Spyderco Forums

Posted: **Mon Jan 23, 2023 11:42 pm**

JoviAl wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 17, 2023 6:34 pm

RustyIron wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 17, 2023 1:26 pm

JoviAl wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 17, 2023 6:27 am
Cheers Rob I’m used to being able to get my knives hair splitting sharp and keeping them that way, so I think this is going to be a bit of a learning curve with the SE. I’m up for the challenge anyway, and worst comes to the worst and it just isn’t for me the Caribbean will make a great gift for someone.

The challenge for me is to get rid of my "one knife to rule them all" mentality. The plain edge serves me well for most stuff, but when I really need to hack through stuff, the serrated edge is better. Now I just need to learn to predict what I'll be doing during the day and choose the appropriate knife. I'm NOT going to start carrying around a whole cutlery shop in my pockets.

It's been raining here for days, and today is the first clear day. I'm going to go out now and do some yard work... with the SE in my pocket.
I feel you there on avoiding becoming a walking cutlery shop! I work outdoors all day and always have two knives with me (an heir and a spare if you will), so I’ve taken to carrying one PE and one SE most days for the last couple of weeks (although today is a Magnacut mule and a Manix XL, because variety is the spice of life).

With regards to the ‘one knife to rule them all’, if I had to choose one it would likely be my angry ported Husqvarna 372XP OE . Jokes aside, I agree - there’s no such thing as a bad Spyderco, just the wrong situation to use it in. The one that comes closest for me is probably my PM2 tanto. I would literally bulk buy them if I could, they’re that good to use.

Have a great day,
Al

Al-you’re speaking my language Husqi 372xp…ported…my favorite saw!!!

…I’m purty new to se too…you’ll get the hang of it w/the sharpmaker and experts like we have access to on this forum…good luck!!! P.S.-I’m in the tree srvc bus.

Posted: **Tue Jan 24, 2023 6:41 am**

*Duplicate post*

Posted: **Tue Jan 24, 2023 6:43 am**

Al-you’re speaking my language Husqi 372xp…ported…my favorite saw!!!…I’m purty new to se too…you’ll get the hang of it w/the sharpmaker and experts like we have access to on this forum…good luck!!! P.S.-I’m in the tree srvc bus.

Honestly if it wasn’t for this forum I’d have never given SE a second look. After my initial ‘foot stamping in a huff because I couldn’t make it as sharp as my PE blades’ had worn off, I’ve come to appreciate having one as a backup (or even just for those filthy jobs where I don’t want to ruin my freshly sharpened PE razor blade on some minging bit of grit riddled bark).

I started off in my youth as a Tree Surgeon’s groundie back in the UK, but university happened and after that aspiring to be a ‘lowly manual worker’ like a tree surgeon went down like a s*#t in a lift with my family. Ironically 20 years later I’m now running a Forest school and looking to buy commercial or amenity woodland in Scotland, along with picking up my arborist’s and forestry management tickets. I realised when you love being outdoors there’s few places better than being 50ft up a majestic tree. I port saws in my spare time for friends and local arborists here in Singapore now - non strato 372’s are wildly popular here (although I secretly prefer working on Stihl MS382’s - they make a great long bar saw. Just don’t tell anyone

).

Have a great day man!
Al

Posted: **Tue Jan 24, 2023 1:44 pm**

JoviAl wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 24, 2023 6:43 am

Al-you’re speaking my language Husqi 372xp…ported…my favorite saw!!!…I’m purty new to se too…you’ll get the hang of it w/the sharpmaker and experts like we have access to on this forum…good luck!!! P.S.-I’m in the tree srvc bus.
Honestly if it wasn’t for this forum I’d have never given SE a second look. After my initial ‘foot stamping in a huff because I couldn’t make it as sharp as my PE blades’ had worn off, I’ve come to appreciate having one as a backup (or even just for those filthy jobs where I don’t want to ruin my freshly sharpened PE razor blade on some minging bit of grit riddled bark).

