Spyderco Tenacious v. Kershaw Blur v. Ontario Rat

That's good to know that I'm not the only one who had this issue with a PM2. Thanks for chiming in. Perhaps with regular use and some light sharpening on my ceramic rod, the problem will resolve itself. The PM2 is such a wonderful knife, but they are upwards around $150.00+ now. Hopefully the upgraded Tenacious will come in at an affordable price.

In my time, I have dropped a lot of cash on high-end knives, but things are getting tough again, and it's just going to get worse I would imagine so it's nice to find some good deals on quality knives.
 
sgt1372 said:
I own each of them and the best "value" and best blade design IMO belongs to the Ontario Rat 1.

Was never really fond of the Blur (although I still own 2) and while I like the Tenacious (and the related models) it does not provide the best value especially considering the continued use of 8Cr13Mov steel and a 3.375: blade as compared w/D2 and a 3.625" blade on the Rat.

The Blur w/its higher cost w/a 3.375" and Scandik 14C28N blade and a blade shape what is the least useful, IMO, cannot compete w/either the Tenacious or Ontario Rat 1.

But, if you're like me, you'll just end up buying all 3 anyway. LOL!!! ;)

BTW, I bought all of these knives very EARLY on and I would never consider buying them again now. I keep them only for "completeness" but I really have no "need" for any of them. In fact, I'm considering selling off most of my earlier Kershaw and CRKT "budget" knives just to make room in my safe for others.
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I do have all 3! You know, it's tough being a knifeaholic! lol
 
sabre cat said:
The ergonomics are very good. That has been my ergonomic “standard” for Spyderco products.

However mine just took up to much room in my pocket. That is my problem with most Spyderco products.
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There is no question that the so-called budget lines knives of Spyderco (Tenacious, Resilience, Persistence and Ambitious) are wide and they take up some room in the pocket. I can certainly relate to that issue. I think they are all good knives----especially when you could get the Tenacious around $37.00, but I also have an EDC rotation that includes slimmer knives like the Ontario Rat 2 and the Benchmade Bugout, etc., but if I only had the Tenacious, I can certainly see where I might get tired of it taking up so much room in your pocket. With that being said, it still get its fair share of pocket time in my edc rotation. :)
 
In today's market, anything in 8CR at or over 50$ is not a good deal. I'm not a steel snob either, however it is the reality of the market right now. There are plenty of quality knives out there in D2, 9cr (which is far better), 14c28 etc for under 50$ with a lot of competition between Kershaw, Civivi, Ruike, Steel Will etc. The Tenacious is a pretty damn good knife under 30$, its still pretty good at 35 but asking 40-50$ as im seeing it now? It is overpriced based on the brand name.
 
sabre cat said:
The ergonomics are very good. That has been my ergonomic “standard” for Spyderco products.

However mine just took up to much room in my pocket. That is my problem with most Spyderco products.
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Hello Saber Cat,

I agree 100%, that most Spyderco knives take up a lot of pocket real estate. Nature of the beast, with the Spydie Hole. I didn't realize how much space until I got my Microtech. They are very very thin in the pocket. I carried my Microtech for two weeks, then went back to my PM2 for a week.
Wow, the difference!! And I am NOT knocking Spyderco.
 
Lasador said:
That's good to know that I'm not the only one who had this issue with a PM2. Thanks for chiming in. Perhaps with regular use and some light sharpening on my ceramic rod, the problem will resolve itself. The PM2 is such a wonderful knife, but they are upwards around $150.00+ now. Hopefully the upgraded Tenacious will come in at an affordable price.

In my time, I have dropped a lot of cash on high-end knives, but things are getting tough again, and it's just going to get worse I would imagine so it's nice to find some good deals on quality knives.
Click to expand...

I actually didn't like my PM2 at first. It was always a grail knife for me. When I finally got it, I was disappointed. My particular PM2 has a little blade play, and after it chipped on me, I was disgusted with it.
However, I didn't give up on it. In actual use, this knife is awesome. And so far, it seems easy to touch up, which is important to me!

I have enjoyed the banter!
 
c7m2p3 said:
In today's market, anything in 8CR at or over 50$ is not a good deal. I'm not a steel snob either, however it is the reality of the market right now. There are plenty of quality knives out there in D2, 9cr (which is far better), 14c28 etc for under 50$ with a lot of competition between Kershaw, Civivi, Ruike, Steel Will etc. The Tenacious is a pretty damn good knife under 30$, its still pretty good at 35 but asking 40-50$ as im seeing it now? It is overpriced based on the brand name.
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I agree with you 100%. Check out Ruike, too. Awesome knives. I have one from them for less than $30. Ball bearing flipper with 14C28N.
 
The four PM2 versions I have all have side to side blade play; which can only be dialed out by tightening the pivot to the point where it’s not flickable.

Tried multiple times to get it dialed in, but just can’t seem to get rid of the play. In use it’s not a big deal, but I will admit I wish it was not as pronounced.
 
MolokaiRider said:
The four PM2 versions I have all have side to side blade play; which can only be dialed out by tightening the pivot to the point where it’s not flickable.

Tried multiple times to get it dialed in, but just can’t seem to get rid of the play. In use it’s not a big deal, but I will admit I wish it was not as pronounced.
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Glad to know I'm not the only one!

For $150, which I paid, I was a little upset about the blade play.
 
