Evolving tastes over time?

[Marko]

Bottom line, since 1993 (when I first saw Cliffhanger) like many knife aficionados and Spyderco fans, I have been in search of what I have often considered the “perfect” EDC knife. I have discovered that my criteria for the perfect EDC has often followed the industry trends: ambi lock (Axis), G-10, ti liners, “tactical”, framelock, flipper, etc. As someone who used to wait for a SMKW catalog in the mail every few months, I feel like the knife industry today offers an overwhelming selection of quality products at a variety of prices.

I’ve been a life long Spyderco fan but that hasn’t prevented me from branching out to custom makers, high-end Chinese, Russian makers, and other reputable brands. A few years ago, I discovered that I am a terrible knife collector and actually enjoy carrying and using a knife that I purchase. I divested most of my core collection and continue to refine my much smaller collection of “carry” knives.

Most recently, I found myself drawn to carrying a PM3 LW, which led to a Rockjumper, which led to a LC200N Pac Salt II. I have owned 7-800.00 flippers with better or similar steels and everything else that should tick my self determined criteria and yet I find the best daily carry for me is something patterned after the Endela that I saw in a movie nearly 30yrs ago.

Going forward, I am most excited about any LW or FRN models Spyderco might release (Lil’ Temp 3, Shaman, Salts). Anybody else have any similar experiences?

Btw, SW Ti is nice, G-10 is great, but I can’t seem to put down FRN with volcano texture...

[wirelessjunkie]

Ive gone full circle with my Spyderco likes. Started with a blue Endura 4, then went with everything from a Manix, to Millie, to PM2, etc etc etc. Now about 8 years after my first Spyderco Im back to carrying an Endura, or some other LW model from Japan. I enjoy the simplicity and strength of the back lock, the slim but ergonomic profile of the handle, and the blade shape is great for general purpose work. I also like the choices of steels and colors available, which makes them fun. But more than anything, I appreciate how the FRN scales dont chew up my pants pockets like G10 does.

My knife tastes and values have definitely changed as Ive aged. I think thats a normal experience to have as you better understand your knife needs and wants over time.

[Marko]

Nailed it. On paper G-10 is awesome. I’ve edc’d G-10 for years and for some reason it just doesn’t click with me anymore. Ti is always too slick. Never worried about my pants with G-10 but I appreciate the lightweight of FRN. As I have aged, I value light weight more than anything when it comes to a new purchase.

[Abyss_Fish]

I get it completely. I feel with most hobbies like this you either steadily go further into fashion or function.

[JD Spydo]

Nailed it. On paper G-10 is awesome. I’ve edc’d G-10 for years and for some reason it just doesn’t click with me anymore. Ti is always too slick. Never worried about my pants with G-10 but I appreciate the lightweight of FRN. As I have aged, I value light weight more than anything when it comes to a new purchase.

I find that interesting in some respects because G-10 has been my sidekick, super dependable handle material. I like other handle materials but most of the time when I but stuff I'm going to actually use most of the time I get a G-10 handled folder. Now with fixed blades that's another story all together. I'm not all the crazy about FRN handles for folders but I do like it for fixed blade for some strange reason. Also over the years I've acquired a love for Titanium handles. And I don't mind stainless steel handles for really hard and brutal jobs.

[zhyla]

G-10 is a superior material to FRN, but FRN can be molded into intricate textures which is very effective.

I used to be super into the stainless handles. They’re great knives but a good FRN knife with a nice thin grind (e.g. Chaparral) is really all you need in your pocket.

[kobold]

I have sets of work knives (summer & winter) and they have plastic handles. Both G10 and FRN will collect dirt and look ugly and unsanitary as ****. Only regular cleaning with a toothbrush will keep them somewhat presentable.. Therefore I have a need for other sets of knives with different, untextured handle materials.

Another thing to consider is that the textured, flat-panel plastics are no match ergonomically for 3D shaped, contoured, coke bottle type handle shapes that are smooth. They are just easier to carry.