I started off in my youth as a Tree Surgeon’s groundie back in the UK, but university happened and after that aspiring to be a ‘lowly manual worker’ like a tree surgeon went down like a s*#t in a lift with my family. Ironically 20 years later I’m now running a Forest school and looking to buy commercial or amenity woodland in Scotland, along with picking up my arborist’s and forestry management tickets. I realised when you love being outdoors there’s few places better than being 50ft up a majestic tree. I port saws in my spare time for friends and local arborists here in Singapore now - non strato 372’s are wildly popular here (although I secretly prefer working on Stihl MS382’s - they make a great long bar saw. Just don’t tell anyone ).

Have a great day man!
Al

Great story…always loved trees from when I was a little kid…so cool you work w/saws!!!

Posted: **Wed Jan 25, 2023 9:54 am**

Great story…always loved trees from when I was a little kid…so cool you work w/saws!!!

Thanks man, that’s kind of you to say.

To get back to the thread subject (much as I could bang on about chainsaws all day

), I received my first ladybug today in the post - a salt SE in H1. My four year old son immediately took a shine to it and had to have a go, then proceeded to learn a valuable lesson regarding first aid and knife handling discipline as he enthusiastically sliced through some cardboard and the flesh of his own left thumb knuckle.

It was a sobering experience for him, but to gleefully misquote Gandalf - ‘The cut hand teaches best. After that, advice about handling knives goes to the heart.’

What a fantastic little blade though - I’m rather taken with it!

It immediately took its rightful place on my keychain (much to my tiny SAK’s chagrin), and I look forward to getting a tonne of use out of it. I wouldn’t hesitate to pick these up as gifts for my kids and any of my friends who don’t have a handy little key chain knife.

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:53 pm**

Finally found this thread.
Well, it did jump to the top.
Any way, if I were to get a SE Spydie, what would the SE experts recommend? I'm looking though the catalog as I type this.

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2023 5:15 pm**

mongo1958 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:53 pm
Finally found this thread.
Well, it did jump to the top.
Any way, if I were to get a SE Spydie, what would the SE experts recommend? I'm looking though the catalog as I type this.

Looks like you already have a Para 2/3 and Shaman, and they all come in SE. Otherwise if you want something different it may depend on what you like, but I really like the Rock Jumper as an intro to SE. There are also some great byrd models or a SE Tenacious if you want a lower cost risk.

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2023 5:27 pm**

It's hard to go wrong. I'd pick a Pac Salt or a Delica/Salt Wharncliffe. I'm biased.

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:04 pm**

Hmm...

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:06 pm**

+1 on the Rock Jumper

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:15 pm**

mongo1958 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:53 pm
Any way, if I were to get a SE Spydie, what would the SE experts recommend? I'm looking though the catalog as I type this.

I'm by no means an expert. In fact, I only have one Spydie Edge. I've found it to be a great tool for hacking through a lot of stubborn materials. When I'm doing a lot of hacking, I want a big blade. For that reason, the Police 4 is what comes to my mind.

On the other end of the spectrum, tiny knives to me are something you press into service when there's nothing better available. For that reason, sometimes I think that I'd like something like a Ladybug with a Spydie Edge for when I'm in a bind and need to hack my way through a problem. I'm tempted, but haven't gone down the Micro Spydiehole yet.

Because a bigger knife is something you're more likely to use and to be able to utilize the strength of the Spydie Edge, I'd suggest getting something on the bigger side.

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:18 pm**

dsvirsky wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:06 pm
+1 on the Rock Jumper

What is so special about the Wharncliffe Blade?
I'm not trying to be a goober, I just don't understand the advantages.

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:22 pm**

Evil D wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 5:15 pm

mongo1958 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:53 pm
Finally found this thread.
Well, it did jump to the top.
Any way, if I were to get a SE Spydie, what would the SE experts recommend? I'm looking though the catalog as I type this.

