Spyderco Forums

Over the past few months I've taken most the gear out of my EDC drawer, and have stuck to a few models I prefer over the others. I've gotten to the point where I only have four Spydercos in that drawer:

- Police 4 LW
- Pacific Salt SE
- Street Beat
- Street Bowie


I carry the Police when I want a folder. Street Beat when I want to carry a fixed blade. Street Bowie for hikes & camping. Pacific Salt when I want a rust proof folder (Which isn't often over the winter, suppose I could cut it down to 3).

This isn't to say I'm going to sell my Manix XL, Swick 3, Szabo folder etc., but admitting to myself they don't function as well as the knives on my list for my day to day needs.

Byrd Raven 2
Cat
Calypso Jr
Salt 2
SpyDK (As travel knife that won't be offensive anywhere)

I really don't rotate, I take days off from my main carry. My work days are almost always a Caribbean (though I did pick up my Autonomy today) and then on my days off I've been carrying my Shaman..

I was just thinking about knife rotation this morning. I tend to carry the same knife for long periods of time and I see a lot of benefits to that. First I feel that it really gets me an intimate feel for the model, something I don't feel like I get when I switch out models a lot. Second I like the peace of mind of muscle memory and knowing exactly what to expect when drawing a knife. This is such a big deal for me that I don't carry a new knife for work until I've carried it a good amount outside of work first. It doesn't happen often but sometimes when I use a knife it's in a serious hurry and I don't want mishaps. Third and this is my favorite part, is that I always find myself coming back around to models that I haven't carried in a long time and every time I do it's like getting a new knife all over again. Last night it dawned on me that I hadn't used my Autonomy in a long time and just feeling it in my hand put a smile on my face. Maybe you guys who rotate a lot get this feeling each time you rotate? I dunno, it just doesn't work like that for me and when I really find myself meshing well with a model it actually gives a low level of anxiety leaving the house without it. In a way it's sort of like carrying a gun, I'm not leaving the house with a firearm that I don't feel completely confident in handling and I also very rarely change my CCW choice.

Evil D wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:17 pm

I really don't rotate, I take days off from my main carry. My work days are almost always a Caribbean (though I did pick up my Autonomy today) and then on my days off I've been carrying my Shaman..

I was just thinking about knife rotation this morning. I tend to carry the same knife for long periods of time and I see a lot of benefits to that. First I feel that it really gets me an intimate feel for the model, something I don't feel like I get when I switch out models a lot. Second I like the peace of mind of muscle memory and knowing exactly what to expect when drawing a knife. This is such a big deal for me that I don't carry a new knife for work until I've carried it a good amount outside of work first. It doesn't happen often but sometimes when I use a knife it's in a serious hurry and I don't want mishaps. Third and this is my favorite part, is that I always find myself coming back around to models that I haven't carried in a long time and every time I do it's like getting a new knife all over again. Last night it dawned on me that I hadn't used my Autonomy in a long time and just feeling it in my hand put a smile on my face. Maybe you guys who rotate a lot get this feeling each time you rotate? I dunno, it just doesn't work like that for me and when I really find myself meshing well with a model it actually gives a low level of anxiety leaving the house without it. In a way it's sort of like carrying a gun, I'm not leaving the house with a firearm that I don't feel completely confident in handling and I also very rarely change my CCW choice.

I know what you mean about muscle memory. I was doing some work on my Tasman Salt the other day, reprofiling the edge to a thinner angle. When I went to open it there wasn't an opening hole there! I was so used to opening my Police. I used the same opening motion and it put my thumb past the blade.

I basically bounce between the Police and Street Beat these days. Some outfits work better for fixed blades than others, and where I'm going comes into play too.

Vivi wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:22 pm

Evil D wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:17 pm

I really don't rotate, I take days off from my main carry. My work days are almost always a Caribbean (though I did pick up my Autonomy today) and then on my days off I've been carrying my Shaman..

I was just thinking about knife rotation this morning. I tend to carry the same knife for long periods of time and I see a lot of benefits to that. First I feel that it really gets me an intimate feel for the model, something I don't feel like I get when I switch out models a lot. Second I like the peace of mind of muscle memory and knowing exactly what to expect when drawing a knife. This is such a big deal for me that I don't carry a new knife for work until I've carried it a good amount outside of work first. It doesn't happen often but sometimes when I use a knife it's in a serious hurry and I don't want mishaps. Third and this is my favorite part, is that I always find myself coming back around to models that I haven't carried in a long time and every time I do it's like getting a new knife all over again. Last night it dawned on me that I hadn't used my Autonomy in a long time and just feeling it in my hand put a smile on my face. Maybe you guys who rotate a lot get this feeling each time you rotate? I dunno, it just doesn't work like that for me and when I really find myself meshing well with a model it actually gives a low level of anxiety leaving the house without it. In a way it's sort of like carrying a gun, I'm not leaving the house with a firearm that I don't feel completely confident in handling and I also very rarely change my CCW choice.

