The Syperco Story
The Syperco Story
I wanted to purchase this book from this site, but it was out of stock. So I ordered it from Amazon.com - Does anyone else here own this book, and what are their thoughts on it? It looks very interesting. I have always thought, aesthetically (sp) that the knife is a beautiful instrument. Oh, and how do I clean my Harpy when I get it- mineral oil? I'll probably never have to use it at all, but the neighborhood where I live, it might be a possibility for self defense. Thanks- Kali
Hi kali and welcome to the forum!
First off, I've read my copy till the pages are dog-eared. I always find some new morsel of information there. You won't be disappointed. It's especially good at setting the context for development of the older models.
Regards cleaning, you'll get many different opinions here. For my users, carried often and used a lot, warm water/mild detergent, carefully dry, Tri-Flo or Militec for the pivot, and a wipe of Flitz for the blade. Back to new.
The ones I just look at or play with just get an occasional pivot lube and wipe with suede cloth.
Enjoy the book.
Dave
First off, I've read my copy till the pages are dog-eared. I always find some new morsel of information there. You won't be disappointed. It's especially good at setting the context for development of the older models.
Regards cleaning, you'll get many different opinions here. For my users, carried often and used a lot, warm water/mild detergent, carefully dry, Tri-Flo or Militec for the pivot, and a wipe of Flitz for the blade. Back to new.
The ones I just look at or play with just get an occasional pivot lube and wipe with suede cloth.
Enjoy the book.
Dave
Swede (Dave) - thanks so much for the nice welcome! I'll probably get my Spyderco book next week sometime. I was surprised it was in hardcover. (I sell books-rare and and out of print for a living ). But I'm especially interested in the history behind all of the Spyderco products and hope the book has lots of glossy pics. I'll probably be asking more questions so watch out! <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> This is kind of a sexist comment, but I am NOT PC (politically correct) AT ALL- I just wanted to know how many women like me chat here? Have a good one- Kali
Hi Kali and welcome to the forum. you will like the book as it gives you a very indepth look into the work of Sal and Gail Glesser and the company. All the earlier designs and ideas are handled. You will be surprised how little maintenance your Harpy will need. Just like Swede tells you, rinse it with warm water and detergent and dry it off well. that's all.
Do you own just your Harpy or is there a whole family of knives living with you?
See you around here and be amazed about the variety of people you'll meet here.
Cheerio and have fun!
Clipits work!
Do you own just your Harpy or is there a whole family of knives living with you?
See you around here and be amazed about the variety of people you'll meet here.
Cheerio and have fun!
Clipits work!
Hi Kali,
Not taken as a sexist comment at all. I've been happily imprisoned here for about 3 years, and if you count only those who identify themselves as such, I remember about 7-8 women (but ya never can tell!).
I've often wondered if some of the forumites with ambiguous names might not be female as well.
Take care.
Dave
Not taken as a sexist comment at all. I've been happily imprisoned here for about 3 years, and if you count only those who identify themselves as such, I remember about 7-8 women (but ya never can tell!).
I've often wondered if some of the forumites with ambiguous names might not be female as well.
Take care.
Dave
Jurphaas- thanks for your in depth reply- NOW I can hardly wait to get the book my hot little hands. I guess I am one of those people who love reading about *obscure* things and the history of them, etc. I will have to find the cleaners Swede spoke of. You take care! Kali
"Irish Blood, English Heart, This Is What I'm Made Of, There Is No One On Earth I'm Afraid Of, And No Regime Can Buy Or Sell Me."
"Irish Blood, English Heart, This Is What I'm Made Of, There Is No One On Earth I'm Afraid Of, And No Regime Can Buy Or Sell Me."
Swede- LOL- I know what you mean- there's a website I've been hanging out in since 1997 (it's a music site) I mainly go in there to check in on my friends, since it has a chatroom as well. *Kali* of course isn't my real name, it's Colleen. Kali was an Indian Goddess of Protection & Destruction. I just admire her. But back to knives - maybe you could e mail me a list of stuff to clean this knife? Would that be okay? My email : rinthy88@hotmail.com Thanks!
