Rediscovering the Blue Stretch

[dbcad]

This knife was bought about a year and a half ago on sale for $72. It was my 3rd :spyder: purchase after the aluminum Chinese Lum and the Manix2. After a few carries it wound up sitting in the toolbox drawer while I dabbled with all of the other other :spyder: 's I was buying at the time. I took it out again today and am amazed at how fine a knife it is and the terrific deal I had when I got it :D

Over time more is learned, experienced, and appreciated. This is the case for me with the Stretch. It has the finest FRN grip in the :spyder: lineup IMO, Feels very smooth for a lockback and has a very unique blade shape in combination with a super sharp factory edge. ZDP should only require touch ups on a strop for a while. It's nice to be able to reappreciate the thought and intent of this knife over time :) The only thing I miss on it is Sal's mark :rolleyes:

This is the upside to downsizing my collection :) Time for this knife to start realizing it's potential :D :D

That pesky Balance wants to show up everywhere....lolol, it's kind of like a magnet :)

[SQSAR]

The ZDP stretch is my 'go-to' knife when I know I will be needing a light-sabre sharp blade that day. For some reason I can get this blade sharper than anything else in my collection.

[dbcad]

All by itself. This knife is a serious piece of work :D :D It's like I recieved a new knife out of the box. Now it has been rediscovered :)

[unit]

The ZDP stretch is my 'go-to' knife when I know I will be needing a light-sabre sharp blade that day.

Me too

A truly amazing blade. I pulled mine out last week (after a long hiatus) and re-polished the edge. Mine has some unique geometry, but even without that it was one of the bitey-est knives I have owned.

What a cutter.

[chuck_roxas45]

The blue stretch is part of my EDC combo as the slicer.

[img][IMG]http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/1120 ... retch1.jpg[/img] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

[unit]

GASP!! there is water on that blade!! ZDP-189 is going to rust and corrode into nothingness!

Oh, wait...I forgot, it doesn't really rust/corrode nearly as bad as I was originally lead to believe :D

Fantastic image!

[chuck_roxas45]

Oh, wait...I forgot, it doesn't really rust/corrode nearly as bad as I was originally lead to believe :D

Nope, nowhere near as bad as I had read on the interwebz too.

Fantastic image!

Thanks

[SQSAR]

The blue stretch is part of my EDC combo as the slicer.

[img][IMG]http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/1120 ... retch1.jpg[/img] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

That's a pretty good photo.

[yowzer]

The Stretch is quite possibly my favorite design for a general purpose do-everything knife.

[chuck_roxas45]

That's a pretty good photo.

Thanks. :D

[dialex]

Nice pics of an awsome knife. I can't wait for the straight spine Stretch to hit the market. :D

[JCP1969]

Charlie nice pics, the blue stretch is a favorite of mine too. However out of the whole spyderco catalog my 14 year old likes the balance. How about a pic with it opened next to the stretch again. :)
James

[jackknifeh]

The blue stretch is part of my EDC combo as the slicer.

[img][IMG]http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/1120 ... retch1.jpg[/img] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

Well Chuck, your picture has made it into the picture hall of fame. Well, it's saved in a folder on my hard drive anyway. :D I save some that I really like and that is a beautiful picture.

I have the blue stretch also and I'm feeling guilty for not carrying it lately. Maybe I need to give it some cutting time. I've gotten attached to the Delica my son got me for my B-day.

Jack

[dbcad]

Beautiful picture Chuck :) I might just steal it myself with credits of course :D

Couple of folks have been asking about the Balance. Don't know how many of those are left for sale???

The Stretch though is now a regular in my haphazard rotation :D

[chuck_roxas45]

Thanks for the kind words guys. :D

[dbcad]

Just wanted to post this pic for JCP. The Balance is woefully underappreciated IMO.

It's really nice to be able to rediscover the Stretch which was bought when I didn't know much and as a result couldn't appreciate fully at the time. We all learn in our own ways :)

Chuck, if I had a high res file of that pic I could print it out in a large format maybe 34X22 in. or even 44 x 34 if it'll stand it. I'll send you one :) :)

[dbcad]

And forgot the pic..... :o

[JCP1969]

Thank you Charlie :)
just what i was looking for.

James

[chuck_roxas45]

Chuck, if I had a high res file of that pic I could print it out in a large format maybe 34X22 in. or even 44 x 34 if it'll stand it. I'll send you one :) :)

Here's a link to a 4mb file, I hope it's high res enough. I'm in the Philippines so thanks for your offer to send me a copy but you don't need to. In fact it's not practical. :D

I hope this link works.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/84 ... ghres.jpg/

I dunno how saving this works but maybe I can email you a copy if it doesn't work.

[224477]

Its a good knife, very underestimated, probably due the FRN, which doesnt really make a dress knife of it. Otherwise, the ZDP is pure sharpness. Its probably the sharpest Spyderco I own. Very light, great ergonomics, melts in the hand. I was never a fan of the drop point blade designs, so always kept aside of this design. But there is a lot of thought and engineering behing it. Things like position of the hole, so your thumb can open the blade very naturally. You need to have one to be able to understand these things.

Thanks, you know who you are