I'm Going All In: Spyder Edge and K390

[Matus]

I have 2 SE Spydercos at the moment. Ayoob in Cruwear that is in the (very slow) process of bevel thinning and H1 Pacific Salt 2 that has seen a considerable thinning and convexing of the serrations. This yielded SE pattern that is a lot smoother than what it was originally. The resulting blade cuts cardboard very well, does not tend to 'tear' it as the tips of the serrations have been turned into 'waves'. Some photos are below (the knife is not particularly clean, sorry for that).



Now, to do the same on a k390 would require a lot more work and would probably be done over time. I am also very intrigued by k390 SE myself, but have still not decided about it. The thing is - I can sharpen k390 in PE within 2-3 minutes on diamond water stones to whatever edge I want. SE can only realistically be sharpened with the Sharpmaker - the ceramic rods are slow and the diamond or CBN are both 400 grit and the sharpening process takes per definition a lot longer (not anyone's fault, just a matter of fact).

[RustyIron]

I can sharpen k390 in PE within 2-3 minutes on diamond water stones to whatever edge I want. SE can only realistically be sharpened with the Sharpmaker

Resharpening was my primary consideration before buying a knife with a serrated edge. After expressing my dissatisfaction with a competitor's combo blade, Sal made me an offer I couldn't refuse. It was an offer that could be interpreted one of two ways: either the guy is a pitchman who will say anything to make the sale, or the man truly believes in the product that he's manufacturing. I suspected the latter, but still dragged my feet for a couple years before getting the P4 and the Sharpmaker.

I was still a skeptical about maintaining the usability of the serrations without just grinding them away. I knew it wouldn't be immediate, but I didn't want a knife that would only last a couple years. What really sealed the deal was Spyderco's regrinding policy. In the unlikely event that I goof up the edge, Spyderco will regrind it for $25. That is a smokin' good deal. They probably don't make money off of it, but the policy helped nudge me into buying several more knives.

[RustyIron]

It's been about two weeks, and I've been carrying the Spydie-Edge Delica most of the time. I'm curious if the added cutting ability will turn the little Delica into something that feels like big knife. So far, the Delica hasn't failed me. Today I was going on an adventure where I didn't know what I'd need, so rather than carry the little Delica, I opted for the serrated Po Po Fo.

One task was repairing and adjusting leather belts. The cut needed to be clean and square. With a plain edge, I'd have done a single slice. With the serrated edge, sawing motion was required. Nevertheless, the cut came out as clean as I needed.

I'm a big fan of just pushing my plain edge through anything that needs separating, but so far the serrated edge has been satisfactory, and it some ways, superior.

Here's a video of the belt running successfully.

https://youtu.be/zIt5btSmCEk?si=GbPOftI4Zx3yVAvq



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[elena86]

You needed a sawing motion with the SE blade on that belt ? Well, I don’t want to be a smartass but my old school SE Police in VG10 would clean cut that belt in one motion, but than again I allways keep my spyderedges at peak sharpness. Most people have the preconception that a spyderedge must snag or just can’t keep up with a plain edge when it comes to clean cuts. They’re wrong but just because they don’t know how ( or they are not willing to spend enough time and effort ) to bring the spyderedge to what I call “peak sharpness” . I must admit that I spend a lot of time and I sharpen my spyderedges scallop by scallop and use the proper tools. The finish product is litteraly “razor sharp”. I allways hoped and prayed that Spyderco will bring back the profile set for serrations. For the spyderedge fanatics like me it would be a blessing in disguise.

P.S. Just to give an example. I wish I had the skills of this guy but I am trying hard to come as close as possible when it comes to sharpening my spyderedges. Maybe one day I’ll take the time to do my own movie on how I sharpen mine.
https://youtu.be/_ufue1riPu8

[dsvirsky]

Don't mean to pile on, but I have to agree with Marius. I mostly sharpen my SE Spydies using the Sharpmaker, occasionally do it freehand using a Double Stuff 2, and I would expect them to cleanly slice through that belt.

