Spyderco Forums

Which spyderco folder do you consider the everything knife? By this, I mean a knife you can use for food prep., self defense, EDC tasks, survival, ect. Obiously the knife will not excel in ALL these categories, but the knife should have some abilities in almost all uses for a knife. And the knife doesn't need to be a spyderco, it just has to be a folder.

My vote: paramilitary

If I only had $70, and could only own one knife, I'd buy a used SS Delica plain edge!!!

I would say my Native, it has served me very well for EDC for many years but at the end of the day I would say it is whatever sturdy knife that holds an edge that feels comfortable to the user is the perfect everyday knife.

Manix 2.

For me it has to be a Stretch.

Either the military or the endura.

JB3 wrote:If I only had $70, and could only own one knife, I'd buy a used SS Delica plain edge!!!

~70 bucks nets me a new Manix 2. That'd be the route I'd go.

The Military excels at everything except being politically correct :D

Sverre

A Para 2 is pretty good at being PC while still excelling at almost everything. Especially if you put a low riding clip on it

Yellow Salt I

lightweight
completely maintenance free
not too small, not too big
strong tip
NKP-friendly (yellow)

The Salt I is my favorite knife. A Para 2 would be an excellent candidate for your needs. Goodluck finding one at the moment though... I am still on a waiting list.

The endura for me. Stretch 2 is right there too, then Police 3. Each of these is a do it all knife with little to no downside.

If I liked shorter knives the delica and caly would easily make the grade.

Stretch. It's simply the best knife Sal has ever designed.

Military for me, followed very closely by Stretch and Manix 2. All three are fantastic knives that can do anything I ask of them with efficiency AND style!

For me, I'd definitely say the Stretch 2. At 3.5 inches, I think it's a perfect combo of everyday utility but also food prep, emergency defense, hunting etc. One thing that really makes it so great is that it has a thin grind, but still maintains a robust tip. Also the blade isn't as wide (from edge to spine) as most "leaf" blades like the Manix 2 or Caly 3.5. I think that slimmer blade makes it excellently suited for something like peeling an apple, as well as a penetration in a defensive role or when dressing an animal while hunting (after all, the Stretch is a descendant of the C03 Hunter).

Spyderco makes many knives that I think are really versatile though, and others that came to mind were the Manix 2, Sage, Caly 3/3.5 and Delica. I personally would exclude anything the size of the Endura, Military or Police models simply because they're too big to carry outside of the house in many jurisdictions (including mine).

Military or Endura.

Military.

As soon as you say food prep, it is the automatic winner.

If I lived in a place where carrying knives would be common and no one would frown upon a 4" blade: Military

But since I live where I live, on top of being politically correct, it also does pretty much everything I throw at it: Delica4, blue FRN, FFG

If I went somewhere and I had no idea if I needed a knife ALOT or not at all, I always picked the D4. :cool:

If you include "survival" then it skews my decision to something overbuilt and v large, not an area I consider filled by Spyderco's excellent folders (yet!)

Being a bit more realistic:

Manix 1

Heavy build but can do fine tasks, too. The FFG is great for food prep. CPMS30V offers pretty good balance of corrosion resistance/edge holding/toughness.

Mini-Manix I, closely followed by Stretch and Para.

I'd go with the Stretch in ZDP-189. Or A PM2 in S90V, or an Endura 4 in VG-10with saber-grind. Can't go wrong with any of them.