An 'Astute' assessment

[olywa]

Though I find 8CR13 to be a very underwhelming steel, I finally had to pick up an Astute, and it's a pretty impressive little pocket knife. I was surprised at how svelte and diminutive it actually is. I thought I'd share my initial thoughts.

Pros:
- great ergos even in my XL mitt
- the G10 scales are nicely chamfered
- I was pleasantly surprised at just how much blade was stuffed into the handle
- fit and finish are outstanding, blade is well centered
- sexy blade profile and the liner lock is perfect in it's execution
- the spine is actually sharp enough to throw a spark off a ferro rod (surprised at this)

Cons:
- 8CR13 steel, not really bad at this price point, just 'blah'
- lanyard hole is just kinda pointless to me on a knife this size

What I would like to see:
- maybe an upgrade to BD1N?
- how about a blue FRN in S35VN?
- this knife would be a great candidate to be scaled up with an XL model

The Astute is a real sweet design with a lot of potential to be a really great knife.

[ladybug93]

i was thinking this would make a great first spyderco for my daughters. i kind of wish it was available with serrations also. i'd like them to learn the way of the teeth. :)

thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[Mushroom]

I keep mine in my car in case I happen to leave without a knife in my pocket. It's a great little EDC but packs a good amount of cutting edge into a small overall package.

Even though I do not have XL hands, I find the handle to lean a little more towards the small side. I could definitely see how a fob for added grip could be beneficial on a model like this.

[elena86]

I love mine and yeah, it deserves better materials ....s35vn and a grey G10 would be cool.

[JuPaul]

I also really love my Astute. Sal has said that if it sells well, and the s35 Tenacious sells well, they'd consider releasing an upgraded model. S35vn woulc be grear, but I really feel like such a sexy, curvaceous design deserves a special treatment- a patterned scale, an inlay, etc. Probably won't happen, but a girl can dream.

[JacksonKnives]

S35VN would be a definite increase in wear resistance, but IMO the difference between 8Cr and BD1N is minimal for thin super-slicing edges. (I.e. the difference in composition will not show up as much as the actual geometry / heat treat.)

[olywa]

Actually, BD1N has been a very pleasant surprise for me and has felt like it holds an edge much better than 8CR. My Astute came with a bit of an uneven grind and wasn't terribly sharp. It took me a while to even out the grind and get the edge where I wanted it. All good now.

I've been spoiled by my last two Spydies though. My Rock Jumper and Salt 2 in LC200N were a couple of the best factory edges I've ever seen.

[Matus]

Spyderco Astute in BD1N and maybe non-black G10 (even FRN would be fine IMO) and finish like on BD1N Para 3 - that would be easily one of the best, no-nonsense, non-threatening (just saying ...) EDC knives out there. The design is super elegant, the blade has basically a perfect profile and is thin. A deep carry clip would be nice too, but that can be handled.

Heck - just upgrade the blade and I am in :)

[Cl1ff]

The knife seems to have a fitting name.

[Notsurewhy]

S35VN would be a definite increase in wear resistance, but IMO the difference between 8Cr and BD1N is minimal for thin super-slicing edges. (I.e. the difference in composition will not show up as much as the actual geometry / heat treat.)

Everyone values different steels differently, but in addition to the edge retention, bd1n is far more stain resistant than 8cr in addition to having better edge retention.

This design has a lot going for it. I particularly like the thin blade stock. Would like to see an upgraded version.

[FaBrahhh]

Spyderco Astute in BD1N and maybe non-black G10 (even FRN would be fine IMO) and finish like on BD1N Para 3 - that would be easily one of the best, no-nonsense, non-threatening (just saying ...) EDC knives out there. The design is super elegant, the blade has basically a perfect profile and is thin. A deep carry clip would be nice too, but that can be handled.

Heck - just upgrade the blade and I am in :)

I'm agree with you ! I like much my Astute, but it would be the perfect EDC (for me) with :

- a better steel (this 8Cr is not bad, but :cool: )
- a deep carry clip (I removed the mine)
- a choice of funnies colors (black is elegant, but so classic)

I hope these upgrades soon :D

[Michael Janich]

Dear FaBrahhh:

Welcome to the Spyderco Forum.

Stay safe,

Mike

[Skywalker]

Spyderco Astute in BD1N and maybe non-black G10 (even FRN would be fine IMO) and finish like on BD1N Para 3 - that would be easily one of the best, no-nonsense, non-threatening (just saying ...) EDC knives out there. The design is super elegant, the blade has basically a perfect profile and is thin. A deep carry clip would be nice too, but that can be handled.

Heck - just upgrade the blade and I am in :)

I'm agree with you ! I like much my Astute, but it would be the perfect EDC (for me) with :

- a better steel (this 8Cr is not bad, but :cool: )
- a deep carry clip (I removed the mine)
- a choice of funnies colors (black is elegant, but so classic)

I hope these upgrades soon :D

I picked up an Astute a couple weeks ago and agree with all three of these points. On the clip, if it would even just go to the standard Spyderco three-hole pattern that would be enough... I've got extra deep carry clips floating around but they don't match the Astute.

Overall I'm just really impressed with these. I had a Tenacious years ago, around 2010, and thought the quality was a noticeable step down from my Endura and so sold it. The Astute is my first China-made Spyderco since and I'll definitely be keeping it. Everything good out of the box and the action has broken in well.

[bjz]

I love slim/thin blade slicey knives (chaparral, UKPN, kershaw skyline, any of the Byrd ffg offerings) and have come close to pulling the trigger on an astute many times, except I also wanted something for work…with lots of grippy traction and teeth. I went with a full SE tenacious frn.

I have to say, I don’t know how they pack that much knife and quality fit and finish into a $45 product! It also turned me onto the dark side of full SE and frn!

I will likely have to grab an astute after the byrd wharncliffes come out, but if the astute ever gets the SE/frn treatment like the tenacious, I might not NEED any other knives aside from those two!

[Airlsee]

I want to try an Astute and would immediately purchase an S35VN LW model. I'm not going to purchase it in 8cr.

It looks like a fantastic design, and I've thought so since it was first released. I also understand why it needs to sell to justify an S35VN run, in my opinion more faith needs to be given to the fantastic design. In this case the design is being hindered by the steel. This should not be a budget only knife.

[Skywalker]

Edited - Check your Astute clip hole pattern before ordering aftermarket clips. :)

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[eventhorizon]

I'm still amazed of how great my Astute is, I honestly am...

[yowzer]

I bought one a few months ago, and would buy another one if it came out in an upgraded steel. Great little knife. Wouldn't mind seeing an upsized version too.

[zhyla]

I don’t personally mind 8Cr but I feel like they would sell so many more even just switching to D2.

[Skywalker]

I don’t personally mind 8Cr but I feel like they would sell so many more even just switching to D2.

Haha, and here I wouldn't have bought it in D2 but did in 8Cr. I've had a handful of D2 knives - an old Benchmade 806 to a new Maserin Plow - and I just don't find the edge retention worth it for the sharpening effort vs 8Cr, VG10, etc.

My brother-in-law used my Astute to split an apple on a hike...with a granite boulder as a cutting board! Easy to touch up and get most of the dent (chip? flattened spot? idk, I didn't get the loupe) quickly repaired.

However, I know I'm out of step on this opinion given how popular Ontario's Rat has been in D2, or all the Civivi, QSP, etc. models that use it.