Spyderco Byrd Series

[Erik M]

I received the FRN Cara Cara i bought from SMKW today. I have to say for the minimal investment I am surprised at the quality of this piece. The Chinese 8Cr13MoV steel is factory sharpened well enough that I can slice a sheet of paper as if I were handling a straight razor, and the tip is honed to a 'exacto knife ' like point. I was able to carve an unsharpened pencil down to the graphite in no time and with minimal effort. If you are looking for a cheap EDC (which I seem to be starting a collection of) don’t hesitate to pick one of these up.

 

[Yo Mama]

I like the cheaper knives to beat up. With the Byrd you can use it without freaking out that your damaging the blade. Nice knife, been looking at them but my cheap bin is much fuller than the expensive one, so it's more saving than buying lately.

 

[mole]

My two cents---get the metal handled ones. The FRN is really textured/rough and grips the inside of your pocket making pulling it out difficult if you're using the pocket clip. I could see it wearing out the top of your pocket. The metal ones slide right out when you pull on them and used to come with a better quality pocket clip. I've carried the meadowlark for years and haven't got a single complaint. I've been thinking about ordering the meadowlark 2---a flat ground version.

mole

 

[hso]

Just for everyones information, I can see how the textured FRN handles would make anyone think it could abrade fabric, but I carried an FRN Spyderco for several years and didn't experience a wear problem. G10 on the other hand will eat up a pocket quickly so I put a drop of clear nail polish under the clip on G10 handles just to reduce the abrasion of fabric.

 

[rbernie]

Based upon favorable comments made several years ago by JShirley, I have been carrying a Byrd Crow as my EDC for some time now. I am quite fond of it, and it's usually found tucked into the back right pocket of my trousers (and I remove the clip to make it as thin as possible).

My dress trousers wear out at the creases long before the G10 causes any wear in the pocket.

 

[Fat Boy]

I have a couple of the Byrd knives- a Cara Cara, and one of the curved blades (Hawkbill maybe? - can't remember the name)

I think they are well worth my minimal investment-

 

[Mountainman38]

My two cents---get the metal handled ones. The FRN is really textured/rough and grips the inside of your pocket making pulling it out difficult if you're using the pocket clip. I could see it wearing out the top of your pocket. The metal ones slide right out when you pull on them and used to come with a better quality pocket clip. I've carried the meadowlark for years and haven't got a single complaint. I've been thinking about ordering the meadowlark 2---a flat ground version.

mole

I have one of each handle material. I find the FRN to be too light, and make the knife feel unsubstantial in the hand. The metal handled hawkbill I have is too slick, and hard to hold onto (but boy does it cut!).

The best one I have is the one with G10. I haven't experienced much wear with any of my G10 handled knives (Manix, Mini-Manix, or Byrd), but I love the way they feel! The heftier handle material really compliments the knife, and makes it feel much better in my hand.