Straight Spine Stretch

[Wartstein]

In my opinion, if there's a difference in blade length between the straight spine and regular Stretch 2, it's very, very small. I'd put it at under 1mm, or somewhere around 1/64th of an inch, at most. Same goes for edge length.

As for the "wasted" space in the handle. That was the price that had to be paid to address complaints from some that the Stretch handle was cramped, while keeping the blade legal where Sal lives, not to metion everywhere else with a 3.5" limit.

Would I, personally, have preferred Spyderco to go in the opposite direction and return to the handle size of the original "1st generation" stainless/Kraton handled version, or even just retain the "2nd Generation" CF/FRN/NG version's handle, sure. Does the Stretch 2's "3rd generation" handle bother me, it did at first, but hasn't for quite a while since it still fits nicely in my back pocket. My textured black palm Stretch 2 has been one of the four I carry most often along with the bolstered, textured cocobolo, and lignum vitae ones and I currently have a set of textured desert ironwood scales on order to put on one of my straight spine Sorints.

According to the Spydiewiki the difference in blade length between the SS Stretch 2 and the "regular" Stretch 2 is just a hair above 1mm (87,1 mm vs 88, 4 mm that is 3,43" vs 3,48" inches). Though a minimal difference, I still somewhat could remember that the blade of my "regular" Stretch 2 filled a bit less of the handle than it is with the SS Stretch.

And I am totally fine with the blade staying under 3.5" and by that being legal in more places! Just for my personal needs the cutting edge is a bit short on the Stretch 2 (Endura edge length is my sweet spot), and I just notice that the handle would offer the space for more blade and egde.

And no doubt, the Stretch 2 handle is an improvement over the already great Stretch 1 handle concerning the ergos, especially for a bit bigger hands.
Concerningt the Stretch 1 handle being cramped: I can see that this might be the case for more than XL hands. But on the other hand, the Stretch 1 handle still offers a tiny bit more usable grip area than a PM2, and another way to enhance the grip area would have been to just remove the "hook" at the handle end and make it "flat" there.

But again, no complaints, I have the SS Stretch 2 right at hand at the moment, and the handle really is a masterpiece in ergos.

[buckleys]

Got mine today, never had a stretch before. It feels much heavier than I expected, around 106g with the steel liners versus my Manix Lw at 82g. I'll let it slide though because of the beautiful scales and back lock :cool: And as usual razor sharp out of the box.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

I have to say I am surprised by what people consider heavy. Please take a kitchen scale and weigh your phone sometime you might be surprised. :)

[Wartstein]

Got mine today, never had a stretch before. It feels much heavier than I expected, around 106g with the steel liners versus my Manix Lw at 82g. I'll let it slide though because of the beautiful scales and back lock :cool: And as usual razor sharp out of the box.

I think it feels more "solid" than really "heavy" (in fact it has almost the same weight as a PM2).
A FRN steel linered model with the same dimensions in length as the Stretch and almost the same weight as your Manix LW would be the Endela (88g, vsManix 2 LW 82 g)

[steelcity16]

Got mine today, never had a stretch before. It feels much heavier than I expected, around 106g with the steel liners versus my Manix Lw at 82g. I'll let it slide though because of the beautiful scales and back lock :cool: And as usual razor sharp out of the box.

I think it feels more "solid" than really "heavy" (in fact it has almost the same weight as a PM2).
A FRN steel linered model with the same dimensions in length as the Stretch and almost the same weight as your Manix LW would be the Endela (88g, vsManix 2 LW 82 g)

I was also surprised by the weight compared to other models. It does feel rock solid, which is great.

[SF Native]

USPS seems to be giving mine the scenic tour. Rough time of year to be in the delivery business. Should have been here already and tracking says it’s in the wrong town. Patience...

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

USPS seems to be giving mine the scenic tour. Rough time of year to be in the delivery business. Should have been here already and tracking says it’s in the wrong town. Patience...

Lol no kidding they are stealing UPS trucks in South Florida. https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/rob ... t-67531721

[cycleguy]

I have about a dozen packages en route either coming or going with the various delivery companies. All are running behind delivery schedule. Seems to be the worst year I recall.

CG

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

This is for Wartstein.

Clearly I love the Stretch and have backups of each, these are my users excepting the early Hunter and the Krayton combo blade, hard to come by good ones at a reasonable price. Very shocked how well the Krayton inlays hold up this till very day, good job Sal!.

Out of all the knives Spyderco has produced only the Stretch has demanded so much attention and rightly so.

I also have a Stretch 2 in Brown G10, at the end of this week I am just too tired to dig for it, it is longer than the standard Stretch 2 in the blade.

So I say Sal I understand keeping the blade shortness for retarded laws that are far from just but a straight spine Stretch in XL will top the charts.

Please lets be real... other than the sickening uber-liberal California and New York city just who is measuring a folder any how?

