Which model has impacted your preferences the most?

[Evil D]

I'm betting that for many of you it's the opposite...your preferences dictate what knife you like. That's where I'm at today, but years ago that wasn't the case and I've bought a lot of knives over the years that have effected and changed my preferences.

One of those knives is without a doubt my first Spyderco, the original Native LW.


(I'll have to upload my own pic later)

While I have moved away from smaller knives, the ergonomics of this knife made such an impression on me that I've been following the basic formula for over a decade now. I still prefer designs with no thumb ramp, I still love the blade shape and it is a big reason I like lowered blade tips and shallow bellies, and about the only thing I've moved away from are finger choils but that's more with full size knives and I still want them on models in this smaller size range.

I would buy a "throwback edition" of the Native 5 with that same swedge and hollow grind in a heartbeat.

I know there was already a hollow grind version but it's gotta be the total package, I want the swedge and serrations. I would really love to see that FRN pattern again, but that would require expensive molds, so maybe machined in G10?



Anyway, I'd say the second most influential model for me has to be the Military.



This was the model that really opened my eyes to the advantages of carrying larger knives. For most of my life I stuck with 3 inch or smaller knives, mostly because it was beat into my head as a kid that generally that was what was legal and safe to carry. Once I got older and understood the laws better I gave this knife a try and it really shook up my preferences.

Besides the size of it, this is the model that made me aware of lowered blade angles and the benefits of full grip knives (I spent most of my life getting by with 3 finger grips). This knife taught me that big knives don't have to be heavy and cumbersome and can be a "carry and forget" situation.





So what are yours? Really give this some thought, because ironically enough those are two models that I don't even carry much these days, so this isn't necessarily about "what are your favorites" because making an impression on you doesn't automatically mean that something is your favorite. This topic could even include negative experiences where you hated a design so much that you stopped buying models that included a particular feature. What models have the features that have most impacted your preferences?

[standy99]

The Delica changed the way I think of knives the most.

Usually a better knife like a GB1 or a PM2, Para3 was my style.

Getting a few Delica,s as a second knife with a few knives ( Cheaper to buy two for shipping type of mentally ) I began to appreciate more of a no worries I can replace it for a few dollars style of carrying. Also being a lot lighter than the others it slips in a pair of shorts better with everything else that gets carried. (Never use clips on light gym shorts as it’s a two hand job getting the clip off)

Don’t get me wrong I still enjoy a better knife.

I just enjoy a swag of Delicas I can grab when I don’t have to worry about, and not like losing a GB1 that is not made anymore.

This has led to carrying a knife a lot more on days off and walking the dog where I probably wouldn’t take a knife.

[JSumm]

This in an interesting topic David. Thanks for starting this. There are two for me. Although, I occasionally stray from these, they typically dictate what I carry the most today.

FRN & Blade Thickness - Was not my first choice in handle material. My first experience was the Para 3 LW. I just did not connect with it. I think the lightness of the Para 3 scales, open back, and heavier thicker blade just did not balance well for me. It wasn't until I got and Endela that it really clicked for me. It wasn't the looks, but the material in use made a lot of sense for me for EDC. Just a fantastic user knife. This knife also sold me on a thinner blade stock. It has pratically the same edge profile and length as the PM2 that I was currently carrying at the time. This Endela felt better for me in pocket, better in hand, and had a thinner blade than the PM2. It killed carrying a PM2 for me when I had this. With the performance of the thinner blade, I just could not choose the PM2 over the Endela to go in my pocket.


Edge Profile - The Endela seemed to have a more upswept blade than the Delica and the Endura. May be just my perception.

The Manix with its slightly curving belly had proved to me that I prefer a slight belly over a more sweeping belly. I like the benefit of the Wharncliffe blade for certain projects, but for everyday carry, I felt a little belly was ideal. But the preference for only a slight belly has stuck around. So edge profiles like the Manix, the Caly, and even the Kapara appeal to me, and I look for blades with that slight belly.




The Endura combines all of what I prefer. Slight belly with FRN.


I can go both ways with a finger choil. There are models that I really like that have a choil and models I really like that don't. I have thought at times my preference went one way and then thought it went another. Now I know I appreciate both. I really just appreciate Spyderco's emphasis on ergonomics in general. We have a lot of really great choices.

