What is your EDC knife?

[CCS]

I always carry a small SAK. For the past few years, it's been a 74mm Executive. I also carry either a Benchmade Bugout 535BK-2 or Mini-Presidio. Previously carried a Mini-Grip and before then a Buck 501 Squire. My grandfather was in the cutlery business and while I no longer carry the knives his company made, I've been carrying a pocket knife daily for over 60 years. I have many, many knives.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Yes, this is a standard production model. Manix™ 2 Lightweight CPM SPY27 - Spyderco, Inc. - https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/C101CBL2/1843

The color in the winter photo is skewed by the high, bright, overcast sky; it looks like a lighter blue. Spyderco is reserving this blue for their knives with SPY27 steel. It appears more greenish in their catalog photo.

Here’s one taken in subdued sunlight today.

View attachment 1499892

Teal? Anyway it looks great!

 

[Whilliam]

Teal? Anyway it looks great!

"French blue," maybe? (A close cousin to teal.)

FWIW, Spydie just introduced an "Endela" in K390 steel with what I would call "Cerulean" blue scales. Very well priced, too.

 

[Whilliam]

Benchmade "940 Osborne" with an M-4 blade.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

QSP Penguin and Orient Ray. Sense a theme here?

 

[tehnothing]

They are still doing road work so chances of my Spyderco being delivered today are slim. So what has been my main EDC knife for a few years now, my Mini Boost from Benchmade.

 

[Hair Scraper]

Another factory second (PM 2) today.

 

[Doc Dan]

Buck 302 Solitaire Brass and Rosewood.

 

[Whilliam]

Today, it's a Kizer "Grazioso" by Sherif Manganas. The watch is a Citizen retro-style chrony with a huge dome crystal.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Ontario RAT 1 AUS-8. After carrying this several times I understand why it’s such an iconic knife.

 

[Hair Scraper]

The new Spyderco/Perrin Subway Bowie is hanging around with me today.


Edited to add:Spyderco byte July 2022 - https://mailchi.mp/spyderco/spyderco-byte-july-2022?e=c8e50c71b9

 

[Multum in parvo]

The new Spyderco/Perrin Subway Bowie is hanging around with me today.

View attachment 1500911

Looks good, I have his skinny friend

 

[Hair Scraper]

The weather forecast improved, I got away from civilization, shifted gears, and went out stomping around one of the nearby open spaces. I grabbed a PM2 for the trek.

The first pictures I took were where I set the knife on a a piece of driftwood lying in the creek. A crayfish kept coming back to the log; I think it wanted that PM2, bad!

 

[Toothpick]

Another factory second (PM 2) today.

View attachment 1500282

Where do you pick up the factory seconds from?

 

[Multum in parvo]

MT LUDT

 

[Whilliam]

MT LUDT
View attachment 1501228

Diving in the Danube, are we?

 

[Whilliam]

Kizer "S.L.T." by John Gray

 

[Multum in parvo]

Diving in the Danube, are we?

Monstrous catfish there

 

[Yodascaretaker]

My trusty Buck 119 of course. I carry it in an Ottoza cross draw horizontal sheath. The knife can do anything.

 

[Hair Scraper]

Where do you pick up the factory seconds from?

Twice a year Spyderco will have seconds sales at the factory store in Golden, Colorado. The sales are generally held in May, (this year in June,) and November. The "OpFocus" sale, (named after their OpFocus program,) in May is for First Responders, active military/Vets, and medical professionals.

The November sale is the larger of the two and open to the general public. People fly in, or drive to the factory a week in advance to line up and camp out for the sale. Spyderco allows people to pitch tents on the property and even provides "blue rooms" for their convenience. With November weather in Colorado being unpredictable at best, Spyderco even allows them to bring fire rings. The owner, Sal Glesser, and family will stop by and chat with them throughout the week.

The day of the sale the less hearty people start lining up a couple of hours early and when the doors open the line will have wrapped around to the back of the building and up the street. The wait in line can take 3-4 hours to get in the door, but it's a pretty festive event. Employees will walk the line handing out swag and offering cups of coffee and doughnuts.

Prices are generally half to two-thirds off of MSRP and flaws can be from a scratch or, a funny grind line on the blade to screw heads on the handle screws not being formed properly. I've got some with easily repairable dinged edges. (dropped at a trade show?) Most flaws are purely cosmetic, and all items are inspected for safe operation. At the past OpFocus sale earlier this year I saw knives that were sold a couple of years ago exclusively by retailers and some models that haven't been around for years. (I don't know where they keep them all this time.)

There are thousands of items for sale, (knives, hatchets, sheaths, ceramic sharpening items...) All items are sold as-is without a warranty. There is a 25 knife purchase limit, but that may be relaxed as the day goes on. What it comes down to is the size of your wallet, and the strength of your marriage.

There's an article in last year's November byte e-Newsletter on the sale that month here: Spyderco byte November 2021 - https://mailchi.mp/spyderco/spyderco-byte-november-2021

Here's info on the OpFocus discount program for qualified individuals: OpFocus - Spyderco - https://www.spyderco.com/resources/op-focus/

Almost forgot to mention, items start showing up on big online auctions sites within hours of the doors opening on the day of the sale. And some of the descriptions are less than truthful.