First Spyderco?

[Aladinsane]

What was your first Spyderco knife, and how did it change your perspective?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Kristi

My first Spyderco was the Centofante 3. I was vaguely aware of a knife company named Spyderco that made good knives, but didn’t really know what they made.

I was browsing through a knife catalog at work one night when my came across the Spyderco section. This was probably in 2008. I saw the Centofante 3 and was smitten!

I soon bought one and it was my first experience of having a quality knife in my hand! I knew I could never use a poorly made knife again, and I had to have more Spydercos!!

Outside of my personal pride of having a nice knife, I noticed that people had a respect for Spyderco knives, and recognized Spyderco users as a bit different and discerning from other knife people.

So, I became a Spyderco knife person and have never regretted the decision.

[pinchyfisher]

My first Spyderco was a Para 3 lw in 2021- boy I feel wet behind the ears.

Was my 3rd modern knife. It changed my perspective a few ways- frn/plastic doesn't mean flimsy, "small" knives can get work done, "small" knives can be ergonomic, thumb holes are more intuitive than thumb studs (to me), and a good one hand opening, one hand closing knife with a pocket clip is just too darn handy not to carry.

[grasshopper]

My late father-in-law (a cattle rancher) gifted me a c05 Standard in stainless steel
sometime in the late 80’s.
The pocket clip and one handed opening really changed how I looked at pocket knives.
I was instantly hooked. I purchased a FRN Dragonfly a couple years later.

In the 90’s I moved to a town that had a great brick&mortar knife store.
The rest is history.

[jwbnyc]

Early Nineties Rescue. I could have sworn I bought it in the Eighties, but it’s listed as a Nineties knife on Spydiewiki I think, so.. Needed a kayak knife. This was (and is) it.

I went looking for a Mariner in the Eighties but couldn’t find one. It wasn’t so easy to find Spydercos back then.

I was a serrated blade guy from the get go so I don’t know if it changed my perspective much. It was, however, a game changer. folding? And a clip? And those big beautiful serrations? What!?

[Cowboyfromhell]

First time ever seeing a Spyderco was in a gun/knife magazine way back in late 80s early 90s I was a 10 yr old boy and knew I wanted one when I got older and had money. Fast forward 30 yrs and finally got my first- pm2 s30v. Can't believe it took so long but I now own over 20 different Spyderco.

[enix311]

My very first Spyderco was a waved delica that I got from a local knife shop. Had to be not long after they came out. I carried that knife everyday for probably 2 years and got a lot of use out of it, still have it and carry it. It definitely started an addiction to Spyderco. I can't remember what my options were that day(mostly based on whatever disposable income I had) but I do remember when the shop owner demonstrated the wave I was sold. It was just so cool. I like that feature so much I modified a ss police to be tip up so I could add a little wave. Works wonderfully and love to carry that too.

[JoviAl]

Lil Native S90V CF sprint and a Para3 S110V, bought on the same day if memory serves me. Still have them both, although they rarely get carried these days as I prefer SE blades. I doubt I’ll ever sell either of them, but I might gift them to someone in need.

[gk4ever2]

My first Spyderco was a C23 Renegade SE with black G-10 and GIN-1 steel. I liked the style/looks but hated the serrations. Years later I bought a Walmart Native PE with black FRN and S30V steel, and loved the hollow-ground primary and swedge – at times I still carry this loose in my pocket, especially if I want to be more discreet. But my true love came later, a Native Chief PE sprint model with black coated M390 steel and brown G-10 – this is where the addiction started. More (too many ) Chiefs followed. My most recent Spyderco is a Military 2 PE sprint model with S90V steel and carbon fiber grips – wow, what a nice knife! The M2 has large grips, but feels better than I thought it would. Keep up the good work!

Gene

[Kurtis0521]

Gray handled Delica 4, followed shortly by a orange handled Ladybug Salt

[MrGibson]

My first was a dragonfly with the integral pocket clip in 1999.