I know what you mean about muscle memory. I was doing some work on my Tasman Salt the other day, reprofiling the edge to a thinner angle. When I went to open it there wasn't an opening hole there! I was so used to opening my Police. I used the same opening motion and it put my thumb past the blade.

I basically bounce between the Police and Street Beat these days. Some outfits work better for fixed blades than others, and where I'm going comes into play too.

Something that isn't often discussed here is the circle of motion that the thumb hole goes through and how that differs on various models. Even on the two Caribbean blade shapes there's enough difference on where the hole is that you immediately feel it going from one to the other. I remember Sal mentioning that this is something they do focus on in development and on some models it really feels better to me than on others.

For me for a long time it normally was just Stretch 1 (VG10, sometimes HAP40) or Endura 4 ffg (also VG10 or HAP40). Very rarely other knives, that I wanted to try out and did sell off later again (Manix 2, Kapara, Stretch 2...)

So a certain Endura or a certain Stretch 1 stayed in my pocket for several weeks or even month, before I switched to the other model of the two (Stretch 1 or Endura).

That somehow changed when I got the Endela SE. Its ffg, shallow-serrated blade proofed to be just a superior cutter in my day to day use, even compared to the already great blades of Endura PE and Stretch 1 PE.

I reached now for the Endela SE more often than not, but sometimes just missed the longer (and in that aspect more versatile and usefull) edges and the familiar feel of my long time companions Stretch 1 and Endura 4.
For whatever reason that changed my "rotation habit" completely, starting about 6 month ago or so: I rotate now much more often then in the past (when one and the same knife stayed in my pocket for up to two month, and I genererally rotated only between two models anyway), I´d say 40 percent of the time it´s the Endela SE, the remaining 60 % are split between some Endura, Stretch 1 or lately the great Pac Salt SE, rather randomly and irregularely.

So, long story short:

My "main EDC" rotation knives are these four (maybe five) models, two of them in either VG10 or HAP 40, so in total six to seven actual knives:

Stretch 1 (most times VG10); Endura 4 (50 % VG10, 50% HAP 40); Endela SE; Pac Salt SE (this one almost always "outdoors": Mountaineering, hiking, trailrunning, unless I want to got really small, than it´s the Chap FRN.

My Delica CE and PM 2 see almost no use anymore, but these two I still want to keep, while I sold several others quite recently (Military,Endura SG...)

Maybe i should clarify that my "rotation" also is like monthly to even yearly basis. I think i carried the Cat last 2016, the Raven 2 i haven't carried this year and so on :)

Evil D wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:28 pm

Vivi wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:22 pm

Evil D wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:17 pm

I really don't rotate, I take days off from my main carry. My work days are almost always a Caribbean (though I did pick up my Autonomy today) and then on my days off I've been carrying my Shaman..

I was just thinking about knife rotation this morning. I tend to carry the same knife for long periods of time and I see a lot of benefits to that. First I feel that it really gets me an intimate feel for the model, something I don't feel like I get when I switch out models a lot. Second I like the peace of mind of muscle memory and knowing exactly what to expect when drawing a knife. This is such a big deal for me that I don't carry a new knife for work until I've carried it a good amount outside of work first. It doesn't happen often but sometimes when I use a knife it's in a serious hurry and I don't want mishaps. Third and this is my favorite part, is that I always find myself coming back around to models that I haven't carried in a long time and every time I do it's like getting a new knife all over again. Last night it dawned on me that I hadn't used my Autonomy in a long time and just feeling it in my hand put a smile on my face. Maybe you guys who rotate a lot get this feeling each time you rotate? I dunno, it just doesn't work like that for me and when I really find myself meshing well with a model it actually gives a low level of anxiety leaving the house without it. In a way it's sort of like carrying a gun, I'm not leaving the house with a firearm that I don't feel completely confident in handling and I also very rarely change my CCW choice.

I know what you mean about muscle memory. I was doing some work on my Tasman Salt the other day, reprofiling the edge to a thinner angle. When I went to open it there wasn't an opening hole there! I was so used to opening my Police. I used the same opening motion and it put my thumb past the blade.

I basically bounce between the Police and Street Beat these days. Some outfits work better for fixed blades than others, and where I'm going comes into play too.