Looks like you already have a Para 2/3 and Shaman, and they all come in SE. Otherwise if you want something different it may depend on what you like, but I really like the Rock Jumper as an intro to SE. There are also some great byrd models or a SE Tenacious if you want a lower cost risk.

the photo you posted at the beginning of the tread has some knives that I like, some of them are not offered with the SE in the new catalog.

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:24 pm**

RustyIron wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:15 pm

mongo1958 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:53 pm
Any way, if I were to get a SE Spydie, what would the SE experts recommend? I'm looking though the catalog as I type this.
I'm by no means an expert. In fact, I only have one Spydie Edge. I've found it to be a great tool for hacking through a lot of stubborn materials. When I'm doing a lot of hacking, I want a big blade. For that reason, the Police 4 is what comes to my mind.

On the other end of the spectrum, tiny knives to me are something you press into service when there's nothing better available. For that reason, sometimes I think that I'd like something like a Ladybug with a Spydie Edge for when I'm in a bind and need to hack my way through a problem. I'm tempted, but haven't gone down the Micro Spydiehole yet.

Because a bigger knife is something you're more likely to use and to be able to utilize the strength of the Spydie Edge, I'd suggest getting something on the bigger side.

The Ladybug straight spine SE VG10 is a teeny pocket chainsaw. Handy as all get out.

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2023 9:27 pm**

mongo1958 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:18 pm

dsvirsky wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:06 pm
+1 on the Rock Jumper
What is so special about the Wharncliffe Blade?
I'm not trying to be a goober, I just don't understand the advantages.

It's really not about the wharncliffe blade. I'm sure the Leaf Jumper would be as good a choice, but I can't recommend it because I've never held one. With its larger, hand filling shape and handle forward design, it's a lot more knife than the similarly priced Delica. Originally, I wasn't going to buy one, since I have a couple of wharncliffe Delicas (SE and PE), plus both versions (H1 and LC200N) of the SE Salt 2 wharncliffe, but I'm glad I did. It's an outstanding knife for the price.

Posted: **Sun Mar 05, 2023 1:11 am**

I recommend the Endela SE over the Delica or Endura SE because it comes in full flat grind, which is more performant overall than the saber-ground models.

Posted: **Sun Mar 05, 2023 3:00 am**

mongo1958 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:18 pm

dsvirsky wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:06 pm
+1 on the Rock Jumper
What is so special about the Wharncliffe Blade?
I'm not trying to be a goober, I just don't understand the advantages.

Too late you sound like a goober

Nah, there are no goober questions. There is a sort of mechanical advantage to a wharncliffe or sheepsfoot blade when making a slicing or arching motion in a cut, the full power of your arm transfers all the way through to the tip of the blade. When a blade shape that has a lot of belly and upswept tip like a Lionspy for example, the cutting edge is moving away from the motion of your cut and it doesn't see the same amount of leverage at the tip of the blade.

Whether all that sciency stuff makes a difference in your uses is anyone's guess but I just tend to prefer blades with lower tips than higher ones, they're easier for me to make detailed cuts with since I don't have to turn my wrist up to compensate for the shape of an upswept blade. It's all about what you're using your knife for, they all have pros and cons. I certainly wouldn't want to skin a deer with a wharncliffe. Basically if you want to sum all this up, think about the common utility knife, carpet knife, etc. There's a reason those are all wharnies.

mongo1958 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:22 pm

Evil D wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 5:15 pm

mongo1958 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:53 pm
Finally found this thread.
Well, it did jump to the top.
Any way, if I were to get a SE Spydie, what would the SE experts recommend? I'm looking though the catalog as I type this.

Looks like you already have a Para 2/3 and Shaman, and they all come in SE. Otherwise if you want something different it may depend on what you like, but I really like the Rock Jumper as an intro to SE. There are also some great byrd models or a SE Tenacious if you want a lower cost risk.
the photo you posted at the beginning of the tread has some knives that I like, some of them are not offered with the SE in the new catalog.