I had always only carried a SAK until about 1997 when I started trying some no-name locking knives. A friend convinced me “you can do better” and the dragonfly was the beginning.

It melted into my hand as all you dragonfly fans know, and a Spyderco of some variety has been in my pocket almost constantly since then. I experimented with other brands early on after the dragonfly, but for me no one else comes close to the ergonomics of a Spyderco.

[sal]

Great thread, thanx much Kristi,

To the posters, Thanx for the trip down memory lane. Thanx also for the support.

Hi KeepCalm&Carrion, Enix, Gk4ever2, Kurtis,

Welcome to our forum. Hope you enjoy your time here, great group with a great deal of knowledge and understanding about knives, blade steels, and with depth,.

sal

[Danke]

2011 trying out every brand of folding knives, well at least till I tried Spyderco and that was that.

[Fastidiotus]

Aladinsane started a thread along the similar line as this that may have responses of value to you Kristi.

viewtopic.php?t=97249

My dad always had a serrated Spyderco when I was a kid in the 90s. Before the Internet and before search engines allowed you to find things on the Internet, seeing a Spyderedge Spyderco compared to an Old Timer, Victorinox, or Buck knife was like seeing a Ferrari in a farm equipment lot. When I was old enough and well enough off to call an 80 dollar knife a work knife I got an Endura 4.

[Ramonade]

What was your first Spyderco knife, and how did it change your perspective?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Kristi

Native 5 G10. Changed my whole view on folding knives. Everything seemed made with intent, which was a big change from every folder I had before that.

[mikey177]

ATS-55 combo-edge Endura from the 1990s.

Prior to this, the two folders that I owned used thumb studs for deployment. I found that the Spydiehole makes one-handed opening much easier, so I decided to stick with this brand.

[attila]

C11PSBK in 2007. Black FRN, saber ground, combo edge Delica.

I don’t have it anymore due to a hairline crack in the blade and warranty replacement with a green ffg Delica 4. By that point (2016-2018), I had gotten tired of VG-10, so I gifted it to my older brother, who uses it every day and for everything.

Before that, however, I had been fascinated about owning a Spyderco for years (as seen in Campmor and other mail order catalogs). The C13 Progrip/Provenator was what I wanted the most. I just didn’t have enough money at the time.

[Paul Ardbeg]

My first Spyderco was the Tenacious. I liked the ergo's and blade, but it was the Manix 2 lw and PM2 G10 that fueled the love for Spyderco knives.

[SaltyCaribbeanDfly]

Well I entered the Spyderco game a little later than most - November of 2021 with a Dfly Salt SE which was a gift from my cousin…he needed some help at his warehouse in Dallas,Tx. and we were slowing down here so I flew out for a couple months to help him…he knew I liked knives so he took me to House of Blades one Saturday and man was that a mistake! I was running the forklift one day and he handed me a box and it was a Spyderco Dfly in H1 that he’d purchased without me knowing while we were at the knife shop…I ended up gifting it to his wife for Christmas because she was constantly asking me if she could borrow it…I bought a Native Salt in LC200n the next weekend and a Para 3 lw blacked out BD1N the next…eventually I got another Dfly because I missed the featherweight aspect and how it really was a “little BIG knife”…rides in my pocket everyday

[vivi]

short version:

Delica 4 saber grind. I thought the opening hole was great, and the edge retention was excellent. However, I disliked the flat saber grinds poor cutting ability, the clip and the ergonomics. Tried again with an S60V Military. Loved it. Ergonomics were great, and how light it was really won me over.

They made me realize that many aspects of knife design had advanced a lot since the Victorinox Classic + Buck 110 combo I grew up with. It'd take me a while yet to appreciate clips though.


Long version:

Started knife collecting with a Victorinox Classic. As I grew up I tended to EDC one with a Buck 110...




I was content with that combo for quite a while.

Around 2005 I came across an awesome knife selection at a locally owned camping store. Everything from Smith and Wesson to Spyderco, Cold Steel to Benchmade, Ruko to customs.