Like you David, I prefer a choil on smaller handles. The Native 5 for instance feels locked in with a choil. On the Delica, I feel like my hand is slipping of the back of the handle due to its shortness. For that size, I want a finger choil.

[JSumm]

I forgot to mention, the Endela also encouraged me to carry longer blades. Where before, I did not like a knife in my pocket taking up a lot of space and weight. The Endela was a gateway to carrying longer blades. Now I cannot wait to see the Native Chief Lightweight in the wild. Light, long, and narrow in the pocket.

[Naperville]

Native 5 in Maxamet did it for me. I started to see the Spyderco knife design quite differently.

[cycleguy]

Spyderco's standard black Delica.

Bought it because it was my preference ... a smallish EDC.

Primary impact the knife has had on me is an obsession with FRN, a Spydie hole, a backlock, and a pocket clip ... which remains front and center with all my folder knife purchases these days.

These discoveries didn't become apparent until owning other knives with different locks, modes of deployment, and scale materials.

[The Deacon]

I'd have to say it was my first Spyderco, the Peter Herbst. I loved the Spyderhole opener but I disliked pretty much everything else about it. It showed me what to avoid in my future Spyderco purchases. Namely, wrong handed locks, fat handles, aluminum handles, and models with nothing between my fingers and the blade's edge.

[JRinFL]

For me it was also the Native. Without have seen it in the used case and asked to hold it, I would have avoided Spydercos altogether.

[Doc Dan]

The Caly3 is what did it for me, and then the Delica following that.

[jwbnyc]

Rescue, Delica.

[skeeg11]

Spyderco reinforced that design was the most important factor for me.

[JonLeBlanc]

I'd say the Delica, because even though it's a little small, the overall design heuristics are what I like (and we can see them across the entire Spyderco lineup)

[SG89]

Caly 3.5, native 5 lightweight,para3

[Mr Blonde]

The 'model' that impacted my preferences the most was the 204 Sharpmaker. Once I learned how to properly sharpen a knife, it impacted my use and preferences for other knives. As far as knives go, it's likely the Military that impacted my knife preferences the most. In my experience, it proved to be a better choice for me (at the time) than many other higher priced knives. I sold my Sebenza after I got my Military and the Sharpmaker.

[Manixguy@1994]

No words needed .MG2

[Chuck James]

I have been using 3 Spyderco knives as of late that have made an impression on my opinion.

[ChrisinHove]

Definitely the Delica. It felt like a very expensive pocket knife to buy, but very quickly felt worth it.

[Mushroom]

The Superleaf, the Native 5, and the Kiwi 4.

Before I got into Spyderco, brand didn’t really matter to me. If I liked the design that was enough for me to want the knife. I would always see them in my searches but for some reason I was reluctant to look into Spyderco knives. (Biggest mistake I could have made at the time)

Then one day, during one of my aimless searches through some knife retailers website, I stumbled upon a new design from Spyderco called the “Superleaf” and I immediately reevaluated my knife tastes. That design put Spyderco on my map permanently and it drew me in like a fly on…. Like a mosquito to a bug zapper. I wanted it so bad but it was well above my budget at the time.

After that, my journey down the Spyderhole quickly lead me to another new design from Spyderco, the Native 5! It was love at first sight. LOL It was a “perfect” knife in my eyes, everything about it was just right to me. I thought “If I get that Native 5, I’ll never need to buy another knife again.” It seemed that perfect for me. (Except for the fact that it was technically illegal for me to carry where I lived at the time.) (Still carried it daily for a couple years )

So then after a couple years of being a Spyderco convert, they released the Kiwi 4 and I fell head over heels for that design. I just loved how sleek and elegant it looked. I also got a sense of “character” from it that I found very appealing.

Seeing the diversity of designs Spyderco was willing to produce really made me start appreciate them more and really changed my preferences as a whole. So basically, I can credit those designs for why I prefer Spyderco over all other brands now.

[benben]

My three gateway models were a serrated Cricket, my Wegner Jr, and the Superleaf, in that order.

Those three were diverse enough to lead me to basically the four models I carry now 90% of the time.

Manix Cru-Wear sprint.
Endela K390.
Pacific Salt serrated H1.
Massad Ayoob.

I can pretty much handle anything with these four knives!

[40mm]

Dragonfly Salt with serrated H1. That knife gave me a love for the serrated edge and the simplicity of a linerless, washerless, plastic handled knife.