Which knife for my wife?

[bearfacedkiller]

My wife has a pink Native5. She prefers the light weight of frn.

When a Salt2 in LC200N or maybe a Dragonfly in lC200n gets released they will be lime green frn and they will be more affordable than the custom scale option.

[JD Spydo]

My wife has a pink Native5. She prefers the light weight of frn.

When a Salt2 in LC200N or maybe a Dragonfly in lC200n gets released they will be lime green frn and they will be more affordable than the custom scale option.

Isn't that what I just recommended :D Heck the more I look at that Pink NATIVE I'm thinking of getting one of them for myself :)

And you're right about the Salt Series>> it's hard to go wrong with anything out the Salt Series for any non-knife people are people that do hard work with their knives.

[kobold]

I would get her a Native Salt (SE?) and then dye the scales green.

[JuPaul]

In August I took my wife to the sfo. We spent about an hour there with just her looking and she held 3 dozen knives at least. The employee went model by model explaining the uniqui feature of one vs the other. In the end the delica was what she chose. Then she chose a color. If you are close enough to put multiple model in her hand I'd suggest that. If not, the delica would have been what I chose anyway so maybe you will have the same outcome

Agreed. Giving her the chance to hold several options and choose herself would be ideal. Markus, if an ocean didn't separate us, and covid didn't exist, I'd invite your wife over to go through my collection!

[Toucan]

It looks like Cuscadi will fabricate customs scales, so your options are huge. Ultimately it would probably be best to ask her what she likes in a knife and what she doesn't. There are also some other things to keep in mind.

People have wildly different preferences, so you should probably ask her what she likes/dislikes. Many people often recommend a Delica for a knife for women because the're a compact, well tested design, and it comes in fun colors. I was going to get one for my wife until she mentioned off handedly that she dislikes lockbacks.

Another consideration is will this be a pocket knife or a purse knife? If it's a purse knife, having a lock with a bias towards closing is a good idea. Anything with a CBBL or lockback. Alternatively if it's a knife for pockets, a big consideration will be size since a lot of women's pants suck in terms of capacity.

Steel is also a factor. When knives are gifts we tend to want to give the best possible quality, but that doesn't necessarily mean mean splurging on something with crazy edge retention. In my experience tougher steels make better gifts. For a lot of people rolling an edge is fine, but chipping an edge stresses them out and makes them less likely to use the knife. Softer or tougher seems to be better for gift knifes unless the giftee is a steel aficionado that enjoys sharpening.

With all those considerations in mind, I got my wife a Cat, way back when they were 440c. Spyderco actually replaced it with the BD1 version when I mailed it in for a sharpening a few years ago. (It apparently had a defect of some sort). She really likes it as much as a non-knife person really likes a knife. I suppose in the same way even a non car person would have a fondness for a trusty and peppy old Honda Civic.

Not knowing your wife's preferences, my recommendations seem not helpful, but I'll rattle off my picks.

The Astute is amazing. It packs a big blade into a handle designed specifically for small hands. Seriously, it has a longer edge length than the Manix2 -- the edge length is only .078" shorter than the Paramilitary2! All this, yet the handle is tiiiiny. I have small hands and it's almost too small for me, but the handle design still makes it very comfy to use.

The Cat is also solid. Between the choil, wire clip, and leaf shape, it's the most "Spyderco-y" Spyderco in my mind.

A Manix2 or Manix2 LW is my oddball pick. It's way bigger than either of the knives I suggested above, but the Manix2 is such a satisfying knife. The regular model is very heavy and sturdy, but the CBBL makes it a good contender for the purse, and the G10 is swappable. The lightweight is also cheaper and lighter option. I've never actually used the LW model, but I only hear good things. It does have the drawback of no aftermarket scales. You could get the grey Maxamet variant to dye, but then you have an expensive super steel knife and a DIY project -- which may not be ideal.

Good luck in your search, and I hope whatever you decide on that your wife likes it.

[austrian_spyder_fan]

USN Exclusive Toxic Green LadyBug H-1 Hawkbill Blade from 2015.

This scale color on an other model whould be amazing. I saw them on eBay but don't like this combination.

[Doc Dan]

I let my wife use my HAP40 Dragonfly and she won't give it back.

I know! That is how my wife got hers the first time. hahahaha! :D

[Bill1170]

Nobody ever got fired for recommending a Delica.

[austrian_spyder_fan]

In August I took my wife to the sfo. We spent about an hour there with just her looking and she held 3 dozen knives at least. The employee went model by model explaining the uniqui feature of one vs the other. In the end the delica was what she chose. Then she chose a color. If you are close enough to put multiple model in her hand I'd suggest that. If not, the delica would have been what I chose anyway so maybe you will have the same outcome

Agreed. Giving her the chance to hold several options and choose herself would be ideal. Markus, if an ocean didn't separate us, and covid didn't exist, I'd invite your wife over to go through my collection!

