Re: Name a Spyderco knife you thought you would like but didn't once you owned it.

[ramasipsc]

Endura. After I got Military I realized how's crappy Endura is.

[jacktrades_nbk]

Native 3, liked it, but the handle was too thick for spyderco folders.

[Larry_Mott]

About the only Spydie I didn't like was the Positron. Knife was sharp on the butt of the knife and the back spacer was proud of the frame/scales. One of the very few, that for me that didn't feel good in the hand. Imo, if the butt was rounded, the back spacer evened with the knife, and the clip removed, it would be a better knife. For those that like this one, don't get excited.

Agree 100% on the Positron.. One of the few Spyderco catch and releases for me. The others being Spyderench (very cool gadget, but a veritable boat anchor to haul around) Manix 2 LW (felt like a plastic pine cone and looked like a BIC lighter/PEZ dispenser :D )
I'm also no fan of the Tim Wegners, which despite never been really used at all have linerlocks that travel all the way before locking.

[adancingmonkey]

The dice. I wanted a small classy flipper but it is just to bulky and stubby at the same time. The action isn't all that smooth unlike the domino because of the inertia of the smaller blade when you flip it.

[attila]

For me, there are two that I just can't love. I really don't like blades sitting around unused, but these two are just not inspiring for me.

First is the C139 Breeden Rescue. I still remember the day I got it: a super deal on what looked like a sweet Spyderco! I fiddled with my newest and neatest knife for a few days, but the honeymoon ended when it's ugly/impractical blade hump and its underwhelming VG-10 steel came back into consciousness. I have nothing against VG-10, but I just have no love for it.

I ended up modding it into a pointy wharnie-esque blade, but even that didn't do it. Now it sits in a drawer, waiting for a new homemade blade.

Second is the warranty replacement of my old friend, a combo edge Delica 4 bought in 2007. The original and I spent a lot of time together, and it was all good. The new one I got about a year ago, and its lock-tang interface feels weird if I open and close it a bunch in a row. It's weird to describe as it's not a grinding feeling, just not a consistent sliding of the tang under the lock bar. Its predecessor remained consistently smooth in operation even if not lubricated. Also having the standard VG-10, this new one has also found its way into a drawer with a silly SOG and a mini-Griptilian.

[Walrus2001]

Cricket: I've seen many positive reviews about this knife. its very good for edc and fine work, however, the tip dulls really easily and is a huge pain to sharpen. If you were planning to buy this knife, I would not recommend it as the ladybug works better and is a fraction of the cost.

[Brock O Lee]

Orange Dodo - blade shape was just too specialised for my uses, and the ball lock was difficult to operate. It made me realise that I do not like brightly coloured handles...

Breeden Rescue - I actually liked the quirkiness of the knife, and the quality and ergos were really good, but the lack of point diminished its usefulness as an edc blade too much, so I eventually sold it.

Dragonfly - really loved it at first, and I still think its one of Spyderco's best small knives, but over time I realised that I like at least 3 inches of blade length. I gave the G10 version to my brother, and still have an H1 version, but have not carried it in ages.

I don't own most of these knives anymore, but at least I learnt a few things about my own preferences from owning and using them. That's a win. :)

[JRinFL]

The Positron is also my most disappointing Spyderco despite a good pre-MAP deal. Poor ergos for me and lazy flipping action relegated it to a box. I really need to find it a new home.

[gaj999]

FRN Stretch, I just can't get comfy on the handle. Bumps and lumps and choils are OK if they fit your hand. If they don't, they can ruin a decent knife.

Assist II, I love the handle as the bumps and lumps fit me just fine, I love the cobra hood, but I could never warm up to the combo blade.

Mules. The more I use them, the less I like them. Bumps and lumps not quite right again, I detest the guard, and the angle between the blade and handle just bugs me. Every time I use one, I'm wondering why they couldn't have used something simple like a Puukko-style pattern.

[vivi]

1. Manix 2. I love the XL and original C95, so the idea of a 3oz version of the knife really appealed to me as someone who EDC's a 3oz knife. I liked everything about the knife except for the butt of the handle. For some reason it felt like my hand always wanted to slip off the back of the handle, even though I use plenty of knives that have no or little rear guard, like my Pacific Salts and Police 3. I dunno, the XL is a personal favorite but I didn't like the mini version. Hoping one day we see a 3.75-4.25oz XL Lightweight, but I don't know how much demand there is for that.

2. Calypso 3.5 Bought it in hopes that the choked up ergos would be just as good as the caly 3, but I could grip it behind the choil too. I was wrong. It was still too small for me to comfortably use without utilizing the index choil. It didn't offer me anything the Caly 3 didn't in a more compact package, and for a bigger knife I had others I preferred. I would still like to try a full size Calypso if they ever ring it back...I missed out on the originals and the brown sprint.

3. Yojimbo 2. I loved the original, and I love wharnies, but I let this one go for a number of reasons. First, it was just a bit on the small side for me. If everything were 10% bigger that'd work a lot better for me. Yojimbo 1 had a longer handle and I liked it better. I know it was designed with restrictive knife laws in mind but that's not an issue where I live, plus I'm not hung up on blade to handle ratio so I say keep the longer handle but have the blade length stay the same if you must. Second, I didn't like how part of the handle got in the way during the opening arc. For a self defense folder designed to be deployed ASAP that doesn't make sense for me, and even as a plain old EDC knife it'd annoy me. Third I couldn't get used to the grip requiring me to keep my thumb on the spine of the blade. The original I could use without having to do that, not the new version.

