Spydercos you pair with NON Spydercos (inspired by Cambertree) - pics appreciated!

[Matus]

Let me chime in ... the knife above is Grand indeed. And yes - most (all?) GiantMouse knives could use a thinner blade AND (eve more importantly) a thinner edge - especially since all of them have just a flat grind. And indeed - outside Spyderco these are few of the knives with their own unique design and are easily recognisable.

[Wartstein]

Let me chime in ... the knife above is Grand indeed. And yes - most (all?) GiantMouse knives could use a thinner blade AND (eve more importantly) a thinner edge - especially since all of them have just a flat grind. And indeed - outside Spyderco these are few of the knives with their own unique design and are easily recognisable.

Thanks for chiming in!
Are you sure it is the Grande and not the Biblio?
I think these are two versions of the Giant Mouse Ace platform in different sizes, and I figured the Grande should look larger compared to a Ladybug.

But I never owned a G.M. myself.
Sad to hear they are a bit in the thick blade/ thick edge camp.
As you said: Though for me not yet on Spyderco level, they do have good designs and materials.

[Doc Dan]

Like you, Wartstein, I often pair a Spydie folder - often a Pac Salt or other SE folder - with a fixed blade when I'm in the woods. From just this past weekend:

Whoa! That is a really nice Endura! Who made those scales and how do we contact him or her? Very nice, indeed.

[Wartstein]

Like you, Wartstein, I often pair a Spydie folder - often a Pac Salt or other SE folder - with a fixed blade when I'm in the woods. From just this past weekend:

Whoa! That is a really nice Endura! Who made those scales and how do we contact him or her? Very nice, indeed.

+1
A lot nicer than the Micarta scales on mine! (which are not bad too already)

[Matus]

Thanks for chiming in!
Are you sure it is the Grande and not the Biblio?
I think these are two versions of the Giant Mouse Ace platform in different sizes, and I figured the Grande should look larger compared to a Ladybug.

But I never owned a G.M. myself.
Sad to hear they are a bit in the thick blade/ thick edge camp.
As you said: Though for me not yet on Spyderco level, they do have good designs and materials.

I am 100% positive, the harpoon tip is on Grand. Plus I have spent a LOT of time on GM webpage (mostly drooling). I don't want to sound like bashing their products though as they are really good. Most of their knives are made in Italy by Viper (so the edge retention on the M390 is not quite as good as it could be), but they also have models made by Reate (GM6, Biblio and and Riv to my knowledge) and those are supposed to be even nicer. In total - nothing is perfect out there, but GM makes knives that a proper knife enthusiast should have a closer look at (after acquiring sufficient number of Spydercos of course ) I personally am really attracted to Ria, but finally went with a Brouwer instead (and love it!). I am discovering that I have a soft spot for a half-titanium, half-G10/micarta knives.

[abbazaba]

Ladybugs and Manbugs go great with everything... The K390 Ladybug has been my most carried knife since it dropped.


....

I strongly assume this is the Biblio and not the Grande, right?

Regardless, both are two of the very few folders that interest me a bit outside of Spydercos lineup these days (Both could have a bit thinner stock for me though, like 2.5 on the Biblio and 3 on the Grande)

The Grande looks to be even a possible Shaman alternative, right?

That my friend is the Ace Grand. It has the same exact blade as the GM5, but with a way easier to use clip, grippy micarta handles, and a decent liner lock. It fills your hand like a fixed blade with bulbous, almost wooden feeling handles.

Believe it or not, it has an excellent grind and is quite thin BTE for a production knife with 4mm stock. It slices as well as a PM2 or Slysz Bowie in my experience. I'm firmly in the camp that wishes most knives were thinner stock (skinny PM2 lockback FTW) but they really nailed this one.

It's easily my favorite GM knife, and fits my hand worlds better than the Biblio. I don't have a Shaman anymore (never clicked with me), but I don't think they feel similar at all in use.

I'm not sure I understand the criticisms, which generally seem related to the Maniago factory more than the actual knife? It's not my perfect knife, but it may be my favorite new knife of 2020. I highly recommend getting your hands on one.

[ladybug93]

For many years a serrated Ladybug on my key ring paired with whatever plain edge "main" folder I had in my pocket for the day.

These days a Vic Rambler has taken over from the Ladybug as I find I have more use for scissors and tweezers than I do for a small serrated back up blade so that currently pairs with a Spyderco on days that my main folder happens to be a Spyderco.

Man! I actually searched for a small, 5th pocket SAK option last night and the Rambler or Manager (which is a Rambler plus a small pen) seemed to fit my bill best! I do like the Alox SAKs, but they don´t offer tweezer (and toothpick), which can be very usefull.. especially in summer, when we have nasty ticks here...

