changes in blade thought across the years

[Skidoosh]

I had a few carbon steel folders growing up, I wish I knew what happened to them but they have been claimed by piles of leaves, dirt and time. Mostly because of MacGyver I loved SAK's and dreamed of a leatherman. Someone gave me a bayonet that my parents confiscated, absence makes the heart grow fonder! I had a few of the really cheap hollow handle rambo knives that came apart in my hand. It wasn't until I was an adult that I started carrying a few different knives, I had no idea about steels. Now I primarily go for the blade shape and steel. Can it cut is my #1 question.

[ugaarguy]

Steels
4116 on SAKs, AUS8 on 90's Spydies, ATS-34 on a 90's Benchmade, 440C, 154CM, S30V, S35VN, Elmax, 204P. 8Cr13MoV on Chinese Kershaws and Spydercos to try out designs / handle shapes & sizes before buying more expensive models with better materials and build quality. XHP as of two weeks ago, LC200N in the past 12 hours.

I like the toughness of Elmax, and I like the edge retention of 204P. Though S30/S35 have honestly never left me wanting.

Handle materials
FRN, G10, Carbon Fiber, Micarta, Stainless Steel, Titanium.

History
Cheap knives as a kid, Benchmade Mini Stryker as a teenager was my first high end knife. All down hill after that.

Geography
North GA foothills, beaches and salt marshes on the GA coast, a couple summers on the MS Gulf Coast, a few years in SW Idaho, a couple deployments to Iraq, Midwest US now.

Forging
Nothing yet. Not opposed to it, love the craftsmanship, just haven't had the motivation to buy anything forged.

Razors
I frequently use a couple of vintage US made Gillette DE safety razors. Blades in those progressed from the forgiving Derbys the barber recommended when I first started, to using KAIs or PolSilver Super Iridiums now.

Edge geometries
I like tall / full flat grinds. I need to try more hollow grinds. I like thin, slicey blades.

Fixed
Only in kitchen knives.

Folders
Carry one every day.

swords
No interest in owning one, but love the history and craftsmanship of fine swords.

Locks
I've used back locks, compression locks, Axis locks, liner locks, frame locks, the Hawk top lock on a Buck Marksman, and whatever you call the lock on Okapi type ratchet folders. Plus button and switch locks on side and front opening autos.

Frame locks are my favorite, but I prefer any of the easy one hand closing locks in general.

slip-joints
I appreciate the craftsmanship of finely made slip joints, but they're not for me.

[Bodog]

I wonder if Sal could comment on how he started, what he's come to learn, and if he has an all time favorite knife that he designed and knife that someone else designed, produced by spyderco or not. I'd also love to hear which steel Sal would prefer if he could choose only one for himself.

Sal, you have a wealth of experience. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this same subject.

[Bodog]

Oh, and my inital response wasn't really on topic, i guess.

Steels
Tool steels, anything with some amount of corrosion resistance is good enough. I tend to prefer M4 and Vanadis 4E as edc steels at this point.

Handle materials
Anything that gets the job done. I don't prefer all metal handles because they get cold. Skeletonized liners inside G10 are good to go in almost any situation as long as the knife design can handle it.

History
Talked about before

Geography
Been in the plains, deserts, swampland, coastal areas, and mountains. Cold to hot. Got some good use in all of them. I prefer the mountains and pines in eastern San Diego county.

Forging
No experience. No desire, time, or money to get enough equipment to start. I enjoy a good brut de forge finish though. I only want hand forged axes even though i am infatuated with a drop forged one right now.

Razors
Double edge user. Favorite blades are feather and gillette platinum at this point. No desire to use straight razors. Too much maintenance. No desire to go back to cartridge razors, too expensive and relatively poor performance. Double edge razors are, imo, where it's at concerning performance to price to selection to just plain fun trying to find what you like. And that there aren't many huge names in that game means that DE users can help support smaller businesses compete against conglomerates and bring some cost to quality competition to the market.

