Spyderco Bushcraft...

[Marion David Poff]

OK,

I just want to get this off my chest....

I am not very happy with all of the criticisms that I have read about the Spyderco Bushcraft, in fact, I feel a bit gut-shot about them...

Now, usually I would try to write in a logical fashion, but I just have to let this go...

I have read some really crappy faux indictments of this knife, some excoriating criticisms, and almost all from people who have never even held one.

This is one knife that I hope just spanks people's expectations, I hope it wins awards, and all that.

Anyway, don't take this as a criticism of anyone here on any particular post or thread... Because I have been reading a heck of a lot of web lately, all over at different forums....

But, go Bushcraft.

Marion

[madiaz]

My dear Sir,

My only criticism so far is that it is not made in the U.S.A.

Besides that i have not had a go, so i cannot comment, nevertheless, I use a spyderco daily, mainly a Seki city ZDP since the Golden blades come into production and then retired way too quick.


Mind you this is completely a brain thing. Probably the factory in Asia is A standard with microfiber air recyclying units but i'd rather have a golden U.S. made blade even if it has defects which in my case so far zero defects..

I would pay $500 for the bushcraft if U.S. made. As a matter of fact i swore i was not buying anymore folders but there is an M4 Military made in golden with frame lock.

I love my Spydies and i know it's the market but i know lotsa guys and gals will pay.

my opinion alone. And i agree. I just bashed the manufacturer and the country of origin. Not the Blade.

The blade can be excellent.




I don't know,
regards,
m.ad.

p.s. Marion David Poff keep up the good work man.
maybe a kickbutt blade. stating a personal hang-up on the bushcraft is all :mad:

[ChapmanPreferred]

I really dig the Bushcraft and plan to get one as soon as possible.

[SmoothOne25]

I really dig the Bushcraft and plan to get one as soon as possible.

i don't. something about it just screams "not spyderco". usa or japan or whatever doesn't matter to me. i just feel its not for me. i am not gonna go on about what i do and don't like cause it is not productive but this is one of the only new spydies i wont be buying...oh and the warrior im not feeling. mostly cause of the price and that i would never carry or use it
but to each is own. i hope you enjoy it though :)

[bh49]

I am not very happy with all of the criticisms that I have read about the Spyderco Bushcraft, in fact, I feel a bit gut-shot about them...

Marion

I am wandering where did you see criticism? Somehow I missed it.

My dear Sir,
My only criticism so far is that it is not made in the U.S.A.

It looks like, this is your first post on this forum. How did you get in trouble already?
One thing I completely agree with you, I also prefer US made knives.
I wasn't watching Bushcraft discussions that close. I am not much in bushcraft, the grind on the knife is not my favorite, but I love wood handle, which I saw on Wouter's pictures.
Few days ago I received newsletter from KC with Bushcraft on the front. I was little surprised. I thought this price tag would correspond to the US or Japanese made knife.

[CanisMajor]

I personally love the look of the Bushcraft. One of the great things about Spyderco is that they make SO many knives for different uses/people/situations etc... I plan on buying this knife pretty soon. And to be honest, I don't care if its not US made, I actually prefer a knife that is made in a city where they have been making blades for hundreds of years. Besides, to me, Spyderco means quality no matter where it's made.

Canis

[The Mastiff]

I've been reading the same criticisms. It's sure not going to stop me from saving up to get one.

By the way, most of the comments are from people who haven't ever held one. Most aren't even anything to do with performance, or materials.

It's just a very difficult market to break in to. There are numerous reasons for that. Sort of like motor oils, everyone has their favorites that no one else can tell them isn't the best around.

Cost is the most common so far that i've read.

[MCM]

I have been looking for reviews on this one, but have struck out.
Even checked on the other side of the pond's Forum this morning.

Just not much out there yet.

Have never seen one, but would like to.

Right off the bat though:

"Cost is the most common so far that I've read"
&
"Country of origin" Don't seem to match up with the price.

