Spyderco in use, review/feedback thread

[TkoK83Spy]

Hey all,

With all these new steels popping up left and right, in many of our favorite models...I thought this could be a great thread to start, a hub of information.

Let's devote this thread strictly to ANY Spyderco knife in ANY steel that you use, or have been using lately. Provide a review or some feedback on what knife you're using, the steel it has, what you've been cutting and for how long. Let us know if you've done any touch ups or stropping, how you last finished your edge before using it, if you've reprofiled your knife. Obviously you don't have to meet all those criteria's, but those are just some helpful things I could think of.

Spyderco has blessed us with many models and many steels, lets talk about them IN USE here!

[TkoK83Spy]

Quick wrap up for the week since I've got to leave work a little earlier than usual today. I cut up a bunch of rope that will be used as tarp tie downs here to cover some electrical equipment. Decided to chop into some more pallet wood on top of all the usual cutting for the week. The Crucarta Shaman performed well all week, no struggles in performance, which could be the model itself. The Shaman is A BAD KNIFE! :cool: To my surprise...Cruwear can't compare to 4V, not even on the same planet. I have gained a new found respect for 4V because of this.

As I said a couple days ago, the Cruwear seemed to dull and blunt on multiple spots in the blade earlier this week. It's tough to see, but in the second photo where the blade is propped in that sliver of wood...there are actually 3 tiny CHIPS in the blade! They could be rolls, but they really feel like chips. Visible when looking close and obviously when running your nail over them. 2 in front of the wood sliver and one behind it towards the handle. I'm not worried about it, as they are small...but wasn't expecting to see that. Tonight I'll see how well rounded Cruwear is in the sharpening department. I know touch ups are a breeze, and expect the same with sharpening out these small chips.

Sounds weird, and maybe totally against science and chemistry...but in the performance department, I didn't find Cruwear to be any better than S30V.

OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!!!!

[TkoK83Spy]

My weekly Friday close out post of the used all week for work knife. This week was the Shaman in 4V. I used it pretty much on par with the Para 3/M4 a couple weeks ago. With my end of the day free time, I decided to hunt down a couple different items to cut up to see how this steel performed to some of my previous tests. Before work today, the Shaman cut paper but not very clean...granted this knife isn't really known as a slicer anyways.

I cut up a few zip ties, sort of feathersticked a piece of pallet wood, cut through a bunch of thick corner board as well as a strap for hoisting motors and such that one of our maintenance guys was going to throw out. I was impressed with how easily it powered through the corner board, even the greasy hoist was no challenge. I posted a few photos below to try and help show the thickness of both items.

So on top of this stuff and the regular cutting for the day, it still slices paper about the same as it did this morning before work. Overall, I felt more confident in really cranking down on the Shaman going through the corner board than I may have, had I done the same with the Para 3. Wearing cut protective gloves, it's still extremely comfortable in hand. The lack of a thumb ramp made it more comfortable on the downward cuts when using pressure and not engaging in a hammer grip. In comparing the steels I've used since I've been doing these little reviews, for my kind of work I've found M4/20CV and 4V to all be pretty similar. I think I was more impressed with the Para 3/M4...maybe because I wasn't expecting the results to be as great as they were, where as with this knife I expected greatness...and got it.

[TkoK83Spy]

My weekly carry journey comes to an end today for the Para 3 in M4. I'm left thoroughly impressed! It was a fairly heavy work week this past week. I never once touched up the edge or gave it any passes on the strop. I finished up most of my work fairly early today and it was still shaving. The past couple hours I decided to try and dull the edge by cutting up various materials I can find around the warehouse.

Sliced up a few boxes into pretty small pieces, the brown paracord I cut 225 pieces. I used 75 cuts for the tip area, 75 cuts for the belly and 75 for the heel of the blade. The blue rope is heavy duty stuff, covered in a waxy finish to help keep it bound together. The Para 3 cleanly cut through those pieces while having to use a bit of strength looping the rope around my finger and pulling the rope towards myself as I push cut with the knife. Cleanly cut through every time on the first try. I finished up with various cuts of the heavy duty rubber hydraulic hose. My hand is now a bit cramped haha.

I ran my finger along the edge and it didn't feel very sharp. I thought, yes...I've defeated M4. I grabbed a piece of paper, and as you can see...cleanly cut it along the entire edge! I never really got to test the toughness of M4 I guess, but wow...this steel handled everything all week long, outlasted my hand in strength and still isn't done yet. I was very impressed with the results of the Manix 2 in 20CV a couple weeks ago, but I think M4 claims #1 of my weekly long tests so far.