[Big50]

All of Spyderco’s scales are really well done.
I would have to say they are the quintessential masters of FRN and polished G10.

[vivi]

I've gained an appreciation for FRN Spydercos over time. While G10 with full liners has a more premium feel, I enjoy the light weight and more contoured handle edges of molded FRN.

Some other ways my tastes have changed...

- Started out preferring polished plain edged knives, then serrated knives, now coarse edged plain edge.

- Preferred heavier knives with full liners for a premium, rigid grip. Now prefer lighter knives with no liners and don't mind a bit of handle flex.

- Started out liking liner locks better than lockbacks. Now it's the opposite.

- My hard limit was once $20 a knife. Then $50. Then $100. Currently holding at $200 and have yet to break that for over a decade. I believe past that you're typically not gaining any extra performance over sub $200 options.

- Used to prefer tip down. Now tip up is all I use.

[aicolainen]

I'm quite new to knives as an interest in it self, always used them as tools though.
I think it was around 2016 I first dipped my toe in this pond, and I'm not sure my taste has evolved much in that time, but rather I've been learning what my taste is through a lot of trial and error.

Then there's the fact that life itself evolves, and your needs and tastes evolve along with it.

The most important thing I've learned so far is to objectively look at my needs and then go searching for a tool to fill that need, rather than trying to justify whatever is trending on instagram or the forums. There's some of that still, to spice things up and make life interesting, but my focus has shifted almost completely toward user knives that fit well within the different applications where I need them. And being honest to myself about what those applications are.

Other things I've learned is that;
Opening holes and backlocks are way cooler than flipper tabs and titanium frame locks when you're actually using your knife.
Knives are like cameras, the best knife is the one you have on you. For me that means I regularly carry very small and light weight knives for just in case, and justify larger and heavier knives as the probability for specific tasks increases.
Price and availability matters when your buying user knives. Even though I'm pretty comfortable financially speaking, I have issues using certain knives for real work if they are rare / hard to come by or unreasonably expensive.

[anycal]

The first evolutionary step was getting my first Spyderco. One could say that I was a neanderthal prior.

There have been some mutations along the way, some reshuffling of the collection. But even with the constant introduction of new variation, the core characteristics have always remained. Natural selection prevailed, and my first Spyderco model is still my go to one. Strong genes on that one.

I would say the biggest change for me has been the shift from stainless to non-stainless steel.

[Ez556]

My knife taste has grown... literally. I started regularly carrying a knife when I got a little 2.25" bladed Kershaw Cathode. I then saw the benefits of carrying a pocket knife, but was really only interested in little knives around that size, the Delica was about the biggest I considered. I got a Lil' Native and liked it alot. Finally, along with a Dragonfly I ordered a Manix LW on a whim based on so many people claiming it was the best EDC in the world. Once I got it in the hand, my whole taste changed. Bigger knives just feel so good. Then I got a Pacific Salt. Then a Shaman. I still think the Manix LW is the best EDC, but now I want an Endura, a Gayle Bradley, and the smallest knife I am really even interested in is the Chaparral. I don't know if I would like anything as big as the Police 4 LW, but I just may need to get one in the hand and see if my taste grows any more!

[TenGrainBread]

I've never liked metal scales and have always been a G10 fan. Over the last year, having acquired a few more FRN Spydercos, I'm coming to accept that FRN (Spyderco) is my favorite scale material. Still like G10, but I'm admitting to myself that I just prefer FRN in use.

[cooterbaldwin]

When it comes to handle materials I'm all over the map. Being a computer engineer that's done my fair share of PCB design work, G10 will always be a favorite. As a gear head I love the look of carbon fiber. Being a believer that form follows function I appreciate FRN. Actually I'm all over the map on just about every knife trait. I love my big slicey Militaries, I love my chunky first gen Techno. I've got a handful of Dragonflies I'll never get rid of.

