I’ve been a fan for decades. I’ve got a few, and every member of my family has at least one of their own. Last I counted, we had 10 or so scattered around.
These are mine. I know some of y’all have a bunch, too. Blues probably has drawers full of them.
Clipit Rescue, original. Found while cleaning out a barracks. This one isn’t just a little bit of an awkward knife to my eyes and hand. Holding it by the handle and using the thumb hole for a regular one-hand opening is weird because the handle is narrow enough that my fingertips drag on the side of the blade the whole way out. Can do the Spyderco snap, but not the drop you can do with a heavier handle. Like all the early zytel handles, no liners.
The hole is nicely beveled, but smaller than the newer models. This matters more to those of us with larger digits, I suppose. It’s another thing that makes it awkward for me to use: the end result of being beveled and polished and small is that the hole is straight up slippery and less easy to find purchase on.
It’s a Seki City knife, made of AUS-8A, which at its time of production was hot stuff. Very corrosion resistant, moderate edge holding. For most purposes, I’m not a serration fan, but this is a purpose-built knife, so I left them on it and reprofiled the ones that were buggered by the soldier who had it before me. I’ve snorkled with this knife, and have left it in the armrest of vehicles for years at a time as a seatbelt cutter. Never has been a carry knife at all for me because of limited utility application.
Sabre hollow grinds are another thing I don’t love. Leaves a thick, bulky blade on the spine side, and when slicing, some materials seem to get suctioned onto the hollow and don’t come off easily, making working with the knife more of a chore. My first Delica had this issue, and got convexed nearly to the spine to fix it. Of course, I lost that one, so I can’t show it off.
Tenacious. I showed this one in LL’s Resilience thread. This was the first model in the China product line after Spyderco’s successful proof-of-concept producing less expensive knives in mainland China under the Byrd trademark. I don’t know if they still do, but the product line used to be called the Tenacious line after the flagship model.
The steel is 8CR13MoV, which is a Chinese formula. Very corrosion resistant, reasonable edge holding, takes a very keen edge and is easy to sharpen. Excellent full flat grind geometry and blade shape, but the edge left something to be desired as a slicer, so I convexed the edge area only. I like some things about this knife more than most, and it is a favorite, but I have reservations about it as a general purpose all the time knife for my use because the steel lined G10 handle is only just big enough for me. With the edge coming right up the the front of the handle, I have to be very careful using it because there’s only one place for my index finger to go when using it in a conventional cutting hold. On the other hand, were it my only blade, I’d get by. In spite of being a little short for me, the handle is much more substantial and workable than the original zytel clipits or even the steel Delica.
Sage 2. Titanium, frame lock, CPM S30V. Sidheshooter sold this to me several years ago, after I lost my first Delica (because polished stainless steel handles are too slippery and it slid out of my pocket). I don’t even care anymore that I lost that knife, because this one is superior for me in every way. This is, for most uses and most of the time in my life, my absolute favorite locking blade knife and one I would replace immediately if I lost it. The handle is more ergonomic, wider, lighter, better textured, there is a real and useable finger choil with great serrations top and bottom, the steel is excellent, the blade geometry is so well thought out it’s ridiculous. The frame lock is awesome for a right hand user, but awkward for left hand use.
The clip is both a strong point and a weak point. It’s a wire deep carry design that is very low profile and discreet, which is perfect for the office environment, but still allows relatively fast access carry of a substantial one-hand knife. On the other hand, it isn’t as strong as the robust spring steel clips, and doesn’t hold onto the pocket or handle as well. Round wire stock is held with a single screw into grooves cut into the titanium for the purpose. There can be movement, and the clip will bend out of shape. Still superior for my uses to the zytel clips.
Manix 2, Axis lock, sprint in M4 with translucent G10. This is a truly great knife. Steel liners for strength that are skeletonized for weight savings. When I need a bigger, more robust knife than the Sage, I grab this one and I’ll take on the world. Very ergonomic, no worries ever about the handle being too small to do real work with my big hands. The axis lock is ambidextrous and super strong. If I do ever get another Sage, if there’s one available at the time with an Axis lock, it’d be hard to get another frame lock.
My wife has an original Native and a zytel Dragonfly, my daughter has a stainless handled Dragonfly with the engraved dragonfly on it, my son has a Byrd Cara Cara that he got for camping and just loves, and I’ve got a wharncliffe Delica around here somewhere. That Delica’s pocket clip broke the second day I had it, but I decided it was better as a light drop in the slacks knife anyway, so that’s where it is, somewhere in my closet in a jacket or pair of pants I haven’t put on in a while. The Dragonfly is a super design, but too small to really be useful for me, while my daughter and wife find them a great fit.
Anyway. I expect the Para 2 posse will shortly arrive and explain why everyone should have one of those, and they’re probably right. Blues will probably show forth a drawer full of every model and generational variant.
I invite other fans to share their Spydercos, what they like about them, what they may not like, mods they’ve done, and so forth.