It doesn't matter which company makes it but a folding knife with 8cr13mov for $50+ is just a bit crazy to me. I'd pick Rat 2 D2.

On a side note, I have/had about 10 PM2 and none of them has any side-to-side play and all of them are free droppers. Surprised to see multiple people reporting blade play of PM2 that cannot be eliminated.
 
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If I had to get a "modern" knife, of the three original options, I get a RAT 1, probably in the more budget friendly AUS 8.
In the mean time, I'll stick with a Buck 110 or Old Timer 6OT/70T*, or a two blade slipjoint folding hunter for my on the belt knife. :)

6OT is vintage circa 1990's. 7OT is choice of vintage circa 1978-1982 carbon steel, vintage circa 1982-1995 "Schrade +" or a circa 2013-2014 Taylor Schrade.
I don't have a BTI Schrade 7OT yet. I'll be getting one because the sheath with a new (BTI) Old Timer 7OT, costs $2 less than same sheath without a new (BTI) 7OT .... I can get two 2 liters of life supporting/required for life generic Mountain Dew with that $2. :)
 
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sabre cat said:
I have a Griptilian that came to me with side to side blade play.
No matter how I adjusted the pivot, play was still there.

I resolved the problem by switching the liners side to side.
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Please forgive my ignorance, but how do you "switch the liners side to side?" I really want to know because I have a mini griptilian and I cannot get rid of the side to side blade play. Thanks!
 
Lasador said:
That's good to know that I'm not the only one who had this issue with a PM2. Thanks for chiming in. Perhaps with regular use and some light sharpening on my ceramic rod, the problem will resolve itself. The PM2 is such a wonderful knife, but they are upwards around $150.00+ now. Hopefully the upgraded Tenacious will come in at an affordable price.

In my time, I have dropped a lot of cash on high-end knives, but things are getting tough again, and it's just going to get worse I would imagine so it's nice to find some good deals on quality knives.
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I don't have personal experience with the PM2 or Spydercos in that steel. However, you might be right. In general, factory edges are not the best representation of a given knife or steel's potential. It's not just a matter of what kind of edge you can achieve by hand versus the factory grinder. It's that the steel along the edge can be a little "burnt" or fatigued from the factory. Once you've sharpened down to fresh steel, performance should improve.

On the other issue, the curve of diminishing returns is real. With things having improved so drastically in the budget arena, what does a $100-150 knife deliver that a $50-75 Civivi doesn't? From a pure use perspective, is it worth it? Yeah, an obvious argument is supporting business in a particular country but that eventually devolves to politics and economic policy. At the end of the day, I feel like the answer to those and other arguments is to just save up for a custom. In the meantime, I'm happy with a high-functioning beater in high-performance budget steel.
 
I had the Blur 10-15 years ago. Nothing wrong with it, but I gave it away. I've had a spyderco resilience since they first came out. Liked it them, like it now. I just pulled mine out the other day and it flipped open with minimal effort, after sitting in a plastic tub for a year since last oiling. That is one big mamma Jamma! I have a pile of ka bar horizontal/vertical belt sheaths, that I added a second snap to, for different sized folders. I slipped the Resilience into one of those after removing the clip. What a feather weight...... I have 3-4 Rat1's with one in D2, and one single rat2. I am absolutely surprised at how much I like the 2 !
 
Lasador said:
Hmmm, that's interesting. The only thing that has kept me away from D2 has been corrosion resistance. I'm on the coast, and it's a really moist climate here. I've heard some people complain that they had a brand new knife in D2 steel, and on the first day, it rusted just from being in the pocket with sweat after a hard day's work. Who knows? Maybe they lied. I don't have a lot of time to spare for maintenance cleaning on my budget EDCs, but I'm damn tempted to try the D2 Rat after what you said.
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I'm sure there have been folks that have had corrosion issues, but by and large I think most reports are grossly overestimated.
 
sgt1372 said:
I own each of them and the best "value" and best blade design IMO belongs to the Ontario Rat 1.

Was never really fond of the Blur (although I still own 2) and while I like the Tenacious (and the related models) it does not provide the best value especially considering the continued use of 8Cr13Mov steel and a 3.375: blade as compared w/D2 and a 3.625" blade on the Rat.

The Blur w/its higher cost w/a 3.375" and Scandik 14C28N blade and a blade shape what is the least useful, IMO, cannot compete w/either the Tenacious or Ontario Rat 1.

But, if you're like me, you'll just end up buying all 3 anyway. LOL!!! ;)

BTW, I bought all of these knives very EARLY on and I would never consider buying them again now. I keep them only for "completeness" but I really have no "need" for any of them. In fact, I'm considering selling off most of my earlier Kershaw and CRKT "budget" knives just to make room in my safe for others.
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So, what are EDCing now these days? Do you have an EDC rotation or do you have a favorite that you use every day?
 
Lasador said:
Please forgive my ignorance, but how do you "switch the liners side to side?" I really want to know because I have a mini griptilian and I cannot get rid of the side to side blade play. Thanks!
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I also had problems with the Axis Lock sticking.

Mine is a full-size Griptilian. The liners are exactly the same left or right. All I did is disassemble the knife and re-assemble the knife moving the liners from side to side.

I still have a very small amount of lock stick but, not any where near what it was before.

The knife was used when I got it.
The pivot was very loose and it was obvious the previous owner did not take proper care of the knife.

I should just send the knife back to Benchmade for servicing but, like I said, the lock stick is very slight.
 
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