My One-A-Day thread

[demoncase]

30 days in an time for a treat:

Sante Fe Stonework Vielle 2.

The Vielle is one of those models that only some folks recall. On the original there's the steel bolster only on the port side, with the starboard side being all G10, which always struck me as odd but the overall shape is sleek.

This one has been tarted up by SFW with gold mother of pearl and apache gold( seems to have pyrite in it) . Very cool in the hand but a complete sod to photograph!

A perfect hard use folding pry bar. Not.

[demoncase]

Salsas

Top model is one of the original aluminum anodized model in AUS 8- later variants deleted the pepper machining
Bottom one is the titanium model which has the integral comp lock with the ATS-34 steel

These were my first Compression Lock Spydercos.

For me, the Salsa are an underrated (or perhaps somewhat forgotten) model that deserve a sprint run in more modern steels. I'd have loved a full SE model too, as I think the deep, flat blade would turn that into a cutting monster.

There are so many features that make them great: the short/deep blade shape is 'people friendly'- it's non threatening while adding serious performance. Full fat grind of course helps matters but there's the cobra hood that really adds so much to the feel and controllability of the knife on deep cuts. Even the choice of deep carry wire clip is right.....I'm raving a little, I realize, but for me the Salsa is just enough knife for pretty much every need I have.

[demoncase]

Persistence

This came to me second hand as a user and I then also used it heavily. After a period where it lay, passed over and ignored for sexier steels and funky new models, I thought about adding some custom scales. Etsy had some wooden ones listed- these are walnut I think. I acid etched the blade to produce a knife that anyone's granddad would be happy to call traditional.

As a knife it is- unsurprisingly- basic. Ergonomically, it's crying out for a choil, but is otherwise fine for general donkey-work.
I must admit I've never really grown to like the shape of the Value range blades- they seem ill defined. Not pointy enough somehow.

Alphabet Soup steel is fine and dandy- edge retention with cardboard and donkey work shades similar price 'Other Brand' knifes by a margin in my usage, but isn't a patch on VG10 or similar.

Since I took this photo, I've since re-finished the wood in a lighter un-stained finish with a Birchwood-Casey gunstock kit I had lying around, as well as taking the moment to profile the edges more.

[demoncase]

Leafstorm.

I tend to think of this knife as the distant ancestor of the current Techno- similar high-quality, high-finish knife but in a small package. The Leafstorm oozes class- the S30V blade is scary-sharp, the lightly textured translucent jade G10 is beautiful and the whole thing sits in your hand with a weight of authority. At the time it came out, the MSRP compared to the size put a lot of folks off.....I wonder if a sprint run today (where smaller knives seem to be gaining popularity) would be more successful?

In truth, I'd say the Techno is more usable, but the Leafstorm is prettier.

I've grown to love the 'asymmetric build' style in general- where one scale is one material and the lock side is (usually) titanium. The blade shape is great- though if you push it with very deep cuts (like through a TV cardboard box), you can find the material slipping off the 'back' of the edge and into that unsharpened notch. A niggle and a salient reminder that you're being silly with a little knife.

As a gent's folder it's hard to beat. The only 'bad' feature is that the blade is razor sharp all the way to the rear- making a point right where your index finger finds itself. I took a Sharpmaker rod and lightly radiused that back point away so I don't risk puncturing my finger (again)

[SpeedHoles]

I know they probably shy away from heavily altering the designs of collaboration models, but if they ever did a knife like this with a shallow choil, I'd be much more interested!

[demoncase]

Lil Matriarch.

A little history: The Matriarch 2 is (basically) a tweaked reverse-S Civilian blade in an Endura 4 FRN body
The Lil Matriarch was intended to be the 'little brother version'- a smaller reverse S blade in the body of Delica 4.

However, the Lil Matriarch didn't last very long, being disco'd in 2014- probably a combination of production pressures and I imagine low sales
In comparison the Mat'2 does well because not everyone wants to ante up for the Civilian.
The Lil' doesn't have an equivalent 'premium' model it's the more economical understudy of....and worst still, the folks like me that love hawkbills in this size range are more than amply served by the Harpy and Tasman salt.