Edge geometries
Full or high flat grind with less than .020" behind the edge. More than .010" in an edc. Around .010" for kitchen knives. Generally speaking around .110 to .150 for blade stock on edc. I could make do with less than 3" blades but prefer somewhere between 3.5 and 4".

Fixed
Tried carrying them on a normal basis. To cumbersome.

Folders
Military or anything that has the same basic pattern in different sizes.

swords
No interest in owning any but i enjoy watching the forging process of swords much more than knives.

Locks
Liner or frame locks are fine. The compression lock is good and I'm trying to get used to it and create some muscle memory. I like it but i am still finding that i naturally go underneath to unlock the knife rather than go above.

No desire to try any backlocks besides the power lock and the triad lock but that desire has never been strong enough to buy a knife with these and put them to use.

Axis or bearing locks anything similar just don't do it for me. I can understand why people like them. Just not for me personally. The q-ball looks reaaalllyy nice though.

slip-joints
Started with them and they minimally do what knives are supposed to do but i wouldn't go back to using one for s#^$ and giggles. I have always kind of liked the pits design and figured if i needed a non-locking knife that's what I'd go for.

Oh, and no more flippers and bearing pivots. Just too much hype around them. Well designed knives with PB washers are, imo, better for my own tastes. And they require less mandatory maintenance which is a plus.

[swigert]

Ive really just settled into a blade length, a where around 3 1/2 inches is great, I know I like titanium and I know I like a good steel. Spyderco takes care of me very well.

[Tucson Tom]

Razors and Swords: I don't have any interest in swords, nor do I think one is likely to emerge any time soon. More power to those who are on this road.

As for Razors -- not willing to fool around with straight razors. I am a double edged blade user, and like them better than any cartridge I have ever used. I am using the Derby blades. Bought a box of 100 some time ago and it is going to last me a long long time. The whole cartridge razor thing is a racket.

[MichaelScott]

I tried the straight razor thing in the '80s. Lasted about two weeks. No major injuries. I just got a bit smarter.

[Bodog]

Bought a box of 100 some time ago and it is going to last me a long long time. The whole cartridge razor thing is a racket.

Dude, a box of 100 lasts me almost two years. That's about what 4 cartridge heads cost me, around $20. I use an ikon slant which is superb quality. That cost about $70. I use proraso shaving soap, no brush. Have a badger hair and a boar hair brush, i think they're unnecessary for me. That tube of proraso, iirc, cost about $10.

So altogether i spent about $100 worth of necessary equipment. The tube will last about a year unless i just blatantly waste stuff, i use the blades until i feel like changing them. Usually after around 5 shaves. So after the initial cost i only need to spend around $20/year vs $20/month and my shaves are far better with less irritation than with any multiblade cartridge I've used. I nick myself a little more but it's a decent tradeoff for spending far less and getting far smoother shaves.

And rockwell aftershave balm and captain's choice bay rum splash are good to go.

So yeah, the cartridge market is absolutely a racket.

[Koop]

I don’t think I’m a typical knife afi. I grew up in mostly suburban areas – we moved frequently when I was a kid and I didn’t have knives. I went fishing as a kid and always enjoyed reading outdoor and hunting magazines. In my 30s I started hunting and bought a Buck 110 folder. After a couple of seasons of hunting and dressing game, I bought a Browning non-folding knife.

Time flies. Decades have passed. Now I’m retired and traveling the country. I’ve found an affinity for Spyderco and have a small collection. I don’t know where it’ll go from here, but it’s been fun. As far as steel goes, I think Cruwear is my flavor of the day

[silvershade255]