Yeah unfortunately they discontinued the sheepsfoot in SE for some reason but it can still be found at other dealers.

https://www.knifecenter.com/item/SP217G ... 10-handles

I'm currently using a Native 5 Salt MagnaCut and I really like it. It's a bit on the small side but it's turning out to be a great knife in SE.

Posted: **Sun Mar 05, 2023 3:55 am**

Bill1170 wrote: ↑
Sun Mar 05, 2023 1:11 am
I recommend the Endela SE over the Delica or Endura SE because it comes in full flat grind, which is more performant overall than the saber-ground models.

THIS

Not only because of ffg vs sg, the Endela serration pattern is a lot better imo for normal knife tasks by itself!

Posted: **Sun Mar 05, 2023 3:59 am**

mongo1958 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:53 pm
Finally found this thread.
Well, it did jump to the top.
Any way, if I were to get a SE Spydie, what would the SE experts recommend? I'm looking though the catalog as I type this.

Out of the Golden models I my only experience with SE is the Para 3 LW, and even that one just for about a month.
The serrations are just fine though!

What I really can recommend when it comes to cutting performance:

- Endela SE: This knife finally (and convincingly!!) converted me to an almost exclusive SE guy.

- Stretch XL SE: Also perfect serrations in my experience! Shallow, "non ripping", very "slicey".

Both not too pricey too, and VG10 in SE offers extreme bang for the buck imo!!!

- For a first SE I´d not necessarily recommend Pac Salt or Salt 2, regardless of sabre grind or ffg. A bit more "aggressive" than the above mentioned Endela and Stretch XL SE. Nice for some- , not perfect for all tasks.

Posted: **Sun Mar 05, 2023 1:21 pm**

Evil D wrote: ↑
Sun Mar 05, 2023 3:00 am

mongo1958 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:18 pm

dsvirsky wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:06 pm
+1 on the Rock Jumper
What is so special about the Wharncliffe Blade?
I'm not trying to be a goober, I just don't understand the advantages.

Too late you sound like a goober

Nah, there are no goober questions. There is a sort of mechanical advantage to a wharncliffe or sheepsfoot blade when making a slicing or arching motion in a cut, the full power of your arm transfers all the way through to the tip of the blade. When a blade shape that has a lot of belly and upswept tip like a Lionspy for example, the cutting edge is moving away from the motion of your cut and it doesn't see the same amount of leverage at the tip of the blade.

Whether all that sciency stuff makes a difference in your uses is anyone's guess but I just tend to prefer blades with lower tips than higher ones, they're easier for me to make detailed cuts with since I don't have to turn my wrist up to compensate for the shape of an upswept blade. It's all about what you're using your knife for, they all have pros and cons. I certainly wouldn't want to skin a deer with a wharncliffe. Basically if you want to sum all this up, think about the common utility knife, carpet knife, etc. There's a reason those are all wharnies.

mongo1958 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:22 pm

Evil D wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 5:15 pm

mongo1958 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:53 pm
Finally found this thread.
Well, it did jump to the top.
Any way, if I were to get a SE Spydie, what would the SE experts recommend? I'm looking though the catalog as I type this.

Looks like you already have a Para 2/3 and Shaman, and they all come in SE. Otherwise if you want something different it may depend on what you like, but I really like the Rock Jumper as an intro to SE. There are also some great byrd models or a SE Tenacious if you want a lower cost risk.
the photo you posted at the beginning of the tread has some knives that I like, some of them are not offered with the SE in the new catalog.

Yeah unfortunately they discontinued the sheepsfoot in SE for some reason but it can still be found at other dealers.

https://www.knifecenter.com/item/SP217G ... 10-handles

I'm currently using a Native 5 Salt MagnaCut and I really like it. It's a bit on the small side but it's turning out to be a great knife in SE.

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