My Spydercos - Part Three

 

My Spyderco collection started years ago, driven by the need for my activities.  I have always been interested in surviving with a knife, but survival has many definitions, including self-defense.  You must ask yourself, which came first, the blade or the trainer?

C10SBK - Endura

Endura - No Boye Dent

The first Endura was released in 1990 with a thin molded plastic clip.  This went through a variety of changes that culminated with a switchable metal clip in 1998.  This was a milestone.  A bent clip could be removed and straightened or replaced.  The barrel screw holding the clip could be tightened or removed with a coin and it had a lanyard hole in the middle of clip.  I always preferred a dime as the right thickness and curvature.

The plastic clip had a following.  They didn't mar object if you brushed into them. 

Eventually, threaded metal inserts were molded into Enduras and many other lines so the clip could be moved to tip up or down and right or left.  I honestly don't know who was the first to incorporate this design, but in my opinion, it is a major milestone for knife users and a goal for many of the newer knives introduced in the last ten years.

Initially, the Enduras were snapped up by law enforcement and military.  What was not to like?  The GIN-1 blade was 3.75 inches in length.  The open length was 8.5 inches, and the Endura weighed 2.75 ounces. 

I got a plastic clip Endura in 1998 with a full serration.  It maybe one of the last ones made with the plastic clip. I had come to the decision that if I’m going to carry two knives, one should be a full serration.  The cutting power and jagged wound path were the best options for self-defense.

But any examination of knife evolution at Spyderco shows nothing is ever perfect.  Steels evolved, and Spyderco tried different colored handles only to discover tactical black was the winner.  Later, it was supposed that by using some funky inverted, sideways grip, the user could, maybe, unlock the blade and injure themselves.  The solution came in 2002 when the David Boye Dent was placed in the lock bar.  This reduces the chances of accidentally unlocking the knife during use.  Most Spyderco with a spine lock still have the Boye Dent, there are a few exceptions. 

C10TR - The Endura Trainer

Here a Endura trainer, complete with Boye Dent and reversible metal clip

The same year the Dent was introduced, Spyderco released a red handle trainer with an AUS-6 blade.  The blade edge is squared off and ground to give the weight of an actual knife.  The Endura and Delica trainers continues to be available in the 2025 Catalog.   I would suggest, if you are thinking self-defence, a trainer might not be out of line, especially the Endura.  At worse you can use it to spread peanut butter.

So, the answer to the question I asked at the beginning is the live edge comes first, followed by the trainer.

The blade was deeply ground out so the edge would remain thick to minimize injury 

I bought one for the firearms class I was running and for training purposes.  But Spyderco insiders tell me most of their sales went to dealers who used them to show customers how to thumb open a Spyderco without cutting themselves.

C11FPK390 Delica in K390

Spyderco loves steel.  They are very much like smaller shops and can pivot nimbly around changes in the steel environment.  K390 is one of these steels.

Delica in K390 steel.  By now you could move the clip to four positions on the knife.  Note Boye Dent

K390 steel is produced by the Böhler Uddeholm steel company.  This steel is the result of powdered metallurgy, which results in excellent grain size and uniform composition distribution.  The carbides in the K390 mix are fine and uniformly sized and distributed evenly throughout the matrix.  This is an important property of high-performance steels. 

IMO Knife pictures with out a headstamp loss value.  Yeah- I'm talking to you Italian Switchblade posters!

Making steel is somewhat like cooking.  You can’t just add the elements to a furnace and expect a great outcome, especially with all these elements:

Carbon 2.47%,  Chromium 4.2%,  Cobalt 2%,  Manganese 0.4%, Molybdenum 3.8%,  Tungsten 1%, and a kiss of silicon.  The rest is iron.

I suspect most, if not all, the Chromium is tied up with carbon-forming carbides, so this steel isn't stainless.  In fact, Spyderco includes a card warning you not to cut citrus fruit and to protect the blade from moisture and acid skin oils.

K390 has excellent wear resistance and high compressive strength but is difficult to grind, finish, and sharpen.  Once it is sharp, it will stay sharp for a long, long time.

My Delica has a flat grind, which I wasn’t sure about.  Was it just another gimmick?  I’m wrong.  Today’s flat grinds have proven to make cutting much easier than a saber or hollow grind.  I love the blue handle and have been told it's reserved for K390 steel. 

C41PBK – Native

I like the deep false edge and how the thumb hole is submersed in the blade  Note Boye Dent. 

The Native has always been an interesting knife.  First is the unique shaped blade. 

