Any strong feelings regarding the Spyderco Persistence?

ebuchner

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I'm looking for an EDC folding knife that would also be appropriate for backpacking, camping, climbing, etc...
It seems to be the ticket, but I want some other opinions before I pull the trigger on it. E.g, personal experience with it or some different offerings from Spyderco that may be more appropriate. (I'm insisting on Spyderco because they have a brick'n'mortar outlet near me).

Thanks!
 
I have seen the Persistence in blister packs at the store, but have not used one personally. It looks well constructed for the price point and would probably give you a lifetime of use. For the activities you mentioned above, my rule of thumb is to keep the weight below 3 oz. for a folder, and the closer to 2 oz. the better. I'm an avid camping, hiking, backpacking, outdoors enthusiast and I currently carry a Hogue Deka for these activities (have other folders for around town and for more formal occasions). What I love about it is the incredible light weight, Magnacut steel with great edge geometry, the axis-like locking mechanism, and made in the USA.

If your budget is the Persistence price range and you are ok with a Chinese knife with Chinese steel, then feel confident that it is well designed from a solid American knife company. If your budget can stretch a bit and you want to stick with Spyderco, I would look at something like the Manix 2 Salt Lightweight. In that model you get about the same sized knife, but lighter weight, better locking mechanism, Magnacut steel, and American made. Years after the fact when the money is long gone, I never have regrets purchasing a tool of quality.
 
I second the suggestion of a Hogue Deka. I've owned both the clip point and wharncliffe 20CV versions. I have another wharncliffe in the mail, now in Magnacut. An excellent US-made knife for the money, truly ambidextrous open and close, lightweight, and both blade shapes are highly useful. New ones run about $135 retail, but they do go on sale for about $110. They can also be purchased for about $90-$100 on the secondary market; less for the older 20CV versions (and absolutely nothing wrong with that excellent steel).
 
If I were to consider the Spyderco Persistence S35VN liner lock knife, I'd probably prefer one of these two instead:

Spyderco Endela -- Bohler K390 steel, lockback, 3.4" blade; 8.5/10 edge retention; 5/10 toughness; made in Japan.

Spyderco Dragonfly 2 -- Bohler K390 steel, lockback, 2.75" blade; 8.5/10 edge retention; 5/10 toughness; made in Japan.

The K390 blade steel keeps an edge longer than S35VN, but is roughly equivalently tough (avoiding brittleness) as the S35VN. Of course, the degree to which you value the various characteristics of the different blade steels, grind, etc, should drive your choice. Myself, for how I use the things, edge retention tops almost everything else, though I'd prefer it tough enough so long as that edge retention is stellar. Currently have a Spyderco RockJumper VG-10, though it's got nowhere near the edge retention of the K390 steel.

All sport the same big thumb hole opening, the same basic frame pattern/grip. Both the Endela and Dragonfly 2 are a tad more in price than the Persistence, but IMO they'd be better choices.

Spyderco Persistence -- S35VN steel, liner lock, 2.75" blade; 5/10 edge retention; 5/10 toughness; made in China.
 
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Generally speaking , Spyderco makes good knives . I don't own a CrMov myself .
But if the steel is properly cooked , there is no reason it wont serve you well .
Chinese CrMov has matured very nicely the last few years to the point it's giving average D2 a run for it's money .
You need really good D2 to beat out some of the good CrMov ..
 
I have one, along with the rest of the knives in that Spyderco line.
I sure as hell wouldn't take it into the great outdoors as my main knife.
Back-up is a different story. Especially for hiking, get a short fixed-blade.
 
I love Spyderco knives. All of them.

Persistence is a great, economical choice for general use. Well-made, good quality and very sensibly-priced. No great worries if damaged or lost. A good practical knife to have on hand.

In recent years, I've really taken to Wharncliff blade designs... here's a Delica and a Dragonfly with that style blade.

49086240043_826556fc85_h.jpg


This blade design places the point most prominent for slicing, slashing, chopping, box cutting, et al. (Not such a great choice for stabbing, though, if that's the mission. ;))
 
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Another advocate for Wharncliffe (and sheepsfoot) Spyderco tools. Such quick knives for so many tasks. Sal, the innovator and owner, knows how useful they are, but most knife buyers want a certain look for their blade (I guess) so Wharncliffe models are being discontinued, with resultant discounts.

The savings on a Chinese Spyderco become irrelevant if you end up keeping the knife for years.

The lightweight FRN scales are a solid choice. I have two that have been around for years of regular use, with a couple as back ups in LC200N steel.

IMG_2356.jpeg
 
Thank you for the input, everyone!

To update everyone, I think I've managed to make a pick that will slightly disappoint everyone (the hallmark of a true compromise :crackup:). For now I've gone with a LeafJumper K390. It fits my hand well and I'm very fond of the serrated blade and have carried daily for a few weeks now. I'm kinda stunned by how well it keeps it's edge relative to most any other knife I've ever handled. Of course, it's not a stainless steel but honestly 90% maintaining a tool is mutually inclusive with just not neglecting it.

I'll probably pick up a second, smaller knife in the Salt series with a sheepsfoot blade at a later date since I'll probably also be wanting something even more pocketable depending on how light I want to travel, and whether or not I think I'll be able to clean and oil it under the given circumstances.
 
Thank you for the input, everyone!

To update everyone, I think I've managed to make a pick that will slightly disappoint everyone (the hallmark of a true compromise :crackup:). For now I've gone with a LeafJumper K390. It fits my hand well and I'm very fond of the serrated blade and have carried daily for a few weeks now. I'm kinda stunned by how well it keeps it's edge relative to most any other knife I've ever handled. Of course, it's not a stainless steel but honestly 90% maintaining a tool is mutually inclusive with just not neglecting it.

I'll probably pick up a second, smaller knife in the Salt series with a sheepsfoot blade at a later date since I'll probably also be wanting something even more pocketable depending on how light I want to travel, and whether or not I think I'll be able to clean and oil it under the given circumstances.
I don't have loads of experience with the larger Spyderco models, but the smaller ones are awesome pocket knives. I'm especially fond of the Dragonfly models. The H1(H2) serrated is the one I keep coming back to, although I tried out the k390 wharncliffe Dragonfly and it's outstanding as well. I love a patina, but the H1 scratches pretty easily and shows wear, so that's a nice trade off while not having to worry, AT ALL, about maintenance.
IMG_9594.jpeg
 
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