Spydiechef (lc200n) performance thread.

[Bugs]

A serrated folder at the cleaning table is another good option.

Frn lc200n? Bring it on!

You know I have never used a serrated edge to clean fish; I'm gonna have to try that.

[wrdwrght]

Any takers on a bet that the Caribbean will be LC200N? And FRN?

[sabb8pro2]

It was said (I think in the Amsterdam thread) that the Caribbean will have 2 versions. A- Layered G-10 handle. B- Titanium handle. Both had lc200n.

[Surfingringo]

I have continued to use my Spydiechef daily on the kayak for the last few weeks. Daily use includes cutting line and sometimes bait, gill and tail cutting fish to bleed them, and occasionally filleting mackerel when I only have a couple and don't want to break out the gear at home.

Corrosion resistance has proven to be excellent as I already knew. This knife sits in the gunnel of my kayak for 5-6 hours per day bathing in fish blood and salt water. I usually give it a fresh water rinse when I get home but sometimes forget and leave it until the next day. Zero corrosion on the blade, zero zero corrosive breakdown at the apex and the pivot is still as smooth as new though it does benefit from a shot of wd40 once a week or so. The steel does seem to scratch a bit easier than s30v class steels but not nearly as easy as H1.

Edge retention is what I have come to expect from lc200n. In cutting fish, meat, scales, soft bone and other similar material I find it to hold its higher level of sharpness *lets define that is easily shaving in 1 pass* nearly as long as steels like s30v or cpm154 (actually much better in my environment as the edge on those steels will start to break down from corrosion within a few hours). The one area where I find the steel doesn't hold its own with that class of steel (aside from working edge retention) is when cutting against very hard media. I don't think lc200n has the same level of strength. The result is it is more prone to dulling due to deformation from hard media and lateral stress. I notice this cutting against a very hard piece of plastic on my kayak. Sometimes I will get some dulling due to rolling if I'm not careful to control lateral stress (which is hard on the water sometimes). That said, the steel is still WAY stronger than H1 in this regard.

I have also been pleasantly surprised by how the ti scales perform when wet and bloody. They remain surprisingly grippy even when wet and covered in goo. Not as good as textured frn obviously but MUCH better than polished g10. I have had no issues using the knife on the kayak or at the cleaning table and I even believe that ti with this finish is a very reasonable choice for a saltwater fishing knife or a hunting knife that will see bloody work.

[Surfingringo]

A day in the life....



This is how it got put away today. I gave it a fresh water rinse with the hose but didn't scrub it or anything. The cloudy marks are the residue of saltwater and Mackerel blood. It gets left like this most days.

[abbazaba]

Thanks for the update! Mine has only seen veggies and chicken so far, but leaving it out to rot purposefully has not had any detectable affect. I agree about the handles staying grippy when wet, and its been pretty ideal and easier to clean than bi directional FRN.

Every time I see your blade mod I'm tempted, but the stock shape is pretty similar to the Gyutou knives I'm used to in the kitchen.

[farnorthdan]

Great update Lance, and you sure do have the life...

I've only been using mine around the house mostly, the lock stick is finally starting to go away and the action is smoothing out the more I use it.

Sometimes I wonder why I live where I do and not some sunny sandy paradise, thanks for keeping the dream alive :cool: :)

[NickShabazz]

I'll just add that in all of my (dry-land) testing of the SpydieChef, LC200N has proven to be an absolutely rock-solid performer. Edge retention is on par with S30V or XHP even for high wear tasks, it strops back to sharpness nicely, and it's no problem to sharpen.

Put differently, and mirroring Lance, LC200N is the first rust-proof steel I've handled that doesn't feel in any way like a compromise, and where I'd be just as happy carrying it in high desert as on a boat.

I'm thrilled to hear that there's more of it coming down the pipe. Thanks, Sal!

[wrdwrght]

Great follow-up report from a tough environment, Lance. Thanks.

[murphjd25]

That's great! Thanks for the update Lance! My wife said I can order one next Friday!