Well, sitting here looking through my box o' knives and thinking on those that I've let go for one reason or another. In the Marines I almost always went for something around 4 inch blade and usually blacked out, and avoided liner locks, starting with a flash II and ending with a crkt M16. Thumb studs or flippers were the way, spyderco was off my radar for that reason. I was also hugely turned away from serrations by a sog minipentagon I had picked up with the idea of having one plain edge and one serrated, it's serrations were too grabby and made it a pain. My most carried dedicated knife was the crkt, the flippers and handle size were easy to use even with gloves or freezing hands, the serrations were useable, the little autolock for the liner eased my concerns, and I had got it cheap enough that scrapping, prying, digging, all the things you're not supposed to, didn't bother me. At some point I had started carrying a leatherman wave, but it's slow knife deployment kept it from going solo (lefty here). On the civilian side I found that having a large blade was often unnecessary, and tools were usually close by, so I ended up with a skeletool. It wasn't until I picked up a 2015 forum native on a trip to golden that anything replaced the skele for more than a couple days. Since then I've found myself gravitating towards smaller knives and tools that fit my needs. The supplemental wave has turned into a micra and I recently picked up a meerkat, even though the skele is still hard for me to leave behind. I don't think I'd be willing to give up on larger blades/tools as a whole, I still like having the option.

[Mr Blonde]

I think my experience is similar to many other knifeknuts. I started carrying big tactical folders, to appeal to my 'wannabe rescue ranger' side ;-). I got into quality brand knives pretty fast and enjoyed many of the 1990s best factory offerings (Buck, Cold Steel, SOG, Al Mar, Benchmade, Katz knives, Spyderco). When the internet forums came along, my world expanded and I got into much more expensive brands like Microtech, Chris Reeve and customs. Then Spyderco came by again, with the popularity of the Military and Moran around 1999/2000 or so, and I never looked back. With my increased knowledge of knives, steels, sharpening etc... the size of my knives got smaller and I prefer stainless steels. I do enjoy the occasional large folder and new non-stainless steels, but that's just trying out a new feature or design. For EDC, I prefer a left-handed 3,5 to 3 inch blade and I can make do with 2 inch blades.

[curlyhairedboy]

I think my current collection is about to evolve.... Been thinking about the ones I use the most, and increasingly I think I'm eager to narrow down my use preferences.

Will probably send the Slysz Bowie, the Pingo, the Techno, one of the Southards, and the Chap LW off to new homes.

After that, I'll be looking forward to the Lil Native DLC, the Brouwer, the Amalgam, and more...

[DSH007]

Hi all. I’m relatively new to Spyderco and the forum, but certainly not to carrying knives; I’ve been carrying knives for as long as I can remember.. and I don’t think a single one of them has cost me more than fifty dollars. I’ve always appreciated craftsmanship and admired it from a distance, but I don’t profess to be especially wealthy, and could never justify the cost of anything more than what would serve its purpose.. I had been more than happy edc’ing an OKC Rat II for the past year or so, and various Gerber, CRKT & Kershaw “budget” knives before that..

Anyways.. my financial situation of late has been a little bit more comfortable. Back in February, I decided that I would splurge on a “nice” knife. Hours of research later, after perusing forums and youtube videos and online reviews, I settled on a Spyderco Lil’ Native from BladeHQ and pulled the trigger.

Fast forward to today..I’ve added a PM2, Dragonfly, Para 3, and Chaparral to my collection! And I’ve been blown away by the quality of each of these knives compared to what I used to carry. That’s not to say my RAT I & II are “bad” knives.. they have certainly gotten the job done for me over the years.. I’ve just come to develop an awareness and appreciation for superior construction, blade steels, handle materials etc. And that quality is apparent in every Spyderco that I’ve purchased.

So I suppose my “change in blade thought across the years” is that I’m now willing and able to pay a premium on quality.

I am exceedingly impressed with everything I’ve seen, handled read and heard about Spyderco during my brief relationship with the company. I may or may not have been lurking on the forums for the past few months (I have been..)… the interaction between members, and between Spyderco and its customer base, especially from Sal, is nearly unheard of these days and very much appreciated. For what it’s worth, I’m all in on Spyderco and this community that I didn’t even realize existed prior. Keep doing what you’re doing.. and thank you!

Rick H.

[Water Bug]

I used to prefer longer blades (4 inches)... and, although I still do like longer blades, I appreciate the practicality of shorter blades (2 to 2 1/2 inches) more and more these days.

