Anyone Have a Byrd Tern?

araneae · #1

Just wondering if anyone has picked up a Tern yet? If so what's your impression of the knife?

Thanks

paulwa · #2

Bought one, was very impressed, so I bought another.
They are very light, have extremely comfortable ergo's, good fit & finish, and for the price, can't be beat for a medium-small non-locking folder. It's nice to see good G10 and a wire clip on a budget model.
I recommend it you're looking for light duty user where you don't have to worry too much about occasional neglect, abuse, or even loss.

JoeKansas · #3

I have a Tern. It is larger than a dragonfly and smaller than a delica. To me it has a feel of being a smaller, slipjoint version of a native5. I particularly like the deep pocket wire clip . It is a sturdy feeling knife. Joe.

ChrisR · #4

I don't have one yet but it is on my list to get soon. It is getting some good reviews over on BritishBlades too - seems to be a really nice cheap little folder :)

araneae · #5

I would love to see some pics if anyone has one. Perhaps with a Delica or UKPK for comparison.

Darkstar · #6

araneae wrote:I would love to see some pics if anyone has one. Perhaps with a Delica or UKPK for comparison.

There are other views of the same knives, on BritishBlades.com somewhere, if you want them

araneae · #7

Much appreciated.

Nemonomicon · #8

I bought one as soon as they came out. Kinda disappointed with this one. Fit and finish is as I expect from Spyderco products, however the the lock-up is very weak. When it's in the open position I can very easily push the blade forward to unlock it. There's almost no tension to the back-spring. It sits in my desk and functions as a letter opener.

Darkstar · #9

Nemonomicon wrote:I bought one as soon as they came out. Kinda disappointed with this one. Fit and finish is as I expect from Spyderco products, however the the lock-up is very weak. When it's in the open position I can very easily push the blade forward to unlock it. There's almost no tension to the back-spring. It sits in my desk and functions as a letter opener.

Take a look at the description of the problem & the fix (from another bit of BritishBlades forum).
You probably have the same thing:

SuzieQ · #10

Got a Tern a couple of days ago and I am REALLY impressed with this one. I like the size and overall ergonomics even better than on my G-10 UKPK. I think that's because it fits my hands a bit better because the handles are more slender. Mine locks up very tight and secure. Fit and finish one mine are really good. Opening and closing felt a bit gritty at first but a little bit of WD40 seemed to have taken care of that. It's not an overly exciting knife but seems very functional and well made.

BAL · #11

No byrd tern, but once got a terd burn, long story.

Rwb1500 · #12

^^^^^^^^^Heh!

Commendatore · #13

I have a tern, just in between robin and UKPK, not as good in fit and finish as are those G10 UKPKs so it will see a lot of use when a discrete carry knife for dirty chores is needed. My Robin will see more use though, fits my hands better and I like the pointy tip on the hollow ground version.

BAL · #14

I have a couple Robins and they are actually pretty solid tough little knives. I use them for very rough cutting,
scraping etc. A great value for sure.

SuzieQ · #15

Commendatore wrote:I have a tern, just in between robin and UKPK, not as good in fit and finish as are those G10 UKPKs so it will see a lot of use when a discrete carry knife for dirty chores is needed. My Robin will see more use though, fits my hands better and I like the pointy tip on the hollow ground version.

Yeah, my G10 UKPK has a more refined fit and finish. But then it cost more than twice of what I paid for the Tern. I actually do own a Robin, too but I almost never carry it. It's the G-10 version and with the liners I find it way too heavy for such a small knife. Not a big fan of hollow ground either. I like the overall size though and might try the Robin 2 in FRN some day. Funny how different things work for different people :-)

jeff_C · #16

This forum is killing me... I jsut got a UKPK in FRN... and now you have me looking at this one! LOL

I have 3 Byrds, I am impressed with them. They perform well. I have 2 meadowlarks in different handle materials and a Crow. Its a great brand if you want to try out a style or a design. I would like to get a Tern because of its G10 handles. NICE!

polarbear · #17

Got the Byrd Tern at the same time I got my Spyderco Squeak. The Tern is in my pocket and the Squeak is at home. Just feels a nicer knive to use. Has excellent fit and finish. Takes a wicked edge and hold it well. Would recommend the Tern 100%. The Squeak is also a great little knive with blade steel that takes a incredable edge. I still carry a Tern though.