Spyderco Forums

There is a recent and totally worth reading thread started by Cambertree about "Spyderco Pairs": viewtopic.php?f=2&t=88713

While I did reply there, it made me realize that I practically never pair Spydercos, but that there are two particular Spydie-folders that I often pair with knives of other brands - certainly some of you do so too and perhaps like to share? :) (Pics appreciated!)

My two are: Chaparral FRN and Pac Salt SE (H1), and the counterparts are always fixed blades, the scenario always the outdoors.

- Chaparral FRN, paired with a larger fixed blade



Frequent readers of this forum might already be bored and/or annoyed by my praise of this knife, so I´ll try to keep it brief..:
- The Chap has this unique reasonably thin, but still strong enough blade, that makes it an amazing slicer
- It has a bomb proof, solid construction, with all steel beneath the FRN (liners, steel backspacer), the backlock and the internal stop pin
- So for me it is almost something different to or more than just knife: A little, aggressive "bushcraft-claw", perfectly suited for all smaller tasks, that can very well a bit more "hard use". The ergos are amazing for me, if the use is not too prolongued.
While it is certainly meant to be held with a finger in the choil, one can certainly change to a good 3 or 3.5 - finger grip on the actual handle for a change when working longer
- And it is so slim and small that I really can carry i everywhere and always.

- In the pic it is paired with my Esee Laser Strike: I like that one a lot, but actually not really as a "knife" like in "cutting tool". Though I thinned it out, it still cuts pretty bad, and though the edge retention got better after some sharpenings it is still nothing to write home about.
But it is just a great undestructable beat-on-tool, though I mainly use it as a throwing knife these days (that´s why (just) the tip is stripped of all the coating already), and the Chap does all the real (smaller) cutting.

- Pac Salt SE also paired with a larger fixed blade



- The Pac Salt (I have the sabre hollow/H1 version) is an amazing cutter - like in "fine cutting", but also like in "brutal separator". The chisel grind combined with the penetration force of the teeth bites into material extremely well, works amazingly for "rougher", not too "detailed" whittling (so for example perfect for making a pointy stick) and the SE grind produces the best and finest feathersticks/shavings.
- It is also well suited for almost every knife task with its long cutting edge
- And very light and slim in carry, so no problem to bring it together with a larger fixed blade

- In the pic it is paired with my Boker Vox rold plus. This one has about Esee 6 size, but is lighter, but still relatively more blade heavy, and has perfect ergos for my hands
- While it is certainly a good cutter for its size (a lot better than the Laser Strike), when the Pac Salt is with me, the Boker is mainly used as a chopper, since the Spydie takes care of all the rest.

Some might ask: "Why no Spyderco fixed blades"?

- Well, with fixed blades I tend to think a lot more "rational" than it is with folders, and I had the Esee and Boker already when I really got into Spyderco. Being "rational", I did not necessarely exchange them with Spyderco fixed blades, cause both work well for what I use them.
IF I had NO fixed blade right now: I´d certainly get Jim Ankersons Province as a large option! Amazing design, and worth every cent it costs imho.

- I do have one Spyderco fixed blade: The "special-regrind-Waterway" forumbrother Pancake gifted to me. A perfect do-it-all blade, as long as no chopping is involved.
But by BEING a stand alone "perfect do it all" -knife, I´d never see any sense in actually pairing it with a folder...

In my case, mostly, it is one of my Bark Rivers: PSK EDC, UL Bushcrafter, Mini Tundra, Gunny, Bravo 1 LT, Tundra..

Or a Victorinox Rambler, or an alox Pioneer, or the Explorer+.

Or just a swisscard :-)

kobold wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 08, 2021 4:39 am

In my case, mostly, it is one of my Bark Rivers: PSK EDC, UL Bushcrafter, Mini Tundra, Gunny, Bravo 1 LT, Tundra..

Or a Victorinox Rambler, or an alox Pioneer, or the Explorer+.

Or just a swisscard :-)

Nice! :)

BUT: Which SPYDERCO(s) do you pair with those? :rolleyes:

i typically pair spydercos for edc, but will occasionally throw in some of my cheaper knives because i still like them. the most common being my esee avispa in d2 along with my pac salt. that's a formidable pair.

when i was working in a place with a ridiculous 2.5" blade length rule, i typically carried a cold steel tuff lite and a df2 salt. the tuff lite is a great knife and kind of reminded me of a mini yojimbo with better ergonomics. if you need a small wharncliffe that is robust, i highly recommend it.

in the woods, it kind of depends on the environment and what i plan to be doing. in hawaii, it was always pretty warm and we traveled light, so i'd usually carry my pac salt in my waistband and have a sak rangergrip and cold steel finn wolf in my backpack. if i was going out for more than a day hike, i'd add a mora kansbol. now that i'm back on the mainland and don't have to worry as much about salty air, i still carry the same knives, but may throw in an esee jg5 on my belt.

it's no secret i'm a huge fan of the salt series. it's what brought me back to spyderco after many years. i found the pac salt especially valuable to have in hawaii, but it's usefulness outside of marine environments is also proven. i'm almost never without at least one spyderedge salt knife on me and it's usually all i need. anything else i add is just because i like the knife and feel like carrying it or for a specific utilitarian purpose, such as a belt knife and sak for the wilds.

