Your value line knives

[Ranger_Ike]

First off how did you polish those scales? That looks amazing!

About the value line there are a few in my collection. Those are my work carry’s and i use them very hard. Scratches,chips, once or twice even a broken tip are what they go true.
And they take it very well and i love them for it.
Then when i get home they can rest and my Manixes can take over.

My last purchase was a secondhand Resilience. Now its far to big for work but at home he seems like a magnificent addition to my collection.

I can only hope Spyderco can keep on growing the value line even more.
They are to important in the line up.

Thanks! I liked it before, but really like it a lot better now. I actually saw this older post with a polished Cat and wanted to get a value knife and try it out ever since:

https://forum.spyderco.com/viewtopic.php?t=76039

I used only 2000 grit sandpaper and sanded it under a trickle of running water in the kitchen sink to keep the dust down. Once I got it about where I wanted it I used Mother’s Mag wheel polish on a microfiber rag to polish it. Really pleased with the results.

[vivi]

This isn't my favorite value Spyderco. It's my favorite Spyderco in general.

Wow. That’s a big statement. Does the lack of concern because of the price have anything to do with this? Or is it just that good?

That's a testament to the design itself.

Now the Pacific Salt is still the last knife I'd get rid of if it came down to it. But the Resilience is my current favorite overall design. I like the Pacific Salt for being a lightweight rustproof work horse, and it's the Spyderco best suited to my lifestyle, but it isn't the most ergonomic, best cutter, etc.

My favorite Spyderco folding design went something like this over the years:

Military, C95 Manix, Police 3, Military, Manix XL, Police 4, Native Chief, Resilience.

Basically for about 15 years it was a three way battle between the Military, Police and Manix XL / C95. I've carried nearly every main iteration of these three, whether we're talking a classic SS Police, Police 3, Police 4 FRN, Police 4 G10, Police 4 Pakkawood, and so on with the others.

The Native Chief kind of settled the debate for me. It has a lot going for it over my classic three, like being a little lighter, packing more edge into a smaller package, lockback vs liner lock, 4 way clip, better geometry etc.

Comparing the Resilience to the Native Chief I immediately saw some things I liked better and worse.

Prefer the lockback, but the liner lock has worked great on my Resiliences so far. No accidental openings in my pocket. I went five years not carrying detent based locks because I have a scar on my pinky from a time a tip up comp lock knife cut me when reaching in my pocket. No issues carrying the Resilience tip up in my rear pocket on my chef pants at work, which is how the PM2 caught me.

I love Salts, and have wished for a Chief Salt, but the coated Resilience performs pretty close to one for me. Aside from a little discoloring of the Spyderco logo, there's been no rust or corrosion to report. The coated hardware goes a long way. The coated S30V Manix XL's gave me similar performance (albeit 3-4x the cost), so I have high expectations going in. The blade is not DLC coating, but the coating has held up and kept corrosion at bay.

Four way clip comes standard on the Chief, but it gives the Resilience a big edge over my only other liner lock - my Military.

No choil is great. I prefer it. Sometimes when I'm cutting plastic wrap at work it gets hung up on the choil if I carry my Chief, Manix XL etc. No issue with the Resilience.

The ergonomics work great for me. Always liked the Tenacious and how hand filling it is for the size, it's just a bit small for me overall. I've had no issues choking up for detailed tip work despite the lack of a choil and the overall size.

Cutting performance is very high. Nice and tall full flat grind with a reprofiled edge. 20 degrees inclusive SE portion taken to a high polish, and PE is about 20-24 degrees inclusive sharpened to shaving sharp 300 grit. There's nothing this knife can't cut that falls withim the realm of things a pocket knife should be used on.

Being $60 is nice for peace of mind, but I'm willing to put $200 knives through the wringer. It's the strength of the design.

I feel dumb for over looking this knife for so long. You guys have seen my collection. Micarta & M4 Manix XL, Pacific Salts galore, K390 Police 4's, M4 Chiefs, Siren, etc. I'm carrying this silly little $60 chinese liner lock over some really nice alternatives. That's the best endorsement I can give it.

[Ranger_Ike]

I know what you mean about the choil design. While I love the feel and control of a choil, there are times it can be a hindrance. Mainly breaking down boxes. The chief, for me, is a box cutting machine, but I do find myself hanging up in the choil quite often. Could just be my technique. Breaking down cardboard isn’t something I do a lot of.

From my own limited experience (astute and tenacious) and reading other reviews, what I’ve found in the value line is not just good knives for the money, but overall great quality and performers. They hold their own.

And I think for me, what stands the Spyderco value line apart from a lot of other budget knives is the same thing that makes their higher end knives stand out: great design. Take away all the high end steel and higher end materials and you still have great designs.

[skeeg11]

My favorite value-line knives are the Astute and the S35VN Resilience.

If Spyderco ever does a steel upgrade with the Astute like the S35VN Resilience, I can't help but think that it will become a favorite among the meat and potatoes 3" EDC crowd. Gotta say that IMHO the fit & finish and build quality of my S35VN Resilience does not take a back seat to Golden. Makes me wonder if the build quality, fit & finish of the regular 8Cr13MoV model is as good. If anyone has both, could they weigh in?

[Coastal]

My favorite value-line knives are the Astute and the S35VN Resilience.

If Spyderco ever does a steel upgrade with the Astute like the S35VN Resilience, I can't help but think that it will become a favorite among the meat and potatoes 3" EDC crowd. Gotta say that IMHO the fit & finish and build quality of my S35VN Resilience does not take a back seat to Golden. Makes me wonder if the build quality, fit & finish of the regular 8Cr13MoV model is as good. If anyone has both, could they weigh in?

