spyderco lava or poliwog?

rodriguez7

rodriguez7

Gila wilderness knife works
Joined
Feb 1, 2009
Messages
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Im thinking of buying one of these knives, for edc/sd use. I really like the lava and the fact that its on sale. But which one is heavier duty, and more reliable. I have a tendancy to be hard on things. I chose these two because of their size and style. Thank you for your help. I was also considering the cricket.
 
Poliwog seems a tad tougher, but the Lava is no slouch.
The Lava carries better, as it is less wide.
Both mould to the hand really well, so no worries there.
The Poliwog is pointier; that's my only beef with the Lava, the fact that it could use more pointiness.
Of course, the PROPER response is "get both!":D
 
Between the lava & poliwog, I'd go lava. I own both SS versions and carry the lava a lot more. Caveat: haven't handled the G-10 Poliwog, considerably lighter than the SS version. Then again, Bladetech Ratel.

Verb
 
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The Lava is discontinued, while the Poliwog is still in production with a G-10 handle. I'd get the Lava because it will eventually be harder to find. Plus I just like the looks of it more than the Poli.
 
Thanks for the replies. I went ahead and ordered the lava.Maybe the poliwog this summer.
 
The Poliwog is definitely the biggest and most hand-filling of the bunch. I had a Lava for a few weeks a couple of years ago (promptly loosing it in the snow) and got a Poliwog as replacement.
I found the Lava a little too small for my hands (large), but the Poliwog fits very nicely.
On the other hand the Lava is much nicer to carry, it's footprint in your pocket is almost the same as the Cricket.
For a knife that will still feel good after extended periods of hard cutting, the Poliwog wins hands down. For something that will carry nicely and still has a very secure grip, the Lava would be better.
 
The Lava rocks. The poliwog is a bit wider in pocket, and I prefer the standard clip to the wire one.

The poliwog is also getting refit with G-10 scales, so I'd lean towards the disco'd Lava. They'll get hard to find soon.
 
Interesting that this thread came up so recently...I had just decided to go with the Lava as my full-time EDC.

Anyways -- have a question for all you Spydie gurus...

Having carried a multitude of knives over the years (Delica integral clip, Delica 4, Delica G10, Caly Jr., Massad Ayoob, Shabaria, Scorpius, Dodo, Yojimbo, etc.), I just was not able to find a knife that felt as comfortable in every possible grip orientation as the Lava...Forward blade down, forward blade up, reverse blade in, reverse blade out...

The only down sides I see to the Lava are the short blade and (as someone else mentioned) the lack of a real point.

I had been thinking about going with the SS-slabbed Poliwog. It seems to have a grip configuration very similar to the Lava, with a somewhat longer and pointier blade. I know they're discontinued, but I believe they're still available. I should point out here that I have begun to prefer knives with SS slabs. I prefer IWB carry, and find the SS finish sits the most comfortably and has the least tendency to stick or pop loose from friction.

So finally, my question -- could all of you gurus advise me as to the relative IWB "carryability" of the SS Poliwog? I know it's a monster, but do you think it would suit my needs?

Thanks for any input! :)

p.s. I should mention that I'm in a tri-state area where knife laws change within a few miles of travel. Hence my preference for shorter blades...
 
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