Could you post a comparison pic of your Rambler to some Spyderco? More a well known one (Delica, Para 3, PM2, Endura, Manix, whatever... )?!

the rambler is great. i've carried one for years on my keys or on a little flashlight. i carry a real pen all the time and i prefer to have the tweezers and toothpick (most used tool on my rambler). i'll edit this post with a picture in a few.

edited to add image:

ladybug hawkbill salt se, dragonfly salt se, sak rambler and nitecore tini, delica damascus zome, manix 2 lw xhp

[JuPaul]

Like you, Wartstein, I often pair a Spydie folder - often a Pac Salt or other SE folder - with a fixed blade when I'm in the woods. From just this past weekend:

Whoa! That is a really nice Endura! Who made those scales and how do we contact him or her? Very nice, indeed.

Thanks, I agree they are incredible scales! They're from Suingab in Europe.
https://g10.lt/

I've ordered from him several times and the work is always excellent, and for very fair prices. Shipping of course takes longer since it's overseas. Email seems to be the best way to contact him.

[Doc Dan]

Like you, Wartstein, I often pair a Spydie folder - often a Pac Salt or other SE folder - with a fixed blade when I'm in the woods. From just this past weekend:

Whoa! That is a really nice Endura! Who made those scales and how do we contact him or her? Very nice, indeed.

Thanks, I agree they are incredible scales! They're from Suingab in Europe.
https://g10.lt/

I've ordered from him several times and the work is always excellent, and for very fair prices. Shipping of course takes longer since it's overseas. Email seems to be the best way to contact him.

Thanks! I am going to look into it. I've tried another European maker but he is too expensive, nowadays. These look really good. I may look into some faded green micarta.

[Granoo Fink]

Like you, Wartstein, I often pair a Spydie folder - often a Pac Salt or other SE folder - with a fixed blade when I'm in the woods. From just this past weekend:

Whoa! That is a really nice Endura! Who made those scales and how do we contact him or her? Very nice, indeed.

Thanks, I agree they are incredible scales! They're from Suingab in Europe.
https://g10.lt/

I've ordered from him several times and the work is always excellent, and for very fair prices. Shipping of course takes longer since it's overseas. Email seems to be the best way to contact him.

Thanks! I am going to look into it. I've tried another European maker but he is too expensive, nowadays. These look really good. I may look into some faded green micarta.

These

Manix and its new dress first time out

are from cuscadi.de, fit and finish are perfect and these guys are really nice and helpful.

[Doc Dan]

Whoa! That is a really nice Endura! Who made those scales and how do we contact him or her? Very nice, indeed.

Thanks, I agree they are incredible scales! They're from Suingab in Europe.
https://g10.lt/

I've ordered from him several times and the work is always excellent, and for very fair prices. Shipping of course takes longer since it's overseas. Email seems to be the best way to contact him.

Thanks! I am going to look into it. I've tried another European maker but he is too expensive, nowadays. These look really good. I may look into some faded green micarta.

These

Manix and its new dress first time out

are from cuscadi.de, fit and finish are perfect and these guys are really nice and helpful.

Very nice. I like that color.

[brj]

Lately I've been enjoying a lot the combo below

[ThomC]

When out and about, it's usually the TOPS Tanimboca on my belt or in my kitbag, and the Millie in my pocket.


In an everyday setting, because I always carry two blades, the Millie (again) in my pocket, and a Higonokami in my pack as a secondary. Will edit later with a pic.
I'll sometimes toss a carbon Opinel in the mix because it's easier to lend an 8€ knife than a 200 one...

[TkoK83Spy]

[steelcity16]

[wrdwrght]

Excluding the two SAKs I usually carry—excluded because I regard them as multitools—there are no non-Spydies on my person that I pair with the RFP Spydie I happen to be carrying.

That is, unless I have my bugout bag on my back.

On this ruck, I’ve mounted an ESEE-6 fixed-blade that I can easily detach and put on my belt if I want to recon away from camp.

Inside this ruck, for use in camp, particularly for wood-processing, I have Blind Horse Knives’ Bushbaby and Bushcrafter fixed-blades.

Although I enjoyed thinking through a practical bugout system for my wife and me, I really don’t want to need it, and, having not needed it so far, except to throw in our RV, these and other non-Spydies are little used.

Spydies are considerably more fascinating to me at my stage in life than other brands, fixed and not.