An S35VN Astute would be an automatic buy for me, especially if it had the same FRN scale treatment as the Resilience.

[skeeg11]

My favorite value-line knives are the Astute and the S35VN Resilience.

If Spyderco ever does a steel upgrade with the Astute like the S35VN Resilience, I can't help but think that it will become a favorite among the meat and potatoes 3" EDC crowd. Gotta say that IMHO the fit & finish and build quality of my S35VN Resilience does not take a back seat to Golden. Makes me wonder if the build quality, fit & finish of the regular 8Cr13MoV model is as good. If anyone has both, could they weigh in?

An S35VN Astute would be an automatic buy for me, especially if it had the same FRN scale treatment as the Resilience.

I agree 100%. Don't get me wrong as the Delica is a great knife and probably the defacto standard for 3" EDC, but an S35VN Astute in either handle material would be my choice hands down. More compact, more cutting edge, and if the build quality is the same as my S35VN Resilience, I would call it Value Line luxury. Might only be a 3 finger knife for Vivi sized hands, tho.

[Doc Dan]

I don't think that it's officially in the value line but I love the Cat. For my tastes and needs I can't think of a better value in the Spyderco line up at any price point.

I agree! I have an older Cat with jimping on the choil and thumb ramp. It is a wonderfully made knife. The quality of build and materials are those of a far more expensive knife. I can't say about the newer ones, but this one I have raved about before.

[BornIn1500]

Although $46 now, when it was released at $32.50 a few years ago I thought it was the best value in their lineup and one of the best values in all of the knife world.

[Araignee]

PM2 and delica comparison:

That last picture is interesting, the Astute seems to pack a lot of blade relative to that small handle

I could see myself getting one if it were available in a backlock variant.

[Ranger_Ike]

PM2 and delica comparison:

That last picture is interesting, the Astute seems to pack a lot of blade relative to that small handle

I could see myself getting one if it were available in a backlock variant.

Its my first liner lock from Spyderco. I generally stay away from them, but have been pleased with this one.

It’s the first time I’ve opened a knife and then wondered if the blade would fit back in the handle if I closed it.

[Ranger_Ike]

Although $46 now, when it was released at $32.50 a few years ago I thought it was the best value in their lineup and one of the best values in all of the knife world.

How do you like it compare to other fillet knives? Is it more of an all purpose that works well enough? Or is it good enough to be a dedicated fillet knife?

[BornIn1500]

How do you like it compare to other fillet knives? Is it more of an all purpose that works well enough? Or is it good enough to be a dedicated fillet knife?

I haven't tried it for filleting because it doesn't flex. I just use it for general outdoors stuff when I'm fishing, like cutting up bait or gutting the fish. Now that you mention it, I'll try it out on the next trout.

[Ramonade]

My new official eating knife : Tenacious LW SE



Managed to snag this one new at Lamnia for very cheap, and it's been a fire knife since I've received it !

[vivi]

Although $46 now, when it was released at $32.50 a few years ago I thought it was the best value in their lineup and one of the best values in all of the knife world.

How do you like it compare to other fillet knives? Is it more of an all purpose that works well enough? Or is it good enough to be a dedicated fillet knife?

Like bornin1500 said, they're a little thick for a dedicated filet. You could definitely use it for that role though.

[SRT392HEMI]

I don't think that it's officially in the value line but I love the Cat. For my tastes and needs I can't think of a better value in the Spyderco line up at any price point.

I agree! I have an older Cat with jimping on the choil and thumb ramp. It is a wonderfully made knife. The quality of build and materials are those of a far more expensive knife. I can't say about the newer ones, but this one I have raved about before.

Another vote for the Cat! Love that little guy!

[Ranger_Ike]

My new official eating knife :



Managed to snag this one new at Lamnia for very cheap, and it's been a fire knife since I've received it !

Persistence?

[capt.carl]

Didn’t realize how awesome thar astute is. Love the blade handle ratio and how the edge goes to the handle. Will definitely pick one up in the future

[Ramonade]

My new official eating knife :
Managed to snag this one new at Lamnia for very cheap, and it's been a fire knife since I've received it !

Persistence?

Oh sorry, I edited my post. It's the Tenacious LW in SE ! I thought that I should experience one of the best sellers of Spyderco, and I'm not disappointed

[Cl1ff]

I thought the serrated ClipiTool Rescue Multi-Tool knife I gifted to my dad was quite nice.
Unfortunately, he snapped the tip off trysting to pry up nails while working on a dock (which I repaired), ignored my advice to use the flathead tool, and then decided it was a good idea to try to pry open a large plastic drum. That obviously snapped the blade at the SpyderHole…

Otherwise, it had been working well for him and he was fond of it. He needs serrations and likes the peace of mind that seatbelt cutter gave him. I had to take it apart and maintain it a bit to counter the extremely corrosive and dirty work environments that my dad’s dock building and mechanic work exposed it to, but it held up well.
No hard feelings between us despite the several knives he’s lost or destroyed after I gifted them lol.

That was the knife which motivated me to design something best suited for dad’s needs. The concept drawing and testing I’ve done have been sitting around in my mind for a while now.

I need to get him a CE Tenacious or maybe a Pacific Salt next.

[JRinFL]

If your Dad does more prying than cutting, maybe you could get him one of those fancy prybars? You could hang a Manbug Salt off the lanyard if he still needs an edge! It's also a bit small to pry with.