Tastes changing, Brouwer love

[Marko]

Long time Spyderco fan but not much of a poster here. I writing this because in 20+ years of buying and using folding knives I feel like I’ve “tried” them all in terms of style. Despite owning customs, midtechs and brands outside Spyderco, I always come back to one of my trusty Spydies as my go-to EDC/daily carry.

I picked up a Brouwer on a whim back when they first hit the market. It has simply not left my pocket... I mean, I love this thing more than any knife I’ve owned in the past 3-4 yrs, and I’ve had some nice ones. It’s been carried, used, disassembled, sharpened, etc and I’m still enamoured with it. Basically, I’m finding that the older I get, the more I appreciate a sub 3” blade. For the longest time, the sweet spot for me was a 3.25-3.5” blade. I recently received a Karpara, which is amazing on it’s on right, but it feels so long and unwieldy, to me now.

For the longest time, I did not understand the Para 3 hype, because I thought the Para II was perfect (the absolute perfect knife) and that it couldn’t be improved upon. Now, I’m looking at my collection (because I’ll never stop collecting...) and thinking of shifting away from 3.25”+ blades. Really looking forward to getting a Para 3 and the Techno II. Anybody else find their tastes changing over the years?

[SG89]

Every time I think I know what I like in a folder a new one comes along to change my mind

[sal]

Hi Marko,

Welcome to our forum and thanx for sharing.

We're learned that we change in what we like in knives through time. You just can't step in the same river twice.

sal

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Yes and no. I thought the Paramilitary 2 was perfect then went to the Para3 and enjoyed it for quite some time. I finally caved into the hype over the Military and after using my first one put both the Para 2 and 3 on the shelf. They have only seen very limited pocket time since but I fall in love with them again soon enough.

Wanting more rust resistant knives and finding myself very happy using Spyderco's in the kitchen I recently purchased a Spydiechef.

It has not left my pocket since. It has allot of Belly and is an Awesome Slicer holds a sharp edge very well and is stupid easy to sharpen. I can get junk all over it and just clean it and let it air dry without any worry.

Oddly enough when the cutting surface is put up against a full sized military the military only has the slightest bit more which is shocking considering the difference in size.

Spyderco also gets Titanium right. I owned a very expensive manufacturers products with an integral frame lock and grew to dislike titanium slabs. Spyderco changed my mind but then again this is hardly surprising they are the best innovators when it comes to knives.

[anycal]

Passion, obsession, love, call it what you will. When it works it works. Some last a life time, some 3-4 years, others come and go. I am going on 3 years with my favorite. Maybe one day it will be replaced, or maybe not...

[Marko]

Sal, it’s an honor to be recognized by you on your forum. I’ve told Kristi before that one of my bucket lists is to meet you and Eric at Blade or your factory one day... when opportunity present itself.

Love the Chef and agree, as an avid running and someone with a physically active job, I’m drawn towards the Salt line. My Pacific Salt is currently my longest owned knife that continues to survive many collection “purges”.

Could never get into the Millie. I’ve owned maybe 6 different versions but always found it to be “too much”. My first two real Spydies that turned me into a hardcore fan were the gray FRN Caly JR VG-10 and a serrated G-10 Harpy ATS-55. Both were in that sub 3” catagory and I could never really stop carrying them when I owned them (18yrs ago). Basically, I saying that the Brouwer has brought me back to my original Spyderco roots. Small, handfilling, just enough blade to be functional. There’s quite a few knives in the 2019 catalog that I real want, but now I thinking, maybe I need to step back and reassess. Rather than Amalgam, I’d be better off with another Caly JR... I hate filling a Pelican case with knives that don’t see any use. That’s what happened with my Gayle Bradley flipper. Loved it but it just never got carried...

[p_atrick]

I got a Brouwer in a trade (it was done kinda on a whim as well). At first, I wasn't so sure, but then it has really grown on me. There are things that I hope change with CQI. If there were to be gimping on the finger choil I would definitely purchase another one. I never thought I'd have two of the same knives based on a minor difference, but I like it that much.

[vivi]

I know exactly what you mean about tastes changing over the years.

When I first got into Spyderco, I gravitated towards the Caly jr, Caly 3, and other smaller blades. I preferred the compression lock over the backlock, and wanted steel liners in all my folders.

These days I prefer folders with 4"+ blades, backlock is king, and I prefer lightweight knives with no liners.

I've ended up purchasing a lot of knives a second time, knives I owned and decided weren't the one...only to find my preferences changing five years later. Funny how that happens.

3" folders certainly offer excellent tip control. That's their biggest advantage over the larger knives I carry these days. I have to choke up pretty good on my Police 4 to use the tip with similar levels of dexterity as my old Caly 3.

[soulspy]

I'll add another vote to the Brouwer. PM2 seems unnecessarily large to me now and the Brouwer just feels right.

[Bill1170]

I know exactly what you mean about tastes changing over the years.

When I first got into Spyderco, I gravitated towards the Caly jr, Caly 3, and other smaller blades. I preferred the compression lock over the backlock, and wanted steel liners in all my folders.

These days I prefer folders with 4"+ blades, backlock is king, and I prefer lightweight knives with no liners.

I've ended up purchasing a lot of knives a second time, knives I owned and decided weren't the one...only to find my preferences changing five years later. Funny how that happens.

