How long before...

[Richard IV]

How long before you dare to fully use a newly bought :spyder: ?

I mean, we all seem to be a little crazy, here on this forum, expecting our knives to be razor sharp all the time (something most people can't understand) :)

So imagine: you open the box you just recieved.

Here comes the wonderful "ultimate" :spyder: :D

It's factory sharp. You cut some hairs on your forearm. Great. But you KNOW it won't stay that sharp for long if you start cutting anything with it. And that's my question. How long do you keep it out from the big work?

[dedguy]

i carry and use all my knives the first day i get them. how often i use them after that is all about how well they work. most of my knives are SE and it seems SE knives stay usably sharp much longer than PE.

[Piet.S]

Sharpness is not a factor for me.
I have a couple of Spyderco benchstones.
With them I get my edges beyond factory sharpness quite easy.
But I hesitate to use my Spyders real hard, I hate the first scratches and I got a tough as nails Puukko as a beater.

[jyeo]

guess what? i havent use any of them yet...trying to beat the hell out of another (crkt) before moving to my beloved spydies. besides, i feel heart broken to use them as well...argh...my love is strong for my spydies

[jaislandboy]

...It's factory sharp. You cut some hairs on your forearm. Great. But you KNOW it won't stay that sharp for long if you start cutting anything with it. And that's my question. How long do you keep it out from the big work?

hello RichardIV......that's the reason why it's essential to get a 204 Sharpmaker! :p it does take some practice to use it correctly....but once you get proficient with it.....losing your factory edge won't be a factor anymore.....so the ZDP Jess Horn that I recently got received a "workout" on the cardboard box it arrived in......:eek: and wow! this Jess Horn Zdp seems as equal a slicer as the ZDP Calypso Jr!......maybe a hair better???:rolleyes:

[yablanowitz]

8 seconds.

Okay, sometimes it is several minutes before I find something to cut, and maybe as much as a couple of days before they get a real workout (IF I get one on Friday after work AND have the weekend off AND have no projects at my house AND the girlfriend is out of honeydo's. Guess how often that is :rolleyes: ).
I don't buy safequeens. I occasionally buy replacements before I need them, but I use them all, and when (not if) they get scratched/dinged/nicked/chipped I shed no tears.

[cobrajoe]

8 seconds.

Okay, sometimes it is several minutes before I find something to cut, and maybe as much as a couple of days before they get a real workout (IF I get one on Friday after work AND have the weekend off AND have no projects at my house AND the girlfriend is out of honeydo's. Guess how often that is :rolleyes: ).
I don't buy safequeens. I occasionally buy replacements before I need them, but I use them all, and when (not if) they get scratched/dinged/nicked/chipped I shed no tears.

I feel exactly the same, actually I think a scrached and used knife is better looking than one right out of the box.

That being said, I do love the "out of the box freshness" that a brand new knife has and I tend to not use it hard untill that new scent wears off. My most recent spydie purchase was a dodo, and even though I got a great deal, it still seemed expensive. I didn't use it hard for a couple weeks, even thought i was carrying it (along with a couple other users).

But they were meant to be used. If you don't use it, it's like buying a car just to look at. Seems kinda pointless to me, but don't let me influence your opinion too much ;)

[David Lowry]

I use 'em as soon as I get 'em.

Last night I got a brand new Paramilitary in the mail from my favorite pharmacy.

I threw it in my pocket and put the box away. It's with me today too. I use them without second thought because that's what I bought 'em for. :)

[gud4u]

I don't consider a new knife as 'my knife' until I've sharpened it to my own satisfaction.

Factory edges are generally designed for a serviceable edge, an edge that they guess will please most users for initial-sharpness and retained-sharpness.

I've yet to see a factory edge that can't be improved by sharpening. One thing I'd like to see improved on Spyderco blades is the addition of a small choil-cut at the base of the blade. The first 1/4" to 1/2" at the base of the edge is almost always dull - and difficult to fine finish without that cut. The first thing I do on a Spyderco blade is form that choil-cut with a Dremel cut-ff wheel.

[arnon]

47 seconds After It Arrives.......no more, sometimes even less..

[Civilian]

How long before you dare to fully use a newly bought :spyder: ?

How long do you keep it out from the big work?
Use somthing so fine as a Spyderco, never, it belongs in a hermeticly sealed safe NEVER I SAY!





OK if it is going to be a user than whenever I need to use it. I was planning on saving my BG Milie but somehow it ended up hogging my pocket, keeping all the others out!

[TheKnifeCollector]

I use 'em right away.

[JD Spydo]

Richard I have 2 classes of knives in my arsenal. I have blade that are strictly and only collector pieces. Then I have my "user arsenal" and my back up units. For instance my favorite Spyder to carry on a daily basis is the C-44 big Dyad. I have 3 back up units for it in case the un-mentionable would happen ( to lose it or have it stolen).

When I got my first yellow Tasman PE I used it immediately. I did the same with my first ZDP-189 Calypso Jr. . There are some Spyders that are just simply meant to be used. Although I have made provisions to have back up units for those knives.

Richard the one primary thing I do indeed recommend for you is to become an expert in sharpening. That skill that I am still trying each day to perfect myself in has given me a lot of pleasure and it makes the knife hobby much more enjoyable. A dull knife is like a car without an engine or an airplane without wings. That's how important a sharp knife is in the grand scheme of things. Welcome to the Forum Sir>> you are among friends. Check out the 204 Sharpmaker and 701 Profiles along with your Spyderco purchases. JD

[Dr. Snubnose]

As soon as I can get them from the box I start using em....starting with... cutting the packaging (not the box though) what is a knife if you don't use it? A collection of unused knives....(don't get me wrong nothing wrong with that) but it's just not me........Doc:D

[Zac]

Other than my collectible Civilians and the CF CPM-S30V Military, I run them over a Sharpmaker and then run out into the woods screaming on tongues and start cutting random objects. So in other terms, not too long.

[Vincent]

I dont collect anything, so as soon as I get it I use it. There is zero need to have something you arent going to use.

[Zac]

I dont collect anything, so as soon as I get it I use it. There is zero need to have something you arent going to use.

unless it appreciates in value ;)

[Richard IV]

I use my knives, don't worry. But I like to keep the new ones "fresh" as long as possible. Usually, it takes a few days before I feel "free" to use and abuse :D

By the way, I need a sharpmaker badly!


R.IV

[spydutch]

It usually takes a while before I start using them:o

And WHEN I'm using the knife I still take care of what I cut with it and how, because I don't like a heavily scratched blade:eek:

[silverback]

The new one goes into my pocket for EDC right away. :)
But then, I have no chores that abuse my knives, so they stay in good shape.

edit:
This thread inspired me to put my Ti Lum Tanto (#970) into my pocket again. :eek:
Any heart attacks? :D

[ronin203]

I start the day I get mine.

[KKNIFEMAN]

Easy solution. Buy at least 2 of the knife if you really like it-- One to use and one to collect. Sharpening a used knife is part of the fun of using and collecting knives.Lucky for us most hard use :spyder: knives are fairly affordable and take a beating. I have a picture on my wall of a handmade Loveless knife that a guy sent back to to have a new one made...Loveless sent him a new one free because he liked to see his knives used..it started as a 4" semi skinner and ended as a 3" nub!

[gull wing]

I put mine on light duty the first few days getting the feel of them. I take in the special features they have. Then the normal sets in.