[TkoK83Spy]

Finished the last 3 days of the week with the Smock in S30V after retiring the Caly Jr in Super Blue after 2 days. The Smock held up well, no problems cutting any of the typical warehouse type items. I really love how the Smock disappears in your pocket, takes up no space at all. I got bored a few minutes ago at the end of the day and decided to shred some cardboard and a bit of rope that was laying around...still cleanly cutting paper and shaving no problem after the past 3 days of use. S30V EASILY wins in warehouse duties over Super Blue, as well as the Smock over the Caly Jr (which was to be expected)

I also attached a photo of how I hold the Smock when using it. For me, this feels totally natural when using this knife and is quite comfortable. I know ergos tend to be a turn off for people when it comes to the Smock and don't think anybody should neglect this model without trying it for themselves first. Fantastic knife...awaiting some sprints!!

[Tucson Tom]

I've been looking for an excuse to say some things about my oldest and for some time least respected Spyderco, namely my PM2 with S30V steel. Like any Spyderco it came plenty sharp from the factory, but at some point I got a Goldenstone and used it to sharpen the knife. It is like an entirely different knife now. I just touched the edge up again with about 9 passes each side with the Goldenstone and it is back to being a scary sharp knife.

Some people don't think S30V is anything special, but I have to say that it is all anyone could ask for. I use it without hesitation for anything under the sun and it continually amazes and pleases me.

[TkoK83Spy]

I've never experienced any issues with S30V either. Haven't noticed any chippy or brittle edges, granted I did chip my PM2 last year...but that wasn't surprising considering the force and angle I hit a screw head after slicing through a plastic strap. I've seen more concerning small chips out of M390 and Cruwear just this past week. Though it was minimal and easily fixed after 10 minutes of scrubbing away on the brown stone in hand. Major bonus points to Cruwear for that. Thought for sure I would have needed my CBN stones.

It definitely doesn't deter me from buying a model with it (currently have 4 out of my 20) it's been said by many that aren't always seeking the latest and greatest...S30V really is a great all around steel.

[Sumdumguy]

VG-10 always makes me smile, it's a fine steel. In the form of Spyderco's cook's knife, it is even better. Just got done prepping some Bulgogi style lettuce wraps.



This came in the same package as my Ulizes. That turned out to be a package of ringers!

[JonLeBlanc]

Nice write ups Rick thanks!

[JMM]

Quick wrap up for the week since I've got to leave work a little earlier than usual today. I cut up a bunch of rope that will be used as tarp tie downs here to cover some electrical equipment. Decided to chop into some more pallet wood on top of all the usual cutting for the week. The Crucarta Shaman performed well all week, no struggles in performance, which could be the model itself. The Shaman is A BAD KNIFE! :cool: To my surprise...Cruwear can't compare to 4V, not even on the same planet. I have gained a new found respect for 4V because of this.

As I said a couple days ago, the Cruwear seemed to dull and blunt on multiple spots in the blade earlier this week. It's tough to see, but in the second photo where the blade is propped in that sliver of wood...there are actually 3 tiny CHIPS in the blade! They could be rolls, but they really feel like chips. Visible when looking close and obviously when running your nail over them. 2 in front of the wood sliver and one behind it towards the handle. I'm not worried about it, as they are small...but wasn't expecting to see that. Tonight I'll see how well rounded Cruwear is in the sharpening department. I know touch ups are a breeze, and expect the same with sharpening out these small chips.

Sounds weird, and maybe totally against science and chemistry...but in the performance department, I didn't find Cruwear to be any better than S30V.

OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!!!!


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It's no secret that I'm a huge 4V fanboy, it's my favourite steel lately, followed fairly closely by Rex45 and K390. Anyhow, I have all six steels available in the Shaman platform... 4V, Rex45, S90V, CruWear, M4, S30v -- So I decided to have a go at doing my own user tests, none of this is scientific in any way, shape, or form...

I spent a couple hours last weekend trying to get all 6 knives sharpened as closely as I am capable of, I'm reasonably competent at sharpening, certainly not as good as many folks around here... anyhow, this week I've been trying to rotate through the six Shaman and put each and every one through as similar amount of use as possible, some got a little more than others, but I'd say they were all in the same ballpark. After doing the basic arm hair shaving, paper cutting tests, and then looking at the edges with a 30x and 60x Jewellers loupe and seeing what the edges looked like. The results would rank from best to worst... 4V, Rex45, S90V, CruWear, M4, and S30V.

