Best Spyderco Knife for Everyday Carry?

[apollo]

The best one is as personal of an opinion as can be. But my best one is and always will be one of my many g10 Manixes.
I have seen , used , handled so many other models and even seen and handled many prototypes that never made it to production but none has ever come close to the Manix yet.

[toml4185]

I enjoy the Para3 both lightweight for summer months and non-lightweight for winter (CruCarta).

I also rotate between the Native 5 and Delica 4 as well and would consider them functionally very similar. If I want something more substantial, I'll use the Stretch 2 in K390 which is incredible but often too large to be practical.

You really cannot go wrong with any of these. Arguably the most important thing to decide is which blade geometry/thickness you like the best for your typical use cases. The ergos are fantastic on all of these models (you need to consider if you like a finger choil or not - Delica does not have one but Native and Para3 do, for example). Para3 is a bit more fidgety and more one handed friendly due to the compression lock but you can operate the Native and Delica one handed too. The convenience of just whipping out the Para3 and flicking it open to use it and then close it one-handed is important to me.

The Sage is another great model if you like the leaf blades. I find that I don't use it as often but when I do, I enjoy it.

Basically, you can't go wrong and likely it will only be when you commit to one that you start to be intrigued with other models and how they differ subtly.

[kobold]

The Native 5 is my standard EDC.

[spydergoat]

Salt 2 PE or Wharncliffe for a smaller knife or Stretch 2XL Salt SE for larger.

[Wright.88]

Lots of great responses so far. Like others have said, having more info about what features are important to you and a budget would be helpful.

For me, my favorite EDC knife over the past year has been a Para 3 LW. It is very lightweight, has a wire clip, the 3” blade length is enough for most daily tasks, there are lots of blade steel and handle color options between all the sprints/exclusives, and I love the compression lock. I think the knife goes to another level with aluminum AWT scales that hardly add any extra weight but make it feel like a much more expensive and durable knife.

[Actinolite]

I always carry a small knife in my 5th pocket. For years it was a Dragonfly 2. However, after struggling with a couple cutting tasks that were less than comfortable with the diminutive DF2, I ended up with a Lil' Native, pocket clip removed.

[Flash]

The Chaparral FRN:
It does everything with finesse; is lightweight yet well built, sturdy, slicey, comfortable, compact, fits quite a lot of edge into its small frame.

It’s only limitation is the CTS-XHP. It rusts.

[Cowboyfromhell]

Ha there is no best Spyderco, trick question. That's why we all have more than one Spyderco..... Have fun!

[Red Leader]

In house we have a few Para 3s, a Native 5, a Sage 5, a Manix 2, Endura, Leafjumper, YoJimbo, a Lil' Temperance 3 LW and some others.

I think some of it is going to depend on a lot of your preferences. Do you prioritize lightweight and 'carry-ability' over capacity? Do you prefer rust resistance or more edge stability? Do you like a rough texture or smooth texture? Do you want to use the knife left-handed?

Right now my main carry knives vary, but right now are including the LT3, Sage 5, and Sliverax. There are various things I appreciate about various Spydercos, including simply the variety and differences between them.

I'm a big fan of the ergos on a Manix 2, but the liner version (G10) is big and heavy. Takes up a lot of pocket room. The LW is of course, lighter, and I don't have one of those, so I can't say too much on it, although I've handled them plenty. Still takes up the same room in the pocket. I like carrying one, but some may find it a little too obtrusive.

The Chaparral, especially the serrated edge (or 'SE' for short) is lauded on these forums, but it is on the smaller side, and some find the thin lock (since the blade stock is only 2mm) hurts as it digs into their fingers when closing. YMMV, but best to handle one before buying. We have a Chaparral w/ the rafir noble handles, and the quality is simply lovely, but my daughter (whose knife it is) finds the lock painful to disengage and prefers her Chicago.

The Sage 5, Para 3, and Native 5 are just about as good as it gets for a recommendable knife if knowing nothing else about a person. They are diminuitive enough in nature not to draw a ton of attention, light enough to be carried in just about any scenario, with a blade length that is good enough in most juridictions, with enough variations to suite your specific parameters, whether it is corrosion resistance or ultimate wear resistance.

I prefer the Para 3 for that 'enthusiast' knife vibe, as the action can be really tuned to be incredible (or like that straight out of the gate), and tons of aftermarket if one so desires.

I prefer the Sage 5 for being small, light, thin, yet 'quality' feeling...a bit of a goldilocks knife, great blade shape

I prefer the Native 5 for a good looking, simply, reliable no-frills ambi-friendly platform

[xceptnl]

This is an impossible choice for me, fortunate for us, Spydreco has enough variety to fit hands, pockets and tasks galore. Why should I limit myself to one knife to rule them all? I have a difficult enough time ranking my favorites, but for the sake of this thread I can try.