[Granoo Fink]

Hey Granoo Fink,

a bit off topic, but you mentioning "rheinleder.de" made me look at your profile in order to perhaps see where you live and it says "southern Germany"
May I ask where or perhaps at least which region / federal state? Is it perhaps even close to me here in Austria, so you living in Bayern (or Allgaeu), or do you mean "southern" more broadly, so everything south of the Main or something like this?

Am lustigsten waere, wenn Du z.B, in Berchtesgaden leben wuerdest.... dann sind wir uns vielleicht schon mal über den Weg gelaufen...

Hallo Gernot

I'm living in the outskirts of Stuttgart, but my parents used to have friends in Salzburg and Vienna. So when I was a boy, we visited them a few times per year.

Fun fact: my first name is Gernot, too. You are maybe the fifth or sixth person with this name I have met in 50 years.

Viele Gruesse
Gernot :)

Guten Morgen, Gernot!

Thanks for your reply. Stuttgart, especially in its outskirts, must be a nice place to live! :)

In my twenties I stayed in Stuttgart for about 2 weeks, since I had a pretty lazy job there: I had to copy each single recording they had of Mozart in the Stuttgart broadcasting center to DAT casettes for the Salzburg Mozart Ton und Film Museum..
So I basically was sitting around there, listened to Mozart while reading the musical scores to it, and just had to make cuts on the DAT casettes after each movement of a symphonie or whatever (luckily I played piano for ten years, so I could read the sheet notes) :)

I can recall that it was really nice to hike around in the Stuttgart surroundings in my off time: Not real mountains, but also not flat at all, nice woods and landscape. Thought it must be great for mountain biking, but did not bring mine for the two weeks I worked there.

/ Yes "Gernot" is a pretty rare name - I have not even met as "many" as you, perhaps only two or three... weird, right, since it is such a perfect name to have... :p :p

/ If you ever like to visit Salzburg again: Shoot me a message if you like, so we can meet up! :)
And bring your biggest locking Spydie and enjoy carrying it legally here in Austria! (Your German knife laws always drive me mad. Make no sense at all to me )

Hallo Gernot

It took me a while to answer, but in between, there's a new Spydie-Fan (hopefully) in the house. I need more knives...

Thank you for the invitation, will do :)

As it is near the river Neckar, the SWR broadcasting center hasn't that much to offer regarding mountain biking, but along the river, there are some nice places.

Since it's been a long time ago (the last time I visited those friends together with my parents, I was about 14 years old), I cannot remember that much but feeling well. And if I remember correctly, every evening we visited another Heurigen.

Our knife laws aren't complicated, as long as you don't carry the knife "ready-to-use" in public area. Put it in a bag with a padlock and you can take it to most places. But yes, it's hard to understand what makes a Dragonfly more dangerous than a kitchen knife :confused:

[ladybug93]

i've been pairing these two a lot lately when i don't carry my caribbean. i have to say, as much as i love my spydercos, the avispa always makes me feel like an idiot for paying more than $50 for a folding knife. it's perfectly capable and a great design. i'm thinking about picking up a second one. i've not noticed a difference in use between d2 and the more "premium" steels i have in my spydies. i think i'm done for a while. outside of the salt line, there's just no reason to be buying up knives that are 2-3x more expensive and offer little extra benefit.

[ThomC]

i've been pairing these two a lot lately when i don't carry my caribbean. i have to say, as much as i love my spydercos, the avispa always makes me feel like an idiot for paying more than $50 for a folding knife. it's perfectly capable and a great design. i'm thinking about picking up a second one. i've not noticed a difference in use between d2 and the more "premium" steels i have in my spydies. i think i'm done for a while. outside of the salt line, there's just no reason to be buying up knives that are 2-3x more expensive and offer little extra benefit.

While I share your point on price tags, Spydies I buy because they come with such an excellent craftsmanship and fit&finish.
I'm trying not to stray north of the 200€ price though.

[ladybug93]

i've been pairing these two a lot lately when i don't carry my caribbean. i have to say, as much as i love my spydercos, the avispa always makes me feel like an idiot for paying more than $50 for a folding knife. it's perfectly capable and a great design. i'm thinking about picking up a second one. i've not noticed a difference in use between d2 and the more "premium" steels i have in my spydies. i think i'm done for a while. outside of the salt line, there's just no reason to be buying up knives that are 2-3x more expensive and offer little extra benefit.

While I share your point on price tags, Spydies I buy because they come with such an excellent craftsmanship and fit&finish.
I'm trying not to stray north of the 200€ price though.

i'm not trying to say anything against spyderco. my spyderco knives are excellent, but i don't have to care about my avispa because it's less than $40 to replace. it's an excellent value.