HELP PLEASE - New Collection ideas - appreciate some input.

[MGN]

Hello All,
I have been collecting knives for a couple of years now. I am building my Spyderco collection, I have 12 Spyderco Knives now. I have rounded out my Benchmade, Cold Steel and Zero Tolerance collections and am looking for ideas for the Spyderco Collection.

My favorite steels are as follows:
Boehler M390
Elmax
CPM - 20CV (Including Mule 23), 10V (AISI A11 including Mule 26), S-35VN, S110V, S90V, S30V, 3V,
CTS-XHP
LC200N (Mule 25)
D-2
San Mai III
154CM
52100
1095 CroVan.

I have a few Native 5's, and Mules.

I would say my knives are split evenly between Fixed and Folders from the "other guys" :D. Now I want to do the same with Spyderco. I am not a knife steel snob, I love great steel, and most of these knives will see use, very few are safe queens. I love EDC knives, switch them out frequently. I am an avid outdoorsman, hunter, fisherman, camper - so heavier folders and fixed blade suggestions are also welcome.

None of these knives will see "Extreme Use" like batoning etc...I have those angles well covered.

Thank you all in advance for any thoughts you may have.

[Sharp Guy]

Welcome MGN! There's something for everyone in the Spyderco catalog. I suggest you take a look and see what jumps out at you.

http://catalog.spyderco.com/productguide/

There are so many models I like it's hard for me to suggest only one. Reading your post you seem like the kind of guy who might really like the Gayle Bradley. Everyone needs some M4 in their collection. I think Knife Center still has the GB in stock. A little thinner and less money the GB2 might also be a good choice.

[Evil D]

Most logical first option is probably a Military since it might have the widest selection of steel options (though many are discontinued and you may need to find on the secondary market).

The biggest detail you left out is lock preference, and Spyderco have a good number of them. If you're for or against certain locks your options get narrowed down quick.

[SF Native]

Welcome mgn!
What do you have in the collection from spyderco so far?
I would say check some of the sprints. I think someone said the hap40 caly is back in stock at gp knives. That’s a good one. The k390 urban is small but mighty.
Check the discontinued list for some deals. The southard was really cheap. Or try to find a domino.

[MGN]

Hey there Sharp Guy - thanks for busting the cherry - I have the catalog, 2017 and down loaded 2018. You are right there is a lot. What I am looking for is some real world experience from you guys. I have been reading the forum for about 9 months now.

I have Mule 23,25,26 and the various Native 5's. I am a little unsure of liner locks (had a bad experience) but do not think that I will have a problem with the Spydercos - What are your favorite type of blade locks?

I also really like the looks of the Chaparral, Military and Manix Lines. Any thoughts on these will be appreciated.

Many thanks for you reply.

[MGN]

Hello all of you folks.
Evil D - great catch - I like Back locks, Frame Locks a lot. I am not opposed to Liner locks but am nervous about them. I was on a trip and had a buddy have a really bad accident - Liner lock failed while dressing an elk - was not a Spyderco though. I am real interested in the lock mechanism on the Military series.

I neglected to mention the Spyderco Bradley Advocate is one I really like.

[Evil D]

Hello all of you folks.
Evil D - great catch - I like Back locks, Frame Locks a lot. I am not opposed to Liner locks but am nervous about them. I was on a trip and had a buddy have a really bad accident - Liner lock failed while dressing an elk - was not a Spyderco though. I am real interested in the lock mechanism on the Military series.

I neglected to mention the Spyderco Bradley Advocate is one I really like.

I've used mine pretty hard and never had an issue. But, I also don't spine whack with my folders so maybe I'm less hardcore than some lol.

[sal]

Hi MGN,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

[MGN]

Hello Sal,
I am honored to have you post. Many thanks for a wonderful company.

[MGN]

Evil D - new here - How do I reply to you directly - love knives but not technology :-(

[Tdog]

Welcome to the forum. If you don't already have a Para 2, you should. Available in many steels and a great design. The compression lock is too fine. All the Sage knives are excellent. The Dragonfly though smaller is a "little big knife" The Caly's are also great. Enjoy

[MGN]

Many thanks Tdog....All the Para versions on now on my list - Now its to decide on steels.

One thing that is hard to do is find what the Rockwell Hardness is on Spyderco steels. I catalog all the specifics on each knife and that is one of the missing components to my catalog.