The Native has a broad blade completely incorporating the Spyderco open hole, with no bump as in the Delica or Endura.  It's a drop point a with a deep ground false edge.  The blade has always reminded me of an arrowhead.  I don't why, it just does.  Spyderco designed it with two choils.  The first choil is located where the blade and handle meet.  This allows you to choke up on the blade for more control but puts you closer to the cutting edge.  The second positions the hand farther back on the folder, farther away from the business edge of the knife.

The clip and barrel screw from this Native  Word of advice: Loctite.

My Native is from 2002 and has a Boye Dent and the metal clip with a barrel nut.  It doesn't have the volcano grip but has a set of lines and curves radiating outward, like a spider web from a central logo. 

The steel is 440V, aka: CPMS60V.  The tang stamp on one side says Spyderco 440V.  But the back side is the cool tang stamp.  It reads Golden Colorado USA Earth.  Yeah, that’s way cool.

The cool tang stamp.  Allen abduction?  With this knife they know where to return you.

The Native has undergone many iterations in size, steel, and handle material.  It remains another of Spyderco’s top ten best sellers because it was a great design and has kept the features that made it so interesting.  You can find a nice, if not slightly outdated, discussion of the Native's history in Knife Magazine, Jun 2017.

The biggest problem IMO:  The 12 mm hole is partially obscured when closed.

I have a later Native to show you, but that’s for later.

 

 

Vosteed Corgi

 

Last year at the Blade Show, I noticed the Corgi Trek at Vosteed Knife.  I was struck by the size, shape, and interesting opening mechanism. 

Vosteed Corgi

First, a little about Vosteed Knife.  Vosteed was started in 2021 by Johnny and Yue Dong.  The plant is located in China.  They work with several international designers like Geoff Blauvelt and Ray Laconico, to name a few.  The mission statement declares, “Honesty is a core business value.”  I have always found the best knife companies have simple, understandable statements about fundamental values.

Yue Dong is the in-house designer responsible for the Teck Lock on Corgi knives. 

I like Vosteed Knife.  I spent more than a bit of money at their booth at 2024 Blade. 

This Corgi has a sheepsfoot blade with a high shoulder grind and reverse tanto point.  The complex angles where the tanto meets the spine give the blade an eye-candy look. 

The sub-three-inch blade is made from 14C28N steel hardened to a RHc of 60.  This steel has been a favorite compared to S30V, VG-10, and AEB-L, all quality knife steels.  Let's briefly look at the chemistry.  14C28N steel can vary depending on the manufacturer, but it generally contains:

14% Chromium: Provides corrosion resistance and hardness,

0.6% Carbon: Increases hardness and wear resistance,

0.3% Nitrogen: Improves hardness and corrosion resistance,

0.3% Manganese: Improves hardenability and wear resistance,

and trace amounts of Silicon, Phosphorus, and Sulfur.  The last three improve machinability.

14C28N steel has excellent edge retention and improved hardness due to the nitrogen content.  More than one reviewer thinks it's a great choice for tasks that require a sharp edge, like cutting and slicing.

The levels of chromium provide good resistance to rust resistance and other forms of corrosion.  I have a knife that I accidentally ‘patinaed’ by slicing lemons.  Don’t laugh, it could happen to you.

the reversible clip

The blade is housed in a reinforced frame with a blue-gray micarta handle.  The knife comes with a deep carry clip for right-side, tip-up carry.  The clip is reversible.  You can't help but notice the depression that takes the clips has a metal plug filling it.  It gives the knife a look of completeness.  It's something you don't see on many higher-end knives.

Opening flippers

The knife opener is called “front and back flippers."  The flippers have a bit of gimping for friction, and you open the knife by pressing down on the ear.  The blade glides open on caged ceramic ball bearings.  This is high-tech stuff.

A little pressure on the opening tab and the Corgi flies open

Ceramic ball bearings have high hardness and elastic modulus.  No, that's not techno-babble; it means the bearings resist deformation under load and have increased wear and corrosion resistance.  They can run lubricant-free.  If you must rinse the knife out and can't re-oil it, the bearings have your back.  

There is a downside.  Ceramic bearings are sensitive to thermal shock and have lower load capacities.  These aren't really problems for knives.

Time for a true confession.  I don't sell knives from my blog, and I don't own this Corgi.  I know it feels good in my hand, but I’m not about to use someone else's knife in cutting tests.  On the Vosteed website, I noticed that their current stock was low.  What will the proposed trade tariffs affect?    I don't know.

If you're looking for one, I'd act sooner than later.