Something that isn't often discussed here is the circle of motion that the thumb hole goes through and how that differs on various models. Even on the two Caribbean blade shapes there's enough difference on where the hole is that you immediately feel it going from one to the other. I remember Sal mentioning that this is something they do focus on in development and on some models it really feels better to me than on others.

Yep, and its tough to get a feel for that based on photos. When I handled a Native Chief for the first time the opening motion didn't feel nearly as good as my Police, and that alone made me decide to stick with the Police over the Chief.

Usually around 4. These ones right now

Delica (of some sort)
Dragonfly (of some sort)
Junction
Chaparral

On average, six.

I have an EDC dump tray and keep, what could be considered, an "active rotation" there. At times I've had a little over a dozen knives in there but on average there are usually about six knives in the tray that I'll rotate through.

Personally, I don't need my EDC knife for optimizing maximum daily efficiency, I just need it to cut things. Sure, my Chaparral will slice things better than my Magnitude but sometimes I feel like carrying the Magnitude because its a nice knife. I know I could carry a Stretch and do everything my McBee will do, but the McBee is a badass design that still cuts well. That's more than enough reason for me to keep it in my "active rotation." :)

:spyder:

I usually keep 6 or 7 out of their boxes, in rotation.

As for the ones I go to more than any others. The two I used and carried most since I bought my first :spyder: , most comfortable with overall - PM2 and Native 5.

The others in regular rotation, out of their box,

- Chaparral
- Caly 3
- Delica
- Ikuchi
- Military

Although I imagine all my Spydies comprising a rotation—all are users—I don’t really rotate.

I glom on to ones (perhaps three or four) that come to mind, then carry the one most compelling until another calls to me. Could be weeks before I respond.

If recurring periods of unique cutting-tasks occupied my life, I suppose my choices would be differently made.

I try to keep it below 5 to avoid going crazy about rotating :-D

Currently
Native 5 Salt
Native 5 Cruwear
Military
Caribbean Sheepsfoot
Endela SE

My current work knife rotation (listed according to frequency of carry):

• Native 5 Lightweight Combo Edge
• Salt 2 Spyder Edge
• Delica 4 Combo Edge
• Tasman Salt 2 Spyder Edge

On non-work days, I carry whatever I feel like carrying or whatever I feel is most appropriate for the day's tasks. If I'm trail running/speed hiking, I usually carry a light, highly corrosion-resistant blade like a Native 5 Lightweight Salt or a Dragonfly 2 Salt Hawkbill; if I have to attend some social event, I carry something discreet like a Chaparral FRN, a Dragonfly 2, a Li'l Native, a UK Penknife, or a Spy-DK. And some days I just feel like carrying a Yojimbo 2 or a Karahawk or an Introvert or even a small-ish fixed-blade like the Ronin 2 or the Enuff (or even a non-Spyderco fixed-blade).

Are we talking models, or individual knives. If models, it would be 7: Jester, Kiwi, Stretch, Chaparral, Kopa, Centofante Memory, and Atlantic Salt. But, the Kiwi is any one of 60+, the Stretch any one of a dozen or so, the Kopa one of 3, and the Chaparral one of 2.

Basically it's my Jester and one of my Kiwis every day plus a Stretch most days I'm not going to Greenville, replaced by my Atlantic Salt if it's warm and raining and I have to walk the dog or a Chaparral, Kopa or Centofante Memory if I'm going into Greenville.

As far as Spyderco "Users" that I keep on hand I would say about 15 total. However in the past 2 years or so my I've pretty much stuck to about 4 total. My M390 Military ( main EDC) along with my ATS-55 Stainless handled RESCUE, Full SE, H-1 Spyderhawk, And a C-60 Massad Ayoob PE.

That is my main rotation set up and has worked well for me in the past 2 years.

Many

Not really a rotation... PM3 at work (maxamet) and Mili (Cruwear) and Shaman (Cruwear or S90V) at home / in the field.

I try to use all of my knives, but I don't beat on them. My goal for 2020 would be to invest in duplicates of every Spyderco that I own so that I don't have to worry about them being discontinued or damaged.

I also have a few that I would like micarta sheaths made so that I could more easily mount them on my belt.

I don’t rotate knives for the sake of rotation, variety or fidget factor.

My tendency is to favour a knife, carry, use it and forget about others. Every now and then I rediscover a knife I’ve had for sometimes years and forgotten about so I’ll carry that for a while and the cycle just goes no like that.

At the moment my Ladybug SE HB sees most pocket time and I really like my Advocate too albeit after a rocky start.

The Military’s I used to rotate don’t see much pocket time at all lately but they’re still my favourite large folders and always close handy. :)