4. Endura 4. I liked the 3 and the 4 looked like an upgrade in many ways. I dont understand its handle though. With the Endura 3 I grab the knife and I'm ready to go every time, it just plain works. With the 4 I could never figure out how I'm supposed to hold it. There are three finger grooves, a long one on either end of the handle and a short on in the middle near the Endura 4 logo on the handle. If I grip the E4 with both my index finger and middle finger in the first groove, it feels cramped and terrible. If I grip it with my index finger alone up there, and my middle finger on the short finger groove, it feels blade heavy and my grip feels too far from the blade. That one thing holds it back from being in my collection. It's a brilliant knife head to toe otherwise, especially FFG.

5. Dragonfly. I often carry a smaller knife to supplement my larger folders, e.g. Spin + Police 3, or Ark + Szabo. I thought the FRN Dragonfly would be great since it's one of the smallest clipped folders on the market, has my favorite lock and comes in my favorite steel, H1. I've tried them twice now and both times I ask, "wheres the rest of the handle?" Every time I hold one I want to like it, but I feel like someone chopped off half the handle width.

[demoncase]

Double Bevel
Bought as a companion to my Sprint Run Lum Tanto.
Too lightly built, weird step in the edge-grind due to the blade bevel and a tip that look wafer thin.
Then you close it and it always bounced off my thumb nail. After half a dozen white grooves cut into my own nail, it went back in the box.

Ourobouros
Should have loved it but the action was very stiff and the ergos were off for my hand shape.

Ulize
Again, another ergonomic problem with the handle that made me feel like my fingers were bunched up.

[Evil D]

Ulize
Again, another ergonomic problem with the handle that made me feel like my fingers were bunched up.

WOW really? Dude you must have Godzilla hands lol. The Ulize is one of the few (like the Military) where I felt like I finally had plenty of hand space.

[demoncase]

Ha! No, normal sized....just I kept feeling the handle angle was awkward compared to my several Police models. I tend to choke up near the pivot on knives, and there the Ulize is quite steep in the handle.

[The Mastiff]

The Kris. Looked cool but didn't have the performance cutting and slicing I am used to. I traded it away .

Spin and Cricket. My clumsy hands turn these into finger and hand biters. Got rid of both I think. It's been a while since I saw one here so I'm pretty sure I did.

[Username827]

The closest that I had was an Endura 4. It was part if the hap-40 sprint. Loved the blade shape, loved the steel, loved the color and the FRN. The handle just felt so uncomfortable...that one ridge always felt uncomfortable in my hand. Oh well...sold it to someone who loves Enduras, so the knife did find a happy home.
And I still have my Stretch, Delica and Dragonfly! :spyder:

[SF Native]

Native. It's got the largest choil which just strikes me as odd, misplaced, unnecessary. Lose too much cutting edge.

[Evil D]

Native. It's got the largest choil which just strikes me as odd, misplaced, unnecessary. Lose too much cutting edge.

The benefit of a choil like this is having enough grip on a knife that will be much smaller when folded than it would be if the handle itself is the same length as it is with the choil. I just accept that choil space is handle space, and then decide if the remaining blade length is enough for my uses. A Native without a choil would feel really small in my hand, but the choil gives me that extra bit of grip.

[IR192]

Native 5. I loved the old native's blade for the aggressive grind and swedge, which gave it a very distinctive look. I thought I'd be fine with the FFG on the new version, but it doesn't really excite me. I have the neversummer model with LC200N, and love the steel so I clip it to my pocket now and again to justify its existence in my collection. The biggest thing that keeps coming back is the handle, even though the edges are still contoured, it feels much less rounded when in hand, and the contouring on the finger groove is much less gradual. The grip is grippier, but the new LW version doesn't 'fold' into my hand quite like the old one. I am thinking of trying out the fluted CF to see if it fits better...

Stretch 2 Hap40. Really, really wanted to love this one. Hap40 impresses me every time I use it. This knife taught me that I don't really like the blade shape or the handle on the LW stretch. I bought the Endura Hap40 at the same time, and it was a win for me in so many ways that it probably influenced my opinion of the stretch, but there it is.

Farid K2. All politics aside, it was a great deal on paper when it was discontinued. In real life, I don't like how high the tip flares to, and the unholy sharp edges of the handle wear out my hands anytime I am foolish enough to use the thing without gloves. I know both are DIY remediable, but until then my only 10V knife sits in the 'projects' drawer.

[timlara]

Native 5 - I agree w/ Ed, I much preferred the distinctive grind of the previous generations. I know everybody loves FFG in general, but I just feel like it took all the personality out of the N5. The new lock is a huge improvement, but I wish the old blade would come back, or at least be an option.

[Evil D]

Native 5 - I agree w/ Ed, I much preferred the distinctive grind of the previous generations. I know everybody loves FFG in general, but I just feel like it took all the personality out of the N5. The new lock is a huge improvement, but I wish the old blade would come back, or at least be an option.

I usually don't really care either way for swedges, don't love or hate them but I agree it was part of the identity of that knife in the same way that the curvy spine is part of the Stretch. I would be ok with the FFG version having one.