newbie. what are the must have knives?

[the ob]

http://spydercosource.com/2009/04/spyde ... alker-c22/

check this out

[jackknifeh]

http://spydercosource.com/2009/04/spyde ... alker-c22/

check this out

Good info.

I don't know if you are interested but I read an article recently about he Michael Walker liner lock and the Chris Reeve integrated (frame) lock. The two guys designed these locks about the same time and with knowledge of the others work if I remember correctly. I think the article was in Blade magazine. I thought it was interesting.

Jack

[the ob]

that actually sounds familiar. I think I might have read that. I will look for it again. thanks!

[the ob]

Received my other Michael walker today. I love it as much as the first one. :)

[the ob]

what I should carry today?

Pretty soon I will have carried them all and it will be time to buy a new one :)

I am not going to cary the Masaad or the Lum. Those will probably never get carried. They were purchased for collecting only. The only other one I have not resolved if I will carry yet is the Perrin. It is a little heavy for what I do on a daily basis. I would like someone to make the argument for that one.

love to hear your thoughts.

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

Carry the PPT. Carry it because you might end up loving it as an edc. Carry it because it deserves to be carried.

[DaBird]

I LOVE my PPT and carry it sometimes -- the blade shape is wicked in a SD type of thing and yet it works great for every day chores. I also think it has one of the best textured handles of all the :spyder: -- and mine opens effortlessly and locks up like a bank vault.

[SQSAR]

Carry the PPT. Carry it because you might end up loving it as an edc. Carry it because it deserves to be carried.

+1. It is just an awesome all around knife. Rock solid build, excellent fit and finish, and a design that transcends both EDC and SD applications. Plus, the design is one that doesn't seem to scare non-knife people, but sure as **** can stand up to most any 'tactical' applications a knife person throws at it. It has quickly become one of my top 3 favorite Spyderco designs, and its 'robust' weight is of far less concern to me than I thought it might be when I 1st bought it.

[dbcad]

The PPT is my favorite EDC now and has been for quite a while. Despite it's heft it feels extremely comfy in the pocket. I'm really enjoying the low carry also. It helps the knife be a bit more discreet in my knife paranoid workplace.

[jeru]

1. Military
2. PPT

[DCDesigns]

A Dragonfly of some sort is a must EDC have in my opinion, para military, Manix 2, Sage (s), Caly's, Endura, Delica, the entire Salt series, anything waved, anything with M390, S90V, or 20-cp and I have to say the new Chaparral after carrying it for a while, I just love it more and more.

You HAVE to get something with the twill CF from Taiwan. You wont be disappointing.

[jackknifeh]

A Dragonfly of some sort is a must EDC have in my opinion, para military, Manix 2, Sage (s), Caly's, Endura, Delica, the entire Salt series, anything waved, anything with M390, S90V, or 20-cp and I have to say the new Chaparral after carrying it for a while, I just love it more and more.

You HAVE to get something with the twill CF from Taiwan. You wont be disappointing.

After that list of suggestions you made you almost could have shortened your typing to "Spyderco". :eek: They have enough choiced to make deciding difficult. You are right about the twill CF IMO.

Jack

[DCDesigns]

After that list of suggestions you made you almost could have shortened your typing to "Spyderco". :eek: They have enough choiced to make deciding difficult. You are right about the twill CF IMO.

Jack

I guess that would have been faster :p

[BAL]

Must haves ?, All of them. The question isn't what is a must have to own, but after you have a collection, it's what is a must have to carry that day. And that's not an easy question to answer.

[Mud Shrimp Moe]

I'm a newbie too. Today I just ordered the Para Military 2 in digital camo, the Delica in FRN blue and the Dragonfly 2.

I was tempted to get the Endura in the FRN blue as well, but decided to check out the Delica first and also to see if I really need an EDC that's somewhere between the Delica and the Para Military 2. I was also tempted to buy several ... perhaps all four ... of the Chinese models (Ambitious, Resilience, Tenacious, and Persistence), but decided ordering seven knives in one day was a bit obsessive compulsive. I also don't see the point, yet, in having the nicer USA and Japanese blades with largely redundant Chinese models. It's easy to make a case that I need some "beater" models, but as I work an office job this strikes me as merely justification more than anything.

We'll see. The itch to get that Endura in FRN blue is eating at me.

[jackknifeh]

I'm a newbie too. Today I just ordered the Para Military 2 in digital camo, the Delica in FRN blue and the Dragonfly 2.

I was tempted to get the Endura in the FRN blue as well, but decided to check out the Delica first and also to see if I really need an EDC that's somewhere between the Delica and the Para Military 2. I was also tempted to buy several ... perhaps all four ... of the Chinese models (Ambitious, Resilience, Tenacious, and Persistence), but decided ordering seven knives in one day was a bit obsessive compulsive. I also don't see the point, yet, in having the nicer USA and Japanese blades with largely redundant Chinese models. It's easy to make a case that I need some "beater" models, but as I work an office job this strikes me as merely justification more than anything.

We'll see. The itch to get that Endura in FRN blue is eating at me.

Depending on your plan, if you have one, buying a lot of knives is questionable. My story (short) is I started buying nicer knives about 6 years ago. All I wanted was one knife that would stay sharp for a long time. Since then I've bought about 20 knives. Now I have a few that I really like. The rest I have sold. I sold some nice knives because I didn't use them. If I had the money to buy all the ones I did buy when I started I could have bought a lot, used them, sold the ones I didn't use that much and keep a few. That would have taken about 6 months max. But I had to get them as I could afford them. So, if you only want a knife or a few knives but know you will need to use them to know if you like them, buy all you can afford and sell them off as you find you don't like one. Then you will have what is left. Of course buy another one or two as time goes on that you see and want.