I used to only want stainless steel blades for a knife for rust resistance and low maintenance... and, more and more I appreciate carbon steel blades for their ease of sharpening and good edge retention (I just need to take the extra time to take care of them).

Although the modern "super" stainless steels used in today's knives are quite impressive, I find 154CM to be more than sufficient.

I used to only prefer folding knives... and, I now find that having a few good fixed-blade knives to be a good idea.

I used to consider multi-tools nothing more than a gimmick... and, now I don't leave home without my Leatherman Super Tool 200.

I used to not care about, nor paid any attention to, the grind of a blade... and, now I like a full flat grind more and more.

I used to feel that a folding knife HAD to have a lock to be useful... and, over the years, I've found that I use my Imperial Boy Scout Pocket Knife more than any of my other knives.

I used to feel that the only way to carry a folding knife was in a leather sheath... and, over the years I've come to appreciate "clipits" a lot.

I really like the looks, feel, practicality, ease of carry, blade steels, and handle materials of today's folding knives a lot... and, I still like to strap on my Buck 110 Folding Hunter because it's just as good of a knife today as it was when I bought it several years ago.

[GarageBoy]

I used to worship the early pioneers of tactical knives. Crawford, Terzuola, Elishewitz, etc. They were, and still are very pretty to me. OTOH, I really have no use for features that make a great "tactical" knife. The Calypso Jr, and other similar knives are still my favorite to use.

[sal]

Hi DHS007,

Welcome to our forum and thanx much for the kind words. We hope you enjoy your time here. We seem to have attracted some very special people on our forum.

sal

[Spyderman91]

Oh man, was a rambunctious little boy I was...

I was obsessed with swords (mostly katanas) and fixed blades. My first "knife" was a 20 dollar hunting knife on Ebay that looked like a

scimitar. Not sure what it was made out of, but I do remember the pummel coming off the handle several months later.

In high school my first pocket knife was a one sided combo edge flea market blade. I don't remember much about it, aside from using it here and

there, but after that I didn't carry for awhile.

Than came Christmas of last year and I received a redbox with the infamous spider on it. My friend got me the tenacious and I was instantly smitten.

Took that knife everywhere I could, would find excuses to cut things (I guess I'll eat another apple today). Until... my last vacation at the end of March.

The family and I were on our way to Hawaii, I put my tenacious in my check-in bag and the basics into my carry on. The morning of, my dad convinces

me (he is quite the business man) to consolidate all my belongings into one bag. I do so because we are short on time and there was no way I was

missing this flight (last vacation was roughly 4 years ago).

Long story short I get to the airport, go through security and notice them taking a slightly longer than average time examining my bag through the x-ray.

Sure enough I get pulled to the side, and she begins with the "Do you have anything in here that I should know about". At first I said "nope" and then

roughly 5 seconds later a light bulb turned on. Sadly, she confiscated it and I lost what I considered to be an extension of myself (I am a

mountain biker, and I have taken the tenacious out to remote areas many a time). When I came back from my trip the first thing on my mind was

getting another Spyderco (and mountain biking), went to my local store and the gentleman over the counter handed me a pm2. It was over after that,

I went from one Spyderco to three in about a month (pic included). Thank you Sal and Eric for passion and making fantastic blades.



To answer your question after that long backstory, my tastes now are for knives that are simple in design, great ergonomics, extreme cutting power,

toughness, corrosion resistant, and easy to maintain. Also, knives made in the USA is a plus... I do own a fixed blade from Spain, and another from

Russia... but honestly, I am the most proud of my Golden Colorado Spyderco's.

[The Meat man]

The first knife I ever owned was a cheap SAK knockoff from Walmart. It cost 88 cents and was the junkiest thing imaginable, although at age 8 it was a pretty neat knife. :)

Shortly after that my dad (who is a knife enthusiast himself) gave me a real Victorinox SAK, I believe the Classic. From there, I acquired Case, Buck, and Gerber knives, both folding and fixed blade. Also bayonets (for camping) and throwing knives (for fun). I probably used my Case knives more than any other knife.