3" folders certainly offer excellent tip control. That's their biggest advantage over the larger knives I carry these days. I have to choke up pretty good on my Police 4 to use the tip with similar levels of dexterity as my old Caly 3.

Tip control is a real thing. It is surprising how much more distant the tip on an Endura feels when compared to a Delica. It’s only an inch, but the difference is significant in actual use.

This is one of the things I learned as a kid with my first folder, a two bladed penknife. I found myself using the small blade more than the big one, because I wanted that control pretty often.

[Marko]

Same thing here. I had a SAK that I carried for years (until I lost it recently on a trip) and I always defaulted to the smaller of the two blades for most things.

[vivi]

I know exactly what you mean about tastes changing over the years.

When I first got into Spyderco, I gravitated towards the Caly jr, Caly 3, and other smaller blades. I preferred the compression lock over the backlock, and wanted steel liners in all my folders.

These days I prefer folders with 4"+ blades, backlock is king, and I prefer lightweight knives with no liners.

I've ended up purchasing a lot of knives a second time, knives I owned and decided weren't the one...only to find my preferences changing five years later. Funny how that happens.

3" folders certainly offer excellent tip control. That's their biggest advantage over the larger knives I carry these days. I have to choke up pretty good on my Police 4 to use the tip with similar levels of dexterity as my old Caly 3.

Tip control is a real thing. It is surprising how much more distant the tip on an Endura feels when compared to a Delica. It’s only an inch, but the difference is significant in actual use.

This is one of the things I learned as a kid with my first folder, a two bladed penknife. I found myself using the small blade more than the big one, because I wanted that control pretty often.

That was the main reason I switched from a Millie to a PM2 when I worked at a warehouse opening packages all day, better tip control. These days I use the cutting edge a lot more than the tip, and the longer blades work better for my uses. Might change back around some day.

[SC_PATRIOT]

For some reason I knew that I would like the Brouwer. Smaller size similar to the Delica. I have a Fradon Carbon Delica and it is super thin with the carbon fiber. The Brouwer is similar in thickness. Spyderco doesn't do too many spear point blades if ever also. The smooth frame lock is a nice touch with the internal overstop as well. I love mine and would consider another as a backup if lost or to pass down to my sons. Nice little working knife. Only concern is the price which I didn't mind because I knew what I was getting. I have no problems with s30v either. I believe this would be a great small knife to do a Sprint run on using either s35vn or possibly CTSXHP.

[MichaelScott]

It is obviously a preference that varies widely according to people’s needs and tastes. I enjoy smaller knives these days, much more than when I was younger. Now, I carry my One-Eyed Jack or a small Great Eastern Cutlery slip joint.

[Extra330SC]

Long time Spyderco fan but not much of a poster here. I writing this because in 20+ years of buying and using folding knives I feel like I’ve “tried” them all in terms of style. Despite owning customs, midtechs and brands outside Spyderco, I always come back to one of my trusty Spydies as my go-to EDC/daily carry.

I picked up a Brouwer on a whim back when they first hit the market. It has simply not left my pocket... I mean, I love this thing more than any knife I’ve owned in the past 3-4 yrs, and I’ve had some nice ones. It’s been carried, used, disassembled, sharpened, etc and I’m still enamoured with it. Basically, I’m finding that the older I get, the more I appreciate a sub 3” blade. For the longest time, the sweet spot for me was a 3.25-3.5” blade. I recently received a Karpara, which is amazing on it’s on right, but it feels so long and unwieldy, to me now.

For the longest time, I did not understand the Para 3 hype, because I thought the Para II was perfect (the absolute perfect knife) and that it couldn’t be improved upon. Now, I’m looking at my collection (because I’ll never stop collecting...) and thinking of shifting away from 3.25”+ blades. Really looking forward to getting a Para 3 and the Techno II. Anybody else find their tastes changing over the years?

I started out with very large knives like the military, ZT 0909 /0804CF , and CS Recon 1 because I have large hands. I thought a 3.75 - 4 inch blade was need to perform everyday task and to be comfortable in my hand. ..boy was I wrong. I still love my large blades but I've been getting more and more smaller knives like the Chaparral, Native 5, and Para 3.

I find smaller knives (especially with forward choil) are very comfortable, nimble, lightweight, and more suitable for my daily carry. The Brouwer is on my wish list and will probably have it sooner then later!


James

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

You guys are killing me!! Only thing holding me back is the S30V Steel, that is a sweet knife and it deserves some CTS-XHP, M390 or 204p, heck Elma’s would be fantastic. Argghhh ok tossing in Lc200n also any one of those steels would get me off my wallet for this nice looking spearpoint.

[Smaug]

I'm finding the dame thing as I age. For my usually light duties, a 2-3" blade is fine, as long as it's nice and sharp.

Now, I'm getting back into a bit bigger blades (3-3.5") because I'm sometimes getting caught without enough blade to cut up fruit sometimes. The key is that it has to be narrow in the pocket.

Favorites at the moment: Squeak, Dragonfly (size) Kapara, (honeymoon, F&F) Spydiechef, (ultimate slicer) Delica, Native 5 (all-around EDC).

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Yeah that’s the problem you need a longer blade for food work no getting around it.