What Spyderco has surprised you the most?

[M Sea]

I finally got a Spydie Chef last week and I can’t put it down. I think I may have finally found “the one.” It checks all the boxes for me. I was pleasantly surprised as soon as I used it. It just feels like an extension of my hand. What Spyderco surprised you the most?

[hvarcz]

Zoomer and Subvert - i dont have them on thelist, but then I see them and U love them.

[Abyss_Fish]

Rhino. Completely outside my comfort zone and absolutely my favorite small knife.

It goes outside all my usual knife criteria, being tiny, having an odd blade shape, a very sculpted handle, a standard steel, talk online about the action being sub par, and peel ply cf with a non standard clip pattern, ew. But I took a shot in the dark just for fun, and as it turns out not only is it a cutting machine, it fits my hand perfectly in multiple positions, and has a spectacular action with a little break in. Oh and that non standard clip pattern? It fits a bm mini deep carry clip perfectly.

Plus Michael Reinhold helped me with changing out those peel ply cf scales :D

[Sharp Guy]

There's a lot of Spydies that have really impressed me but, at least at this point, I think the one that's surprised me the most is the Paysan. There's something about that skinny contoured handle and that big beefy blade that I really like. Not to mention the awesome fit & finish, great action, etc. I'm sure it's not the best slicer in my collection or even the best overall pocket knife. It's just really cool design to me.

[M Sea]

Rhino. Completely outside my comfort zone and absolutely my favorite small knife.

It goes outside all my usual knife criteria, being tiny, having an odd blade shape, a very sculpted handle, a standard steel, talk online about the action being sub par, and peel ply cf with a non standard clip pattern, ew. But I took a shot in the dark just for fun, and as it turns out not only is it a cutting machine, it fits my hand perfectly in multiple positions, and has a spectacular action with a little break in. Oh and that non standard clip pattern? It fits a bm mini deep carry clip perfectly.

Plus Michael Reinhold helped me with changing out those peel ply cf scales :D

Very cool. That’s a great point about getting outside your comfort zone. Exactly what the Chef was for me. But man, so glad I tried it. Will definitely be stepping out of the comfort zone on the next few knives!

[M Sea]

There's a lot of Spydies that have really impressed me but, at least at this point, I think the one that's surprised me the most is the Paysan. There's something about that skinny contoured handle and that big beefy blade that I really like. Not to mention the awesome fit & finish, great action, etc. I'm sure it's not the best slicer in my collection or even the best overall pocket knife. It's just really cool design to me.

Wow, have never seen that Spyderco before, very nice.

[Abyss_Fish]

Very cool. That’s a great point about getting outside your comfort zone. Exactly what the Chef was for me. But man, so glad I tried it. Will definitely be stepping out of the comfort zone on the next few knives!

All my favorites have been shots in the dark, when I got the watu my original plan was to do a big modding project with an M390 bentoboxshop para 3. I ended up not only saving several hundred bucks but finding my absolute favorite mid sized folder.

[M Sea]

Very cool. That’s a great point about getting outside your comfort zone. Exactly what the Chef was for me. But man, so glad I tried it. Will definitely be stepping out of the comfort zone on the next few knives!

All my favorites have been shots in the dark, when I got the watu my original plan was to do a big modding project with an M390 bentoboxshop para 3. I ended up not only saving several hundred bucks but finding my absolute favorite mid sized folder.

Thats awesome, you have to love that. Ironically, the Watu is on my radar and definitely outside my comfort zone.

[Abyss_Fish]

Thats awesome, you have to love that. Ironically, the Watu is on my radar and definitely outside my comfort zone.

Go for it! I could shower that knife in praise all day, nothing beats it in the spyderco lineup as a dedicated slicer.

Except maybe the lil' nilakka, but that's been discontinued since the beginning of time :p

[vivi]

Street Beat, because I never expected to reach for a fixed blade as my EDC over all the nice folders I have.

Pacific Salt 2, because at the time I was convinced the Endura 3 style handle was superior, but after giving the Endura 4 handle design another shot with an open mind I feel the opposite.

[M Sea]

Street Beat, because I never expected to reach for a fixed blade as my EDC over all the nice folders I have.

Pacific Salt 2, because at the time I was convinced the Endura 3 style handle was superior, but after giving the Endura 4 handle design another shot with an open mind I feel the opposite.

Pac Salt 2 is awesome!! I know you like that Street Beat, as a fellow fan of edc’ng a fixed blade its on the short list for sure. Very cool. Do you know if the sheath it comes with is scout carry?

[ykspydiefan]

I am still surprised at how much I like the Para 3 Spy 27. I bought it specifically for the steel. For me it is too small. I like more edge and no finger choil. And, I had a poor opinion of FRN, kinda stuck on G10.

With 3 good reasons for me to not buy this knife, I did anyway. And, it has surprised me the most. Being smaller it is easier to carry and use in public, like cutting hotdog sticks at the beach. Once I accepted the choked up grip I found the finger choil to be really workable and controllable. I like the jimping and texture. The handle has good grip and I have no real reason to prefer G10 over FRN. Add Spy 27 and turns out it is a great little knife for me.