All that said- it's a great little knife: just enough S shaped in the blade to make into on a really aggressive cutter. Perfect for plastic straps, webbing and rope cutting- especially that nylon rope that seems almost polished, as the serrations grab it securely.
The high thumb position on the blade top is very handy for deep cuts and you'll need to have washed your hands in silicone to loose grip of that FRN.

Other than that, the build is 'so much Delica' that we all know and love- VG10, solid play-free back lock, near perfect pocket clip.
I've carried and used it a fair amount....It's a great choice for when a Delica's what you want in terms of size and weight, but you need just that bit more cutting power. (YMMV of course!)

There's a plain edge dealer run for Bento Box- but apart from that, this is the one hit wonder that was the Lil Matriarch....Frankly, a knife I believed deserved to do better.

[demoncase]

Getting in early for tomorrow:

A pair of hawkbills.

While the Tasman Salt is obviously a different model, I feel that it and the Harpy live together as bird's of a feather.

The Harpy has been a mainstay of my collection for many years, seeing much pocket time whenever there was anything to do with fishing or water. When cutting lines or indeed trimming small branches, I struggle a little with a lack of depth perception. Being able to 'hook' the object in with the hawkbill then cut it makes for much easier time. Rust resistance of the VG10 blade has been fine, but I did pick up some brown spots on the teeth a few years back after some salt-water work. Nothing some Autosol and 10 minutes didn't sort out- and keep out

The Salt I added- well, because I wanted to see what a truly rust proof hawkbill was like. The old skool 'Volcano' patterned grip has a place in my heart too, so it's a no brainer.
While I've found the H1's edge retention in this serrated edge to be similar to VG10, one thing I immediately spotted is that the blade flats have scratched with every use- they almost look like someone has rubbed at them with 800 grit paper. My H1 Ladybug has the same from similar use- so it's an issue with the H1's relative scratch resistance.

Other than that, performance is as you'd expect from a Delica sized lock back- not issues to speak of.
The Harpy is one that any self respecting SpydieFan must have.....The Tasman Salt is nice, but not as nice to my mind :)

[demoncase]

Early for the morrow:

Adventura

Picked this up new and in the box for a song ages ago.

Not much to say apart from it's got more slots than a Scalextrix set and has solid all steel build....Always looked to me like much of the aerospace products about my place of work: machined down to save weight wherever possible.
Nicely weighted and a spear-point VG10 blade with a nice belly too it- the 50/50 choil is right here too.

[demoncase]

Happy 37th Birthday to me!

A Trio of Natives.

Top one is the 2015 Forum knife- with a handle colour designed to photograph differently every time you do so. I love it!....The S90V hasn't been field tested yet, but I can say it opens mail with aplomb

Middle one is the AUS10 all stainless model which has always been a rarity on these shores. I haven't noticed a major difference betwixt AUS10 and VG10, but maybe that's me.

Bottom one is a III in VG10- one of my old stalwart knives and the 4th or 5th Spyderco I ever bought. I have done amazing amounts of work with this- even prepping then carving a roast beef dinner for 5 with it when every knife in the holiday cottage kitchen appeared to be blunter than a 2x4.

I can recall clearly when (in the UK certainly) the Native was "the" hot ticket Spyderco for all uses...Much like the PM2 is today. I have parted out a black-bladed one on the past. While I like the deep choiled design, I find the 3 most ergonomic but bulky in the pocket yet the slimmer current -5 and earlier stainless model less so.

[demoncase]

S

Another one of my early purchases- this is another amazing demonstration piece:
Metal injection moulded 440C blade, openwork alloy handle with Almite hard-coating and a comp lock.
Despite the artistry involved, it's a great little blade and that MIM440C takes a mean edge.

This is another knife which illicits more interest than fear from non-knife-peeps.... It just looks fun and people want to know how it was made.

