My One-A-Day thread

[demoncase]

Militaries

Top one came to me very used- it's an S30V but features the early rectangular wide jimping and the patents stamped in the clip.
I gave it a ferric chloride etch that came out way better than I could have hoped for.

Bottom one was my 30th present from my folks and my very first 'expensive' Spyderco.

[demoncase]

Karambit

Difficult to find on this side of the Atlantic as not many were sold here....The granddaddy of the current Karahawk.
Picked it up at a gunshow a couple of years back. Still haven't managed to get the 'pinkie opening' quite right so it opens in the right position.
While it's very flat in the pocket, having that big ring sticking out the top it's not exactly discreet.

[demoncase]

P'kal.

This one tends to get overlooked by fans of the caged ball and fans of the wave feature.

As designed, it works best in an 'ice-pick' grip, edge in.
But those neat choils also work pretty well in a modified pinch grip- thumb in the top one and index finger in the bottom one.

Blade shape is still useful for non-defensive applications- it's a very shallow hawkbill. I'd really prefer it to be more hooked, truth to tell.
Sits nice and deeply in the pocket edge with no printing.

This is crying out for a sprint run with a full serrated edge in my book. :)

[demoncase]

Calypso Sprint.

This is the 'big' model, recent sprint variant- it's even longer than the 3.5, giving it that stretch, slender, profile.
Fit and finish are just amazing.
I tend to prefer anything over 3" blade size to be tip down, and with this model there's barely 5mm of handle peeping over the top of your pocket.
Combine that with how thin the handles are this is one slick, sleek knife for carry in jeans or a suit....Very, very slicey in VG10.

It's the little touches that I love Spyderco for- the engraved bug on the blade is filled with brown paint rather than the usual black- this matches the scales, and I wonder how many folks notice.

[demoncase]

Another day, another gem....Or rather a diamond in the rough.

Nilakka custom.

This Nilakka has had a very hard life before it came to me....A post-Halloween horror story:
Someone decided to make a series of custom scales for it and in the process stripped the original small threads.
They then made a bunch of new scales which the fitted by drilling and tapping 1/4" holes into the liners....Yeah- that big.
Which they also managed to strip (I'm assuming that 'torque wrench' means '6 foot long tube on the end of the allen key')
So they made an aluminium scale for one side and added a wood scale on the other. With epoxy resin.
Somewhere along the line, the same very special someone acid-etched a fern pattern on the blade.

This came to me as basically a basket case- needing rebuilding and work to make usable. After a little careful work I've fitted the carbon fibre scales into retapped liners and etched the blade again to hide the hideous pattern then microbevelled it on my Sharpmaker.

The result is less angular than the factory original grips but makes for usable folder. I love the blade shape- it's as slicey as a slicey thing and I'll be using the pants off it in coming months.

I'd like to think of this as 'bringing a cat home from the rescue centre and nursing it back to health'


((Does anyone want some fixer-upper custom scales for their Nilakka in Micarta and (I think) Ghost Jade?- Free to a good home!:) )

[SpeedHoles]

Happen to have any photos of it before?

[DougC-3]

You've wound up with something very nice and done a public service in the process. The blade etch goes very nicely with the snaky looking scales. How did you do the etching?

[demoncase]

Happen to have any photos of it before?

No, it was basically a bag of bits.

[demoncase]

You've wound up with something very nice and done a public service in the process. The blade etch goes very nicely with the snaky looking scales. How did you do the etching?

Ferric chloride bath for 5 minutes.

[demoncase]

Domino

I went back and forth on this- but glad I pulled the trigger. For the rather stuffy individuals who refuse to buy anything from 'Taiwan', the Domino is a perfect example of why that's really silly: the fit, finish and build are utterly jewel-like. Carbon laminate, titanium and XHP steel are nearly seamlessly fitted together- it's a gem.

Sizewise this makes a lovely EDC when I can, and the blade shape and geometry are in the 'fat seed' style I find most useful around the knife-shy- seems much less aggressive to the eye than the similar sized PM2....Unless you flip it open then accusations of having a 'flick-knife' normally abound. It is also quite weighty for a small-ish knife too, which lends a further air of quality- I guess this is some sub-conscious memory of the cheap brass bolstered Buck style folders of my youth

Unlike the Southard, which is biased toward the flipper, the Domino truly does give you the option of using the Spyderhole or the flipper- both are equally useful and there's fractions of tenths of a second in it for speed.

I am pondering replacing that scale with one of the many exciting aftermarket ones out there....Cuscadi's aero carbon with the drilled holes is currently out of stock though

[demoncase]

Lum Tanto

This is one of those 'must have' knives for the serious collector (in my book anyways!)
VG10 blade with the typical appleseed grind on the point 'facet' and the normal grind on the main edge- tip strength to the max.
I like carrying it more than I do cutting with it- I seem to struggle with the blade shape on long cuts due to the blade shape....I've tried a bunch of modern tanto type knives, fixed and folders of a variety of makes and price points, and none have made me 'see the light'.

