Lion Steel Spydercos ?

[gull wing]

I've seen several Lion Spy's and almost bought one.
Now, I'm liking the Spy Nano. So how good are the Lion knives? What is your experience?

[Danke]

Very good for me on this one.

[apollo]

Lionsteel is probably the best European knifemaking company quality wise.
Its on par with Spyderco and there Machining capabilitys are perhaps even unmatched in the World of Production knives!
BUT there is one thing about lionsteels i really do not like in comparison to Spyderco's and that are there grinds. They are just to thick to my taste. They could really improve this by learning from Spyderco.

[Spyderwebs]

The SpyMyto was great. Excellent action, fit, and finish.

I also really like the SpyOpera's. Particularly the pricey Damascus version.

Lion Steel's rounded spine and spyder hole is very pleasant. Their blade stock is thick and the grinds are thick, so they're not the most slicey models.

I handled the spynano and it was too small for my taste. The blade didn't have enough mass in spite of its thick stock, and the handle is too small for my hand.

Personally I'd go for the Opera or an second hand Myto, but the Nano is a good option if you want a small knife.

[cabfrank]

I've never owned a Lionsteel, but I have heard Eric praise them as a manufacturer, and he knows his stuff.

[Larry_Mott]

Personally I think Lionsteel and Fox are both quality Italian knives.

[vilePossum]

Quality is good, potentially very good.
Never bought a spyderco lionsteel because all the normal lionsteel were notoriously thick behind the edge (something resharpening can't fix) and their preference to use 4mm blade stock even in blades with little blade height.
This combination makes for rather poor cutting performance. Design wise they are great though.

[gull wing]

Apollo, you "cut" me. Ha!

I don't mind thick blades, but they should be ground to a slicing edge. Now, this is a small knife, so it should be a nice little slicer.
I PASS

[SpeedHoles]

Lionsteel is probably the best European knifemaking company quality wise.

Wow, now that's saying a LOT!

[RazorSharp86]

Good quality. moat of the European makers are way behind their competition out of Asia and the US, however.
QC leaves a bit to be desired, in my personal experience. Grinds a usually much thicker than ppl like out of a Spyderco

[mikey177]

I have a SpyOpera and a SpyMyto. Fit and finish are very good on my samples.

I tried using the SpyMyto for cutting cardboard, but was underwhelmed because of its thick blade stock.

I would personally choose the SpyOpera over the SpyNano because it is more slicey.

The one drawback of the SpyOpera is that the Ti liners are pinned, making complete disassembly difficult. That said, I haven't had to take mine apart since I got it four years ago.

You might want to check out the recently discontinued Pattadese. It is also made in Italy, though not by LionSteel.

[phaust]

Yeah consistency is the issue. If you get a good one, it's great. That goes especially for Lionsteel but really all the major Italian manufacturers. The work they do on finish is top knotch. Unfortunately there have been so many times when whole batches from Lionsteel and other Italian makers have had major issues. Even just as recent as the SpyMyTo, you see the reports of flipper tabs put on backwards, stripped screws, ti scratches, the clip screw was made too thin, etc. (viewtopic.php?t=95657&start=260).

[apollo]

Lionsteel is probably the best European knifemaking company quality wise.

Wow, now that's saying a LOT!

Just think about it they can easily make intergral framelocks. (Something even taichung can not handle)
And also like Spyderco they create new features like the removable flipper tabs and those extra locks on a framelock.
Then the fact that Spyderco even works with them allot should also mean something.
Even Eric is very impressed with there capabilities.

[apollo]

Yeah consistency is the issue. If you get a good one, it's great. That goes especially for Lionsteel but really all the major Italian manufacturers. The work they do on finish is top knotch. Unfortunately there have been so many times when whole batches from Lionsteel and other Italian makers have had major issues. Even just as recent as the SpyMyTo, you see the reports of flipper tabs put on backwards, stripped screws, ti scratches, the clip screw was made too thin, etc. (viewtopic.php?t=95657&start=260).

