Spyderco Forums

I'm thinking the Shaman is right up there. What do you say?

I think you can throw the Lil Temperance models off a cliff and they'd be fine. It's a very stout package.

Of the models I own, the Manix 2 G10 is my go-to for the most challenging tasks ...but there are many Spydercos I've never seen in person, let alone used for any cutting chores, so that's not a very informed opinion.

Definitely the discontinued Tuff in 3V. I'd like to see a Tuff 2 or another overbuilt folder one day.

Edit: beaten to the punch by seconds!

The Ed Schempp models I own are very stout. The Navaja has a thick edge and a well reinforced tip.
The Tuff was, of course, all these things taken a little bit further. (3v steel, a fuller for stiffness, beefy framelock handle)

The Tuff is impressive for sure.

I think the Lionspy is the most overbuilt Spyderco I have handled. The grind is very thick.

The Shaman or the 4V Manix2 would be two of the sturdiest current Spydies.

From what I've owned, the Shaman and the Myrtle have seemed the toughest.

However, I've put the Pacific Salt through all sorts of nastiness and that thing has persisted like no other.

The Autonomy also seems like a beast.

I’d turn the question around and ask: which Spydie folder is not up to the task you have in mind?

I’d venture that most Spydie folders will be tough enough, unless you include prying or torquing as part of the task, at which point the stouter Spydie folders (Tuff, Shaman), if marginally tougher than other Spydie folders, may not be tough enough.

Pivots are both a boon and a bane.

What got me thinking about this was the other thread about the guy using his new Shaman to wedge open the gas tank door on his car in extreme weather. I'd prefer not to use any of my non-beater Spyders for this. Thinking about it, though, the Shaman is one of the best built for standing up to those kind of things.

Lionspy, TUFF, Gayle Bradley 1, Vallotton, all built strong enough to withstand stupid knife tricks.

The Soyderco Dragonfly, of course!

RazorSharp86 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 09, 2019 10:34 am

The Soyderco Dragonfly, of course!

Made completely out of soybeans? :D

There is a pic out there of an H1 blade bent to almost 90 degrees. That seems pretty tough.

wrdwrght wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 09, 2019 10:16 am

I’d turn the question around and ask: which Spydie folder is not up to the task you have in mind?

I’d venture that most Spydie folders will be tough enough, unless you include prying or torquing as part of the task, at which point the stouter Spydie folders (Tuff, Shaman), if marginally tougher than other Spydie folders, may not be tough enough.

Pivots are both a boon and a bane.

I'd turn on your turnaround and ask: what makes you think it only has to do with tasks you have in mind?

:D

I constantly find myself, with spydies especially, saying "nope" to many potential tasks throughout a work shift, or even sometimes on off days. They're tough, but the shear thought of damaging one can serve as a deterrent. I've broken tips off several millie's and pm2's without knowing what I did wrong. I've encountered bladeplay in some models after normal use as well (fixable normally). Life isn't always peaches n' cream and mistakes happen. There's something nice about just reaching into the pocket and using a knife with utmost confidence for virtually any task.... just using it without thinking or worrying. That's something the Tuff offers over virtually all other models: a high quality durable workhorse for imperfect working conditions and the imperfect working man.

Both my Manix 2 with 4V and CMP Cru-Wear blades and Ti scales run circles around the Tuff. :p

Now, rationally speaking :), you can't talk about a tough folder without mentioning the blade length. Obviously a Native 5 with SS liners is tougher than a Manix XL, simply because the blade is shorter .... Also, what do you mean by tough ? Breaking a blade, chipping it, etc. ?

Gayle Bradley 1 and not just because my name is in it it's a great knife, and the only knife besides the yojimbo 2 that I sold and then bought again and have kept in my collection.

Manix, tuff, etc.
Don’t sleep on the techno 1. That thing is beefy.

I'm going to stick to my guns and say my tried and true Caribbean.

The Vallotton was a monster, but it was a bit too thick to carry. Maybe in a suit jacket pocket. I regret selling my auto, kinda.

ferider... liners, pivot construction (including washer size), hardware size (screws, pillars), number of pillars or backspacer specifics, lock type, grind (including in relation to length/height/thickness), edge geometry, tip geometry, steel toughness (and the many things that affect this), even scales... It all has to be considered imo.

bearfacedkiller wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 09, 2019 10:41 am

There is a pic out there of an H1 blade bent to almost 90 degrees. That seems pretty tough.

But probably not at the pivot...but thanks for mentioning it, Darby.

To the thread’s readers generally, the range of motion (before failure) on a fixed-blade 1095 ESEE Junglas (https://youtu.be/8BWZKIla9bU) is why talk of tough Spydie folders strikes me as a bit of a reach. Hard-user Pelagic certainly knows there are quickly-reached practical limits on folders.

Is a Shaman tougher than a Chaparral? I’d hope so. But are their things a Shaman shouldn’t be made to do. I’d think so.

And are there things an ESEE shouldn’t be made to do? Evidently.

What about pry bars, and so on?

Hence my earlier question. We need to ask if a Spydie folder is likely up to the task we have for it. We can proceed with the Spydie in hand, or not...