Love for the little guys

[Manixguy@1994]

Usually carry a Salt daily but the CF Dragonfly occasionally gets time in pocket . MG2

[Road Tripper]

I came back around to the Dragonfly. It was one of the first Spyderco knives I bought, but moved it along after a bit because I was favoring other models. I now have the original back, and have added H1 and SPY27 models.

It does cover the bulk of what I need a knife to do, but there are times I'll grab something larger, like the Kapara, for food prep.

I also enjoy the aesthetic of the Dragonfly. When closed, notice how the tang and tip of the blade blend almost seamlessly into the handle, and how the swedge adds visual interest.

The knives I carry the most these days are the Dragonfly, Delica, and Manix (not all at once!). Apart from the Dragonfly, though, the Delica and Sage are as small as I like to carry.

[8th_Note]

I am a huge fan of the Ladybug/Manbug design. They are small and almost look like toys at first glance, but they are so well made and have great ergos (especially when a 2" lanyard is added, for a full four finger grip). I carry one always, along with a larger knife. They are able to handle the vast majority of day to day tasks for my job. I'm constantly amazed at how good they really are.

[Red Leader]

I have no idea why...but I have all of a sudden developed a fascination for the lil' Native. We picked a 15V second up for my daughter, and it is a fabulous little knife.

I'd love for my next pickup to be the pink Knifejoy exclusive. I also appreciate all the different variants, the regular compression lock, the lockback, and now the LW. Excited for new variants of the LW platform to make an appearance.

[Enactive]

I don't have too many small models from any manufacturer, but i do enjoy them sometimes. No surprise, most are Spyderco.

I don't really carry or use the Grasshopper much. I experimented with it as a keychain knife, but i don't really dig knives on my keychain. I use TEC clips on one of my Jesters (not pictured, but also CPM 20CV/ GITD) and the pictured Grasshopper. I will sometimes carry them in shirt, vest, or jacket pockets. The pictured GEC 25 has a 3 inch handle.

I don't consider anything i can get a solid 3 1/2 to 4 finger grip on to be a truly small knife. I do enjoy my Lil Natives, Chaparrals, GEC 15, and even the Cold Steel Tuff Lite, but have not included them here.

[Vamais]

I’d be interested to hear:
- what are your thoughts on small knives generally?
- which small knife you rate most highly from Spyderco’s current lineup?
- what do you use it for?

- Most of the time (when not cutting wood or food), small knives work better. The material I'm cutting has less leverage against me, and I have much better tip control.
- Serrated Dodo
- Everything

[Wartstein]

My perception is that it’s more difficult to design a good little knife than a good large knife....

I agree (much like I think that it is more difficult to design a good very light knife than a heavy one).

One example would be the "bird beak" - "rear guard" on the back of a handle:
- In larger sizes it makes less difference if it is there or not (like the Stretch 2 has one, the Endela not, but both should generally work even for larger hands)
- In small sizes this is different: Here a "rear guard" might prevent a good four finger grip on the actual handle for larger hands, while a long, flat handle end facilitates just that

[8th_Note]

I don't have too many small models from any manufacturer, but i do enjoy them sometimes. No surprise, most are Spyderco.

I don't really carry or use the Grasshopper much. I experimented with it as a keychain knife, but i don't really dig knives on my keychain. I use TEC clips on one of my Jesters (not pictured, but also CPM 20CV/ GITD) and the pictured Grasshopper. I will sometimes carry them in shirt, vest, or jacket pockets. The pictured GEC 25 has a 3 inch handle.

I don't consider anything i can get a solid 3 1/2 to 4 finger grip on to be a truly small knife. I do enjoy my Lil Natives, Chaparrals, GEC 15, and even the Cold Steel Tuff Lite, but have not included them here.


PXL_20260103_224831539sm.jpg

I've really been on the fence about trying a Subway Bowie. I love small folders but I don't carry fixed blades much. What are your thoughts on it?

[Aladinsane]

The "little guys" really are most all the knife that I need for most of the time. That said, I think that approximately 2.5" is as little as I would like to go for ergonomics and practicality. I had a Manbug Leaf SE, but gave it to my wife because she raved about it so much the first time she used it. Now she takes it everywhere with her! Here are the littlest of my Little Guys:

[Enactive]

I don't have too many small models from any manufacturer, but i do enjoy them sometimes. No surprise, most are Spyderco.

I don't really carry or use the Grasshopper much. I experimented with it as a keychain knife, but i don't really dig knives on my keychain. I use TEC clips on one of my Jesters (not pictured, but also CPM 20CV/ GITD) and the pictured Grasshopper. I will sometimes carry them in shirt, vest, or jacket pockets. The pictured GEC 25 has a 3 inch handle.

