I only really like the Civilian. But that knife towers over everything else, and the newer G-10 is clearly much, much better than the old aluminium handle, just because the pot metal pivot pin was replaced with hardened machined pivots...
All the older pin-pivot knives had soft unhardened "pot metal" pins for pivots: You could mark the pivot pin with your nail, almost... Spyderco was not alone in doing this...
I don't think many people hate Spydercos, but they manage to be different while still being a bit bland. The Civilian is not bland.
The hole is not easier to open than a stud, but not much worse either, and it does leave the blade clear of protrusions.
Because of the wider handle shape at the rear, tip down carry feels bulkier than tip up on blades around 4".
The lockbacks very often have a bit, to a lot, of of vertical play, about 70-80% of them in the many 90s Enduras I used to buy (and which I don't remember fondly, because of the soft metal pivot pin. There was, however, nothing comparable to their serrated edges available in the early mid 90s where I was).
It could be they are getting better now that they have machined pivot screws, but even the high-end G-10 Civilian has recently proved a 50% gamble in 2013: I bought two at once to replace a lost aluminium handle version (which I had carried for 15 years), with the idea at least one would be "tight", and that is exactly how it turned out...
The first run of the Military had handle screws that screwed directly into the G-10 (gas station knives usually do a lot better these days!), and that pretty much soured me on anything but the Civilian for 20 years.
Gaston
All the older pin-pivot knives had soft unhardened "pot metal" pins for pivots: You could mark the pivot pin with your nail, almost... Spyderco was not alone in doing this...
I don't think many people hate Spydercos, but they manage to be different while still being a bit bland. The Civilian is not bland.
The hole is not easier to open than a stud, but not much worse either, and it does leave the blade clear of protrusions.
Because of the wider handle shape at the rear, tip down carry feels bulkier than tip up on blades around 4".
The lockbacks very often have a bit, to a lot, of of vertical play, about 70-80% of them in the many 90s Enduras I used to buy (and which I don't remember fondly, because of the soft metal pivot pin. There was, however, nothing comparable to their serrated edges available in the early mid 90s where I was).
It could be they are getting better now that they have machined pivot screws, but even the high-end G-10 Civilian has recently proved a 50% gamble in 2013: I bought two at once to replace a lost aluminium handle version (which I had carried for 15 years), with the idea at least one would be "tight", and that is exactly how it turned out...
The first run of the Military had handle screws that screwed directly into the G-10 (gas station knives usually do a lot better these days!), and that pretty much soured me on anything but the Civilian for 20 years.
Gaston
