It would be really cool if Spyderco could switch from 8Cr13MoV for budget blades to 14C28N

[Trav64]

Looking at Larrin's data, 14c28n just seems like a pretty-darn-near ideal budget knife formula. High toughness with decent edge retention and good enough stain resistance means a knife that is hard to damage and easy to maintain which is, IMO just about perfect for entry level knives aimed at non-enthusiasts. Are there any hurdles to this switch?

Been sayin this for a while. Overall a much better steel.

[chronovore]

You’re probably more familiar with Civivi than I am. Right now, Civivi has knives in the $40-$99 street price range. At the lowest end it’s 9Cr18MoV, then D2 and at the top Damascus with CF. Their latest have Nitro-V a notch below Damascus. Handle materials are mostly G-10 with some Micarta and CF. I don’t have any Civivi but will get a couple of the Nitro-V models: Nox & Bo.

I've been watching the brand closely since they erupted into the budget market. They've been a real game-changer. There are other companies making good budget knives. Civivi is just top of the class in this price range. (I'm also looking forward to the Bo.)

Coincidentally, Civivi is now WE's mid-brand. They've spun off the Sencut brand to handle their lower end in 9Cr18Mov and D2. Quality appears to be the same.

I think the main bullet point here is that we want to see Spyderco's budget line stepping up to compete with all that. Between Civivi, Kizer, and other companies; I can get a lot of styles of pocket knife in great budget materials, with great fit and finish, for a great price. What I can't get in that zone is a Spyderco. At that price, in this market, being made of 8Cr13Mov just eliminates a knife from my consideration. Moving to 9Cr18Mov without a significant price increase would mean suddenly having Spyderco models available in that zone. That's the zone I often shop for both daily users and birthday/Christmas gifts.

[Lucabrasi]

And honestly with the movement of Civivi toward Nitro V, 14c28n, and even s35vn in a couple models, even the 9cr and d2 knives have started to seem outmoded.

Now of course I recognize the difference between them in use is likely imperceivable or close to it, but I understand where my biases reside.

I think the Tenacious in s35vn was a step in the right direction, and while there has been *****ing about the price I don’t see it as terrible. The Pintail is 85, yes with micarta but frn is good stuff how Spyderco uses it.

But in the 45 to 90 Dollar range there is just a gap in quality between Civivi and spyderco. Inclusive of the Seki models. And it seems to be widening.

[S-3 ranch]

And honestly with the movement of Civivi toward Nitro V, 14c28n, and even s35vn in a couple models, even the 9cr and d2 knives have started to seem outmoded.

Now of course I recognize the difference between them in use is likely imperceivable or close to it, but I understand where my biases reside.

I think the Tenacious in s35vn was a step in the right direction, and while there has been *****ing about the price I don’t see it as terrible. The Pintail is 85, yes with micarta but frn is good stuff how Spyderco uses it.

But in the 45 to 90 Dollar range there is just a gap in quality between Civivi and spyderco. Inclusive of the Seki models. And it seems to be widening.

Dang civivi , does offer some very good steel in that price range, nitro , N690 , D2 ,
Much different than most 8cr13mov in budget knives, glad I can get some BD1 in a raven2, but that’s really the only one ? 8cr13mov, BD1, then a huge leap to S35vn under a $100

[metaphoricalsimile]

My only problem with civivi is their bearing actions are not durable. They make fine EDC knives if you don't need to do any actual labor with them, but I know if I want a knife that can *work* I still want a Spyderco, even though the 8cr13 is not really a good value.

[RamZar]

You’re probably more familiar with Civivi than I am. Right now, Civivi has knives in the $40-$99 street price range. At the lowest end it’s 9Cr18MoV, then D2 and at the top Damascus with CF. Their latest have Nitro-V a notch below Damascus. Handle materials are mostly G-10 with some Micarta and CF. I don’t have any Civivi but will get a couple of the Nitro-V models: Nox & Bo.

I've been watching the brand closely since they erupted into the budget market. They've been a real game-changer. There are other companies making good budget knives. Civivi is just top of the class in this price range. (I'm also looking forward to the Bo.)

Coincidentally, Civivi is now WE's mid-brand. They've spun off the Sencut brand to handle their lower end in 9Cr18Mov and D2. Quality appears to be the same.

I think the main bullet point here is that we want to see Spyderco's budget line stepping up to compete with all that. Between Civivi, Kizer, and other companies; I can get a lot of styles of pocket knife in great budget materials, with great fit and finish, for a great price. What I can't get in that zone is a Spyderco. At that price, in this market, being made of 8Cr13Mov just eliminates a knife from my consideration. Moving to 9Cr18Mov without a significant price increase would mean suddenly having Spyderco models available in that zone. That's the zone I often shop for both daily users and birthday/Christmas gifts.

It's tough to compete with the likes of Civivi and Kizer in the sub $100 street price range. WE is the parent of Civivi and known for high quality and premium materials (I have a couple of their integral folders for around $300 plus a few others for lesser amounts). Civivi is also seemingly high quality and good materials. That Bo with Nitro-V and true CF for $79.50 is a steal so I'll be getting my first Civivi. Last month, I got a Kizer Swayback with N690 and G-10 for $59.00 and it has been great! While Civivi caps out at $99, WE only has one current production knife in the $100-$152 price range (Banter).

[sal]

The Chinese Yuan is set so low that it's hard for the world to compete. Just assume the cost to be 1 / 6th of what it would be on a fair playing field and you get a better understanding of what China is doing to the world.

sal

[chronovore]

It's tough to compete with the likes of Civivi and Kizer in the sub $100 street price range. WE is the parent of Civivi and known for high quality and premium materials (I have a couple of their integral folders for around $300 plus a few others for lesser amounts). Civivi is also seemingly high quality and good materials. That Bo with Nitro-V and true CF for $79.50 is a steal so I'll be getting my first Civivi. Last month, I got a Kizer Swayback with N690 and G-10 for $59.00 and it has been great! While Civivi caps out at $99, WE only has one current production knife in the $100-$152 price range (Banter).

I've had a decent amount of use and carry time with a few different models from Civivi now. I've handled and disassembled a few more. Their reputation seems well-deserved. The ebony wood Baklash and the S35VN Elementum with thinner stock have been standouts for me.

I've also had a few of the VG-10 and N690 Kizers. Overall, I'd say they do a really nice job at a great price. Their average quality isn't quite as good as Civivi but some models really hit the nail on the head for me. They released a brown Micarta Gemini last year that was just a little different than the regular version. I ended up chamfering the inner scale edges slightly but otherwise, it might be my favorite knife of 2020.

I was talking with a friend IRL about the topic issue earlier this evening. Our pipe dream of a conclusion was that Spyderco should just have WE take over their Chinese manufacturing. Seriously though, I'm very excited to see Spyderco exploring an upgrade to 9Cr18Mov.

[Cl1ff]

To me, Spyderco has almost no competition in budget knives because their designs are simply better suited to what I look for.
However, I’ll gladly welcome slight steel upgrades if it means Spyderco becomes more successful and maybe makes more knives. :p