Those rankings are based on how sharp each respective blade still was, and the amount of damage the blade showed under 30x & 60x magnification. I think for me the two rankings I expected to be higher were CruWear & M4, whereas I expected S90V to be a little bit below CruWear and M4, just based on my own personal experiences those steels... I think I need to revisit my S90V knives and possibly move my opinion of it up higher where it was once...

Again, not trying to ignite a flame war or say this steel is bad or that steel is better than that steel, or anything of the sort, just sharing my own personal experiences & observations. :)

Cheers,

John

[TkoK83Spy]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing John. Many of us have a love affair with the Shaman the past few months, so it's nice to see this kind of comparison. I'm glad my results with the Cruwear seem to be consistent with someone else's use, and it wasn't my own wrong doing with sharpening prior to use. At the same time, it makes me disappointed in it!

Yes it sharpens like a dream, very easy to work with...just doesn't seem to have the edge strength and retention I imagined it to have, which seems to be the case for you as well.

I'm also surprised where M4 came out for you. I had the opposite results and have to rank it just behind 4V in my tests. But hey, this is what I was hoping for with this thread!! Thanks again for contributing!

[curlyhairedboy]

I gotta say, the performance/toughness of spyderco's tool steel is always alluring. I do love m4 and the others.

That said, the use environment is a key factor in, say, a week's worth of carry and use.

I've had more tool steels dull from corrosion than from extended use, and it's not a great feeling to know that the edge is literally degrading in your pocket. Cruwear seems to be a fantastic option for a tough (not just edge tough, but blade tough) steel that can survive shoreline conditions.

[TkoK83Spy]

^^Great points on the corrosion aspect for those that have to worry about that kind of thing on the coasts. I've heard nothing but great things about Cruwear and corrosion resistance compared to all other tool steels.

[TkoK83Spy]

Nobody is using their knives this week?? :confused:

[TkoK83Spy]

Right when I was thinking it couldn't get any better than the Shaman, especially in 4V...this guy came along. Rex45 Manix 2. Simply put, this knife performed as the #1 overall knife for me thus far through the 7 knives I've used in the weekly basis tests and I'd be extremely surprised if the 204P Millie, 52100 Manix, Matriarch 2 (haha) or Manix/Cruwear can surpass it. Not including the 3 knives I've reprofiled, as all these knives are the factory grind.

I'm sure it gets boring reading me ramble about the same type of stuff each week, but it's what's available for me to cut while at work. Not a huge variety of things...but at the same time, it makes it easier to more closely compare all these steels. I hope there's at least a handful of you that enjoy these reviews, as they do take some time.

During the "what Spyderco is in your pocket thread" I've mentioned how incredibly sharp this knife was out of the box. Though I gave it a couple passes on the UF stones and my strop for MY peak sharpness. It just seems to be so perfectly ground, I don't have another knife like it honestly. After the first 3 days of typical warehouse cutting, it still had that insane edge and I had a feeling it would already be the winner after 3 days.

So today I decided to do a bit more cardboard cutting that I normally do. I really should start counting what I'm doing, but I just get in a psychotic cutting rhythm that I don't think..to think :p I took various pictures to try and show the size of the piles I cut today, as well as the thickness of the items cut. Lots of cardboard, quite a bit of the hydraulic hose, as well as the rope. The rope is the same I cut with the Para3/M4, just a different color. Substantially less effort was needed for Manix today, it was a breeze. Could have cut for hours. Not to my surprise, it easily cut paper and even enough for the thin twisty pieces...which I've never been the best at cutting, but it can definitely do it if it were someone better at it than myself. After cutting the cardboard and through all the tape from the boxes, the blade was pretty gunked up but the hose and rope scraped it off and allowed it to really glide through those materials after the first few cuts through, when I was thinking maybe it was starting to lose that edge. Silly me!

Anybody that can find one of these, or on the secondary market for a reasonable price...you MUST get one. It's incredible!

My rundown through 7 weeks...
1 - Manix 2 / Rex45
2 - Shaman / 4V
3 - Para3 / M4
4 - Manix 2 / 20CV
5 - Shaman / Cruwear
6 - Smock / S30V (granted only used for 3 days, so maybe I should give it another try)
7 - Caly Jr / Super Blue (garbage)

[The Meat man]

Great job Rick! This is the kind of knife review I like to see.

