Jdee
30-11-2007, 10:14
Spyderco Stainless Steel Dragonfly PE
I recently had a large order for the Dragonfly in Stainless Steel and having ordered a few extra I bought one for myself and one for Carol. I have always liked the shape of the leaf blade of Spyderco EG the Calypso and UK Penknife and when coupled with VG10 stainless steel it makes a good package.
Years ago I had a Dragonfly FRN in AUS8 (if I remember correctly) which was a nice little Knife but it was sold on as part of a regular culling of my Knife stable and was replaced with the Delica in VG10 which has since been replaced by a UK Penknife in S30V.
The first thing you notice about the Dragonfly Stainless Steel is its weight which is not a surprise give its make up. The FRN model is 1.2oz whilst the SS model is 2.6oz. Just a mention here that the original models used ATS55 for the blade whilst the current model is VG10 a better steel for an EDC in my view given its ease of sharpening.
I am not a lover of SS built Knives mainly as they are not temperature friendly but they certainly do make a nice Dress Knife and lend themselves to being engraved for gifts and the like.
My Knife is 3-1/16 closed and 5-1/2 when open with a 2-5/16 blade and a cutting edge of 1-13/16. The blade is 1-1/16 in width at its widest (which is at the shoulder) and 3/32 thick leading to .02 1/8 from the tip.
The edge is set at a standard (for Spyderco) 30° and out of the box the Knife was sharp enough to slice through a 3/16 manila rope in one go. The blade did not baulk at leather or cardboard either.
Before doing an edge retention test I gave the edge a tough up on the Spyderco Sharpmaker on the white rods at 30°. Setting myself up at the Knife testing bench with a couple of feet of 3/16 manila rope and a pine cutting board I started the edge retention test on the rope.
From previous experience testing Spyderco VG10 blades esp., the Delica I knew that the Dragonfly should easily make 30 cuts. Given the short blade I was surprised when the Dragonfly achieved 38 cuts before starting to slide.
Using the Knife in this test did result in a hot spot on my index finger from the clip. It was not a bad one and I was going to use this Knife extensively I would remove the clip but as a Dress EDC there is no need.
The Dragonfly would make a good Craft Knife as when used in the finger hold the point addresses the cutting surface and in my tests on 3/8 harness leather scraps easily cut a straight line and the point also enable curved lines to be cut.
In conclusion I would recommend the Dragonfly to those of you seeking an EDC which is sheeple friendly and classy enough to be worn as a Dress Knife (I use the term dress in lieu of gentleman) it is also robust enough for heavier work, easy to sharpen, keeps a good edge and slices well.
I recently had a large order for the Dragonfly in Stainless Steel and having ordered a few extra I bought one for myself and one for Carol. I have always liked the shape of the leaf blade of Spyderco EG the Calypso and UK Penknife and when coupled with VG10 stainless steel it makes a good package.
Years ago I had a Dragonfly FRN in AUS8 (if I remember correctly) which was a nice little Knife but it was sold on as part of a regular culling of my Knife stable and was replaced with the Delica in VG10 which has since been replaced by a UK Penknife in S30V.
The first thing you notice about the Dragonfly Stainless Steel is its weight which is not a surprise give its make up. The FRN model is 1.2oz whilst the SS model is 2.6oz. Just a mention here that the original models used ATS55 for the blade whilst the current model is VG10 a better steel for an EDC in my view given its ease of sharpening.
I am not a lover of SS built Knives mainly as they are not temperature friendly but they certainly do make a nice Dress Knife and lend themselves to being engraved for gifts and the like.
My Knife is 3-1/16 closed and 5-1/2 when open with a 2-5/16 blade and a cutting edge of 1-13/16. The blade is 1-1/16 in width at its widest (which is at the shoulder) and 3/32 thick leading to .02 1/8 from the tip.
The edge is set at a standard (for Spyderco) 30° and out of the box the Knife was sharp enough to slice through a 3/16 manila rope in one go. The blade did not baulk at leather or cardboard either.
Before doing an edge retention test I gave the edge a tough up on the Spyderco Sharpmaker on the white rods at 30°. Setting myself up at the Knife testing bench with a couple of feet of 3/16 manila rope and a pine cutting board I started the edge retention test on the rope.
From previous experience testing Spyderco VG10 blades esp., the Delica I knew that the Dragonfly should easily make 30 cuts. Given the short blade I was surprised when the Dragonfly achieved 38 cuts before starting to slide.
Using the Knife in this test did result in a hot spot on my index finger from the clip. It was not a bad one and I was going to use this Knife extensively I would remove the clip but as a Dress EDC there is no need.
The Dragonfly would make a good Craft Knife as when used in the finger hold the point addresses the cutting surface and in my tests on 3/8 harness leather scraps easily cut a straight line and the point also enable curved lines to be cut.
In conclusion I would recommend the Dragonfly to those of you seeking an EDC which is sheeple friendly and classy enough to be worn as a Dress Knife (I use the term dress in lieu of gentleman) it is also robust enough for heavier work, easy to sharpen, keeps a good edge and slices well.