Then I "splurged" and bought a Leatherman Wave. I loved it. I carried and used it every day of the week for nearly ten years, once sending it in for warranty work, and twice having to get replacement holsters made. Actually the only reason I haven't carried it recently is that once again, the holster has worn out. One of these days I'll get a new one made.

About 8 years ago I was at Cabelas, and they had the Kershaw Chill knife on sale for $12. I bought two, sold one to my dad, and carried mine pretty much up until last winter. I really liked that knife. It's really slim, low profile, and personally I think Kershaw does a good job with their 8Cr13MoV. I could get it hair popping sharp using automotive sandpaper on a marble slab, and it held the edge better than most of my other knives up to that point. About this time, I began to be interested in the actual steels used, but I was too focused on HRC ratings and not on actual steel composition. To me at that time, the higher the HRC value, the better the steel. :rolleyes: I've learned a lot though since, and by now I've realized that raw edge retention is not the only factor to consider in a knife, and that there are no "best" steels.

Then I bought an AG Russell k93 Featherlite knife in VG-10. I liked this one too, but only carried it for a couple months before buying my first Spyderco, a Dragonfly 2 Salt SE, and before it even arrived I had ordered another Spydie, a ZDP-189 Manbug. I was very impressed with the smoothness, sharpness, and overall quality of both knives.

Then, I went all out and spent an incredible $160 on a Native 5 Maxamet. Again, fit and finish were superb. It's now my most used knife.

Then I bought an Advocate. Even better.

Now, I'm thinking about getting a Military...and so the story continues...

[jezabel]

Since I was a kid I've always had a pocket knife of some form or another in my pocket, back then I owned one SAK and tinkered with the old man's IXL's.
Jump foward a few years..
About ten years ago, I'd seen to way too many accidents with box cutter/ craft knifes and started looking at safer options.
I endened up here, The Caly Jr was first my Spyderco... then came a Millie ... then a Para... you get the picture.
Back then carrying a fixed blade wasn't really an option for me even though the work load on my knives was very heavy. My knives really used to get put through their paces in all sorts of conditions.
I generally carried a 440V SE Millie and a D2 Para, get home clean & sharpen them, if not there was another SE Millie & D2 Para ready to go anyway. I was constantly on a quest to find the best steel for my uses.
I love aggressive slicers and for me there is none better than the 440V SE Millie ( which I own three of ). With plain edges I've always gravitated towards the tool steels. Corrosion resistance has never been a concern of mine, I might think differently if was around salt water more..
I've never enjoyed S30V, but do quite like Vg10. CPM M4 is very much my preferred steel these days.

While I always have a Millie or Para on me, Sadly these days I don't have anywhere near as much use for my knives at work, I can go for weeks without ever needing to sharpen a knife. So naturally I dont have as much interest in work knives now and do miss testing out the high end steels in the real world.
I recently picked up the KW CF/Ti S90V Millie and have hardly even had an opportunity to use it yet ...

Now I find that my interest has grown in the more refined folders like my old Persian's.
Personally I'm hanging out now for small lock backs, Micarta & Bolsters.. and I seem to be taking a shine to some GEC’s too.
J

[TheVoid]

When I was in grade school in the late 1940s, every boy had a knife. In class we brought them out to sharpen our pencils and occasionally surreptitiously carve a heart for Mary Lou on our desks. At playground we played with our knives putting the open blades on our noses or fingers and rolling them to the ground to hopefully stick, playing games similar to horse for stakes of fine marbles.
The grandfathers had bags of knives and would ride the bus to the courthouse square to trade back and forth more for entertainment than collecting.
Today if my grandson had a knife at school, SWAT would be called. If he put it to his nose or fingers, mandatory psychiatric counseling would be imposed. And the courthouse deputies would have seized the grandfathers.
The biggest change to blades in my lifetime is that they have gone from being accepted as a tool commonly carried by young and old to a regulated, feared weapon of mass destruction.
Times change—not always for the better.