Share with us what you've done with your Lady/Manbug here!

[youmakemehole]

Me being the big sucker I am for small, quality, feature rich knives, it was only natural for me to deck out my hawkbill Ladybug Salt for the usage I saw fit. The knife, with its various types/designs of blades it can come in, as well as its simple design with a single (relatively) oversized lanyard hole, just seems to me to be begging for a bit of creative modification. Now I have a couple other Ladybugs and Manbugs, which I would like to eventually add some unique flavor to as well, and hopefully a tiny bit of extra utility as well in the process to suit them to their specific purposes.

My next one on my list to get some custom treatment will be a standard plain edge Manbug/Ladybug in carbon tool steel that will be staying at home mostly to serve as a very expensive box/letter opener, I have a few right now that fit the criteria, I think though I will end up leaning towards a ZDP Manbug. Most of my desk knives I prefer to have no extra's add ons typically, since I usually like being able to pick them up and use them without anything in the way (sometimes I'll even take off the pocket clips), however I thought I'd explore and check out more ideas that others might have come up with before I release my little Manbug from the fate of my crude and amateurish creativity. That, and maybe I just really want to see what kinds of cool things other people are doing to their buggers as well.

I'll start this thread by sharing my H1 Ladybug. I went with a serrated edge since it seemed like the better choice for H1 based on general consensus, and the hawkbill shape since it would give me the control and precision I'd prefer on a small knife like this. Tasks that demand only contact with the tip of the knife, i.e shallow cutting, light carving are far easier on a hawkbill where you can position your hand more or less the same way you would normally, compared to say a drop point, where instead your hand would be awkwardly angled upwards while inefficiently pulling or pushing the knife in a direction perpendicular to the axis of your fingers/hand. Not to mention, it is much easier to accidentally penetrate farther than you'd like due to lesser control on certain tasks you cannot afford to cut too deep on. The hawkbill blade I find also makes jobs like sawing branches or rope a little more controlled by keeping the material centered on the blade. Lastly, the hawkbill arguably is a superior shape for self-defense, similar to a karambit, where the axis on which you cut and slash are on ones where your hand and arms can exert the most power. It is most definitley the superior shape for self-defense in the reverse grip, IMO –there is a reason why most all predators have claws, and not just straight spikes or sharp nails shaped like ours!

Alright enough about the knife, and onto the mods – the reason why I went to describe the knife was to show a little synergy the mods I've chosen have with the knife itself as well. For the lanyard hole, I decided to go with.. that U-shaped metal thing that has a bar going thru it... I actually have no idea what the name of it is.. how embarrassing...there should be a picture down there though for visualization. I chose this because both the U and the bar fit the dimensions of the knife uncannily well, and I thought it'd be a shame not to take advantage of this neat coincidence. After using it like this for a while, I've noticed some benefits from having this relatively bulky and stiff attachment. 1. the knob that comes out of the end of the bar goes nicely between my fingers, helping increase leverage while doing more strenuous or even precise tasks, and also further augments the self-defense factor of the knife, however ridiculously marginal that may be. 2. It also feels and operates like a part of the knife, instead of something strapped/tied on to it, and so it helps in a way where I know exactly how the thing is positioned just by feel, and an example where this helps is if I was trying to do something like clip it to a carabiner, it would be able to be done with relative ease as opposed to if it was a loop of paracord that would flop or collapse when you'd rather it retain its shape. Some final notes about this horseshoe shaped key ring thing – the bar screws in and out fairly easily, so loctite was needed in order for it to be robust – while I was applying the loctite, some of it seeped in between the car and the lanyard hole as well, which turned out to be a hidden blessing - it made it so the key ring doesn't flop around and it will retain its position against gravity, requiring a few oz's of force to change its position, which I find perfect for how I'd like ti to function. I also added a piece of silicone tape to the middle of the U to prevent metal on metal contact witht he blade, and right now I have a clip attached to it and its probably safe to say I won't be needing to explain the perks of having a clip such as this oneto a bunch of knife forum people.

