Spyderco Forums

Caly 3.5 Super Blue Steel

I have never had any previous experience with Super Blue Steel but from what I have read it looks like it should be a fun knife to play with. The color on the G10 handle is near identical to the Lum Tanto Sprint Run just released as well as the Para2 Gray. I'm not a huge fan of this color because it gets dirty quicker. Also the 'blue' in Super Blue would make you think the handle might be some sort of shade of blue. Other than the handle and steel the size is the same. I'm a fan of the 3.5 over 3 and glad they went the bigger route.











Chaparral

The Chaparral reminds me of a smaller Sage. Fit and Finish is spectacular. I would even consider taking off the wire clip and deep pocket carrying it as a gentlemen's folder. I'm a bit turned off by the price but I understand it. The woven carbon fiber can't be cheap and the look that you get is amazing. It reminds me of the carbon fiber on the Terzoula. If it was $15 cheaper I would buy it right away but now I'm going to save it for my Christmas/Birthday list. Also a bit small but if I wanted bigger I would go with the Carbon Fiber Sage.

Ah, very nice!

Thanks for the pictures.


Just back home from vacation... I need to find some cash for that Chaparral.

cosmo7809 wrote:I need to find some cash for that Chaparral.

Just go to the nearest money tree!

Thanks for the pics. Does the grind on the Caly under the :spyder: hole look a bit uneven to anyine else? Maybe just the angle of the pic. Also, who is going to force a patina on their Super Blue Caly? If I didn't have a Sage, I'd be getting one of the Chaparrals.

JayTeeEmEm wrote:Thanks for the pics. Does the grind on the Caly under the :spyder: hole look a bit uneven to anyine else? Maybe just the angle of the pic. Also, who is going to force a patina on their Super Blue Caly? If I didn't have a Sage, I'd be getting one of the Chaparrals.

I noticed the grind as well.

My Dragonfly Salt had a similar issue but it was much more pronounced and got extremely thin as it went down toward the cutting edge of the blade. I would say over ground, so much so that I was fearful of chipping it at that spot. Factory re-grind took care of it beautifully.

I will let my Caly patina and progress sweetly on it's own. dbcad's Mule pic was all I needed to decide on that:

Great pics smikesmith3!

Could you please tell us how smooth is the opening/closing of the Chaparral? I've had an issue with several Spyderco backlocks where the locking bar does not contact the blade evenly through the entire opening motion, which leads to an inconsistent feeling.

Thanks!
Ira

Thanks for the pics, love the looks of the Caly 3.5 blue. How does it compare to a Para.

BAL wrote:Thanks for the pics, love the looks of the Caly 3.5 blue. How does it compare to a Para.

It's not as overall heavy duty as a Para 2, back lock is not as strong as compression lock and the compression lock allows for open back construction whereas the back lock does not. The Caly blade is ground thinner near the edge making it a better slicer, but more delicate. The liners on the Caly are not nested like the P2. The Caly uses pinned contruction, the P2 uses screwed. Aside from the thinner grind on the Caly, the blade shape on each knife is also quite different from the other.

To me the main difference though is the overall size. The Caly packs a blade that is essentially the same length as the Para 2 in a much slimmer and shorter handle. It seems a more elegant knife but is still quite sturdy. But the P2 is much more heavy duty overall. I like them both a lot and usually carry both, but if I could only have one, it would be the Para 2 20CP sprint.

Cutting off a DLC coated MT Super Blue

replacing the blade of an existing folder


my poorman's Super Blue folder

The handle is an inexpensive Gerber.

I want that caly soooo bad

cutting off a DLC coated MT Super Blue


fitting the blade on a Gerber folder



My poorman's Super Blue folder



Enlage the hole to 6mm on an existing 3/16" hole is not an easy task. I use a ball nose carbide bit from Micro 100 to finish the job. I tried with other brands and failed to cut the material.

Thanks for the early pics as usual smikesmith!

datoudaw wrote:
cutting off a DLC coated MT Super Blue


fitting the blade on a Gerber folder



My poorman's Super Blue folder



Enlage the hole to 6mm on an existing 3/16" hole is not an easy task. I use a ball nose carbide bit from Micro 100 to finish the job. I tried with other brands and failed to cut the material.

I had thoughts of doing something similar for my multi tool if i ever come across a Spydie that i would't mind butchering.

What, no side by side?

I have been wondering the overall size of the Chaparral.

Donut wrote:What, no side by side?

I have been wondering the overall size of the Chaparral.

Since your a Delica owner, these might give you a decent idea of the Chaparral's size...

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Wow! I didn't expect the Chaparral to be so small. It can definitely be difficult to tell size from pictures without a frame of reference. It's almost... cute. :D

Wow, i LOVE the handle to blade ratio on that knife. I may have to give that one a second look.

Can I get a spine shot of that Chaparral? Love the backlock spines :) A steel/CF sandwich.

WalzAaronFFG wrote:Can I get a spine shot of that Chaparral? Love the backlock spines :) A steel/CF sandwich.

There's a rather nice one in the first post of this thread.

Wow. The Chaparral hardly gives up any overall edge length to the Delica.

Darn. Are there any places shipping it free yet?