At least Spyderco's take on the subject is solid, nicely balanced and well made. Liner lock snaps into place with authority and the whole thing feels like a quality piece....I wouldn't mind the recent sprint version so I could have the 'yin and yang' all black version and the pale grey and polished steel variant.
This the stealthy version- as black as the tax man's heart and perfect for satisfying your inner teenage mall ninja :)

[demoncase]

The Roc:

I fell in love with the Roc the second I saw it- what's not to love about a Spyderco take on a old-skool straight blade razor in a modern steel with a liner lock? Bonus points are awarded for saying the name of the knife in a Sean Connery accent, in the manner of his awful accent in the Micky Bay movie of the same name

It's a crazy little chopper style blade that really works nicely for chopping herbs on a board....Not sure I'd want it to be my primary bushcraft knife, but that's not what it was designed for.
There is enough a point to get you into bags and packages....It's one of those knives that you can't help but smile when you open it.
As befits the style, the balance is forward of your index finger, with the curve of the handle this lends a lively feel to the thing as you use it.

Beadblast VG10 is also a nice change of look- though it's crying out for some custom scales in white pearlescent kirinite (Huggy Bear issue purple fedora sold separately )

[demoncase]

PPT Sprint

Missed out on the original and decided to grab the sprint.

Interesting is the blade coating is glossy when so many others are matt- I think it works nicely with the G10

Haven't done a huge amount of cutting with it, but it sits in the hand nicely.

[demoncase]

Spydercard.

I consider this to be the long lost uncle of the Dogtag- you know, the uncle that doesn't get invited to Christmas dinner anymore after he got smashed on egg-nog and danced on the table.

This particular 'Card has an interesting history- it's a factory second (as shown by the little notch on the spine) that's ended up in Wolverhampton, England. I got it cheap and found that the beadblast AUS-6 had picked up some corrosion spots and needed a polish.
Great for what it is- about the thickness of 4 cards, RIL lock- not massively ergonomic but fun to use. Nice smooth opening and closing.
Edge retention is a bit challenged by long use with cardboard and similar, but that's not really what it's for- it's supposed to be a back-up 'ready edge' when you've got nothing else except your teeth and razor sharp wit.

This is one of those knives that non-knife folks seem to cope with, oddly- it's 'friendly' in shape and novelty factor lend a sense of approachability that you don't get with a Civilian

[SpeedHoles]

Always looked like an abstract cartoon to me...
Happen to know what the "313" designers mark refers to? Not one I'm familiar with...

I wonder if there's anyone out there in the world who EDC carries this Spydercard, with the Spyderco Billfold, and a Spyderwrench... but not a regular knife. I'd like to meet that person. :p

[SpyderNut]

Always looked like an abstract cartoon to me...
Happen to know what the "313" designers mark refers to? Not one I'm familiar with...

I wonder if there's anyone out there in the world who EDC carries this Spydercard, with the Spyderco Billfold, and a Spyderwrench... but not a regular knife. I'd like to meet that person. :p

The "313" mark is actually the initials for the designer,
Eduard Bradichansky. I used to EDC a Spydercard in my wallet but I ended up taking it out due to it hurt my butt. The Spydercard is still one of my favorites, though.

[SpeedHoles]

Always looked like an abstract cartoon to me...
Happen to know what the "313" designers mark refers to? Not one I'm familiar with...

I wonder if there's anyone out there in the world who EDC carries this Spydercard, with the Spyderco Billfold, and a Spyderwrench... but not a regular knife. I'd like to meet that person. :p

The "313" mark is actually the initials for the designer,
Eduard Bradichansky. I used to EDC a Spydercard in my wallet but I ended up taking it out due to it hurt my butt. The Spydercard is still one of my favorites, though.

Ah ok, I guess "EB" is what it was supposed to read, not 313. Thanks for the info.

[SpyderNut]

Always looked like an abstract cartoon to me...
Happen to know what the "313" designers mark refers to? Not one I'm familiar with...

I wonder if there's anyone out there in the world who EDC carries this Spydercard, with the Spyderco Billfold, and a Spyderwrench... but not a regular knife. I'd like to meet that person. :p

The "313" mark is actually the initials for the designer,
Eduard Bradichansky. I used to EDC a Spydercard in my wallet but I ended up taking it out due to it hurt my butt. The Spydercard is still one of my favorites, though.

Ah ok, I guess "EB" is what it was supposed to read, not 313. Thanks for the info.

No problem. Glad to help! :)

[demoncase]

Techno:

This here is the 'Whoops' variant in S30V rather than the more common XHP
The Techno is well reviewed in a variety of places so I won't bore you with details. It's a stout little folder with a chunky handle cuts way above it's size range. The stonewash finish is lovely.

Perfect in the watch pocket of my jeans (complimented by the blue backspacer) or in a suit jacket pocket, and the wire clip is discreet with it.
Blade shape is not pointy enough to terrify the NKPs in the office too.

[demoncase]

Centofante 3

Another gent's folder- but with a blade shape and build that will do some serious work if needs be.
Fairly slicey, in cutting performance and size it bridges the gap betwixt Delica and Endura- for folks that think the one's too small and the other's too big, the Centofante 3 is the 'goldilocks' back lock in that it's just right.
I like the thumb position on the back of the blade quite a bit too.

What's interesting to my entirely subjective touch is that the unchequered solid FRN somehow feels more 'expensive' than it is.
Even The Better Half handled it and said "That's classy"....Though that might've been me mentioning the Bug is palladium coated.

I will almost certainly add the wharncliffe styled -4 at some point too, so I've got the Centofante 2,3 and 4...And maybe a Memory too.
*My wallet leaps from my pocket unbidden and runs under the sofa* :D