• SE

Military
Police
Pac Salt
Spyderhawk
Lil Matriarch
Caly family

• PE

Military
Native Chief
Delica
Manix 2
Endura
Caly Family

[sal]

Hi Ikhnaton,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

[kriezek]

If you do not use a pocket clip, put me in the Delica camp. Like others have mentioned, it is a nearly perfect EDC. I have literally cleaned deer with my Delica, cut open boxes, and cut up my apples, abeit not without cleaning my knife in between.

One of my favorite knives though is the Stretch. In your pocket, it is almost 1/2" longer, but then again, so is the blade. While it doesn't get the same attention as the PM 2, the Stretch is a really good option. It gives you about the same blade length and cutting edge as the PM2 while having a slightly shorter closed length. The Stretch is a better slicer due to blade thickness, but the PM2 could probably handle heavier tasks better. Also, if you want to customize, the PM 2 has way more options. I would not go up to the Stretch XL size though for EDC. But that is just personal preference.

I usually find a Stretch or Mantra 3 in my pocket most days I am out. The Mantra 3 is no longer available however, but if you can find one used on one of the forums, it is a great flipper knife.

[Wartstein]

... We have a Chaparral w/ the rafir noble handles, and the quality is simply lovely, but my daughter (whose knife it is) finds the lock painful to disengage and prefers her Chicago.
..

Just for your info: You can make the lockbar easier to press by moving the lock spring a bit forward in the pocket it sits in. Perhaps that would help with the discomfort your daugther experiences? (Since I figure this comes from a combo of thin, "sharp" lockbar AND high spring tension (the latter generally a good thing in my book).

Also, my Chap SE came with a smoother, chamfered lockbar (unlike the "sharper" one of my much older PE version).
Perhaps this is a cqi change that applies to all newer Chaps..?

[akapennypincher]

What ever you choose.

[Red Leader]

... We have a Chaparral w/ the rafir noble handles, and the quality is simply lovely, but my daughter (whose knife it is) finds the lock painful to disengage and prefers her Chicago.
..

Just for your info: You can make the lockbar easier to press by moving the lock spring a bit forward in the pocket it sits in. Perhaps that would help with the discomfort your daugther experiences? (Since I figure this comes from a combo of thin, "sharp" lockbar AND high spring tension (the latter generally a good thing in my book).

Also, my Chap SE came with a smoother, chamfered lockbar (unlike the "sharper" one of my much older PE version).
Perhaps this is a cqi change that applies to all newer Chaps..?

I'll take a look at it. It might have the chamfer. Good tip on the bar spring. She still loves her little Chicago and is pressing me to get her a Lil' Native next. For being 11, she sure is doing it right haha.

Also, I don't think that the Cat/Chicago are Taichung, but was that something that for sure came verified from Spyderco?

[woppinger]

I carry a Delica 4 (loose in pocket with clip removed) every day...it doesn't have the blade:handle ratio of some of the more modern designs, but I don't mind having "more handle" (and it's still plenty small/light to me).

I like the slimness of the blade and overall package for my "light duty" uses and the easy one hand opening and closing, and prefer the lockback design for its simplicity and the safety factor of the spring biased towards keeping it closed in pocket, as someone mentioned above.

[wrdwrght]

CURRENT FAVORITE EDC MODELS
C36 Military Model/Military2
C58 JD Smith
C69 Lil’Temp1-3
C95/101 Manix/Manix2
C123 Sage
C152 Chaparral
C218 Hennicke Opus
C230 Lil’Native
C248 McGann Canis
C??? the next Spydie model I need

[cycleguy]

It is 100% personal preferences.

For me, it is 100% Delica 4.

CG

[Tucson Tom]

There are many ways to answer this question. But first, I have to ask: what day of the week is it?

I tend to gravitate to a 3.5 inch blade. I most often carry a PM2 or a Shaman. I like the compression lock.
But some days I carry a Manix, and I never regret it when I do.

And then when my mood drifts I have plenty of other choices.

So the bottom line, or what I am saying is there is no "best", but there are plenty of "great" choices. That is true of so many things and it can become a philosophy of life. My wife and I are now car shopping and I tell her there are lots of great choices. There are also terrible choices, and the main thing is to avoid those. Among the great choices, it is pretty much impossible to go wrong. Of course if you buy a sedan and really need a pickup truck .....

So you have to answer some personal questions about your preferences, blade length, laws in your area.

For me, anything smaller than a PM2 is just not worth carrying -- but other people strongly disagree -- and they are not wrong!