How about no one really cares, we are a nation of firearm owners and only the ultra stupid bring a knife to a gun fight!

When was the last time anyone got measured by a cop? Had to deal with two of them tonight they never even noticed me carrying a H1 Salt.

[sal]

Hey Whatever,

Nice pieces. What size are you looking for?

sal

[spoonrobot]

Stretch in XL

Yes please!

(I wasn't asked but 4"+ would be great :D)

[Pancake]

straight spine Stretch in XL

Stretch the Stretch to around 4 inches and just take my money

[Wartstein]

This is for Wartstein.

Clearly I love the Stretch and have backups of each, these are my users excepting the early Hunter and the Krayton combo blade, hard to come by good ones at a reasonable price. Very shocked how well the Krayton inlays hold up this till very day, good job Sal!.

Out of all the knives Spyderco has produced only the Stretch has demanded so much attention and rightly so.

I also have a Stretch 2 in Brown G10, at the end of this week I am just too tired to dig for it, it is longer than the standard Stretch 2 in the blade.

So I say Sal I understand keeping the blade shortness for retarded laws that are far from just but a straight spine Stretch in XL will top the charts.

Please lets be real... other than the sickening uber-liberal California and New York city just who is measuring a folder any how?

How about no one really cares, we are a nation of firearm owners and only the ultra stupid bring a knife to a gun fight!

When was the last time anyone got measured by a cop? Had to deal with two of them tonight they never even noticed me carrying a H1 Salt.

Great pics, thanks a lot!! :)

I know, the G10 Stretch 2 has a longer blade than the FRN models, this is stated on the Spyderco page (3.57" vs 3.43")

The straight spine Stretch 2 seems to be a hair longer than the regular one, just as the Spydie Wiki says.
/ But what did you do to the blade of one of your new straight spine stretch´s? It neither shows Sals makers mark, nor the Spyderco bug?

[Wartstein]

Double post, sorry

[Wartstein]

straight spine Stretch in XL

Stretch the Stretch to around 4 inches and just take my money

Hey Whatever,

Nice pieces. What size are you looking for?

sal

As much as I like larger knives, I don´t think scaling up the great Stretch handle would work too well. It is just perfectly designed as it is now, making it just larger would perhaps ruin that amazing ergos?
The only thing that would work imho is to leave the handle exactly as it is, just lengthen it a bit towards the end, in order to accomodate a longer blade (So add length, that most people won´t need as a grip area, but just to offer space for a longer blade).

For me the perfect "Stretch XL" would be just a longer, fully handle filling blade in the exact current handle (And the "regular sized Stretch" would be the Stretch 1 then.. )

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Hey Whatever,

Nice pieces. What size are you looking for?

sal

Well Sal, thank you very much for providing these nice knives.

One of the reasons they mean so much to me is because I know they mean so much to you.

We have never met in person but at the age of 50 you remind me of my youth. I remember seeing your knives in the malls of the 1990’s and wowing over the designs of Spyderco.

I remember being insecure to carry such daring designs.

Back then what people thought mattered more, back then people were not worn out over constant information overload.

In a way those days before the internet and wide spread computer and internet usage were more special.

Today I was using the straight spine Stretch in an unusual fashion but not uncommon. I had cut through some packaging material and had to apply some negative pressure to keep going as the blade bound on the Stretch Straight spine.

The tip from the top hit my finger and I looked for the leaking red stuff and thought aw man!!! You have got to be more careful!

Luckily enough I was not cut. Then I thought Thank God this could have been a trip to stitch city.

I got lucky.

Then I thought how can I convey that had the blade been longer this would have been a none issue?

The blade length is great as it is, longer we’ll 3.75 to 4 inches would have been safer and better.

When we go too short on a blade it just misses allot.

Over 4 inches on a folder is kind of well stupid.

Cold Steel has many great designs but they tend to be way over the top, like stupid going wayyyy to far over the top.

Under 3.75 inches is limiting. The average Apple needs between 3.75 inches and 4.0 to perform well.

I wish the Smock had 4.0 inches of cutting power. So many great designs are undersized.

The Manix in my book misses the boat unless it is XL this to me is the true Manix it fulfills the spirit of the design.

Hmmmm what size am I looking for? Hmmm? A little more than now and close to a military with a full 50 / 50 Choil.

We could call this the Stretch XL.

Thank you for considering my input, I feel honored to have been asked and hope my input means something to you.

[Pancake]

As much as I like larger knives, I don´t think scaling up the great Stretch handle would work too well. It is just perfectly designed as it is now, making it just larger would perhaps ruin that amazing ergos?

As you said, you can easily lengthen the butt end of the handle to accommodate longer blade. And on the other hand, we are talking about extra 0.25 - 0.45 inch (6-10 mm) extra on the blade, and that is not that much increase in handle length..... maybe later I can make a sketch of longer Stretch.