The overall shape and ergonomics feel a lot like the slightly smaller Salsa....A solid Sprint like the recent R Nishijin sprint would be interesting

[demoncase]

Caly Jnr

This came to badly abused- the edge was more notch than edge.....This was the point I found how much fun can be had resharpening ZDP189

I like the steel lined pocket clip holes and the fish-scale chequering. Another user in the Delica size range

[demoncase]

Small Persian 2

This model is the one that sold me on Ed Schemp's designs- the ergonomics of the handle just melt into the hand. Lovely to flip from a tip up to tip down position in the hand- I describe the balance as 'lively' for that reason

Very slicey FFG, and the long belied blade also makes this useful for chopping herbs on a board with a proper rocking action.
The price of all those swoopy handle and blade shapes is that it does take up a bit of pocket space and isn't that 'stealthy'- the point of the handle protrudes from the pocket a fair way.

[demoncase]

Des Horn.

Another Gents folder- this is a super-lightweight in build liner lock. Opening action is slick too.
The polished G10 handle is utterly sublime.
The blade is very slim and very, very fine at the point- if you need a splinter removing from a thumb, this is the puppy you need...Definately not for batoning the log that gave you that splinter in the first place.

There's something of an Art Deco theme to the styling that I like a lot- it's very refined.

[demoncase]

PITS

The first of my many non-lockers- the PITS is also about the most expensive of them too, but it's the classiest.
That polished titanium is very special- the holes do provide a certain amount of grip too.
Snaps open nicely- the tighter you grip the handle the more 'lock' the back portion provides.

The style and feel of the knife seems to share DNA with the earlier ATR- but that's purely coincidental.

[demoncase]

Meerkat.

Another 'collector's essential' I feel- The Phantom lock is very cute and enormous fun to pass around fellow knife afis.
Snaps open nicely and the closing action (once fathomed!) is equally slick. There are Victorian 'puzzle knives' out there which have a trick to opening- The Meerkat is a modernized variant thereof

The Navigator styling and thick scales make the Meerkat surprisingly comfortable for such a small knife- you can get a full 4 finger grip on it. The AUS-6 steel is ok, not mind-blowing in terms of modern steels, but fine and dandy for a small watch-pocket folder like the Meerkat.

One weakness is there is a bit of movement in the 'lock side scale' when you do deep cuts on cardboard- which is an odd feeling when we are all used to rock-solid lockers. I did own the reverse S serrated model but sold it for that feeling reason.

[demoncase]

Snap It.

A relatively early 'special purpose' Spydie, I think this was designed as a climber's knife- to clip onto the harness or a carabiner.
Sensibly in a full serrated edge, it's great for cutting ropes and straps, but obviously the clip gets in the way if you start doing deep cuts on cardboard etc.

FRN Handle has the classic soft Kraton inlay of Spydercos of the period- nice to see it in an unperished state too.

[demoncase]

Worker.

This is probably a 3rd 'gen' of the actual CO1- so a 3 screw clip, an unsharpened swedge and muchos beveling at the edges and in the spyderhole. But I wouldn't consider my collection complete without a representative of this model- especially serrated edged

A very pointy tip makes this handy for parcel opening and the like. Size wise, it feels a bit smaller than the benchmark Delica, but the all steel build gives it a nice weight. GIN-1 is also piece of Spyderco history too.

[demoncase]

Equilibrium.

Another friendly looking little knife- and one I feel gets a bit over looked.
The deep choil on this marries with overall ergonomics to create a fantastic little utility blade for most office and warehouse needs- it's most at home opening mail and boxes. Also makes a great little craft knife, as the control over the tip seems finer than a lot of other knives.

The design is highly reminiscent of the Cricket- but with more room for my sausage-like fingers. It's very slim and flat in the pocket.

[demoncase]

Dyad Jnr.
This is the ATS-55 model with the micarta scales.

Not much to say- it's perhaps a little small for my purposes but still gives that hand choice between PE and SE in a single package.
I feel this is about the right 'scale' for the Dyad concept in terms of thickness though,

[demoncase]

Crickets.

The top one is another one of my heavily used knives- I stripped it down and gave it a stonewash finish to hide the scratches.
Bottom one has not had much pocket time.

This is the slimmest, smallest knife I'd consider seriously useful- I struggle to get 2 and half fingers on the grip but the "double choil" style makes it controllable still. A single measure distillation of everything Spyderco are all about.