Everything you sum up sounds to me like problems every maker has.
Even at Spyderco just look at all the Golden/taichung/moki/… Spydies there are at the second sale each and every year with flaws like that. Rows and rows of boxes filled to the brim we all have seen the pictures those are not from only 1 maker those are from all of them and for the guys who are able to attend you all LOVE them as you joyfully buy 10 for the price of one…
So Its easy to put the blame on Lionsteel if there flaws are put in public while other flawed batches from other makes maybe just go under the public radar. I am sure if Sal or Eric would give numbers about how many knives do not get true QC in the end every maker can be put on the shaming pole now and then.

[northmanscall]

100% Agreed @apollo

Eric talked about it on several Amsterdam Meets that Maniago Italy (Lionsteel, Fox, etc) manufacturers are constantly investing in new machines, Lasers, staff etc.
Unlike some german brands.

Just remember you can get a monobloc integral framelock with ball bearings and böhler/uddeholm steel all made in europe for under 250€ from lionsteel. Thats impressive.

I have about 30 knives from Italy (some Spyderco aswell) and never had any manufacturing or material issues.

So i say if you like a design just go for it.

[apollo]

100% Agreed @apollo

Eric talked about it on several Amsterdam Meets that Maniago Italy (Lionsteel, Fox, etc) manufacturers are constantly investing in new machines, Lasers, staff etc.
Unlike some german brands.

Just remember you can get a monobloc integral framelock with ball bearings and böhler/uddeholm steel all made in europe for under 250€ from lionsteel. Thats impressive.

I have about 30 knives from Italy (some Spyderco aswell) and never had any manufacturing or material issues.

So i say if you like a design just go for it.

Thx northmanscall!
I think some people underestimate how difficult it is to produce high quality folding knives while keeping quality level the same for the length of a models production life.
Spyderco spoils us by having such a strong quality control in house in Golden. And even then still flawed knives get true the net. Not many companies have the option to do the same. In my opinion i do not even think any company tries as hard as Golden does.

[northmanscall]

I hope its okay to share this.
The Video Shows how certain families in Maniago Italy are specialised in a field of manufacturing and all work together for decades to create cutlery. This seems like a sustainable strategy when profit is not the only Focus.

[TkoK83Spy]

Just as everyone is saying about the thickness and grinds on these knives...do we think this is why the flash batch knife (forget what it is, because honestly I have zero interest) is still sitting around available? Flash batches used to be gone in seconds!

[Jeb]

I guess my SpyOpera was an exception or something is just way off here. First off the quality on this knife is second to no one's.

First look at the knife the hardware all has fly-cut heads which really looks awesome and is certainly not cheap and easy...

The second thing I noticed about mine was all the edges of the spine of the blade all the way back into the grip of the knife are not flush ground smooth with the scales.

All the edges have a very pronounced rounded and smooth finish to them. There are no grind marks anywhere on the knife either. None, no where, there are grind marks; so I don't know where you guys see the grind marks.

The carbon fiber scales are absolutely stunning too. I don't know if my SpyOpera is the exception here or what, but the only thing I don't like about mine is how short it is and the fact I can't buy it in a larger size lol.

I took a couple of pix here of mine trying to show the rounded edges of the spine and the liners, not sure you can tell. Maybe if you zoom in on the pix you can.

Most of our knives are ground square and flush with the scales, it's quicker and easier and time saved is money saved. This knife of mine is made nothing like that.

[sal]

Talkin' Story;

I first met Oreste Frati (Gabrielle's father) at the IWA show in Germany in the late '80's/early '90's. He founded Fox and was really a great man and a lover of knives. I can still remember how, at the end of the show, he would pop open a bottle removing the cap with a sword and we'd drink to the the show ending.

He had one model that I particularly liked so I tried to set up a production collaboration with him. Back then, there was no "Fox Factory" and he arranged his knives to be made by a group of custom makers in Maniago. He explained to me that they would not necessarily all be exactly the same as each custom maker liked to add his own "touch".

I told him that I couldn't do that as our customers expected consistency in all areas. Always true to his passion, he kept improving his offering until there was in fact a factory, which is when we began doing to work with Fox. Which is ongoing today. Then we added Lion to our Team. Great makers.

Maniago is also a very nice little town and a great place to visit.

sal
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"Passion is the spice in the spirit that makes excellence possible".