Starmate: Old Vs New

[IG-88]

Nice pictures, but you are not helping. I am still trying not to buy Starmate.
Which one do you like more: new or original? And Why?

I will make a seperate thread to answer this question that was ask in my Spydie Accumulation thread!

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... umulation-)-(Lot-of-Pics)/page5

Roman, to be honest I prefer the original. I first bought the new Starmate (which I sold in the meantime) and I handled an Original quite some times. So when I received the new one I couldn't feel the sensations I had from the original, maybe its psychological but I my gut told me this was not the same knife. I was lucky someone offered me a sweet deal on an orignal just before Newyear and I picked it up right away so I could see the difference. And I must say IMHO these are different knives.

At first glance the knives look very similar







The blade of the new Starmate is a little thicker, this I think to balance the weight with the extra liners. But it is a scandy grind and the original is a hollow grind and makes it a better cutter. The scandy grind on the other hand makes it a more robust grind that can handle some abuse opposed to the weaker hollow grind. But for my usage hollow is better.



The blade steel on the original is sweet, hard to sharpen but wicked sharp. VG-10 is not bad but I would have prefered a better steel on the new Starmate. Also the swedge on the original is nicer executed.

[IG-88]

The jimping on the old is nicer but gives less traction compared to the sharper jimping on the 2012 Starmate.



The blade and jimping stick out of the back of the new one again for better grip but giving the knife a less clean design.



The lockbar on the new is thicker which is a nice improvement but with the cutout I think it isn't stonger then the original. The spot where the stoppin meets the blade is hollowed out compared to the old version, I must say on my version the dent was not straith. And then there is the nasty unfinished rough spot between the ricasso and the blade. I don't understand where this comes from but mine wasn't the only one to have this weird spot. The new version has teflon washer opposed to bronze on the old. Both are super smooth!





The handle of the new Starmate is thicker which gives it a better grip and with the open construction its easier to clean. With the liners the Starmate becomes 20 grams heavier and that is a lot. The balance point is a little further back due to these liners, the original on the otherhand is only 120 grams and is perfectly balanced. I like the lightness of the linerless Starmate.



The old G-10 feels better in the hand and is from a better quality. The pocketclip position options are a nice feature on the new version but do'nt make the knife look better. And the ratteling lanyard tube on the new one is not a proof of the best quality build.



Conclussion:

Both are great knives! I prefer the old one for its lightness, cutting capabilities and look and feel. But its more fragile then the new one, if you want a kick around knife that can handle some abuse and still cuts great, you should get the new one!



I hope this was usefull for you and will help you in your desision :)




PS But most of all I miss the Terzuola badge on the new one :D

[Holland]

great thread, thanks for sharing!

[NoFair]

Pretty much what I was thinking. Was excited about the sprint, but I love light and nested liners so I was a bit disappointed.

[gbelleh]

Thanks for the detailed report. I haven't yet been able to get an original Starmate, so it's nice too see the differences.

[VashHash]

This thread helped to further cement the idea that i need an original starmate.

[bh49]

Thank you very much.
I received much more than I was bargain for. :) Nice review.

I hope this was useful for you and will help you in your decision :)

Of cause your review is very useful, unfortunately it made things more complicated. I prefer some features of original and some of the new model. In two week I will go to our local New England knife show and may be I will get lucky to handle at least one of them.
Thank you again.

[IG-88]

Thx you all for the nice comments! The original has indeed that little extra magic to it can't explain, must be love :D

Thank you very much.
I received much more than I was bargain for. :) Nice review.
Of cause your review is very useful, unfortunately it made things more complicated. I prefer some features of original and some of the new model. In two week I will go to our local New England knife show and may be I will get lucky to handle at least one of them.
Thank you again.

You are welcome :) i still had some pics laying around so it was no trouble at all. I hope you have the chance to handle bought so you can actually feel the difference your self! Happy hunting :)

[nirvanero]

Thank you for the nice review. I must say I felt dissapointed with the new version, not a bad knife at all but those quality issues and some design choices made me stay just with my 440V wonder.

[SpyderNut]

Exceptional comparison review, IG! The original Starmate remains one of my top five favorite Spyderco models of all time. If I had to do it all over again, I'd still choose the older version over the new due to (1) I'm a traditionalist ( :) ), (2) I prefer the 440V steel over the VG-10 (for this particular model), and (3) I love the nested liners. Having said that, I think it is awesome that Spyderco re-released the Starmate. Every Spyderco aficionado should have one for his/her collection!

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

Nice comparison. And IMO the original is far far far superior. I managed to get an original for about $40 more than the sprint and after comparing I think that paying even $100 more for the original is worth it over the sprint.

There is nothing about the new one that is better than the original.

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

Nice comparison. And IMO the original is far far far superior. I managed to get an original for about $40 more than the sprint and after comparing I think that paying even $100 more for the original is worth it over the sprint.

There is nothing about the new one that is better than the original.

[BigBill5953]

Great review! I really love the lines and shape of the Starmate but the price is just too high (to me anyways).

[Fred Sanford]

I gotta tell ya, they just don't make 'em like they used to. The new one doesn't hold a candle to the old one. The new one is missing the nice subtle bevel all the way around the G10 handle. The finish just isn't there. The new one has super thin G10 slabs and the texture looks shallow and cheap. They new one looks like a cheap knock-off.

[ourgon]

I have old combo. It's much better handle without full liners. For what you need in knife with spyderhole, strong handle with full liners? It's only pocket knife.

I know it's simple tool, not NASA telescope, but for $180 it isn't acceptable.

[toomzz]

Thanks for this interesting review. Now I know where that #36V has come from and I can assure you it has good new home...

[IG-88]

Thanks for this interesting review. Now I know where that #36V has come from and I can assure you it has good new home...

Do you know other Spydie collectors in Belgium :) Enjoy it, its a nie knife!

[Raylas]

I'm kinda heartbroken to see this. I really wanted a Starmate since I saw the proto last year. I hope the F&F issues get sorted out, if they made the G10 smoother, fixed the lanyard tube, and resolved the rough spot on the ricasso, it would be beautiful..... But as it stands now, I just can't pay $180 for the knife with the issues it has right now.

[twinboysdad]

was there not an issue with weak detent on the new ones too?

[mattman]

Thanks for this interesting review. Now I know where that #36V has come from and I can assure you it has good new home...

Do you know other Spydie collectors in Belgium :) Enjoy it, its a nie knife!

You guys don't know each other already?? I thought everybody in EU knew each other... :D