Raven 2 one week edc review.

[apollo]

A short time ago i bought a Raven 2.
I have bin in the spyderco using game for almost 10 years now.
And this is my first byrd.
I have a big love for the Manix design and if you handled an original Manix you know that the knife is build like an german Tiger tank.just plain Indestructible!
Now the Raven is a design that is not made for heavy use but is more a knife for normal edc.
When it arrived i was impressed. The looks of the knife are really beautyfull.
In the hand it shines like every design Sal has ever made so comfort is the word you think about when you feel it in the palm of your hand.

Overall the knife came very sharp. As sharp as you would expect from spyderco.
The bladesteel is overall very nice. It holds an edge good enough for everyones needs.
It was sharpend with a nice angle that is even on both sides and i could shave with ease.
Overal fit and finish is very nice only the linerlock in my case came with a late lockup.
Out of the box it was already at 75%. I know some people would send it back for another one but since everything else was perfect. The opening and closing is smooth for a knife of this price , the chinese factory can really be proud of the knives it makes.

Sal thank you for another great design i hope you keep at it forever and ever.
For all forum members that are looking for a great edc that is not going to hurt the bankaccount look at the Raven it will not let you down. :)

[sal]

Thanx Apollo,

Glad you like it.

sal

[apollo]

Thanx Apollo,

Glad you like it.

sal

Thanx Sal. I like it very much. Must say i never was a big linerlock fan because i am a lefty but this one feels just right.
The knife itself feels so much better in hand for me then the tenacious. ( bought that knife 3 times never had good band with it strange thing is i also never found out why exactly because they were all nice knives. )
Now i will have a look at the polestar next. :)

[Uke]

Thanks for the review Apollo. I'm not a liner lock guy but the Raven sure looks nice. Something about that handle shape is speaking to me!

[apollo]

Thanks for the review Apollo. I'm not a liner lock guy but the Raven sure looks nice. Something about that handle shape is speaking to me!

Hi Uke your welcome the real review will come in a couple of weeks when i tested it more. :) and i know,what you mean
Like i said i to wasnt a linerlock fan.
In someway that lock type feels weaker for me.
I never had one fail on me or even close to getting to fail on me on a spyderco.
But i had a few fails from other knifecompanys when i was just a kid.
A Boker gemini almost cost me my finger and since then one way or another i really did not trust them for 100% anymore.
But with the Raven it is different is feels so solid it really gives me the safetyfeeling i need to be happy. :o :D

[Larry_Mott]

The Raven2 (and the Foundry) Are two great(ly underrated) knives that seems to fly totally under the radar. A shame.. I have carried my Raven 2 practically every day since its launch. I have 190 + Spydercos from early 90's to current models, but i feel no need to carry anything "fancier" than the Raven

[apollo]

Impressive Larry_Mott . How is yours aging? :)
I also think the Raven and Crow model are a bit underrated. But maybe this is just only on the forum?
It is a byrd and it has no super steel so many of the members here maybe forget about it just for that?
Sometimes when i look at the byrd forum i wonder why so few people post here. Byrd needs some more attention in my eyes.
But i am very happy to see Sal is always around in this section. :)

[Larry_Mott]

I use mine for whatever cutting task i need it for. The worst edge killers so far has been glass fiber mat, the kind you wrap around muffler baffles on motorcycles, and hard plastic cable routers. After a workout on the Sharpmaker it's back in line, reporting for duty again though. No chipping or visible rolling of the edge. It loses "razor" edge pretty quick but maintain a good working edge for a pretty long time.
Mine has no serious wear or tear.

[sal]

Thanx Apollo,

I try to get there as often as I can.

The Raven 2 was a bit of experiment. I refined the design to meet my preferences. The maker has agreed to give us his best quuality and it was the first model using US made Carpenter CTS-BD1. I use mine quite a bit. Then I designed the Polestar as a Spyderco model that is essentially a Raven 2 without the finger choil.

sal

[apollo]

Thanx Apollo,

I try to get there as often as I can.

The Raven 2 was a bit of experiment. I refined the design to meet my preferences. The maker has agreed to give us his best quuality and it was the first model using US made Carpenter CTS-BD1. I use mine quite a bit. Then I designed the Polestar as a Spyderco model that is essentially a Raven 2 without the finger choil.

sal

This experiment can be classified as a great succes Sal. I'm really happy with this one. Today it helped me cleaning up the yard.

The bd1 really got a very nice heat threatment. Almost 2 weeks of use and it is still the same sharpness as when i got it.
This Ravens maker can be proud of the knife he made.
The polestar is on order. I can not wait to see and feel the difference between the 2.
Sal a little question how many differend makers are there in china that build knives fot spyderco/Byrd ? :)

[G_shark]

The Raven 2 is a great Byrd offering. It helped me a lot when my girlfriend and I bought a house last year and were remodeling the place. The Raven and the Rat 1 I both used interchangeable and I loved every moment of it. Great ergos, good steel that touched up fast so you can go back to cutting wallpaper and drywall and whatnot. I have quite a bit of folding knives but I think I stomped on my Raven 2 the hardest. Still does the job like I got it new yesterday.

[sal]

Hi G_shark,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

[G_shark]

Thank you Sal. I'm not a frequent poster but I am a frequent reader. Tons of good info here.

[apollo]

Before i will get to the full review in time i did want to give a little update.

Another week has passed. And the Raven was in my pocket the entire time.
It has seen use on day to day basis. It has cut everything from normal paper to cardboard , some wood , thin plastic wrappings and even isolationfoam 2" thick. Well in a way the raven reminds me of the Delica i had in my pocket for 4 years.
Yes the knife is completely different. But it just is a hard little worker that doenst complain or lets you down.
It gives a person a reason to get it out and cut stuff even with the danger of scratching it. And that is a feeling i wanted to have most when buying this knife.

I love the way spyderco designs knives not for beauty or coolness but to give a owner the cutting tool he needs that is scary sharp and comfortabel when in Use and stays that way for a long long time.
And yes spyderco makes all that in a design that still is looking very good. :)
The Raven is all that. After another week of use the blade was still pretty sharp for a factory edge. So the man in china that sharpend this raven did his job very good.
But i was asking myself how the knife would feel when it is sharpened to the point of mirror finish.
And so i got to work on the edge pro today and gave the Raven its new edge.



The original edge was spot on the entire lenght of the blade so it was really easy to make it even better than it already was.
So now it sits on a finish of 3000 grid.

And it does more then shave hair it can cut newspaper with circular cuts without any effort. Just amazing for a knife in this price range. I can not wait to find out howlong the edge will keep this way.
But thanks spyderco for making this blade so good with such a low cost everyone in the world could get one.
If it was up to me every person in the world that uses a pocket knife should give it a try. :D