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:

JuPaul wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:14 pm

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:

Thanks for sharing, Julia!

Absolutely beautiful: The pic, the scales and the whole knives. :)
Love your new (don´t know HOW new it actually is exactly) Micarta Endura!

Wartstein wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:19 pm

JuPaul wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:14 pm

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:

Thanks for sharing, Julia!

Absolutely beautiful: The pic, the scales and the whole knives. :)
Love your new (don´t know HOW new it actually is exactly) Micarta Endura!

I got the Endura maybe 4 months ago, then had to wait like a month for the scales from Suingab. So not that new. I just keep forgetting to post it!

Pits for apples, strings, stuff like that. Elson/ Dipaolo M1V2 for rope, jute, cardboard, all those tough pull cut jobs. It’s a nice aggressive cutter.

The list is too big.

A picture I took a while back with a few fixed blades I pair with a Delica

Lately I've been pairing my Sandrin Torino with a good, tough knife. Last week was the Cold Steel Mini Pendleton Hunter fixed blade in CPM 3V.

So far this week, the BladeHQ CPM M4 Tanto PM2 has been filling that role.

I've got a thin, razor edge, tungsten carbide scalpel, and a thick, beefy, hard-use tool steel folder in my pockets.

RLR wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 08, 2021 6:01 pm

38894551-F3D9-4D8C-8955-E0083EE44FE6.jpeg

Pits for apples, strings, stuff like that. Elson/ Dipaolo M1V2 for rope, jute, cardboard, all those tough pull cut jobs. It’s a nice aggressive cutter.

I like the look of that hawkbill fixed blade!

I usually have a Leatherman Squirt in my pocket, along with a Spyderco:



When out working on my trails or car camping I like to pair my big bowie and small bowie together. Scrapyard Dogfather and Spyderco Street Beat. Usually have a rebar with me in these situations but brought a Kick this day:



Squirt + Street Beat tonight.

Here's a few:

Orange Military and Busse SAR4


CTS-XHP Millie and a D2 Rat7


Busse original Team Gemini and S90V Para2


Busse DSSF and M4 Ti G10 Military


A better look at the Busse Desert Storm Stealth Fighter.

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.

RLR wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 08, 2021 6:01 pm

38894551-F3D9-4D8C-8955-E0083EE44FE6.jpeg

Pits for apples, strings, stuff like that. Elson/ Dipaolo M1V2 for rope, jute, cardboard, all those tough pull cut jobs. It’s a nice aggressive cutter.

Whoah, that Pits looks cool! Tbh, I was not aware of this Spydie, so thanks for showing it to me! :)
Slipjoint, right?!

ladybug93 wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 08, 2021 5:56 am

........

it's no secret i'm a huge fan of the salt series. it's what brought me back to spyderco after many years. i found the pac salt especially valuable to have in hawaii, but it's usefulness outside of marine environments is also proven. i'm almost never without at least one spyderedge salt knife on me and it's usually all i need. anything else i add is just because i like the knife and feel like carrying it or for a specific utilitarian purpose, such as a belt knife and sak for the wilds.

Thanks for sharing!
Yes, a Pac Salt (SE in my case) in my pack always gives me the nice feeling to be prepared for a LOT of what could occur on knife tasks... Vivi pointed me to it, and since I have one I really can´t imagine anymore how I could do without...

standy99 wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 08, 2021 7:17 pm

The list is too big.
A picture I took a while back with a few fixed blades I pair with a Delica

Nice! Custom- / self made fixed blades?

The Meat man wrote: Lately I've been pairing my Sandrin Torino with a good, tough knife. Last week was the Cold Steel Mini Pendleton Hunter fixed blade in CPM 3V.

So far this week, the BladeHQ CPM M4 Tanto PM2 has been filling that role.
...

A great pair! The Tanto PM2 honestly is the PM2 I´d want if I would get any PM2 right now (never would have thought that a Tanto could be that appealing)
And, as great as Spyderco is, I still have to say: Concerning thin blade stock they could take a leaf out of that Sandrin Torinos book... :rolleyes:

vivi wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 08, 2021 8:52 pm

I usually have a Leatherman Squirt in my pocket, along with a Spyderco:

When out working on my trails or car camping I like to pair my big bowie and small bowie together. Scrapyard Dogfather and Spyderco Street Beat. Usually have a rebar with me in these situations but brought a Kick this day:

Squirt + Street Beat tonight.

Much of what I like too! :)
Squirt always in my running pack, Rebar still my favorite leatherman, Would probably have a Street Beat if the White River backpacker would not fill that role already for me.

PSquared wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 08, 2021 11:17 pm

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... )?!