Izula Equivalent

[Toucan]

Idk if this has been brought up before, but wouldn't it be cool it Spyderco made a knife that was in the same niche as the Esee Izula?

Before anyone says anything, let me clarify; I don't mean a blatant copy or rip off. But a similar idea. A small skeletonized fixie with economical carbon steel meant for ease of carry and light outdoor tasks.

I feel there are areas where Spyderco could apply their strengths to the formula. A nice leaf shaped blade instead of the barely-there drop point. 52100 instead of 1095. Heat-treated to 62-ish HRC instead of 57ish HRC. Un-coated, or at least a smoother coating instead of that chunky powder coat. Ground a bit thinner. Perhaps an H2 model down the line.

Thoughts?

[Mushroom]

My first thought after reading the title was the Subway Bowie. After reading your post, it is obviously not skeletonized or carbon steel but it is a small fixed blade that would be good for light outdoor use and easy to carry.

Speaking of that, I still need to get a Subway Bowie. I really like the design but I also have an idea for a cool photo!

[Toucan]

I think the Subway Bowie is the closest we have to an equivalent at the moment. It is also on my list of knives to eventually get.

[twinboysdad]

The original Enuff, scaled down in the handle and about 2.5 mm thick. The OG was incredibly overbuilt but was on the right path. Spyderco is making it bigger but smaller was what I had hoped for

[vivi]

street beat is very similar but better IMO. I can post comparison photos later.

[Bemo]

I was thinking the Street Beat as well but since I don't have the Izula I look forward to your comparison pics Vivi.

[VooDooChild]

Mules
Street beat
Enuff
Junction

However I do like this idea. Cheaper carbon steel basic fixed blade would be great.

[Toucan]

street beat is very similar but better IMO. I can post comparison photos later.

Street Beat is very cool, and I regret not getting the older micarta model, but it is a 3.5" blade compared to a sub-3". That combined with being an additional 50 bucks and a permanently attached handle makes it way too distinct to be in quite the Izula niche.

I also like VG10 quite a bit, but there is something to be said about a tough carbon steel that is dingus-proof -- which seems to be much of the appeal of Esee's stuff.

[Toucan]

The original Enuff, scaled down in the handle and about 2.5 mm thick. The OG was incredibly overbuilt but was on the right path. Spyderco is making it bigger but smaller was what I had hoped for

I do like the Enuff. Not sure why it isn't more popular. I can only imagine it's the non-removable FRN scales. Not that that's bad, but knife people are fickle.

[Toucan]

Mules
Street beat
Enuff
Junction

However I do like this idea. Cheaper carbon steel basic fixed blade would be great.

All of those are great knives, in their own right. But none can quite fill the Izula niche in terms of dimensions, materials, exclusivity, and/or cost. Perhaps if someone were willing to radically cut down a Spy27 Mule once they're permanently available, or De-FRN the Enuff and Street Beat. I think the Junction is just an entirely different animal, unfortunately.

[Evil D]

Either a Street Beat or even a Mule. The Mules are a bit bigger but if you really wanted to you can make them smaller/shorter and they come in a slew of steel choices. I also like the Mule edge/belly profile far more than the Izula.

[Doc Dan]

Not carbon steel. I would rather they used 13C26/AEB-L (or 14C28), which is stainless, but far tougher than 1095 and has better edge retention.

The Izula is too thick behind the edge for good slicing, but it is really tough for an all around knife. I like that even with the sheath it is a good pocket knife. The blade is the same length as a Delica. Very useful.

[vivi]

izula 2 vs street beat lw.

been using street beats and street bowies as woods knives for over a decade. cutting food, slicing rope, batoning wood, feather sticks, sparking ferro rods etc.

I cannot think of a single task my Izula can do that the Street Beat cannot.

I couldn't tell you how 1095 and vg10 compare on larrins charts but I can tell you from real world experience the street beat and street bowie are very tough knives.

The perrins will resist rust worlds better, hold an edge longer, keep up in toughness and are just about as easy to sharpen. They're thinner behind the edge, and have a much higher quality sheath.

[ladybug93]

for a folder, the pits kind of reminds me of the izula. for a fb, the enuff is very close to what you're talking about, except for the tool steel. but it's the same steel as in the street beat. i'm just waiting for the new enuff to come out. lc200n in a thinner stock and longer blade...? yes please.

[vivi]

if spyderco were to do a small edc sized fixed blade in a basic carbon steel, id love to see them try a2. very cheap with a good combination of edge holding and toughness at 60-61rc.

[Scandi Grind]

I own an Izula and like it a lot. It is not perfect, but it does anything I want it to, and it was very affordable. Also I am a carbon steel fan so I enjoy that part too.

It seems like the Spyderco's Subway Bowie and Street Beat are the closest things Spyderco has to the Izula.

Looking at the specs, the Subway Bowie seems too small to function at the same level, but I haven't used one.

The Street Beat looks like it could be used well as a substitute, but it is slightly larger. Not sure if it is enough to make it harder to carry concealed. The reason I didn't consider it when I was in the market for an EDC fixed blade was the price. Had I had the money, I might have gotten one. I don't have anything against VG-10, but carbon steels always grab my interest, and could result in a lower price tag. Skeletonized handles are not particularly comfortable, it just makes the Izula slim and easy to carry, but if the Street Beat has slim enough FRN handles, I would definitely prefer that over skeletonized.

I am not sure if the Street Beat is a little too long for me, but if I were to suggest something in the direction of an Izula equivalent, it would be to merely make a Street Beat in a carbon steel. 1095, 1084, 52100, 80crv2, 15n20, or A2, I could go for any of those.

[Xformer]

Hard to make a better Izula than the Izula II.

Making wood knives isn't really Spyderco forte/niche. Better focus on what they do best.

[ladybug93]

check out this link...
viewtopic.php?t=80970
the izula and enuff have almost the exact same blade profile with the enuff being just a tad bigger. there's also a leaf enuff. the handle is much more comfortable than the izula. i haven't held an izula 2, but i know from experience i would prefer the contouring and shape of the enuff handle. street beat looks good too, but it's a much more different knife in my opinion. of course that doesn't mean you can't do the exact same tasks with it though.

[vivi]

personally I think in a knife this size you don't gain anything going carbon over stainless. the vg10 perrins can stand up to batoning anything a 3.5" blade is big enough for. you lose corrosion resistance to gain toughness that won't likely ever come into play.

I've used the **** out of the izula 1/2 since they came out and there's nothing that steel heat treated that way does better than spydercos vg10 for me except grind a bit faster.

[zuludelta]

personally I think in a knife this size you don't gain anything going carbon over stainless. the vg10 perrins can stand up to batoning anything a 3.5" blade is big enough for. you lose corrosion resistance to gain toughness that won't likely ever come into play.

Seconding this. I've batoned a drop-point Enuff & it stood up to the impacts perfectly fine. At that length, a sufficiently thick VG-10 blade will probably be just as "tough" as a similarly-sized 1095 blade, with the added advantage of corrosion resistance & better edge retention.