The guy who started this thread bought a lot of knives fast. I remember drooling as almost every day he bought another one or two or three. :) Anyway, since this thread is called "must have knives" here is what I've come up with:

Chaparral (small dress knife or EDC)
Sage 1 (bigger dress knife or EDC
Gayle Bradley (bigger, STRONGER dress knife or EDC)
Ladybug 3 or Dragonfly (very small EDC) (I only have the Ladybug salt)
Native lightweight (sturdy, comfortable, fairly inexpensive EDC)

Then I have 3 knives for work:
Byrd Wings (inexpensive, durable, plain and serrated blades) (tool box knife)
Manix 2 (very sturdy, choice of steels if you want but 154CM is good)
Pacific Salt (H1 steel. I also have the Ladybug salt for a small one)

These are the ones I am left with (and a couple of others) and VERY happy with. There are many others so individual tastes and desires will be different for everyone but the above work great for me. The two that I will get next are a Dragonfly and Para 2.

The ones you ordered are a great start I think. Actually, unless you catch the Spyder buying bug those are great knives to cover about any cutting task you'll ever come across.

Oh yeah, welcome to the forum. Lots of good people here IMO.

Jack

[elena86]

For city REAL EDC: Dragonfly2(if you like smaller),Delica saber ground(or FFG), or
Caly3 in VG10(if you can get your hands on one, if not UKPK leaf shape G10 handle). In any case go for VG10 , is the best steel for EDC.
For dressy ocasions: Caly3 CF, Sage 1 CF, Michael Walker CF if you can get your hands on.
For outdoor REAL EDC : Endura 4 saber ground VG10, Stretch FRN in VG10

[Mud Shrimp Moe]

Anyway, since this thread is called "must have knives" here is what I've come up with:

Chaparral (small dress knife or EDC)
Sage 1 (bigger dress knife or EDC
Gayle Bradley (bigger, STRONGER dress knife or EDC)
Ladybug 3 or Dragonfly (very small EDC) (I only have the Ladybug salt)
Native lightweight (sturdy, comfortable, fairly inexpensive EDC)

Then I have 3 knives for work:
Byrd Wings (inexpensive, durable, plain and serrated blades) (tool box knife)
Manix 2 (very sturdy, choice of steels if you want but 154CM is good)
Pacific Salt (H1 steel. I also have the Ladybug salt for a small one)

These are the ones I am left with (and a couple of others) and VERY happy with. There are many others so individual tastes and desires will be different for everyone but the above work great for me. The two that I will get next are a Dragonfly and Para 2.

So many choices! I confess I don't really get the concept of a "dress knife" yet. Perhaps I will at some point. I wear business casual clothes even to work and when I do occasionally wear a suit for something fancy outside of work, I can't imagine why a knife would need to come out of my pocket.

I got the Para2 after reading a bunch of reviews and it was clear that this knife is a favorite among those who own a lot of Spyderco models. It just seemed a no brainer. But I also knew it might be a little large and aggressive looking for daily carry, so I got the Delica and Dragonfly. I figured the size difference on those three is broad enough to give a good idea of what my ideal EDC will be. The Para2 may, in fact, be my weekend EDC. We'll see.

I need to have the self-discipline to carry these three for a month or so and see what my preferences are before I buy others. To date I've been carrying fairly small folders, such as Swiss Army models or a small locking blade folder comparable to the Dragonfly in size.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Oh, and I hope Ob doesn't mind me piggy-backing the thread. I didn't want to start a new newbie thread, really, since my questions mirror Ob's so well.

[Mud Shrimp Moe]

For city REAL EDC: Dragonfly2(if you like smaller),Delica saber ground(or FFG), or
Caly3 in VG10(if you can get your hands on one, if not UKPK leaf shape G10 handle). In any case go for VG10 , is the best steel for EDC.
For dressy ocasions: Caly3 CF, Sage 1 CF, Michael Walker CF if you can get your hands on.
For outdoor REAL EDC : Endura 4 saber ground VG10, Stretch FRN in VG10

Thanks. I figure the Dragonfly2 or Delica4 will suit me for EDC, with perhaps the Para2 for the weekends or whenever I feel like having a bigger knife on me. I'm encouraged that your recommendations for EDC align fairly well with my initial purchases.

I got the Delica 4 FRN flat ground. What, briefly, are the pros and cons of saber ground?

The Sage in CF is a great looking knife, as is the Michael Walker. The aesthetics of the Caly3 and Gayle Bradley have yet to grow on me, however. They're not bad looking, but not yet among my favorites. Looks isn't the only factor, of course, but with so many other great knife models, it is a point of discrimination.

[jackknifeh]

So many choices! I confess I don't really get the concept of a "dress knife" yet. Perhaps I will at some point. I wear business casual clothes even to work and when I do occasionally wear a suit for something fancy outside of work, I can't imagine why a knife would need to come out of my pocket.

I have 3 categories for knives. Dress, EDC and work. When I say dress knife the better term is gentlemen's knife. Dress means a smaller knife that won't get dirty at the place I'm going. EDC means something I'll put in my pocket in the morning not knowing where I may end up. Could be a Ladybug or Manix2. Work means a tougher knife that may get dirty, cosmetic damage, etc. That way I know what I'm going to look for in a knife for my tool box or a knife I'd take to church. One main difference in my category thinking is size. I probably wouldn't take a Military to church or a Ladybug to the construction site as a bricklayer for example.

That's how I think about knives so it narrows the selection when I'm thinking about getting one. That way when I'm deciding between two knives to buy it won't be "should I get a Police or a Dragonfly". It would be "Police or Military" or "Ladybug or Dragonfly". I hope that makes a little sense.

Jack