The other glaringly obvious modification is the silicone tape curiously wrapped around the Spidey hole. What that functions as, is... drum roll please.... a DIY Emerson opener! This feature adds a little more bit of oomph as well to the self-defense motif of the knife. If you are wondering, yes, it works well! And IMO I'd say it is superior to the other DIY Emerson option of using 2 zip ties. In my subjective opinion, it is more aesthetic, less damaging(to all surfaces and objects it can come in contact with), more customizable ( easier to adjust the shape, thickness, color, sensitivity), and as having an added perk of being a thumb stud, much more plush and luxurious feeling on your fingers. This last point is also true when Spidey flicking - I do not spidey flick on this Ladybug, but on my other Spyderco's it feels very nice to have the silicone while flipping it open. On my flickable knives, it actually makes it easier to flick, as you gain a lot of leverage without having to stick as much finger in the hole - but if you wanted to, the silicone tape does not do much to hamper your ability to insert your fingers as you normally would. I do have small fingers, but if there are problems in this regard, the wrap can be adjusted many different ways, with a couple different techniques I won't elaborate on here. Anyways, hope somebody will find some value/enjoyment from this long wall of text on some of probably the most boringly specific topic I have ever written on.. Overall, this Ladybug is meant to be a take anyplace, clip anywhere, do anything sort of keychain knife. There are more tips and tricks I can talk about in re. to this makeshift Emerson opener, so feel free to ask me anything and I can do my best to provide some satisfactory answers. Perhaps I may make a thread at some point on this if the attention warrants it, as it is something more or less exlusive to Spyderco due to the necessity of the hole.

PS: If what you have done with your Lady/Manbug is absolutely nothing, please share your thoughts and pics if you'd like as well – the more the merrier. Anything goes as long as its related! Cheers!

[PSquared]

Scale swap of a serrated hawkbill blade into a black handle ... this should be a standard model I think.

[Joey]

I sold mine :p

[Nate]

I'm a fan, but no mods other than that my wife and I attached them to our respective keychains.

[Mushroom]

Scale swap of a serrated hawkbill blade into a black handle ... this should be a standard model I think.

That used to be a standard model. What REALLY needs to be a regular production model is the all black ladybug hawkbill! :D

:spyder:

I did this a couple years ago now. Using the TiCN coated blade and hardware from the USN Ladybug Hawkbill and scales from a standard black Ladybug. Still one of my favorite knives to carry as a secondary blade.



I've seen others do this as well. I think it would sell really well.

[Sharp Guy]

I just cut stuff with mine. Oh yeah...and sharpen too. :)

[SG89]

I've seen others do this as well. I think it would sell really well.

Lol sure would be cheaper to buy it this way from the factory. Plus the usn ladybugs are getting harder to find and they are not cheap.

[Bloke]

When I first got my ZDP-189 Manbug, I used it to take a fox tail. :)

[youmakemehole]

I did this a couple years ago now. Using the TiCN coated blade and hardware from the USN Ladybug Hawkbill and scales from a standard black Ladybug. Still one of my favorite knives to carry as a secondary blade.



I've seen others do this as well. I think it would sell really well.

First time I've seen that idea, very neat! Never knew about the USN ladybug, is that model still available from retailers?

It'd be neat to see some more black coated ladybugs in specialty steels, the tasks you would be using such a knife for probably shouldn't require too much toughness from the steel.. black coated M4 or HAP40 would indeed sell well id imagine. I think a K390 ladybug would be a safe and popular bet from Spyderco.. never been done before and not to mention as the new cool trendy carbon steel on the block there's no reason why sales would not pop off instantly. If they want to make it extra special, throw on a layer of TiCN or DLC with steel liners and G10 for a winning legend for the books :p

Also - going off on a tangent here, I recently copped a lil native that shares a similar black on black aesthetic, if you love that ladybug of yours i think this would be a great one to consider too, the compression lock on such a small knife really give it a nice touch. You can get it stock in the configuration shown here. Posting it to also show a much cleaner execution of a silicone emerson job as well since I just noticed the one on the yellow ladybug was definitely not one of my cleaner looking ones despite my contrary assertion of its superior aesthetics, lol -__-

[legOFwhat?]

I assigned this zdp-189 manbug to garage duty along with the others in this photo: :)

[xceptnl]

I like a little paracord diamond knot and a small o-ring.

[jimmd]

With these S-biner connectors from Nite Ize, I take various gadgets on and off this key ring. The Ladybug disconnects easily for use, and with the connector attached to the knife, I get a full 3-finger grip.

[youmakemehole]

I like a little paracord diamond knot and a small o-ring.

That o-ring is clever, I'll definitely be stealing that idea on my paracord lanyards.