Time will tell!

Paid about $180.00 for my Temperance 2. Not sure this one is in the same league. Like I said. Time will tell.
(Note, the Temperance 2 is a "Great" knife. Too soon to tell if this will be a "Great" knife) :)


Just to stir things up, I would love to see a Classic 12" Bowie from Spyderco.

"That's not a Knife, This is a Knife!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01NHcTM5IA4

No one has been able to re-produce Mick Dundee's knife to date.
Maybe Sal could persuade them?

This one trips into Randall territory. Am sure its a tough market to break into.

Hope it does well though! Looking forward to some gleaming reports!

[The Mastiff]

Making a knife out of something like o-1 is easy if you concentrate on ergonomics and geometry of the edge. The O-1 is the easy part. You just about have to try to get it wrong. Good Spyderco consistency and appropriateness heat treating of o-1 should insure a knife that cuts like a demons claw.

I love VG10, but on a harder use knife there is no comparison with O-1. It may slice less cardboard feet/inches than stainless steels in the class of VG10, but it is loads tougher, sharpens easier, and really takes an edge suited to the heavier chores, while still being biting sharp.

[4 s ter]

I'm anxiously awaiting the Bushcraft. I'm always interested to see Spyderco's take on classic knife designs. Whether it's the Bushcraft, Laguiole, Kumo, or one of Ed Schempp's many ethnic designs, Spyderco always manages to adds its own unique little tweeks.

(Based on my location, I'm also not one who cares greatly if a knife is "made in the USA " or not. )

[ChapmanPreferred]

i don't. something about it just screams "not spyderco". usa or japan or whatever doesn't matter to me. i just feel its not for me. i am not gonna go on about what i do and don't like cause it is not productive but this is one of the only new spydies i wont be buying...oh and the warrior im not feeling. mostly cause of the price and that i would never carry or use it
but to each is own. i hope you enjoy it though :)

No worries here. Opinions are part of what makes the world go round. The reason I picked up some other manufacturers Scandi's and custom Scandi's over the past two years is because Spyderco did not have any Scandi ground models at the time. Now its time to thin the hurd and pickup the Spyderco model I wanted originally.

[The Deacon]

Am sure Sal had a pretty darn good idea there would be "some" negativity.

Darn near every knife Spyderco has brought to market for the past couple years has drawn "why so expensive" comments/ Especially those made outside the US.

From the time the idea was first proposed some in the British knife community have been of the opinion that bushcraft is a British hobby and the knives for it should be made in the UK. There have also been some in the US knife community who see bushcraft as a peculiar British role playing game in which they simply have no interest.

Then there's the element in this country that feels all Spydercos should be made in Golden and those who, despite the Sage and Bob T SlipIt, still view anything made in Taiwan as junk. Add to all those the folks who think using non-stainless steel is a step backward and those who have their own "pet" steel, grind, or scale material and bemoan the use of any other. Plus those who consider any "non-tactical" or "non-SD" knife a waste of steel.

Finally there were bound to be those who feel just a twinge of envy, jealousy, resentment, or something of that nature of the "wish they'd used O-1 (or spalted maple, or a leather sheath) on a ________" instead of on a knife I really don't care for. To anyone who follows the forums, it should all have been pretty predictable.

[noddy]

..... who see bushcraft as a peculiar British role playing game

:D :D :D

nice one - funny like - you are right too :)

.... oops! Got cut off there for a minute. What I meant to add was that I am going to get a look at one of these at my local shop this weekend. Probably not with a view to buying - but who knows

I have a wonderful handmade knife by Chris Claycomb - designer of the Bushcrafter. It is a box tang 4" droppoint in 3mm RWL34 (@62Rc). The handle, however, is the same as the one on the Bushcrafter, and it is a miracle of ergonomics.

There is a lot aty stake in this regarding the execution of the handle.