I don't consider anything i can get a solid 3 1/2 to 4 finger grip on to be a truly small knife. I do enjoy my Lil Natives, Chaparrals, GEC 15, and even the Cold Steel Tuff Lite, but have not included them here.


PXL_20260103_224831539sm.jpg

I've really been on the fence about trying a Subway Bowie. I love small folders but I don't carry fixed blades much. What are your thoughts on it?

I think it's a really handy knife, well designed for its size. For me, I need the two bead fob to be comfortable and feel safe. My hands are a solid Large, size 9/10. I do not use it as a neck knife. I carry it in a pocket or pouch.

[SchoonerBum]

The Subway Bowie is fantastic. I love it (partially for the size and partially for the rustproofness) but it is smaller than you think! I had to put a lanyard on mine or it didn’t really work for me. With a good lanyard giving me a solid 4 finger grip I find it to be excellent.

My all-time favorite tiny fixed-blade ergonomically is the original CRKT minimalist. I would LOVE to see Spyderco do a collaboration there on a salt but that’s probably a pipe dream. In the meantime the Subway Bowie is a close second in ergonomics and is significantly better than the minimalist for my uses in every other way.

It occurs to me as I’m writing this that a fixed blade LilNative might be a spectacularly good small fixed blade. And maybe it could use the Lil Native lightweight’s FRN scales to save cost? I’d buy a few!

[Aladinsane]

Oops! I forgot about this little guy!!! I don’t carry it alot, but I still like its uniqueness! I wish the latest Sprint Run was available in reverse “S” SE. I might start to hunt one down, after I get the next two on my list!

[ChrisinHove]

Oops! I forgot about this little guy!!! I don’t carry it alot, but I still like its uniqueness! I wish the latest Sprint Run was available in reverse “S” SE. I might start to hunt one down, after I get the next two on my list!

IMG_2500.jpeg

I would definitely get a reverse s version.

[Scandi Grind]

It occurs to me as I’m writing this that a fixed blade LilNative might be a spectacularly good small fixed blade. And maybe it could use the Lil Native lightweight’s FRN scales to save cost? I’d buy a few!

It's funny you mention this because I was just looking at the Little Native as possible inspiration for a custom fixed blade. I like the look of it, was considering a wharncliffe blade. I think I would prefer a choil delete for a fixed blade though.

[Pacu0420]

As far as Spyderco knives go, the Lil Native is the smallest I have. It's not one I carry much, but it's a great knife. As others have said, it's a "little big knife". I don't have a Dragonfly, but I've handled one. Seems a little small for me. The LN also seems more solidly built, IMO. Another plus is the compression lock.

[Jeb]

I literally edc this one without fail. The others I edc I do switch up some from time to time, depending if I am working on one or not and such. But this one little munchkin is an absolute edc...

[LadybugMan]

As is obvious from my username and avatar, there is lots of love here for the little guys; or should it be "little gals"?

Just like so many members have already mentioned, I also started my foray into LBK's with the Dragonfly 2. Like the legions of Dragonfly followers, I have also been seduced by its undeniable ergonomic brilliance - arguably, one of Sal’s best designs. I started off my Dragonfly "collection" with the two "Pink Heals" versions in S30V, followed by two K390 Wharncliffes, a standard leaf-shaped one in K390 and the PD#1 Sprint Run version.

However, just as much as I loved the ergonomics of the Dragonfly, I found its actual cutting performance underwhelming. Truth be told, the blade geometry of the Dragonfly has never suited my style of cutting particularly well. Personally, I believe that on the original (leaf-shaped) versions, the upwards curve of the blade edge, from the ricasso to the tip of the blade, is too pronounced; thereby causing the material being cut, to “slip off” the edge and out of the cut. This especially true when performing horizontal slicing cuts as slicing open the tops of fertilizer, pet food and pet litter bags. The Wharncliffe version solved this when doing draw cuts, but the lack of belly limited its overall usefulness as a utility knife - especially when cutting on flat surfaces. The same fate also befell my PD#1 Manbug where the upswept tip just slides out of cuts.

And then I discovered the Ladybug! Oh boy; the blade geometry which echoes that of the Endura is simply magical and added to that the thin blade stock, makes this little 'un a champion slicer. For the last two months I have carried the K390 version while her HAP40/SUS 410 and ZDP-189 sisters await their turn. Sometimes I supplement the Ladybug with my K390 Delica, but there are also others where I have carried the Ladybug as a primary cutting tool.

I concur 100% with members who said that the majority of cutting tasks can be accomplished by a small knife. Now all I need to do is to add a Ladybug Salt Hawkbill to the equation and Bob's your uncle!

[40mm]

Behold! The Cricketfly! Master of the little big knives.