I don't know that my tastes have really shifted since I took an interest in knives a few years ago. I feel like the stuff that grabs my attention now is the same stuff I would have been drawn to before. Then again as I've gotten further over that middle age hill I'm spending more time watching YouTube reviews of "gentleman's" knives.

[jpm2]

I still mostly prefer what I did 20 years ago in a single blade locking folder for work and everyday carry/use.

3" blade, 4" handle
slight negative blade angle
low profile blade, 1" or less
.1" blade thickness or less
plain edge
clip point or straight spine
m2 steel or better
solid clip
liner lock
G10
opening hole
neutral grips

Since then I've grown more tolerant of back locks, frn, serrated edges.

[sal]

Hi Cooter,

Welcome to our forum and thanx for the support.

sal

[MFlovejp]

I bought my first Spyderco 3 months ago. This week, I received my 6th in the mail. I’m really not that obsessive of a collector normally, but the sheer magnitude of options available from Spyderco drove me to establish a “baseline” collection rather quickly.

I’ve always liked back locks, but there’s something about the way a slim FRN back lock carries and performs that makes it feel like the answer I’ve been looking for in all my years of collecting and using. There’s something about the lean flat grinds and precise distal tapers in these blades that finally has me understanding the term “slicey.”

Will my tastes change again in time? Likely yes, but I feel like I can spend a good long while using and enjoying my treasured new knives and studying how best to use and sharpen them... and keep an eye out for other models that meet my current criteria.

[Evil D]

My tastes have gotten more strict of anything. I've really evaluated what I like the most and what works for me the most and I try really hard to focus on that vs what I like the looks of.

[Marko]

My tastes have gotten more strict of anything. I've really evaluated what I like the most and what works for me the most and I try really hard to focus on that vs what I like the looks of.

That’s pretty much where I have ended up. The PM2 used to be the pinnacle in terms of blade length and ergos. I then took a dive into framelocks (Striders, Shiros, some customs, etc). I have put all my knives thru daily carry tasks and real work. For hard use the last folder that impressed me was the GB1 when I took it on my first deployment.

Today, I have found 3.25-3.5” just enough blade for most of my tasks. I’m lock agnostic these days but most FRN handled knives are backlock, which I’m fine with. Two years ago, I bought a Brouwer and used it everyday for 6mons. Went to a military school and lost it. I was shocked at how useful a sub-3” blade was. I replaced it with a PM3 LW and was floored at how much more I like the PM3 than my PM2s. The last knife that really knocked my socks off was the Siren. Carried it all summer. Pretty much decided it was gonna be the “one”. Ended up trying a Rockjumper and I feel like it is such a highly refined design that just works for me. Lastly, I’m giving the LC200N Pac Salt a go because the Native Salt just didn’t do it for me.

FWIW, corrosion resistance and LW are my two priorities these days. I’m thankful we have a niche industry that provides so many options for the consumer.

[zuludelta]

I was fairly ignorant of metallurgy, sharpening, and industrial design when I first started getting seriously into knives as a teen, so regarding those aspects, my tastes have definitely "evolved" for the better. If nothing else, I am better informed about the science, engineering, craft, business, and history of knives now than I was then, and use that information best as I can to determine what knives I purchase and use.

The primary uses I have for a work/personal-carry knife (as well as the materials I primarily cut) have also changed over the years and that has obviously influenced my taste in knives. At different times in my life, fixed blades, hawkbills, serrated knives, and drop-points have all been the ideal choice for me. Right now, however, at this current moment, plain edge wharncliffe knives in the 2.75" to 3.5" range such as the Yojimbo 2, Delica 4 Wharncliffe PE, and RockJumper PE work best for what I do. But as my life and work circumstances change, this may change as well: The one real constant in my knife-using "career" has been the need to adapt or switch out my tools for whatever current purposes I may have, so going into the future, I will continue to keep an open mind.