Best

[anycal]

You mentioned outdoor activities. For me both the Military and the PM2 are my choice for these. Both very capable folders, light, and as mentioned, come in variety of stainless and non stainless steels.

i don’t have any Spyderco fixed blades, yet.

[anycal]

You also mentioned that you have been at this (collecting) for couple of years. Sounds like you have a variety of knives. And even if you don't have many Spyderco folders, you probably know what works for you - size of hand, type of use. As these topics pop up now and then, the Golden CO made knives are always highly recommended - Military, Manix, PM2.

Since you mentioned ZT, I have the 0562. It is a great knife and I really like using it. But since I got the Military, it sees less carry.

[farnorthdan]

Hey MGN, welcome to the forum, Military and Paramilitary 2 are a couple of favorites and very popular, lots of great/different steel choices.

[murphjd25]

Welcome MGN! I cannot recommend either the Military or Advocate more!! They are outstanding knives! You should definitely try one out if you are interested!

[Sharp Guy]

Evil D - new here - How do I reply to you directly - love knives but not technology :-(

You can reply directly to someone by selecting the quote button (next to the exclamation point) in their post.

You mention the Advocate, I don't own one (yet) but I think it's an excellent choice. You definitely need to have a Para of some type. I currently have 3 PM2s and a couple Para 3. Both models are great but the Para 3 may not be for you if you have large hands. You said you have Natives, the Para 3 is similar in size.

If you like flippers I would suggest looking at Spyderco's Southard. They're recently disco'd and BHQ has them on closeout form$170. I just picked one up and that price is a bargain for that price. It's really a beautiful piece and well worth the price.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=76722&hilit=Southard

Something from the Sage series is a must IMO. I have all but the S4. They're all good but the S2 is my favorite. S5 is a good choice too if you want to try a compression lock. The action on mine is ok but I think Golden does compression locks a little better than Taichung at this point.

Chaparral is like a mini Sage. Thin handle & and thin blade stock (CTS-XHP). What's not to love? The new FRN Chap is awesome and a bargain IMO. CF Chap is another must have. Rafir Noble if you want something unique.

Manix 2 is a classic. I prefer the M2 LWs but they're not for everyone. The G10 is solid and the one I have is one of my smoothest Spydies. It's a little heavy so it doesn't get carried as much as the others. The caged ball bearing lock is great but I do find it a little difficult to close with my left hand because I can't use the clip for leverage. Lots of choices in the Manix line including a backlock version.

Another one to look at is the new Sliverax. Mine took a little pivot tweaking and break in time but it's fabulous now. It's not gonna flip like your ZT but it flips great once you get used to it. You also have access to the Spydie hole so there's multi ways to deploy the blade which I like. I carried my Sliverax today IWB with a Mantra in the front pocket. I'm digging both those knives!

As I said before, lots of great choices in the lineup. Your going to get a zillion different suggestions. Hard for someone to tell you what you'll like. You just need to start looking at specs for models that appeal to you and start ordering. You can always get most of your money back for models you don't like. Checkout the Exchange over on Blade Forums.

BTW, Spyderco doesn't typically publish the Rockwell hardness of their blades. It's my understanding that they have the heat treating thing down.

[ross8425]

PM2. Just get the s30v to try it out. It's addicting. I have smaller hands so a military is too big for me. Plus I have no desire to have a knife that large; it is complete over kill for anything I use a knife for. PM2 is just right. I had a para 3 but I like the native better.

I use my PM2s outside all of the time. And usually I use the s30v because I figure if I snap it doing something I probably shouldn't be doing, i can easily replace it. If you do decide to get a PM2 in s30v, buy from a dealer. There are a lot of copies of this model out there.

[Larry_Mott]

Personally i enjoy having complete "families", like all Sages, All Jess Horn etc. (exception to that is the PM2 and Manix, both of which i respect for being good knives but i have no interest in getting every **** flavor of them)

[curlyhairedboy]

Seconding the Southard. It's comparable to the 562CF in terms of beefiness, but is decidedly thinner behind the edge.

Can't discount any of the classic big hole lines (military, PM2, manix, etc.) because NOTHING works better in below-zero temps with frozen hands in thick gloves than a big ol' spydie hole.