Dragonfly 2 suggestions...

[Drew78]

Hello everyone!

I am looking to add a smaller Spyderco to my lineup. I have decided on the Dragonfly 2 platform, now I have a few questions on 2 specific blade steels offered in this knife.

The first if ZDP. I know about it, but have never had any. this knife would be a backup to my PM2's and would see light work. I want to try ZDP out and think this may be a good way to get into it plus the thickness on this knife looks nice and thin. Can ZPD tolerate a 30deg inclusive cutting bevel without chipping?

The second it the SERRATED H1 blade. I have read stuff here and there about H1. It is intriguing to me, but I am at a loss on what I read. The PE is supposed to be soft but the SE is "work hardened" and is supposed to have really great edge retention? Can anyone clarify this for me or point me in the direction where I can self educate some more? I have Googled a bunch and read a bunch, but am still left looking for a bit more clarification.

thanks to all in advance!!!

p.s. I will have a dup post over on BF for those of you who cross over :)

[farnorthdan]

If you dont have any super blue yet, the dragonfly is spectacular in SB.

[3rdGenRigger]

For light work ZDP should certainly hold up at 30 degrees without chipping. The factory edge on most any knife will be a little weaker right at the apex due to the heat generated while grinding the edge bevel, so performance typically improves after a few sharpenings anyways. I've never had problems with ZDP at 30 degrees personally.

As to the H1 question, it is rolled out in sheets if I remember correctly, and is not heat treated. The actual machining of the steel is what hardens it so it's going to be softer at the spine than it is at the edge, and the SE is indeed harder than the PE at the edge, though the spines should be the same. Most people see performance a little below VG-10 out of the PE, but at the edge the SE tests out close in hardness to ZDP and has excellent edge retention.

If you're planning on using the knife in a corrosion prone manner, you may see small rust flecks on the ZDP. It's "Technically" stainless, but very poor as far as that goes due to the high carbon content (Most steels are considered stainless at 12-13% Chromium and ZDP has 20%, but the 3% Carbon is VERY high compared to almost anything so it can corrode). I've seen small rust flecks on ZDP personally, but they rubbed off easily on my finger because they were so shallow, but still something to think about...you won't get H1 to rust no matter what you do with it.

I'd get the ZDP Dragonfly and pair it with a SE Hawkbill Ladybug Salt for your keychain...then you'll be ready for anything.

[Holland]

Branden seems to have elaborated on everything. I personally would prefer the salt se if I was in your position. Would work great paired with a para2 and you will have both edge types at your disposal. I would also recommend getting a SB dragonfly while they are still attainable

[Drew78]

Thanks guys, info is much appreciated.

I am all about buying 2 knives so I don't have to choose one.

Holland-
I don't know much about Super Blue. what is it about SB that makes you recommend it? I am curious. KC is out of stock on it and they are one of my preferred sources....

[farnorthdan]

I recommend the super blue because of its ease of sharpening and the fact that it holds a razor edge for what seems like a very long time.


edit...its also a sprint run and will probably be hard to find for a decent price down the road.

[3rdGenRigger]

SuperBlue, being non-stainless, is definitely one of the easiest steels to sharpen, and it is also very stable at the apex and responds very well to low edge angles as a result. For light work you could easily go 25 inclusive or lower with SuperBlue. Just know that it's a high end carbon steel and as such is extremely corrosion prone. If that bothers you I'd stay away from it, but otherwise it is a very fun steel to use. It is laminated which helps because the cladding is stainless, but the part near the edge can rust if you don't look after it. I forced a patina on my SuperBlue knives to help prevent future corrosion...here's my Stretch after about 30-40 minutes stuck in an onion to show what I'm talking about.

[sdedalus83]

If you want a smaller knife for precision tasks, get a plain edge. If it's just a backup, either will do.

Super blue is great for push cuts through thread and fabric, so the sb df2 is always in my coin pocket at work. I did use a zdp df2 as my only knife for 2 months. The edge held up much better than s30v, but the pivot really loosened up. I cut through a lot of 4 and 6 layer cardboard, and many of the boxes have plywood or mdf support boards. The plywood doesn't do much damage, but the mdf will turn my manix xl into a butterknife if I forget to be careful on corners. Zdp held up a lot better, but it's much harder to sharpen once it gets blunt.

Get the super blue version soon. If you like it, you'll probably add a zdp or vg10 version, but it'll be too late to get one in super blue if you get one of the others first.

[Holland]

Thanks guys, info is much appreciated.

I am all about buying 2 knives so I don't have to choose one.

Holland-
I don't know much about Super Blue. what is it about SB that makes you recommend it? I am curious. KC is out of stock on it and they are one of my preferred sources....

It has been my favourite steel since the Caly 3.5 was released in it. IMO it is the perfect edc steel, takes and holds a super high level of sharpness with minimal effort needed in the sharpening department. and corrosion is not a problem if you wipe the blade down after use (from my experience).

[ohcyclist]

All the posts recommending the super blue while they can still be found strike me as very wise. Great steel and platform in the df2. Otherwise I might go with the h1 in SE since your pm2 is PE.