Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

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metaphoricalsimile
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Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#1

Post by metaphoricalsimile »

Before purchasing a K390 dragonfly, the only spydercos I owned were two manixes (an m390/g10 and a BDN1 LW).

My dragonfly isn't quite perfectly centered. The grind is a lil funky. The tip didn't quite get to needle sharp, and it shipped with a stubborn micro-burr.

Despite all those flaws I just completely love it. The blade is so thin and slicey that it cuts better than my m390 manix despite its absolute sharpness being not as good (my manix shaves hair easily, the dragonfly not so much). It's so cute and small and fun to play with, and just takes up no room in my pocket. Yeah it doesn't have nearly as much edge, so it's not as universally useful, but when I just want something to have in my pocket without having to worry about weight or how much room it takes up it provides a super good cutting tool which is all I ever asked for.
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#2

Post by Wartstein »

The DFly is really cool, especially what one gets for the extremely low weight! :)

But it sounds like the Chaparral FRN could be really "your" knife. Not as light, but closed length is almost as short as the DFly but the cutting edge is a lot longer.
And since you like the "thin and slicex blade" of the DFly: It is still 25% thicker than the Chaps blade.

Actually, the Chaparral is the only reason why I don't own a DFly, cause the latter sure is a "super good cutting tool" :) (I was still close to buy an orange DFly several times)
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#3

Post by Reject »

One member likened the Dragonfly to popcorn.
:D You can’t stop at one.

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metaphoricalsimile
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#4

Post by metaphoricalsimile »

Wartstein wrote:
Wed Mar 24, 2021 7:54 pm
The DFly is really cool, especially what one gets for the extremely low weight! :)

But it sounds like the Chaparral FRN could be really "your" knife. Not as light, but closed length is almost as short as the DFly but the cutting edge is a lot longer.
And since you like the "thin and slicex blade" of the DFly: It is still 25% thicker than the Chaps blade.

Actually, the Chaparral is the only reason why I don't own a DFly, cause the latter sure is a "super good cutting tool" :) (I was still close to buy an orange DFly several times)
Well they weren't offering the Chaparral in k390, which I really wanted to try :D
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#5

Post by Blnd »

It’s Spyderco’s best design. It’s an unapologetic EDC knife with a unique form factor that doesn’t feel like anything else in the hand.

It’s a carry knife for realists with a size and weight penalty that is effectively zero. It morphs from detail razor to big boy knife with a minor adjustment in the fingers.

I bought a chaparral FRN over the holidays. After carrying both for a bit the chaparral is now a desk knife. It’s missing the subtle ergonomic magic that makes the dragonfly so unique. It also doesn’t carry in a 5th pocket nearly as well.

The Dragonfly 2 was unique when I picked it up for the first time 10 years ago. It hasn’t left my pocket since.
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#6

Post by Wartstein »

Blnd wrote:
Wed Mar 24, 2021 8:07 pm
It’s Spyderco’s best design. It’s an unapologetic EDC knife with a unique form factor that doesn’t feel like anything else in the hand.

It’s a carry knife for realists with a size and weight penalty that is effectively zero. It morphs from detail razor to big boy knife with a minor adjustment in the fingers.

I don’t care what you say - you don’t get razor blade detail by choking up on a 3”+ knife blade. It’s not the same.

I bought a chaparral FRN over the holidays. After carrying both for a bit the chaparral is now a desk knife. It’s missing the subtle ergonomic magic that makes the dragonfly so unique. It also doesn’t carry in a 5th pocket nearly as well.

The Dragonfly 2 was unique when I picked it up for the first time 10 years ago. It hasn’t left my pocket since.

I could handle both the DFly and the Chap before I decided for the latter. For me it was exactly the other way round: Clearly better ergos on the Chap, which make it feel like a perfect extension of my hand, like a "sixth finger" ;) But ergos are always totally subjective of course!

For my typical EDC tasks the DFly blade is just too short quite often, while the Chaps is just long enough and also slices better.

In carry the DFly is really hard to beat, no doubt, though the Chap fits into all my fifth pockets easily too.

