cheapo's knife threads (merged)

i was looking at the kershaw baby boa, or maybe a benchmade benchmite. any experience with these or other suggestions. i want something under $55 and under 5in total length.

Re: spyderco byrd?

high value for the money. decent build but its not spyderco. very good user blades. steel similar to aus 8 and at under 20 you cant go wrong

Re: spyderco byrd?

I highly recommend you go over to the Spyderco factory forum and do a search. You'll get a lot of info there, including some that is model specific. You'll also find quite a few people who are impressed with Spyderco's lower line.

The byrd line is an excellent deal giving very good quality for a reasonable price. While it's true that they aren't Spyderco's, that doesn't mean that the Spyderco quality isn't there. They may lack in the fit & finish department, but the construction is first rate, and they stack up well to other knives that cost more.

Re: spyderco byrd?

Excellent knives and one of the best bargains for the money. I gave one to a friend last weekend. She chose it over a few other knives I was offering, including the Benchmade Pika.

Re: spyderco byrd?

These are fairly decent knives and a good value for the money but they are what they are, mass produced chinese knives.

I recently learned that spyderco has also begun using a die cast process that has me wondering about the quality trends of their knives. The process was described to me at Blade and it seemed that an effort was being made to make it sound hi-tech but it sounded like the same die cast metal process used to make Hot Wheels and such. I really like the spydercos that I have (Persian , Ti Salsa, Native) but I'm wondering if the Byrd knives aren't a type of manufacturing audition to try out cheaper processes that trickle up into the higher priced line.

Re: spyderco byrd?

It appears that in the past 2 years Spyderco is trying to expand it's lineup so it can offer products at all price levels. The high-end priced stuff is still very much top quality. And the medium priced knives are still awesome and you get a lot of knife for your money.

I was a longtime CRKT fan, but they really let their customers down when they started putting softer/cheaper steel in their biggest sellers. Now you have to buy the expensive CRKTs to even get good steel anymore.

As to the Byrd series vs. a Spyderco... The Byrds seem ok, but once you have handled good knives, "ok" knives just aren't good enough anymore. Since Spyderco is offering Delicas and Natives at Walmart now for $40 or less, it's easy for most people to afford Spydercos now.

Re: spyderco byrd?

I handled a couple of Byrd knives and they feel fine. Action is good (not as smooth as Spyderco's nicer knives, but still good), no wobble or anything in the blade, they feel well made. If you must stay under $20, I think it's a great value, along with some Bucks like the Mantis, Pilot, and a few others (also MIC). The main thing I didn't like about the Byrd line are the handles are quick thick and I wanted something smaller to carry in my pocket.

However, considering the Delica and Native are only about $40 now (they're not available at my local WalMarts, but you may be able to find them...I ordered mine online), I think those are a better value than the Byrd line, even considering their higher price. The smoother action, slimmer profile, and far batter steel is worth the additional cost IMO.

Re: spyderco byrd?

They're pretty decent for $20 and actually lock up ok, unlike other cheapies and the steel holds an edge worth a damn.

found a knife

http://i13.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/04/f3/bf_1.JPG

-David

Re: crkt choices

has to be under $40... but i was looking at this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/CRKT-Point-Guar...2QQihZ011QQcategoryZ63794QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

how is it?

-David

Re: crkt choices

Personally I don't like partially serrated blades - but we all have our different likes & dislikes - I respect that.

The current bid as of this post is $5.50 - a STEAL OF A DEAL on that knife. CRKT are affordable well built knives.

BTW - PM sent...

Re: crkt choices

why dont you like partially serrated blades?

i like it because it makes it easier to cut through things like fishing lines and twigs.

-David

Re: crkt choices

cheapo that is a steal.. Are you bidding?
I won't bid against you if I know.
Topper :touche:

Re: crkt choices

Oh don't get me totally wrong, they have their place in the "kit" for sure! I keep a few around - but they're such a pain to sharpen. Then again, I've never been very good at sharpening.

I do have a Spyderco Sharpmaker - need to practice with it. I probably have every "idiot's knife sharpener" that exists!

Re: crkt choices

geez, that is a good point.... it would suck to sharpen it.