[wrdwrght]

It was said (I think in the Amsterdam thread) that the Caribbean will have 2 versions. A- Layered G-10 handle. B- Titanium handle. Both had lc200n.

I overlooked this comment earlier. Thanks for passing it along.

[Matt Deaner]

I bought a spydiechef last week and have mainly been using it for food prep at work. I've been hoping for a knife like this for a long time as most of my EDC tasks involve food.

Unfortunately, the knife arrived very dull, and the bevels were a bit off. I reset the edge freehand to about 12dps, and finished the edge with a sharpmaker at 15dps. I would say this steel is a little harder to sharpen than vg-10, but is unquestionably easier than S30V. I did have an issue with the blade shape during sharpening. It's real easy to hit the frame of the folder against the stone due to the shape. It's important to be mindful of this when finishing the edge closest to the handle.

So far I haven't used the knife a whole lot, but edge holding is quite good for a corrosion resistant steel... maybe a little better than vg-10. The steel takes a fine finish and is very fine grained... it seems to sharpen like a carbon steel.

So far I love the spydiechef. I may buy a backup, which is something I rarely do.

[vivi]

Really excited to see what else Sal has in mind for this steel. I'm really fond of H1, so a steel with similar properties with improved edge retention really has my attention.

[murphjd25]

Got one! Holy cow, I love this thing! Thanks Sal! Probably going to be my favorite spydie now and will defintly be edcing it for the next few months in all this western washington rain. What a great design!

[elena86]

A day in the life....



This is how it got put away today. I gave it a fresh water rinse with the hose but didn't scrub it or anything. The cloudy marks are the residue of saltwater and Mackerel blood. It gets left like this most days.

Damnation ! :eek: You did it again Lance ! :cool: That modified blade shape is awesome ! Now, I want one too

[murphjd25]

3 day consensus. Great knife, ergos are great. feels comfortable in hand for work, and slices great in the kitchen, the blade shape might be odd but it is very very useful and awesome! Lc200n is a great steel thus far, I'm really digging it and very easy to sharpen. I just wished I wouldn't had watched so many you tube reviews, my lanyard tube rattles like all the other ones (no big deal to me, more of a ocd thing haha) I also really like the finish on the titanium handles and when it's wet it's actually pretty easy to hold onto still. Has some lock stick but I can feel it getting better, should work it's way to butter smooth soon. Overall, great knife, if your on the fence about this one just get it!

[NoFair]

My lanyard tube doesn't rattle at all. Very happy with the design and execution on this one :D

[Steel_Drake]

I picked up one of these yesterday, mostly based what I'd been hearing about it having a fairly thin edge geometry and wanting to try LC200n steel.



I am quite amazed at just how thin behind the edge mine was out of the box. Now, note, I did go through all five that my local retailer had received and deliberately picked the one I felt was thinnest behind the edge, but still:

Spine: 0.113"
1/4" back from the apex: ~0.030"-0.034" thick (I have custom fixed blades with similar numbers).
1/32" back from the apex (a standardized way of measuring "at the shoulder to the edge bevel" thickness): ~0.015"
Stock edge bevel angle: ~15 degrees per side.

To give you an idea of how thin that is compared to the average modern folding knife, I will only note that the picture in this post was taken after I had lowered the edge bevel angle to about 10 degrees per side and put on a ~20 dps DMT EEF microbevel. If you look at how wide ~10 dps edge bevels are on virtually all other modern production folding knives, that will give you a good idea at how thin the edge geometry on this knife is by comparison.

I haven't gotten to use it that much just yet, but it was very nice for cutting up an apple on a poly cutting board as I can actually use the whole length of the cutting edge on this design.

[FCM415]

I'm gonna pick up a Spydiechef and regrind it like Lance's. It looks good.

I just don't like humps, and I take full advantage of acute tips. Should still work a cutting board well with that belly and I look forward to having a Ti folder that can get wet without worry. My first crack at the steel too.

... And it's a slicer :)

[ZrowsN1s]

Looks good man. Nice job.