Hi Julia,

thank you for your kind words.
Unfortunatly there are some cups of water between us.
Have a good sunday, ours is nearly gone.

[JuPaul]

It looks like Cuscadi will fabricate customs scales, so your options are huge. Ultimately it would probably be best to ask her what she likes in a knife and what she doesn't. There are also some other things to keep in mind.

People have wildly different preferences, so you should probably ask her what she likes/dislikes. Many people often recommend a Delica for a knife for women because the're a compact, well tested design, and it comes in fun colors. I was going to get one for my wife until she mentioned off handedly that she dislikes lockbacks.

Another consideration is will this be a pocket knife or a purse knife? If it's a purse knife, having a lock with a bias towards closing is a good idea. Anything with a CBBL or lockback. Alternatively if it's a knife for pockets, a big consideration will be size since a lot of women's pants suck in terms of capacity.

Steel is also a factor. When knives are gifts we tend to want to give the best possible quality, but that doesn't necessarily mean mean splurging on something with crazy edge retention. In my experience tougher steels make better gifts. For a lot of people rolling an edge is fine, but chipping an edge stresses them out and makes them less likely to use the knife. Softer or tougher seems to be better for gift knifes unless the giftee is a steel aficionado that enjoys sharpening.

With all those considerations in mind, I got my wife a Cat, way back when they were 440c. Spyderco actually replaced it with the BD1 version when I mailed it in for a sharpening a few years ago. (It apparently had a defect of some sort). She really likes it as much as a non-knife person really likes a knife. I suppose in the same way even a non car person would have a fondness for a trusty and peppy old Honda Civic.

Not knowing your wife's preferences, my recommendations seem not helpful, but I'll rattle off my picks.

The Astute is amazing. It packs a big blade into a handle designed specifically for small hands. Seriously, it has a longer edge length than the Manix2 -- the edge length is only .078" shorter than the Paramilitary2! All this, yet the handle is tiiiiny. I have small hands and it's almost too small for me, but the handle design still makes it very comfy to use.

The Cat is also solid. Between the choil, wire clip, and leaf shape, it's the most "Spyderco-y" Spyderco in my mind.

A Manix2 or Manix2 LW is my oddball pick. It's way bigger than either of the knives I suggested above, but the Manix2 is such a satisfying knife. The regular model is very heavy and sturdy, but the CBBL makes it a good contender for the purse, and the G10 is swappable. The lightweight is also cheaper and lighter option. I've never actually used the LW model, but I only hear good things. It does have the drawback of no aftermarket scales. You could get the grey Maxamet variant to dye, but then you have an expensive super steel knife and a DIY project -- which may not be ideal.

Good luck in your search, and I hope whatever you decide on that your wife likes it.

Both excellent points! I think the OP mentioned this would likely be a purse knife. The only knives I will carry in my purse or on my keys are backlocks or SAKs, which of course have a very strong bias to close. CBBLs/the Manixes would probably be larger than most non-knife afi women would want for a purse knife.

[sal]

Hi Toucan,

Welcome to our forum.

Hey Marcus,

Are you the same Marcus that used to work with Elvira?

sal

[austrian_spyder_fan]

Hey Marcus,

Are you the same Marcus that used to work with Elvira?

sal

Good Morning Sal,

I'm the Markus from Austria, we had contact about the Totems. (green one for my wife too).

Have a good day!
Markus

[anycal]

My wife handled all of my small knives - Native, Caly, Chaparral, Delica, UKPK, Para 3.

It was a toss up between the Caly and Delica. Since I only have one Caly, I chose her the Delica.

[sal]

Hey Marcus,

Are you the same Marcus that used to work with Elvira?

sal

Good Morning Sal,

I'm the Markus from Austria, we had contact about the Totems. (green one for my wife too).

Have a good day!
Markus

Thanx Markus, I know you are the Markus with the Green Totem. We knew a Markus in Austria many years ago that worked with Elvira Lorenzi (Knife Distributor) and I thought you might be the same Markus. (sorry on the misspelling)

sal

[austrian_spyder_fan]

Thanx Markus, I know you are the Markus with the Green Totem. We knew a Markus in Austria many years ago that worked with Elvira Lorenzi (Knife Distributor) and I thought you might be the same Markus. (sorry on the misspelling)

sal

Hi Sal,
nevermind.
I'm not the Markus who knows Elvira.
If i can go to Vienna again someday, i'll try to find some time to visit the shop.
ASF

[Carlito555]

The teal native 5 s90v is my wife's latest knife. She loves it!

[SpydieHopkins]

I bought my wife the pink native 5. It gets lots of use and fits her personality. Plus there’s nothing hotter imho lol

[austrian_spyder_fan]

My wife does'nt like pink at all.
The teal Native could be an option.

[sal]

Hi SpydieHopkins,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

[austrian_spyder_fan]

So I did it.
I ordered a Spydie with toxic green G10 scales at Cuscadi.
Which one?
I' ll let you know......