[RustyIron]

It's been three months, and my perception of the Spydie Edge has evolved. It's still sub-optimum for culinary work, precise work, and stuff like the leather belt in the above picture. Since serration points sit tall, you either need to do a sawing motion or cut into your back up material. My breadboards are nice, and I don't want to wreck them. In situations such as these, I'm likely to have access to proper kitchen or shop tools, so it doesn't matter.

As a general-purpose tool that is suitable for random jobs one might encounter throughout the day, the Spydie Edge has proven to be grrrrreat. Just today I had two different instances where I needed to cut some SO cord, and it hacks nicely through he conductors. I also wanted to cut the fibrous tangerine stems without damaging the fruit. The Spydie Edge was great for both jobs, better than what I would expect from a plain edge. My previous comments about how it's great for yardwork still hold true.

The bottom line is that the Spydie Edge might be more useful for every-day random stuff. I've been carrying the Delica, which is small in my opinion, but the serrations make it cut "bigger" than it otherwise would. I think that's my conclusion: The Spydie Edge turns a small knife into a big one, and a big knife into a saber.

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[cabfrank]

Glad you like. Thanks for the update.

[adv23]

Been carrying a LeafJumper SE for the last month. Very nice knife and quite effective in most all situations. Side note,
I do admittedly carry a PE blade as well just because I have so many...

[RustyIron]

Been carrying a LeafJumper SE for the last month. Very nice knife and quite effective in most all situations. Side note,
I do admittedly carry a PE blade as well just because I have so many...

It's quite tempting, ain't it?

[Wartstein]

It's been three months, and my perception of the Spydie Edge has evolved. It's still sub-optimum for culinary work, precise work, and stuff like the leather belt in the above picture. Since serration points sit tall, you either need to do a sawing motion or cut into your back up material. My breadboards are nice, and I don't want to wreck them. In situations such as these, I'm likely to have access to proper kitchen or shop tools, so it doesn't matter.

As a general-purpose tool that is suitable for random jobs one might encounter throughout the day, the Spydie Edge has proven to be grrrrreat. Just today I had two different instances where I needed to cut some SO cord, and it hacks nicely through he conductors. I also wanted to cut the fibrous tangerine stems without damaging the fruit. The Spydie Edge was great for both jobs, better than what I would expect from a plain edge. My previous comments about how it's great for yardwork still hold true.

The bottom line is that the Spydie Edge might be more useful for every-day random stuff. I've been carrying the Delica, which is small in my opinion, but the serrations make it cut "bigger" than it otherwise would. I think that's my conclusion: The Spydie Edge turns a small knife into a big one, and a big knife into a saber.

.

Thanks for the update!

... and for pointing out one of the cons of SE I tend to forget when I say that to me it is better in almost any task than PE.
NOT true if one likes their cutting boards, that´s right..

As a general EDC edge and yes, particularily for cutting branches and so on ("yard work") I still clearly prefer SE over PE.
Though Vivi with his low grit edges has a point - SE works even better for me, and I figure stays "sharp" (or capable of separating matter) even longer - ?

[skeeg11]

$300 for a decent end grain butcher block is no uncommon.

[benben]

I got two K390 knives for Christmas (see the Ho Ho Ho thread). One is a serrated K390 LeafJumper my daughter got me, I already have a plain edge K390 Endela and a serrated VG-10 RockJumper so I had no doubt the LeafJumper in this configuration would be a fantastic knife without ever touching one before.....it is, and then some!

I know the limitations already mentioned here of serrations, but I also know it's MANY strengths! I don't cut up cloth to make rags and I don't cook here at work so this serrated LeafJumper is an awesome EDC for me, in fact it's perfect!

This LJ ended up being $102.00 back during Black Friday week, it just can't be beat!

I own somewhere around 30 Spyderco's, the other knife I got from my wife for Christmas was a K390 Lil' Temperance, I honestly could make do with these two knives only and be completely satisfied, they're both that good!