"Irish Blood, English Heart, This Is What I'm Made Of, There Is No One On Earth I'm Afraid Of, And No Regime Can Buy Or Sell Me."
"Irish Blood, English Heart, This Is What I'm Made Of, There Is No One On Earth I'm Afraid Of, And No Regime Can Buy Or Sell Me."
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dialex
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- Location: Campina, Romania, Europe, Terra
- Contact:
Hi Kali. I found "The Spyderco Story" a most instructive and enjoyable book. I learned a lot from it, not only about knives, but also about life and the way to deal with people.
<a href="http://users.pcnet.ro/dialex"><font color=blue>(my page)</font></a>
<a href="http://users.pcnet.ro/dialex"><font color=blue>(my page)</font></a>
Hello Dialex- I just checked out your site- very interesting! It's always a very good lesson in life in how to deal with the rest of the human race. I stay clear of most of them, as I am a bit of a snob (I've always had more male friends than female ones ).Take care! Kali
"Irish Blood, English Heart, This Is What I'm Made Of, There Is No One On Earth I'm Afraid Of, And No Regime Can Buy Or Sell Me."
"Irish Blood, English Heart, This Is What I'm Made Of, There Is No One On Earth I'm Afraid Of, And No Regime Can Buy Or Sell Me."
Kali,
Welcome to the forum.
You must ascertain in the beginning whether you are going to use your Spydie to cut up FOODSTUFF.
If you do: DO NOT USE MILITEC OR ANY OTHER LUBES WHICH MENTION CLEARLY THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE USED ON "FOODGRADE" KNIVES.
If you want to use your Spydie for cutting up foodstuff then use edible oil (Olive oil i guesss is the favourite).
But if you want to use your Spydie for self defence *only*, use any which oil you want and apply a fine coat of potassium cyanide for best results <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> Just Don't go poke yourself though!
EDIT: "EDIBLE" typo.
Have a great day,
Kaizer.
A door half open is a door half closed. But a knife half open is a knife fully closed.
Edited by - Kaizer on 5/3/2004 1:44:27 AM
Welcome to the forum.
You must ascertain in the beginning whether you are going to use your Spydie to cut up FOODSTUFF.
If you do: DO NOT USE MILITEC OR ANY OTHER LUBES WHICH MENTION CLEARLY THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE USED ON "FOODGRADE" KNIVES.
If you want to use your Spydie for cutting up foodstuff then use edible oil (Olive oil i guesss is the favourite).
But if you want to use your Spydie for self defence *only*, use any which oil you want and apply a fine coat of potassium cyanide for best results <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> Just Don't go poke yourself though!
EDIT: "EDIBLE" typo.
Have a great day,
Kaizer.
A door half open is a door half closed. But a knife half open is a knife fully closed.
Edited by - Kaizer on 5/3/2004 1:44:27 AM
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samosaurus
- Member
- Posts: 1609
- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:33 am
- Location: Malaysia
Dialex- I was just looking at your website- very intriguing- ( also you don't look as if you have aged all that much! ) My question, what is the premise of your site? And how did "The Spyderco Story" influence you in dealing with people? Just curious. Take care- Kali
"Irish Blood, English Heart, This Is What I'm Made Of, There Is No One On Earth I'm Afraid Of, And No Regime Can Buy Or Sell Me."
"Irish Blood, English Heart, This Is What I'm Made Of, There Is No One On Earth I'm Afraid Of, And No Regime Can Buy Or Sell Me."
Kaizer- Hello! No, there is NO way I would EVER use my Harpy to cut up food, unless I was in the wilderness and needed to. It's just too beautiful an instrument. That cyanide idea scares me a bit, visions of Jonestown float in my head- I don't ever want to be near cyanide! I'm not Modesty Blaise! <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>
"Irish Blood, English Heart, This Is What I'm Made Of, There Is No One On Earth I'm Afraid Of, And No Regime Can Buy Or Sell Me."