The standard handle shape for the UK bushie has an exaggerated palm swell and is quite narrow at the tail. When done by Alan Wood for example, the knife feels like an extension of your forearm. By others, it can just feel like a lump of timber. If the Bushcrafter handle is anything like as well articulated as Chis Claycomb's, that will itself be a reason for buying it - and all the nonsense about being made in Taiwan by a US company for a US audience can go hang! :D :D

[freeman7]

Noddy's comment on the knife's handle is right on. IMHO, handle design is what makes the Perrin Street Beat so good. The handle on the Bushcraft looks to be excellent in the pictures. Hopefully, it will feel great in the hand as well.

BTW, as many on this forum know, O-1 is a wonderful steel for rough, outdoor activities where toughness and ease of sharpening in the field score points. I am looking forward to handling a Bushcraft. Wood handle, leather sheath, yeah!

[noddy]

I have just been looking at the specs of the knife, and hadn't realised that the blade was 3.5mm thick

The bushie is usually 4mm to 5mm thick. I have read of ones thicker, though never seen one!! In terms of heft, the bushie often has a similar kind of feel as a Fallkniven

3.5mm sounds more like a beefy scandi, or even a bushtool. Really looking forward to seeing it now :)

[npueppke]

I honestly don't like the look of the knife. I don't think it has very attractive lines-something about the choice of wood and choice of grind just doesn't do it for me.

Performance wise I'm sure it's excellent, but there are other equally performing options out there which I would choose over this knife, if I was in the market for a bushcraft knife.

[Blerv]

Wow no idea it was being criticized. It doesn't seem pricey to me but many "survival" knives are made with crap steel and in that $200+ range so I guess my DNA takes quality into account.

Question: Doesn't the Ford Focus cost an average of $15,000? It's also plasticy, about 40% German parts, and built in Mexico.

People need to get the **** of their high horses and take an economics class or open their eyes at least. I wonder what little company in Texas made your TV (haha). Not everything Spyderco makes will make you happy. They try harder to innovate for $200 than some companies do for $15,000. Visit a knife shop with $200 looking for a quality survival blade and tell me what you find. I'm sure the ones with expensive wood handles, awesome steel, real leather sheaths and 30 years of innovation are everywhere.

Even if Spyderco wanted everything USA made how could they do it? It's not like they have 1000 employees and a few Boing sized hangers. I'm sure someone could help Sal tragically increase his overhead. I'm sure there is bail out money for small knife companies someplace.

[Marion David Poff]

I thought this thread had died. And, then, bang, here it is again.

It is getting some good reviews now. Now that people actually have one in their hands. I think this knife is going to be a success.

I am really looking forward to using a knife with the full contours like this knife has, I think it is very promising.

I guess the thing that mystified me, is the sort of feeding frenzy attitudes that develop about a new knife. But, I think part of that equation, is the fact that Spyderco is constantly challenging the conventions, and pushing boundaries, and producing knives that aren't just carbon copies of last year's designs.

Anyway, I can go on forever about Spyderco...
Marion

[tonydahose]

as we say in my firehouse "quit yer bitchin"! spyderco makes enough models to fit your needs/wants and if that one is close but not perfect you can pay someone to mod it to be THE KNIFE for you. if you dont like the bushcraft, dont buy it, even though Sal comes out with alot of variations just for us, economics rule. if the sales arent there it, the knife will be discontinued. for those of you that love it and it eventually becomes discontinued buy them up before they are sold out. i can see complaining about quality control if yours is messed up, but to complain that it isnt made in the US, come on, i love this country but how much of what you buy every day besides food stuff (really dairy and grain products) is made only in the USA?

[christoph]

Mine just arrived and it's a beauty... I'll take some pictures when I get a chance to go outside and carve something. It did not come swimming in a bath of Linseed oil like in the Spydieguys video, but the blade and handle are very sticky. What's a good technique for cleaning the knife and prepping it for use without stripping away too much of the protection?