The Amazing Spyderco... and My Old Man

timberweasel

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Story time!

If you're not a knife-nut, you probably won't have a mental picture of a Spyderco when you think about knives in general. My first impression of Spyderco (some years ago now) was... "weird lookin'." I wasn't too sure who these knives were for, but I was fairly certain they weren't for me: strange curving lines, pocket clips that looked obtrusive, and wide blades with that 'what-were-they-thinking' hole. Spydercos seemed made for martians, not for a guy like me who just wanted a 'nice' knife.

As a young man, finally making a little more money, I decided to treat myself to some upgraded swag: a nicer wallet, a decent wristwatch, a better pocket knife than whatever I could or would normally buy from the local hardware store. By this time, the internet age had arrived and I looked at countless online reviews and catalogues. So many brands/models and where to start?

Well, I somehow got bitten by the knife-bug (we all know how that goes... :rolleyes:) and I went absolutely nuts buying several knives (mostly popular 'high value' folders, to be honest, then eventually graduating to higher end specimens) while looking for... The One (spoiler alert: The One does not exist--it is a journey and not a destination, imo.) Long story made short, I finally got around to trying a Spyderco, and the lightbulb went on. Spyderco makes quality cutting tools for the hand-and-task (not necessarily for the eye) and does this very well. I was sold. I've bought many and more different models over the years and still own several; Spyderco remains one of my top three manufacturers to this day. But I digress...

My dad is a retired pulp and paper mill worker/hobby farmer (now in his 70's) and has carried a knife in his pocket since he was old enough to wear pants. He prefers small, slim folders that carry easily/comfortably loose in pocket (clips were never a thing in his day, and I don't see this ever changing for him--but who knows... .)

A few years ago, my folks came out to visit me for a few weeks on their annual vacation. My old man had somehow lost his pocket knife on the trip down, so I gave him a stainless steel Kiwi 3--which I deemed to meet all of his preferences for a pocket knife. His first impression? Well, he gave it a two minute chicken-eye and coon finger inspection before pronouncing it... "weird lookin'." But he needed a knife and so he accepted. He thanked me for the gift, and dropped it into his pocket.

Now, I have seen my ol' dad, with his giant calloused farmer's mitts, peering over the rim of his bi-focals, fiddling with some fine motor task or other, and never uttering a word of complaint... and it bothers me. Mundane tasks, such as fumbling with the nail-nick of a traditional folder, can become an unnecessary challenge. So when I see him whip out his Kiwi, easily pinch it open, cut what is needed, snap it closed and drop it back into his pocket (all in a flash) it fills me with great satisfaction.

Being a knife-nut, I've offered him several other different folders over the years and each time he has declined, saying "no thanks, I like my Spyder-knife." One visit, he showed me the Kiwi that he used to dig a stuck chainsaw bar out of an old gnarled tree (snapped tip sticking out from the scales while closed, edge butchered by a bench grinder while resharpening) and I told him that he should just get a new knife. He said "nope, this one's still good." So, I filed down the tang for him, so the blade would at least fall beneath the scales when closed, and gave the blade a crude re-profile. "Still good." Lol! :rolleyes:

I've since bought a couple of Kiwi 3's and dropped them into his luggage on subsequent visits. He now has replacements enough to last the remainder of his pocket knife years. I've tried giving my dad other things, not necessarily knives, in a similar fashion (he has trouble accepting gifts beyond the usual birthday/holiday season) and each time, I've found these items carefully stowed on a shelf somewhere in my house after my parents leave, Not so with the Kiwi 3's. Dad has even admitted to having a stash of "Spyder-knives" and speaks fondly of them. I dig it; this means something to me. :thumbsup:

And so, I would just like to thank Sal, Eric and the rest of the Spyderco crew for making such wonderful knives. And maybe not just the knives, but for also furnishing another topic me and my old man (my greatest hero and role-model in life) can bond over. :cool:

To Spyderco: thanx much! To my fellow BF Members: thanx for reading!

-Brett
 
I enjoyed reading that Brett. :cool:

My Dad has a hard time accepting gifts too. Generational thing maybe. He did pick up a Caly 3.5 after I introduced him to “Spyderknives,” and it has stayed in his pocket ever since...with a brief capture by the lazy boy chair crevices every now and then.
 
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That was a fun read! My dad was a Case guy. Then in 1992 at a gun show we saw a pair of Gen 1 Enduras. He picked the plain edge and I picked the SpyderEdge. The rest is history. He carried that folder for years before discovering the Military model. Sadly he’s passed, but I still have his Spyderco.
 
Epic story! My dad passed 8 years ago and was always a Case traditional user until I gave him a Spyderco Police for Christmas one year. He loved that knife so much that it was all he carried and used. Over the years it started with a serrated edge that he ground down so much from use and sharpening that it was pretty much a plain edge. As a maintenance man for the housing development he lived in the knife saw a ton of hard use on a daily basis. It's great when a simple gift can turn into a decade of usefulness.
 
That was a fun read! My dad was a Case guy. Then in 1992 at a gun show we saw a pair of Gen 1 Enduras. He picked the plain edge and I picked the SpyderEdge. The rest is history. He carried that folder for years before discovering the Military model. Sadly he’s passed, but I still have his Spyderco.

Epic story! My dad passed 8 years ago and was always a Case traditional user until I gave him a Spyderco Police for Christmas one year. He loved that knife so much that it was all he carried and used. Over the years it started with a serrated edge that he ground down so much from use and sharpening that it was pretty much a plain edge. As a maintenance man for the housing development he lived in the knife saw a ton of hard use on a daily basis. It's great when a simple gift can turn into a decade of usefulness.

The ultimate knife any knife-nut can ever possess, imo, is 'the Legacy Knife.' You are both blessed to own one. I reckon when the time comes, my dad will leave behind a humble used-up stainless steel 8Cr13Mov Chinese-made "Spyder-knife"... and will probably have one or two NIB stashed away somewhere...

Thank you all for your positive comments/feedback. It's important to leave shiny footprints when and where we can! :thumbsup:

My favourite EDC carry "Spyder-knives" over the years have been: Caly 3 (cf/ZDP-189,) Delica 4 (both ffg and sabre grind,) Chokwe, and a Chaparral (stepped ti/blue ano.)

-Brett
 
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