Some love for the Persistence

[Abide]

Long time Spyderco enjoyer here, but my first post on the forum.

My Spyderco journey began over a decade ago with the purchase of an Ambitious (mainly because it was the cheapest Spyderco I could find at the time). I carried that knife almost exclusively for over a year and it served me well, although I frequently found myself wishing for a bit more knife. This led to the purchase of a Tenacious which also did great service for several years.

Coming from a background of using mainly SAKs and a Puma Cadet which was a birthday gift from my Dad nearly 40 years ago, the 8Cr steel never bothered me. That said, as my interest in knives grew and I read about the modern powder metallurgy steels, I embarked on a (rather wallet unfriendly) foray into the higher end Spyderco models. But I never forgot the tremendous utility of the Ambitious and Tenacious for very little outlay.

These days I have less need for larger knives (although I still buy them because… erm… shiny), so I mainly carry a UKPK / Urban or a Para 3 LW (daft UK knife laws permitting). Having previously skipped the Persistence as not big enough, when I saw one recently in S35VN for a good price I snapped it up. Well, I couldn’t be more pleased with the purchase. It fits my medium sized hands perfectly, it’s more compact than the Para 3 despite having a slightly longer cutting edge and I never feel that it isn’t up to the job.

While I know that the “value” folders can’t really be considered budget options in S35VN, I still think they compare well to offerings from other manufacturers. My Persistence has a slightly uneven grind, but that doesn’t affect the performance and I’m not afraid of using / losing it the way I am with my more expensive knives (the mint condition GB1 I picked up is a definite safe Queen). It also isn’t scary to non-knife people and will often pique their curiosity because they’ve never seen a knife like it.

Credit to the Glessers and the rest of the team at Spyderco for bringing us such innovative products, at prices which I think are fair given the R&D and production costs of dealing with so many steels which other companies won’t even attempt to use.

When asked by friends what knife they should get, some form of Spyderco is nearly always my recommendation. They’ve earned a lifelong customer in me. :)

[TazKristi]

Hi, Charlie:
Welcome to our forum. Thank you for your very kind words. We hope you enjoy your time with us!

Kristi

[Doc Dan]

Welcome to the forum.

I have two of Spyderco's inexpensive lines, one a Cat and one a first edition Byrd Tern. The Tern was otherwise nice, but had zero tension on the blade. It was too risky to use. The Cat, on the other hand, was and is amazing. G10, 440C, jimping, all make for a nice knife.

[Aladinsane]

I got a Persistence Lightweight CE for my son last year for his first knife. I checked it out before I gave it to him and I was very impressed! Good blade centering, great lockup, very sturdy, the serrations are done very well, it sharpens up very nicely, and the overall quality was excellent! I liked it so much that I wanted to keep it for myself!! I'm glad I didn't because I will always remember the awe in his voice when I gave it to him and he said, "A Spyderco?!" So, yeah, I'd recommend the Persistence to anyone looking for a high quality, affordable knife.

[zhyla]

I’ve got the original Ambitious and my kids have a couple of the Ambitious LW. I’ve always thought these were cool little knives. A little surprised they didn’t take off like the Tenacious did.

I’m glad Spyderco still has some affordable knives for semi-normal people. Don’t overlook the Astute btw, it’s one of their nicest designs IMO and fairly unique in the Spyderco line.

[Coastal]

That whole line is excellent. I don't have the Persistence, but I have multiple examples of the Tenacious and Resilience. I'm sure the Persistence is just as well-made and useful, in its size class.

If you're ever looking for an inexpensive large folder, the Resilience is tough to beat. It doesn't have the cachet of the Military or Police but I think it's almost as nice and just as useful.