where I came from. But the group of guys and girls that were on the Forum back then were such a great group of people I made a lot of friends right off the bat. With Chad (Daywalker) and Kurt ( Dr. Hannibal Lecter) along with about 8 others I could mention. It truly was a special time and a very special group of people back then. Of course Paul ( Deacon) he's been here since the Nixon Administration :eek: :D

Yeah it does now make me wonder how many here at Spyderville got hooked by the comradery of the Forum instead of one of the popular models of folder of fixed blade :rolleyes: :cool:

For me originally it was totally NOT the forum or Spydercos history, culture, background... that got me hooked on their knives. I liked those already, without knowing almost anything about the company itself, and this great forum I discovered only last year.
I wrote something related in another thread (.."best bang for the buck..."), just paste that in here:

"....Cause I am one of the (probably rare???) examples who got into Spyderco without basically knowing anything about background, community, philosophy behind, line up and so on. I began to use Spyderco knives rather by happenstance, even thought they'd look a bit weired and not like a "real knife" should. But really, just by using and experiencing those knives I got convinced by the quality concerning design, materials, ergos, usability, fit and finish that you really get for your money. Especially compared to other brands I knew.
The interest in Spydercos background and to realize how many more people feel similar came only very later."

[Wartstein]

Though nowadays I prefer larger blades, for me it was the Delica (a combo edge ( sabre grind of course)).. guess I'll not remain the only one giving that answer to your question...

Quoting myself here...
But I just wanted to post a pic I happen to have already of my first Spyderco, which I still own and use (quite exclusivly as my rock climbing knife these days, not as a regular EDC)

[Outlaw Pete]

The original Military got me hooked on Spyderco.
At the time it was one of the bigger folders on the market and the handle just melted into the hand. Superb design. Gotta love the thick spine, the slightly forward belly and needle point.

[bearrowland]

My Endura 4, purchased for me by my son, is what kicked it off for me. It's with me right now, and opened the door for me to a lot of fun!

[Cowboyfromhell]

I got hooked just 2 months ago. It was a PM2 that started my spending spree and wild ride into this awesome hobby. I can remember back in the early to mid 90s as a young teenage boy, seeing those beautiful spydercos in that shiny display case in my outdoor shop in my local mall. I can remember wanting one someday but never had the loot to buy. Well, fast forward 25 years and here we are---proud owner of 12 spydercos!!! All in two months span...wow...slow down buddy. I even got a collegiate at work hooked and we are all buying spydercos left and right.

What's in the stable:

PM2 s30v bk g10
PM2 s110v blurple g10
PARA3 s30v dlc digicam g10
PARA3 s110v blurple g10
Manix 2 s110v blurple g10
Native 5 salt lc200n
Tenacious dlc Orange g10 --c.s. exclusive
Chapparal lwt xhp
Dragonfly 2 vg-10 green zome
Dragonfly 2 H-1 serrated

....and on the way....TENACIOUS full serrated spideyedge
-Native 5 s35vn bk g10


I'm done I swear....

[curlyhairedboy]

It was the Southard for me - I was deep into flippers that looked pretty unique at the time (CRKT's Fossil was my EDC) and I knew by reputation that Spyderco was a good, reliable brand. Between the Southard and the ZT 0562, I chose the Spyderco as the blade shape appealed to me much more.

Now, even though I still have that original Southard for sentimental reasons, I've moved away from framelock flippers and titanium lock interfaces. I'm all about comp locks and steel interfaces. The only flippers I'll consider now tend to have both.

[attila]

As a child, I fanticised about owning the Pro-Grip/Pro-Venator, the Impala, and a couple of others that I saw in some mail-order catalogs.

The first movie I recognized a Spyderco in was Cliffhanger that I saw in the late 90s.

In 2001, I was on an overseas trip, during which, one of the leaders had a black FRN Spyderco of some kind. I never found out what model it was. I admired its thin blade and became enamored with it, despite not even getting to use it.

Finally having some money to spend during my time of service, I bought a CE saber ground Delica 4 and an original Native. Those two were the beginning of the eventual snowball. The HAP40 Endura sprint got the ball rolling.

[A.S.]

In 1997 I bought a C10SAF Endura with the black oxide blade, serrated. Ordered it out of a catalog by sending them a money order. Two weeks later I got the knife, not this two day and it is in your hand like today's world. I had wanted a knife with a clip so badly and this one set me up to buying many Spyderco models throughout the years.

[soc_monki]

Tenacious. Then my Manix 2 sealed the deal!

[JD Spydo]

I got hooked just 2 months ago. It was a PM2 that started my spending spree and wild ride into this awesome hobby. I can remember back in the early to mid 90s as a young teenage boy, seeing those beautiful spydercos in that shiny display case in my outdoor shop in my local mall. I can remember wanting one someday but never had the loot to buy. Well, fast forward 25 years and here we are---proud owner of 12 spydercos!!! All in two months span...wow...slow down buddy. I even got a collegiate at work hooked and we are all buying spydercos left and right.

What's in the stable:

PM2 s30v bk g10
PM2 s110v blurple g10
PARA3 s30v dlc digicam g10
PARA3 s110v blurple g10
Manix 2 s110v blurple g10
Native 5 salt lc200n
Tenacious dlc Orange g10 --c.s. exclusive
Chapparal lwt xhp
Dragonfly 2 vg-10 green zome
Dragonfly 2 H-1 serrated

....and on the way....TENACIOUS full serrated spideyedge
-Native 5 s35vn bk g10

Interesting you mention the PM2>> because if I wasn't already carrying and EDCing my M390 Military I would most certainly select one of my PM2 models as my second selection. There's just something really enchanting about those GOLDEN, CO USA Earth Spyder models that really grow on you :cool:

Now as far as Spyderedged models if you ever find an SE model you like you will then want to use one for a companion folder. I use my PE & SE each day without exception. It's extremely rare during the course of a day when I don't end up using both edge types.