A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

[jaxonunit]

Just popped in to sing praises for my first Spyderco.

My Army Ranger brother-in-law carries a Spyderco Endura that he swears by. He kept telling me I should get one, but I'm an "absent minded professor" type that holds to the Scottish principle of "cheapest tool that will do the job." The probability that I'll lose a tool seems to be directly proportional to the amount of money I spend on it; however, after carrying my first Spyderco knife (a Tenacious) for just over a month, I'm tying it to a three foot paracord lanyard that I can slip over my belt because, sweet Jesus, this is the best frigging knife I've ever used, and I don't want to lose it. After what we've been through, I feel like it's a member of my family---****, I fell like it's a member of my BODY!

I'm hooked. If it was Spyderco's intent to produce a high-quality blade at a loss in order to secure new fan-boy's---mission accomplished. I know me, and I know I'm in for an expensive journey. I just ordered a "Ambitious" from Amazon.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no expert on knives (razors yes, knives no,) but up to now, my EDC folders have been mostly cheap-o Gerbers that I sharpen once a week.

When I go hunting, I take my 20 year old Buck Pathfinder that's been honed to about half it's original width, but will still separate a whitetail from it's anus with a surgical efficiency that actually makes that job at least a little less unpleasant than it sounds. My new Spyderco is different, and I knew it the first time I thumbed it open.

It is a completely OTHER class of tool.

Right after I got it, my neighbor gave me a 150 lb. whitetail buck he shot and couldn't be troubled to process. I strung it up in a tree and went to work on it with my massive collection of butchery implements---weird thing was, I kept finding the little "tenacious" in my hand; everything from skinning to boning, the Spyderco Tenacious was exactly that---tenacious.

Parring a trophy buck is a lot of work for an old fart like me. I got it all wrapped, labeled, and put in the deep-freeze, but the next day, I realized I had I left my precious little tenacious covered in gore and stabbed into a cedar. I considered it a gonner, but no problem. I hosed it down, ran it about ten strokes over a diamond hone, squirted a little machine oil on her, and she was good as new.

OK, so it performs like a fine Japanese steel razor---it takes a good old red-neck *** whipping, but---but the thing I like about it most is the "feel." The ergonomics are so well done that I suspect Spyderco has X-rays of my hands! It just FEELS right. I don't know how to describe this (and I'm a technical writer,) but every time I pick it up I think I owe it to humanity to get it to mount Doom before the Orcs find out about it. It feels like---POWER.

I'm going to test credibility here, but stay with me---after the whitetail, I ran it up and down some ceramic posts, then looked at it through a jeweler's loop. I found no difference between the edge of my Spyderco Tenacious and a Japaneses "Feather" brand razor blade. On a whim, I lathered up my considerably stout Viking heritage chops and used the Tenacious to give myself a shave indistinguishable from the baby's *** texture I get from using a Japanese Feather blade in a German shaving handle.

In sort, there is nothing I don't love about this knife---nothing.

[yablanowitz]

Welcome to the forum...and the insanity, also known as the Spyderfamily. Isn't it amazing how much difference there is between a good blade and a so-so blade? Wait until you try a VG-10 Endura, or something in S30V, or ZDP-189, or...

Yep, you may have a very expensive journey ahead.

[BTG]

Welcome to the forum, Tenacious was my first spydie also...all black plain edge...and yes it set the hook deep.

[npad69]

if you thought the tenacious was something.. wait till you try the stretch!

[Doc Dan]

Welcome to the forum. You made a wise choice when you entered the Spyder lair. They make extremely fine cutting instruments. You need to buy a Delica and break it in, and of course a Military, an Endura, a Dragonfly, a...

[SpyderNut]

Welcome aboard, jaxonunit. :) It is always awesome to read of real-world uses of Spyderco's knives--especially in hunting situations. My wife carries a Persistence in her hunting backpack and it has performed admirably in the field for the past several years.

As for the impending Spydie Addiction that is likely soon to follow... Try to pace (and brace) yourself as much as possible.

[anagarika]

if you thought the tenacious was something.. wait till you try the stretch!

I started with Resilience but surprised to find Tenacious is better in hand!
Was on Cara Cara (you'll like it), then moved to Endura and now liking the Stretch so much!

Welcome and please share your journey! It's always interesting to see others experience with their Spydies!

PS: I also shave with my knives and keeping them at that level

[bh49]

Run away, if you can

[Tdog]

Welcome to the forum, a bunch of Spyder fans and enablers here. :D Once you've been bit, you just can't quit. :spyder:

[awa54]

...I'm going to test credibility here, but stay with me---after the whitetail, I ran it up and down some ceramic posts, then looked at it through a jeweler's loop. I found no difference between the edge of my Spyderco Tenacious and a Japaneses "Feather" brand razor blade. On a whim, I lathered up my considerably stout Viking heritage chops and used the Tenacious to give myself a shave indistinguishable from the baby's *** texture I get from using a Japanese Feather blade in a German shaving handle.

In sort, there is nothing I don't love about this knife---nothing.

Do you use the replaceable blade straights or DE format? Feathers are great blades, but I find there are others that work better for me (DE).

Welcome! and as the others have intimated, prepare yourself for the possibility of addiction... great knives and so many variations to try.

[swigert]

Welcome. Prepare the bank account! More will be coming your way soon if you liked the tenacious that much haha.