Anyway, both cool knives! :)
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#7

Post by RustyIron »

metaphoricalsimile wrote:
Wed Mar 24, 2021 7:26 pm
It's so cute and small and fun to play with, and just takes up no room in my pocket. Yeah it doesn't have nearly as much edge, so it's not as universally useful, but when I just want something to have in my pocket without having to worry about weight or how much room it takes up it provides a super good cutting tool which is all I ever asked for.
Yup, that's kind of how I feel. I chucked the clip, as my Dragonfly is a bottom-of-the-pocket knife for those times when I don't want to carry a "serious-size" knife. It's thin and small, but fits my hand well enough that I could do serious work with it.

I'm also fascinated by the knife's simplicity. The one piece handle is really cool.
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#8

Post by ZrowsN1s »

Iconic
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#9

Post by PSquared »

Although I prefer the thinner blade of the Dragonfly, I much prefer the ergos of the Kopa. As a result my Kopa gets carried a lot more than my ‘Flys even though I know I will be very disappointed if something happend to my Kopa.

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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#10

Post by VooDooChild »

Ive done a 180 on it. I like the dragonfly now.
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#11

Post by Hobnob »

The Dragonfly is one of the top 5 Spyderco designs IMHO. As mentioned, remove the clip and it sits nice in the bottom of the pocket. The design is friendly to both large and small hands.
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#12

Post by Doc Dan »

I am not sure if I like it or not. I only have 9 or 10 of them, so maybe I should buy one more to make sure. :p :D :D
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#13

Post by Wartstein »

metaphoricalsimile wrote:
Wed Mar 24, 2021 8:05 pm
Wartstein wrote:
Wed Mar 24, 2021 7:54 pm
....
Well they weren't offering the Chaparral in k390, which I really wanted to try :D

This would be cool, though XHP is great stuff too! But K390 is not exactly a Taichung steel I guess..
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#14

Post by Notsurewhy »

Doc Dan wrote:
Wed Mar 24, 2021 11:16 pm
I am not sure if I like it or not. I only have 9 or 10 of them, so maybe I should buy one more to make sure. :p :D :D
Haha. Sounds like me. I own more DFs than any other knife. My wife likes to permanently borrow them, so that gives me an excuse to try different variants. I'm eyeing the k390 wharncliffe pretty seriously. I don't have that steel or a wharnie dragonfly yet.
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#15

Post by Doc Dan »

Notsurewhy wrote:
Thu Mar 25, 2021 4:36 am
Doc Dan wrote:
Wed Mar 24, 2021 11:16 pm
I am not sure if I like it or not. I only have 9 or 10 of them, so maybe I should buy one more to make sure. :p :D :D
Haha. Sounds like me. I own more DFs than any other knife. My wife likes to permanently borrow them, so that gives me an excuse to try different variants. I'm eyeing the k390 wharncliffe pretty seriously. I don't have that steel or a wharnie dragonfly yet.
So many nice ones to choose from, now. I need more money!
I Pray Heaven to Bestow The Best of Blessing on THIS HOUSE, and on ALL that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under This Roof! (John Adams regarding the White House)

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Live pure, speak true, right wrong, follow the King--
Else, wherefore born?" (Tennyson)



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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#16

Post by Doc Dan »

Reject wrote:
Wed Mar 24, 2021 8:02 pm
One member likened the Dragonfly to popcorn.
:D You can’t stop at one.

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You have an enviable collection
I Pray Heaven to Bestow The Best of Blessing on THIS HOUSE, and on ALL that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under This Roof! (John Adams regarding the White House)

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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#17

Post by Holland »

Definitely my most carried knife over the last few years.

Great ergos and hardly noticable when carrying.
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#18

Post by Donut »

Reject wrote:
Wed Mar 24, 2021 8:02 pm
One member likened the Dragonfly to popcorn.
:D You can’t stop at one.

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I don't see it, so please tell me you have the Nishijin one in there!

I have a lot of them and I used to carry them a lot, but I don't carry them as much as I used to.
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#19

Post by Evil D »

I love the SE Salt version and the hawkbill version. If I were limited to small folders the SE Salt would definitely be my main EDC.
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Re: Is anyone else completely in love with the Dragonfly?

#20

Post by austrian_spyder_fan »

IMG_20200910_181155_copy_1024x768.jpg
I love them.
K390 is next on my wishlist.
Another G10 version whould be also cool.
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