[M Sea]

I am still surprised at how much I like the Para 3 Spy 27. I bought it specifically for the steel. For me it is too small. I like more edge and no finger choil. And, I had a poor opinion of FRN, kinda stuck on G10.

With 3 good reasons for me to not buy this knife, I did anyway. And, it has surprised me the most. Being smaller it is easier to carry and use in public, like cutting hotdog sticks at the beach. Once I accepted the choked up grip I found the finger choil to be really workable and controllable. I like the jimping and texture. The handle has good grip and I have no real reason to prefer G10 over FRN. Add Spy 27 and turns out it is a great little knife for me.

Also a fan of the Para 3, no experience with Spy 27 but thanks for the feedback. Similarly to you, my Para 3 lw was the first experience I had with BD1N and liked it alot, very much. Other than the Chef it is the Spyderco that I was most pleasantly surprised by.

[MFlovejp]

Gotta be the Sage 5 LW for me. Honestly it’s one of the smoothest, nicest folders I’ve ever handled. The fit, finish, action and grind are simply way above what you’d expect out of a hundred dollar knife. Yes, it does have a bit of a “plain vanilla” vibe but man it’s just such a pleasure to draw, open, and cut with that it really doesn’t matter.

[vivi]

Street Beat, because I never expected to reach for a fixed blade as my EDC over all the nice folders I have.

Pacific Salt 2, because at the time I was convinced the Endura 3 style handle was superior, but after giving the Endura 4 handle design another shot with an open mind I feel the opposite.

Pac Salt 2 is awesome!! I know you like that Street Beat, as a fellow fan of edc’ng a fixed blade its on the short list for sure. Very cool. Do you know if the sheath it comes with is scout carry?

The g-clip can be setup for scout carry, but I find it more comfortable to use a few paracord loops like this https://i.postimg.cc/zvrR9zX9/20210204-151855.jpg

[M Sea]

Street Beat, because I never expected to reach for a fixed blade as my EDC over all the nice folders I have.

Pacific Salt 2, because at the time I was convinced the Endura 3 style handle was superior, but after giving the Endura 4 handle design another shot with an open mind I feel the opposite.

Pac Salt 2 is awesome!! I know you like that Street Beat, as a fellow fan of edc’ng a fixed blade its on the short list for sure. Very cool. Do you know if the sheath it comes with is scout carry?

The g-clip can be setup for scout carry, but I find it more comfortable to use a few paracord loops like this https://i.postimg.cc/zvrR9zX9/20210204-151855.jpg

Wow, thats cool. I like that alot.

[M Sea]

Gotta be the Sage 5 LW for me. Honestly it’s one of the smoothest, nicest folders I’ve ever handled. The fit, finish, action and grind are simply way above what you’d expect out of a hundred dollar knife. Yes, it does have a bit of a “plain vanilla” vibe but man it’s just such a pleasure to draw, open, and cut with that it really doesn’t matter.

My buddy loves his Sage 5 LW also, I recently got a Chapparal LW and feel like you do about your Sage. Just overall excellent. So many good knives out there. I don’t have a Sage but its on the never ending “want” list.

[JuPaul]

Hmm...probably the Dodo. It's such an odd-looking knife, but it fits my hand so well, and it's so incredibly handy! I was similarly surprised at how useful the hawkbill dragonfly is. These two knives really opened my eyes to curved blade shapes.

[p_atrick]

Police 4LW. I never thought I would want/like a large knife. Whatever benefits you gain from a longer blade would be canceled out by the size/weight in the hand and pocket. That knife feels much smaller than it is (both in the hand and especially in the pocket). This was a knife that was very much outside my comfort zone and it performed well above my expectations.

I've seen a few people state the knife they chose was outside their comfort zone. I guess the moral of the story is: if you want to be pleasantly surprised, be adventuresome in your next knife purchase.

[Wartstein]

1.) Yes, the Delica... )
It was my very first Spyderco at a time when I did know nothing about the brand, its history, background, reputation, just really nothing at all about Spyderco.
Without much expectations I decided to try that (for me back then!) a bit weird, unusual looking knife - and it just made "click" from the first second on. Just felt right, performed great and was the beginning of my love for Spydercos.

2.) The Stretch 1
Still at a a time when I knew almost nothing about Spyderco. Did not even have internet at home back then.
Just wanted to try something in between the size of the two Spydies I owned already (Delica and Endura), and found the Stretch 1.
It was a bit like with the Delica, I was not really sure about that funky blade shape and lines. but as soon as I got the Stretch 1 in hand I was just blown away by its perfect ergos, "big-knife-performance" for the compact size and the great user-shape and cutting geometry of the blade.
The Stretch 1 is still always among my top 2 folders of all times, and on some days I feel it is even "the" number 1.