"Irish Blood, English Heart, This Is What I'm Made Of, There Is No One On Earth I'm Afraid Of, And No Regime Can Buy Or Sell Me."
Hi Kali
What exactly is the reason you want the Harpy?
I myself have a SS Harpy, and I too carry a blade almost 24/7 for protection.
After doing more research I went for my 1st spyderco which was a Spyderco Matriarch.
If you read the Spyderco Story (which I own and love) you will see on the section about the Spyderco Civilian that Sal says it came to peoples attention that the hook like Harpy could be used to defend oneself.
But the Harpy had trouble when it came to catching in the attackers clothes which caused the blade to be pulled out of the victims hands.
Thus he made the reverse S shaped Civilian/Matriarch.
The thin tip unlike the Harpy's thick tip would slash through pretty much anything without catching.
The front hook section could be used to grip your attacker and control them by dragging their limb to whichever area best suited you.
And then theres the reverse S butt of the knife, for the attacker that gets up way to close for you, in this case you wouldnt be able to slash with the tip, nor would you be able to grab a limb with the front claw like serations, the section that would hit ground is that large belly of the Civilian/Matriarch which would cut through alot of muscle/flesh causing massive injury to the attacker leaving him with alot more to think about other than attacking you.
If this blade of yours was purchased as a self defense weapon, if I was you Id rather get my hands on something made for this fuction.
There are now many models available and there is plenty of training material as well.
You have my favorite The Civilian/Matriarch.
You have your Guntings, Chinooks and Karambits to name a few.
Btw, welcome to the forum <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>
Cheers
MaNcEr
It's Time To Kick @$$ 'N Chew Bubble Gum
What exactly is the reason you want the Harpy?
I myself have a SS Harpy, and I too carry a blade almost 24/7 for protection.
After doing more research I went for my 1st spyderco which was a Spyderco Matriarch.
If you read the Spyderco Story (which I own and love) you will see on the section about the Spyderco Civilian that Sal says it came to peoples attention that the hook like Harpy could be used to defend oneself.
But the Harpy had trouble when it came to catching in the attackers clothes which caused the blade to be pulled out of the victims hands.
Thus he made the reverse S shaped Civilian/Matriarch.
The thin tip unlike the Harpy's thick tip would slash through pretty much anything without catching.
The front hook section could be used to grip your attacker and control them by dragging their limb to whichever area best suited you.
And then theres the reverse S butt of the knife, for the attacker that gets up way to close for you, in this case you wouldnt be able to slash with the tip, nor would you be able to grab a limb with the front claw like serations, the section that would hit ground is that large belly of the Civilian/Matriarch which would cut through alot of muscle/flesh causing massive injury to the attacker leaving him with alot more to think about other than attacking you.
If this blade of yours was purchased as a self defense weapon, if I was you Id rather get my hands on something made for this fuction.
There are now many models available and there is plenty of training material as well.
You have my favorite The Civilian/Matriarch.
You have your Guntings, Chinooks and Karambits to name a few.
Btw, welcome to the forum <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>
Cheers
MaNcEr
It's Time To Kick @$$ 'N Chew Bubble Gum
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talonturbo
- Member
- Posts: 205
- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:33 am
- Location: Austin TX
Good answer Mancer. If the knife will be clipped to you Kali (Welcome!) then the Harpy has some disadvantages. It sits very low and has a low grip factor, making it quite hard to gey out quickly. And yes, there are of course ways to make a knife grippier. I would rather have the wrong knife out quickly (no, not including blunt tip ones) than anything else. Opinions will differ greatly though...
MaNcEr- Thanks for the important information. Yes, I confess I purchased the Harpy because I was influenced by the character in the Thomas Harris books, Hannibal Lecter. He uses one, and it looked pretty effective to me! But I also wanted it for the clean purity of it, the look. Probably the next knife I will purchase will be the Karambit. But I will look into the Civilian/Matri as well. I live in a very rough neighborhood, and it just makes me feel more secure to have this in my hands. I received my book, The Spyderco Story, yesterday and I LOVE it. I want to thank you for all of the important information you gave me. MUCH appreciated. Kali
"Irish Blood, English Heart, This Is What I'm Made Of, There Is No One On Earth I'm Afraid Of, And No Regime Can Buy Or Sell Me."