....

Hey doeswhateveraspidercan. I love those photos. Just one question - that orange one is Stretch 1 right? Was there ever a Stretch 2 in HAP 40?

[weeping minora]

This is for Wartstein.

Clearly I love the Stretch and have backups of each, these are my users excepting the early Hunter and the Krayton combo blade, hard to come by good ones at a reasonable price. Very shocked how well the Krayton inlays hold up this till very day, good job Sal!.

Out of all the knives Spyderco has produced only the Stretch has demanded so much attention and rightly so.

I also have a Stretch 2 in Brown G10, at the end of this week I am just too tired to dig for it, it is longer than the standard Stretch 2 in the blade.

So I say Sal I understand keeping the blade shortness for retarded laws that are far from just but a straight spine Stretch in XL will top the charts.

Please lets be real... other than the sickening uber-liberal California and New York city just who is measuring a folder any how?

How about no one really cares, we are a nation of firearm owners and only the ultra stupid bring a knife to a gun fight!

When was the last time anyone got measured by a cop? Had to deal with two of them tonight they never even noticed me carrying a H1 Salt.

Wellllll now, being a born-and-raised native of Commifornia, Scourge of the Earth, whatever any jealous non-Californian wants to call it :p, it seems the real problems lie within other states realistically regarding such blade length condemnations within the knife community at large. I'm sure NYC, Boston and Chicago for sure make up the harshest percentages of restrictions. If you're targeting CA as a whole, may as well pin down Los Angeles as a city in which such restrictions, which are even more relaxed than the 3 aforementioned cities :D, even applies to your comment. Automatics and daggers seem to be the biggest no-nos out here, which don't impart any such restrictions upon blade length aside from actual CA residents with a 2" auto limit for public carry. ****, you can practically carry a sword in San Diego as long as it's sheathed, but you better have a darn good reason to back that up. Police don't give a hassle to citizens carrying knives abiding by the law. You can thank every criminal who has tarnished our rights to carry such tools, rather than jacka** Californians or Yankees :rolleyes:. Same thing if you're carrying a gun, which is illegal almost everywhere in this so-called gun-toting, non-caring country of ours :D. When you look at blade length restrictions, it's down to the cities and counties in which you reside, rather than the actual state at-large. I'm sure somewhere in FL they have restrictions that impart on this whole, just as every other state .

Most actual hunters, which was the original target-market for this design, actually prefer a shorter blade when dressing animals. To the best of my knowledge, this current "2" has been re-designed once again with input from those in that field in mind. The EDC-factor is secondary to its' overall design and has been accepted after-the-fact. A stretched-out Stretch doesn't seem likely to win anyone over on this design IMHO, regardless of blade shape. Myself, along with many others have lost that magic in this current "2" iteration due to the handle. The blade shape I believe was never the issue, as NKP and many actual knife-folk look at this design and don't "get it" to begin with, regardless of actual ergonomics, or usefulness. The original CQI'd, 2nd First Run :confused:, however you want to name it, Stretch seemed to have been the perfect iteration regarding ratios of size for those who used it.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Well a large percentage of folks in Florida conceal carry guns legally.

Sorry don’t mean the people of California as it is impossible to know each and every one. but the ones running the state, the counties, cities and whatever And that goes for New York City, and every other dim witted place that has knife restrictions.

Might as well toss in other countries while I am at it.

Restrictions by idiotic government regulation never prevents anything. Criminally intent individuals will not pay attention to laws anyway and all they wind up doing is restricting the liberties of the law abiding, who are not going to perform criminal acts anyway.

Take me for instance I am over 6 feet tall and weigh in at around 245. I carry at-least one knife as a tool.

Last night when leaving the office there was a strange character laying down in our parking lot propped up against the wall. Looked like he was shooting up or something, In order to get to my vehicle I would have to walk by him.

So I took out another tool my cell phone and called the police asked them to come by and evaluate the situation as I did not want to engage in any kind of altercation.

The police came and as it turns out their were two guys hanging out not just the one I saw, the police ran them off I thanked them and left.

The point is just because I carry does not mean I am looking for a scenario to use a gun or a knife. I got my fill of shooting in the army long ago.

The reality of the knife situation is that a criminal will use whatever they can and limiting knives length is not going to deter them one bit.

[Wartstein]

As much as I like larger knives, I don´t think scaling up the great Stretch handle would work too well. It is just perfectly designed as it is now, making it just larger would perhaps ruin that amazing ergos?

As you said, you can easily lengthen the butt end of the handle to accommodate longer blade. And on the other hand, we are talking about extra 0.25 - 0.45 inch (6-10 mm) extra on the blade, and that is not that much increase in handle length..... maybe later I can make a sketch of longer Stretch.

....

For just 6 to 10 mm you don't have to lengthen the handle. There is already space for at leasr 8mm left...