Been really busy lately, but hopefully before too long I can put this CPM 10V PM2 to the test and when I do, I'll be sure to post the results here.

[Albatross]

Hey Rick, thanks for sharing all your usage and experiences! Your love of Superblue made me laugh.

Of all the steels you have tested and shared results for in this thread, Rex 45 is my favorite. When sharpening, it can take slightly longer than some other high wear steels, depending on the type of stones used, but I don't know if I have ever seen such a high wearing steel, that de-burrs so easily! It's almost as if the burr runs in fear, when I even think of removing it. The stropping response is phenomenal as well. Not many steels will whittle a hair off a 1 micron strop. People like to say it's the same as CPM M4, but its definitely not. Even the guy everyone looks to for sharpening wisdom, Michael Christy, has said it takes a lot more than a 1 micron strop to get a hair whittling edge on M4. In my experience, burr removal on M4 is extremely painful, when compared to Rex. I guess I'm spoiled! According to Larrin, the two steels are fairly equal in stain "resistance". All of these things, plus the great edge retention, which also outperforms M4*, made me fall for this steel.

I did use my Shaman to pry staples out of some thick cardboard, using the tip of the blade. This has been my, "don't do that with a knife" knife. When prying the staples out, the edge was scraping the legs of the staples. There was absolutely zero edge damage. This was on the factory-ish edge. I had to clean up the edge when the knife arrived, using a DMT coarse stone and 1 micron diamond spray on leather. The odd thing was that I noticed some blunting from cutting cardboard, but zip ties, staples, wood, etc., caused no damage. After the first real sharpening, there hasn't been any edge damage at all.

I don't have the time to do full reviews at the moment, but plan to do some rope cut tests on 2 Rex knives(Shaman and Para 3), as well as K390(P4 G10) and XHP(Para 3) knives. Maybe using edge finish as an additional variable. I really want to know what my blades will do too, but using something quantifiable, like number of rope cuts or inches/feet of cardboard cut. Edge strength testing is another curiosity I would like to investigate some day. A couple months ago, I purchased a KME sharpening system, specifically for controlled cut testing, to have the same edge on every knife, every time.

*in my own use and in actual testing done by several testers. Some lower hrc Rex Paras were or almost nearly, outperformed by CPM M4.

[TkoK83Spy]

That's what I need to start doing, as you mentioned...feet of cardboard and rope, for a more accurate test.

I totally agree about M4 and burrs. It's easy to get sharp, but I've chased a few times on my Para 3 and even more so my GB2, which I need to spend some time with because it's not very sharp at the moment. I definitely enjoy M4, but Rex45 is a step above.

The Shaman is really quite the specimen isn't it? I kick myself for holding off on one for so long, until these sprints/exclusives. I'm guilty of being in the "it's $190 and only has S30V " crowd.

[Albatross]

That's what I need to start doing, as you mentioned...feet of cardboard and rope, for a more accurate test.

I totally agree about M4 and burrs. It's easy to get sharp, but I've chased a few times on my Para 3 and even more so my GB2, which I need to spend some time with because it's not very sharp at the moment. I definitely enjoy M4, but Rex45 is a step above.

The Shaman is really quite the specimen isn't it? I kick myself for holding off on one for so long, until these sprints/exclusives. I'm guilty of being in the "it's $190 and only has S30V " crowd.

The only downsides to that kind of testing are the time and money required for reliable, repeatable results, which is probably why very few people do those kinds of tests. Still, I'll sleep better when I know what I've got.

I suspect your M4 knives wont see as much love now, since the Manix 2 Rex has impressed you so much.

Yes, the Shaman is really a great knife. The Rex exclusive was my first, and I felt slightly guilty for being a part of the same crowd that turned their noses up at the thought of S30V, but then I realized; the important thing is that I finally have a Shaman and love it. It's a true, "do everything" knife. Sure, it is a little chunky, and maybe heavier than some would like, but it's also a perfect candidate for someone looking to buy a single knife to cover all their needs and then some.

[TkoK83Spy]

Great job Rick! This is the kind of knife review I like to see.

Been really busy lately, but hopefully before too long I can put this CPM 10V PM2 to the test and when I do, I'll be sure to post the results here.

Thanks Buddy! Being the father of a little one, on top of anything else you have going on, it's understandable your time is limited. Would love to see a test like the one you gave that Rex45 Millie!! That was top notch stuff.