I am still unsure... it is between the crkt point guard and the spyderco byrd.... whichever has the better blade (stays sharp longer).

-David

Re: crkt choices

cheapo said:

geez, that is a good point.... it would suck to sharpen it.

I am still unsure... it is between the crkt point guard and the spyderco byrd.... whichever has the better blade (stays sharp longer).

-David

Click to expand...

That would be the byrd. The CRKT, while being well built, has AUS-6 steel. I owned a CRKT with AUS6 and had to sharpen it two to three times a day. The byrd has a steel that is similar to AUS8 in it's properties, but it's pretty hard, and holds an edge better than most AUS8 blades. Down side is that being so hard makes it harder to sharpen, however it also depends on the specific knife you buy.

Also, at that price you can probably buy two (one serrated and one plain). Another option is to sharpen the plain edge with a more aggressive edge that will allow it to function like a serrated edge.

I use a combo edge byrd Crossbill everyday, and I've noticed that I don't use the serrated portion as much as the plain portion. This means that I sharped the plain portion more than the serrated portion. I'd say to start with a plain edge because you can vary the sharpening to an aggressive edge. If you decide you need the CE you can always get it later. You can get two byrd Robins for $40 shipped. Get a Crow (even better the Raven) and a robin and its $45 shipped. Then you'll have two different knives. One that will be a worrkhorse, and another one that you won't be as afraid of scaring the sheeple with. Just take the clip off the Robin and throw it in your pocket.

Re: crkt choices

ok... now, reading that, i would like to know.... can you point out to me similar knives but made with harder metals? I am really looking into somthing that i would rarely have to sharpen.

this knife is harder isnt it> :

http://crkt.com/elock.html

-David

Re: crkt choices

I prefer the combo edges too... It's not really that hard to sharpen them, just needs a little practice (old steak knives are perfect for this) the serrated part on my emerson needs a lot less sharpening too... I only do the serrated part once for every 5 times I sharpen the smooth part.

Re: crkt choices

cheapo said:

ok... now, reading that, i would like to know.... can you point out to me similar knives but made with harder metals? I am really looking into somthing that i would rarely have to sharpen.

this knife is harder isnt it> :

http://crkt.com/elock.html

-David

Click to expand...

I would guess that it isn't as good as the byrd at edge retention, but better than the point guard (it does list as being harder than the point guard, but not as hard as the byrd). Keep in mind that this is only a guess. I base this guess on my experience with my CRKT M-18-02R (which is also AUS8 at the same hardness as the e-lock). Based on that experience, the byrd holds an edge better but is slightly harder to sharpen.

Truth is, there is more than just hardness that goes into how well a knife holds it's edge. I can only speek from the experience that I have. I've had three different CRKT's in AUS6 that didn't hold an edge very well by my standards. I have one CRKT in AUS8 that I found to be satisfactory in that area. The E-lock may be better, or it may be worse. If it's worse, then it isn't because of the steel IMHO.

I will say that if you can get a Spyderco Delica 4 for close to the same price then that is your best bet. I've used knives from two different manufactures with VG-10 blades, and have formed the opinion that that is my best option. It holds an edge better that the others mentioned, but isn't very hard to sharpen for some reason (probably the make up of the steel).

For some people, the AUS6 isn't a bad deal. They may not use the knife much and prefer the softer steel for sharpening. People usually look for a "harder steel" knife because they don't want sharpen as often. This can sometimes be due to a lack of sharpening skills on thier part. Problem is that the knife will eventually get dull, and need sharpening. Then, it's harder to sharpen. If you will be using the knife frequently enough, you'll probably have to invest in a sharpening system (that's what I did), or improve your sharpening skills. for someone who won't be using the knife that much, the AUS6 wouldn't be a bad choice. There are always tradeoffs. I personally believe that the AUS8 would be better, and the VG-10 even better than the AUS8.

At the price of the Point Guard, it may well be a good knife to improve your sharpening skills on. Cheap enough that you won't mind messing up, the steel is soft so that if you do mess up it isn't so hard to repair. IMHO, at that price it would be worth buying just to practice sharpening serrations.

Re: crkt choices

CRKT downgraded to 420J2 and AUS4. Pretty bad..
Grab yourself a Spyderco Delica or Native for ~$40