Spyderco Forums

So my son joined the navy last year and is nearing finishing school and will be heading to the fleet. When I was in I had a spyderco delica or something very similar, specifically a 2 5/8 inch blade and steel handle. That has been long lost but lasted well over a decade. Later as a scout leader I went with a d2 steel stockman (no lock blades, council rule) and became a big fan of the sheepfoot blade. (You would too if you were constantly handing it to 9-10 year old’s.) Anyway I am wondering what the thoughts and options from spyderco as a gift for my fleet bound son.
My rules sub 3 inch blade, reasonably rust resistant straight edge, no serrated.

Hi Prologix,

Welcome to our forum.

I would suggest a Salt. Maybe a Salt 2 and a sharpener.

sal

Prologix wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:35 pm

So my son joined the navy last year and is nearing finishing school and will be heading to the fleet. When I was in I had a spyderco delica or something very similar, specifically a 2 5/8 inch blade and steel handle. That has been long lost but lasted well over a decade. Later as a scout leader I went with a d2 steel stockman (no lock blades, council rule) and became a big fan of the sheepfoot blade. (You would too if you were constantly handing it to 9-10 year old’s.) Anyway I am wondering what the thoughts and options from spyderco as a gift for my fleet bound son.
My rules sub 3 inch blade, reasonably rust resistant straight edge, no serrated.

Welcome to the forum Prologix.


It is not cheap, but have you considered the Tusk?

Native 5 Salt is amazing. Have had it in my pocket ever since my girlfriend gave it to me on Christmas.The LC200N steel has been awesome, gets very sharp, holds its edge a good long time and is easy to sharpen. I dont think you can go wrong with this knife.

The Tusk is cool, I am going to have to ask him if he wants a spike, very expensive. The native 5 salt appears to be a good choice too. Glad I decided to ask.

Kyle8734 wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:58 pm

Native 5 Salt is amazing. Have had it in my pocket ever since my girlfriend gave it to me on Christmas.The LC200N steel has been awesome, gets very sharp, holds its edge a good long time and is easy to sharpen. I dont think you can go wrong with this knife.

Welcome to the forum. At present, I agree with Kyle^^ PE, sub 3" the Native 5 Salt is the way to go.

I would buy him a mule. That way he can paracord it himself and he will be able to get a sheath easily from the PX

Sal might suggest the best steel from what they have at the moment

Prologix wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:35 pm

So my son joined the navy last year and is nearing finishing school and will be heading to the fleet. When I was in I had a spyderco delica or something very similar, specifically a 2 5/8 inch blade and steel handle. That has been long lost but lasted well over a decade. Later as a scout leader I went with a d2 steel stockman (no lock blades, council rule) and became a big fan of the sheepfoot blade. (You would too if you were constantly handing it to 9-10 year old’s.) Anyway I am wondering what the thoughts and options from spyderco as a gift for my fleet bound son.
My rules sub 3 inch blade, reasonably rust resistant straight edge, no serrated.

Hi, Prologix:
Welcome to our forum. If you are a veteran, you do qualify for our OpFocus program which gives a considerable discount. You can find more information about it here, https://www.spyderco.com/resources/op-focus/. We thank you for your service and please thank your son for us too (he also qualifies as active duty military for our OpFocus program)!

Kristi

Welcome, Prologix!

Thank you and your son for your service! :)

I agree with Sal that a Spyderco Salt would be a nice choice for your son, especially if he's going to sea. Personally, I'd go with PE for the edge... or, you could get him a Salt in PE and in SE so he has both edge types in case he needs them. If you don't go with a Salt then definitely a Spyderco Delica 4 with FRN handles.

The suggestions of a Spyderco Tusk is intriguing... do you think your son would have need of a mariner spike on his knife for his daily Navy needs?

Also, the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker (204MF) would be a most outstanding and important addition to the :spyder: you choose for your son... he'll need something to keep it sharp. Also, a set of the Spyderco Diamond Tri-Angle Stones would be an excellent addition to the Sharpmaker so he can sharpen his :spyder: should the edge get really dull.

The marlin spike, is not needed for his daily job (fire control), per se, but I also as a sonar tech had one and it came in handy a few times. A sharpener setup will be included, as it is something he needs to learn. The Tusk is a bit on the expensive side, I asked him to look at all three mentioned above.

I’m not sure where CTS-BD1N falls in the corrosion resistance scale, but the Para 3 lightweight is coming out soon and might be a great choice.

LC200N is reputed to keep an edge longer than H1 in plain edge, both do well as serrated. Both will require more edge maintenance than other stainless steels, but are close to rust PROOF.

The new Native Salt is now shipping, but only in yellow. I don't know if that matters? But it's one hellova knife. Probably the state of the art lock-back.

sal

You might still look at the Salt knives that use H1 steel - the Salt 1 and Salt 2 in particular - and see what you think. To me they seem better suited to sailors, while some of the others seem better suited to fishermen and other sportsmen.

Don't forget the Para 3!

TazKristi wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 24, 2019 9:16 am

Prologix wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:35 pm

So my son joined the navy last year and is nearing finishing school and will be heading to the fleet. When I was in I had a spyderco delica or something very similar, specifically a 2 5/8 inch blade and steel handle. That has been long lost but lasted well over a decade. Later as a scout leader I went with a d2 steel stockman (no lock blades, council rule) and became a big fan of the sheepfoot blade. (You would too if you were constantly handing it to 9-10 year old’s.) Anyway I am wondering what the thoughts and options from spyderco as a gift for my fleet bound son.
My rules sub 3 inch blade, reasonably rust resistant straight edge, no serrated.

Hi, Prologix:
Welcome to our forum. If you are a veteran, you do qualify for our OpFocus program which gives a considerable discount. You can find more information about it here, https://www.spyderco.com/resources/op-focus/. We thank you for your service and please thank your son for us too (he also qualifies as active duty military for our OpFocus program)!

Kristi

This is truly awesome!