"Irish Blood, English Heart, This Is What I'm Made Of, There Is No One On Earth I'm Afraid Of, And No Regime Can Buy Or Sell Me."
Hey Kali
If memory serves me correctly I think in one of the books/movies Hannibal used a Civilian he purchased at a gun show, not sure on that though.
If you want a hawkbill (which I think are the unbeatable leaders in defensive blades) then take my advice and take a look at a Matriarch.
I carry a Civilian on me constantly as my backup weapon.
They are slighty bigger than the Matriarch and alot heavier, but Id take a Matriarch over this one anyday of the week.
The Matriarch is not only alot cheaper in price but it alot lighter thanx to the FRN handle, gets out alot quicker thanx to the tip-up carry and is scary sharp.
Spyderco I believe have stopped production of the Matriarch for the moment, but you can find plenty of them at the moment at www.bestknives.com and at newgraham.
If you go for this superb weapon Id also recommend the video by James A Keating on the Spyderco Civilian.
It is available in both VHS and DVD, and I must say is a brillaint video to watch on pointers for more effective use of this weapon.
Ive attached two pics, one is of my fiance with the VG10 Matriarch I got her and the other is of me with my ATS55 G10 Civilian.
Good luck on your decision.
MaNcEr
It's Time To Kick @$$ 'N Chew Bubble Gum
Edited by - MaNcEr on 5/5/2004 10:34:32 PM
If memory serves me correctly I think in one of the books/movies Hannibal used a Civilian he purchased at a gun show, not sure on that though.
If you want a hawkbill (which I think are the unbeatable leaders in defensive blades) then take my advice and take a look at a Matriarch.
I carry a Civilian on me constantly as my backup weapon.
They are slighty bigger than the Matriarch and alot heavier, but Id take a Matriarch over this one anyday of the week.
The Matriarch is not only alot cheaper in price but it alot lighter thanx to the FRN handle, gets out alot quicker thanx to the tip-up carry and is scary sharp.
Spyderco I believe have stopped production of the Matriarch for the moment, but you can find plenty of them at the moment at www.bestknives.com and at newgraham.
If you go for this superb weapon Id also recommend the video by James A Keating on the Spyderco Civilian.
It is available in both VHS and DVD, and I must say is a brillaint video to watch on pointers for more effective use of this weapon.
Ive attached two pics, one is of my fiance with the VG10 Matriarch I got her and the other is of me with my ATS55 G10 Civilian.
Good luck on your decision.
MaNcEr
It's Time To Kick @$$ 'N Chew Bubble Gum
Edited by - MaNcEr on 5/5/2004 10:34:32 PM
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dialex
- Member
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- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:33 am
- Location: Campina, Romania, Europe, Terra
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Hi Kali, sorry for the late reply <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> My net connection at home has unexplainably crashed for two days - actually the telephone line and since I'm on a dial up connection... <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>
After some rather unsuccessfully attempts to conceive a signature that defines me, I made my site as I consider it more comprehensive. As for the age thing... though many tell me I didn't aged at all, the fact is that wrinkles started to appear on my face and even gray hair here and there <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> Oh well... we'll meet sometimes at a cup of coffee and you'll see for yourself <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>
<a href="http://users.pcnet.ro/dialex"><font color=blue>(my page)</font></a>
After some rather unsuccessfully attempts to conceive a signature that defines me, I made my site as I consider it more comprehensive. As for the age thing... though many tell me I didn't aged at all, the fact is that wrinkles started to appear on my face and even gray hair here and there <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> Oh well... we'll meet sometimes at a cup of coffee and you'll see for yourself <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>
<a href="http://users.pcnet.ro/dialex"><font color=blue>(my page)</font></a>