The single greatest Spyderco of all time is...
Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 1:05 pm
The Centofante IV!
IMHO that is the most quintessential Spyderco ever made. It is compact, light weight, has good steel (VG-10) is very reasonably price ($40-45) and is more about utility and function than looks or eye grabbing design.
It did not do so well with the public because it is not a "tactical" knife but after having one for many years, I can say that it is as close to perfection as Spyderco has ever come on a knife.
The very thin blade cuts and slices as good as any full flat ground blade. The Wharncliff design is endlessly useful and I have only found a few cases where it was any sort of hindrance and they were minor. The times where it comes in handy to have the down turned tip out number the times where it is a problem by about 25-1.
The handle seems thin and weak but when you look closer, you see the nested liners that make this knife incredibly strong for it's size and weight. I have put my full strength to this knife when I didn't have anything larger and half expected it to fail but it never did. Not only did it never break but it hardly shows any evidence of use after years of hard work. The Bug has long since fallen off the grip and even though I tried to super glue it back on a couple of times, it kept falling off. It now sits on my work bench and I am just going to leave it off since I never really liked it any way.
The FRN scales are strong and light and more grippy than they appear. This knife has never slipped in my grasp. The handle design is wonderful. It appears simple but someone thought it out. It is handy and comfortable in all grip styles.
The VG-10 steel is perhaps the best steel on the planet for the money. Nobody does VG-10 better than Spyderco. I have never lacked edge holding or strength from this knife and that is all I can ask of any knife. It is also easy to resharpen. I often just strop it on the back of my belt and the edge comes back. I have only used a stone twice in the years I have owned it.
This is the ultimate EDC and utility knife yet if the need ever arose, would make an absolutely fearsome self defense knife. I know how well this blade slices and I would not want to be slashed with it. It will cut deep and the tip would sink into flesh or clothing instead of glance off like an up swept tip might.
This knife is so good that any "improvement" I think to make would result in taking away from something that is already there. If you add G-10 scales you add weight and thickness and cost. If you add a higher end steel like ZDP-189, you sacrifice rust resistance ease of sharpening and make it more expensive. It seems to sit if the sweet spot where improvement is not possible with making it into a different knife with a different purpose.
I am forced to conclude that the Spyderco Centofante IV is as close to perfection in a knife as possible at this time. I mean that in context of the intended purpose of this knife. This knife is intended as a compact and light weight EDC utility knife. It was never intended to be a tactical self defense knife or a skinning knife or a survival knife. There are better knives for those roles but for the all purpose EDC where size and weight matter, there is none better.
The new Delica with the FFG blade is also an impressive knife but lacks the Wharncliff blade and I have had nothing but problems with the clips getting loose.
IMHO that is the most quintessential Spyderco ever made. It is compact, light weight, has good steel (VG-10) is very reasonably price ($40-45) and is more about utility and function than looks or eye grabbing design.
It did not do so well with the public because it is not a "tactical" knife but after having one for many years, I can say that it is as close to perfection as Spyderco has ever come on a knife.
The very thin blade cuts and slices as good as any full flat ground blade. The Wharncliff design is endlessly useful and I have only found a few cases where it was any sort of hindrance and they were minor. The times where it comes in handy to have the down turned tip out number the times where it is a problem by about 25-1.
The handle seems thin and weak but when you look closer, you see the nested liners that make this knife incredibly strong for it's size and weight. I have put my full strength to this knife when I didn't have anything larger and half expected it to fail but it never did. Not only did it never break but it hardly shows any evidence of use after years of hard work. The Bug has long since fallen off the grip and even though I tried to super glue it back on a couple of times, it kept falling off. It now sits on my work bench and I am just going to leave it off since I never really liked it any way.
The FRN scales are strong and light and more grippy than they appear. This knife has never slipped in my grasp. The handle design is wonderful. It appears simple but someone thought it out. It is handy and comfortable in all grip styles.
The VG-10 steel is perhaps the best steel on the planet for the money. Nobody does VG-10 better than Spyderco. I have never lacked edge holding or strength from this knife and that is all I can ask of any knife. It is also easy to resharpen. I often just strop it on the back of my belt and the edge comes back. I have only used a stone twice in the years I have owned it.
This is the ultimate EDC and utility knife yet if the need ever arose, would make an absolutely fearsome self defense knife. I know how well this blade slices and I would not want to be slashed with it. It will cut deep and the tip would sink into flesh or clothing instead of glance off like an up swept tip might.
This knife is so good that any "improvement" I think to make would result in taking away from something that is already there. If you add G-10 scales you add weight and thickness and cost. If you add a higher end steel like ZDP-189, you sacrifice rust resistance ease of sharpening and make it more expensive. It seems to sit if the sweet spot where improvement is not possible with making it into a different knife with a different purpose.
I am forced to conclude that the Spyderco Centofante IV is as close to perfection in a knife as possible at this time. I mean that in context of the intended purpose of this knife. This knife is intended as a compact and light weight EDC utility knife. It was never intended to be a tactical self defense knife or a skinning knife or a survival knife. There are better knives for those roles but for the all purpose EDC where size and weight matter, there is none better.
The new Delica with the FFG blade is also an impressive knife but lacks the Wharncliff blade and I have had nothing but problems with the clips getting loose.