First purchase was an Ontaro SP05. I always wanted a Kabar but this was styled similar to one at half the price. Tried to make it more suitable for bushcraft by thinning the edge, cutting off the top guard and dulling the sharpened clip point.



This was followed by my first name brand full sized modern folder, a CRKT Kit Carson flipper liner lock. Aluminum handles, G10 inserts, and AUS8 steel I believe.





It wasn't a bad knife by any means, but it never grew on me that much. I tried carrying it, but went back to my Buck 110's after a bit.

For a while I stopped there. The Ontario was fun to mess around with in the woods, and I figured the 110 was the folder for me.

Some time later I'm back in the camping store checking out the latest in LED flashlights for camping.

I see a Benchmade display and I'm blown away by the absurd prices. $200 pocket knives? Why?



Handled a full sized Skirmish and a Mini Skirmish. Was instantly blown away at how much higher quality they felt than my CRKT.

Instead of impulse buying a knife 8x more expensive than my EDC, I went home and did some research. I looked up how Spyderco actually came up with that opening hole idea, and decided to go with them instead of Benchmade.

I came across this forum and Bladeforums, and asked for advice on which models to consider.

Everyone said Delica 4, so I bought one without even holding it first. I still remember the clerk asking if I wanted to check it out, and I said no, don't bother, everyone says this is the best Spyderco to start out with.

So, here it is, my very first Spyderco from around 2006:





You'll notice I took the clip off. I wasn't a fan of how pocket clips felt at all when using the Delica, so I removed it. Pocket carry worked just fine with such a small model anyways.

You'll also see the blade is scratched from thinning it out flat to the saber grind with sandpaper.

I thought the cutting performance was really bad. While I appreciated the hardness and edge retention of VG10 VS Victorinox folders and Buck 110's, the saber ground blade was thick. It did a lot worse on apples, cardboard, wood carving etc.



Another issue was the size and ergonomics. I grew up using my Buck 110 with my thumb on the spine because that's how other people used theirs. The thumb ramp didn't give me enough space for my thumb.

So my first Spyderco was a real mixed bag. I thought it was well made, the build quality was very nice. The steel had the best edge retention of anything I had tried. I liked the opening hole a lot better than nail nicks or thumb studs. I liked how grippy the scales were, and how light the knife was. But the cutting performance was pretty bad on thicker materials, and the ergonomics left a lot to be desired for my grip, and I wasn't into the pocket clips.

I saw promise in the brand, I just needed to find the right model.

So I asked for suggestions again. "What Spyderco should I try if I think the Delica is too small and cuts poorly?"

"Military"

Why didn't people suggest this the first time, since I EDC'd a Buck 110? Oh well.

So I bought an S60V single liner Military. Here it is, my second Spyderco:






This was more like it. Much better fit for my hand. Much better cutting ability. Though you'll still see I tried thinning out the edge......much tougher to do than with 420HC or VG10.

I was really impressed with this knife. This is the one that made me get it. The size to weight ratio, coming from an old school Buck 110, really was something. Those single liner Military folders were even lighter than the current versions.

The ergonomics were, and still are, a perfect fit for my hand. I've kept a Millie or two in the collection since, even though I've always liked lockbacks better than liner locks.

The cutting ability was much higher than the Delicas too. Both edge retention and edge geometry were much better. I can remember carrying this to an overnight warehouse job, and breaking down a box with it. A box I didn't realize was reinforced with thin steel rods. I sliced right into it with this Military and there was no edge damage, it was still sharp. Really impressed me.



This was an old EDC of mine. That S60V Military, with the clip removed naturally. Along with my favorite keychain multitool, a Leatherman Micra. Keys to a late 90's stick shift Accord. And an old school LED light that had one mode, probably around 40 lumens or so.

Well, down the rabbit hole I went. From there I got a $115 C95 Manix, $25 Byrd Cara Cara, $40 Walmart Native, $75 ZDP189 Endura saber ground, $125 Police 3 as soon as it came out (I remember drooling over the amsterdam meet pics, still got it saved to my PC), Spin first run....then about 60 other models haha.



