FRN/Lightweights: I just can’t get into them

[Wartstein]

...

I could bend the handle back and forth with my fingers with very little effort. The pivot was tightened with loctite applied and the blade wasn't loose. If a little grit is all it takes to ruin the FRN handle...Well....that makes it a very cheap plastic handle.

I don't carry my knives as pocket jewelry.

That´s really weird: My knives are not pocket jewelry at all too, your pic shows a pretty typical scenario for mine:

FRN always held up even a tad better than G10, no way at all that "a little grit" could ruin the handles. Not even the un-linered ones, they do feel pretty solid (especially the Pac Salt 1 for example)

You should really give a linered FRN knife a try. In my use (pretty "hard") they beat G10 when it comes to overall durability (not by much though), and I have a lot of experience with both materials

[lilshaver]

The one thing I would prefer on the Chaparral is for the FRN scales to be thicker. As it is it is an extremely thin knife.
But without a doubt this knife is made and put together very well.

[Donut]

There seems to be a lot of different opinions from people on the market. That's why there are a lot of different companies that make different things. Kind of like the companies that make pry bars with an edge on them.

I have grown to think that if something is designed to bend, it isn't likely to break. Everyone has to draw the line on how much flex they can deal with.

Everything has to bend a little. Carbon fiber doesn't like to bend, it is rigid, but it will break way before G-10 or FRN.

I also used to carry 5oz knives with full liners, but I tend to like knives as light as possible now.

[Bolster]

The one thing I would prefer on the Chaparral is for the FRN scales to be thicker. As it is it is an extremely thin knife.
But without a doubt this knife is made and put together very well.

...And that thinness is exactly why I bought mine. If it were any thicker I'd pass. Love the thin. Thin is in!

[Wartstein]

The one thing I would prefer on the Chaparral is for the FRN scales to be thicker. As it is it is an extremely thin knife.
But without a doubt this knife is made and put together very well.

...And that thinness is exactly why I bought mine. If it were any thicker I'd pass. Love the thin. Thin is in!

+1... on this model.
The thinness, while still being built like a tank and still comfortable in hand is a defining feature of the Chap LW for me.

[kobold]

...

I carried a native five salt with LC200N for about three months. After about a month the blade was so off centered or handle so warped, the blade was cutting into the side of the handle when I closed it. About two months in I noticed the handle started chipping. I used it for about another month until I got a replacement for it, a different Spyderco of course.

Well other lightweight models do have steel liners so hopefully they would do better.

But now I have to throw this out there. I have seen some pretty beat up salts and linerless lightweights that still hold up fine. I cant see how the handle would warp that much. I can see how the blade would get off center, theres an easy fix for that though, adjust the blade and tighten the pivot and screws. Granted this needs to be done before the frn/frcp in the pivot area can get damaged.
It sounds to me like the knife got very out of spec and then continued to be used to the point of damage instead of being adjusted. Maybe the tang damaged some of the inside frcp around the pivot area letting the blade get way too loose. I could maybe see this happening if the knife was used to pry a lot, or once again if the pivot got loose and the knife kept getting used without being adjusted.
Frn/frcp also can scratch and chip but I dont let it bother me.

I could bend the handle back and forth with my fingers with very little effort. The pivot was tightened with loctite applied and the blade wasn't loose. If a little grit is all it takes to ruin the FRN handle...Well....that makes it a very cheap plastic handle.

I don't carry my knives as pocket jewelry.

To the point pic. That's how I roll also. PB washers would seal off the pivot area from all this. But instead there are no less than three relatively sizeable holes giving easy access for all the grit to the surface of the blade tang. And of course also along the ricasso.

There is some merit in da Vinci's words about simplicity, but I think this is too simplicated!

In comparison, I used a Small Sebenza in the same manner and nothing happened. I didn't clean it to this day - its washers did their job.

[vivi]

I've gotten my Pacific Salts just as dirty, and they function fine after swishing them around in a lake or sink.

[SpyderLine]

I've gotten my Pacific Salts just as dirty, and they function fine after swishing them around in a lake or sink.

I just got done using my Pacific Salt in a muddy splice pit. I rinsed all of the mud off, wiped off the water and clipped it back into my pocket!

[Sonorum]

I love aesthetics of titanium, brass, and micarta but even though I have those kinds of folders, my most carried knives are an orange Native, black Endela, and green Salt Wharncliffe. What the hand and pockets likes is slightly different from what the eyes like.

[StuntZombie]

I guess it's all down to taste. I've grown to prefer FRN handled knives, and actually prefer it when they're linerless. The ones I have will flex if I try to make them flex, but since I cut stuff with the edge of the blade and not the side, it's not a big deal. Besides, if I'm cutting something that requires me to use so much pressure that the whole knife is flexing, I probably need to find a different tool.

I know most won't agree with me, but I think adding liners to the FRN models was a step back in terms of construction as was the hollowing out on the Salt models. I can't say I noticed a significant weight difference between the older Salt models with the solid handles and the current version. The old ones definitely had less handle flex for those that consider it important, though.

[Doc Dan]

Gotta luv FRN. It is the best knife handle material for most things (not a fire!). I like how bull strong they are while still being light in weight. Plus, I can get colors. Some knife companies make their handles with too much flex, for a fact, but I've not seen too much flex in Spyderco's linerless FRN, though I have not tried the new LC200N green handles, though.

[Tucson Tom]

I guess this is an opinion poll thread. No, I can't get into FRN myself and always avoid them. They are perfectly usable, and of course Spyderco doesn't make any junk or anything that doesn't work well. But I just don't like them, so I am on board with the original poster on this.

[VooDooChild]

I guess it's all down to taste. I've grown to prefer FRN handled knives, and actually prefer it when they're linerless. The ones I have will flex if I try to make them flex, but since I cut stuff with the edge of the blade and not the side, it's not a big deal. Besides, if I'm cutting something that requires me to use so much pressure that the whole knife is flexing, I probably need to find a different tool.

I know most won't agree with me, but I think adding liners to the FRN models was a step back in terms of construction as was the hollowing out on the Salt models. I can't say I noticed a significant weight difference between the older Salt models with the solid handles and the current version. The old ones definitely had less handle flex for those that consider it important, though.

I think the old frn salt handles had a lot of good things like being one piece and not trapping sand/dirt, but I disagree on them flexing less. In my experience they can flex more. I will admit a lot of this depends on the model. My snapit salt has almost zero flex, but my atlantic salt and pacific salt 1s flex more than my salt 2. Of course that might not be a fair comparison. I really need to compare a pac salt 1 to a pac salt 2.