EDIT: Found the amsterdam meet photo of the Police 3

[Cheddarnut]

My first Spyderco was a black FRN Native in S30V. I ghosted the forums starting sometime in 2007 and mentally compiled all the opinions of all the threads that I scoured to choose the singular best knife I could as I was on a very limited budget, coupled with the awareness that i didn’t have any knife sharpening capabilities and greatly feared the time coming where i would be faced with the inevitable task of renewing the edge. S30V was made to sound almost miraculous for its ability to hold an edge based on what the pundits were saying, and the model itself was chosen, at least in part from what i remember, because it was the model i remember having seen in army surplus shops i had frequented as a teenager while fascinating over pellet guns, the self same model that i conjured out of the annals of my mind when digging through it in 2007 after having been triggered out of a decade or solong knifeless stasis mode by seeing an image online of a benchmade emerson cqc7 (alongside a wenger multitool that was the actual focus up until that point) that awoke my vestigial desire for dangerous toys again (and again ♾). So I googled something like ‘spider knives’ because i recalled the web-like handle of the native, and landed I believe on the spyderco website. After sifting through most of what had been currently available and still not sure that this was the same company that made that spiderweb handled model, i found the native page and everything seemed to synchronize.
So, romance aside, when my broke *** finally received the native I fairly hated it. I felt tricked. The hallmarks of quality i been led to believe Spyderco represented in spades we absent, mostly in respect to finshing, more specifically the finish on the spine of the blade. It had this wobbly scarred look like flashing that had been hastily half polished only so far as to not be abrasive to the thumb, and screamed cheap, sub-par product to me. Cheaply made offshore kitchen knives even had the spine i had anticipated, why on Golden Colorado, Earth didn’t this expensive (i think 74.99$ at the time) highly regarded, deluxe, important, fanboy sponsored brand (generalized for it 100% of my experience at this point with spyderco) have the wherewithal to finish a spine the way a spine should be finished??? I was crushed. But i carried the native none-the-less, as i couldn't afford to, and was deterred from, attempting a different model. So it was just a knife, and i used it for cutting. And i kept using it for cutting. And i started using it where a thin Olfa should have been used, just because i..wanted to use the native. I developed a quick draw method and learned how to one hand close the backlock mechanism for an equally fast return to pocket. In short order that pocket knife with the disgusting spine became an extension of my hand, and help me navigate through some of the toughest times of my life. I remember taking washroom breaks just to fidget with the native, and adding some scatches to the handle by dropping it on my way to this girls house that I had the biggest crush of my life on. I ultimately lost it after moving back from montreal to toronto in an Iggy Pop mosh pit in Dundas Square where I actually thought I might die from the crushing thrall of compressed human bodies.
The lessons I learned from the Native Experience, in no particular order:
1) Opinions, even by experts, are subjective. Always trust your instincts and don’t diminish the peculiarities of your own metrics of judgement, while simultaneously incorporating the distillation of experience available to you extrinsically.
2) looking past an ugly face can allow you to fall in love with a personality.
3) you can refinish a spine with not a lot of sandpaper. Metal, it turns out, is not infinite, and can be affected by mere mortal means. This changed my world the most, as it helped me understand that even the strongest, toughest, and hardest seeming obstacles can be overcome, because as Thulsa Doom said- steel isn’t the end all and be all, it’s in people that strength lay. Things aren’t that important.
4) the Spyderco forum is what I’m buying. The shared belief that there is value in these products is what drives my collective unconsciousness to join in. I don’t consider myself a team player, I eshew sports and media in general because i don’t trust groups. I trust matter, material; minerals won’t lie to you or laugh at you. I like that we can peripherally enjoy each other because the focus is off of our relationships here and on the items we covet. And if the items we covet fail, we have a father figure (and mother figure :) ) to pick up the pieces and make it right. Basically its a chaperoned room full of kids playing with toys here and I like having fun
The End