Paul Morgan—February 27, 2015
Before Reading the LAST paragraph below, keep POINTS 1-4 in mind regarding configurations: 1. DRAGON FLY 2: w/ VG-10 Steel, Plain or Serrated edge: This knife is good for everyone as the steel holds and edge well, and resharpens easily enough, it is also relatively corrosions resistant. 2. DRAGON FLY 2: w/ ZDP 189 Steel, Plain edge: FIRST, THIS IS AN EXCELLENT KNIFE: I have not seen it offered in a Serrated edge but they my offer it I am not sure: This knife is ONLY GOOD FOR THOSE WHO ARE EXPERTS AT SHARPENING KNIVES. This steel is extremely hard and holds and edge exceptionally well. The disadvantage is that it takes someone who is a very skilled sharpener to resharpen and work with this steel. It is 3% carbon so it is susceptible to corrosion if not cared for properly. 3. DRAGON FLY 2: w/ H1 Steel, Plain or Serrated edge: This knife is good for everyone. This steel is advertised as RUST PROOF. This steel is relatively hard and holds an edge well, and resharpens easily enough. 4. DRAGON FLY 2: w/ Aogami Blue Super Steel (Spyderco does Sprint Runs with this metal), Plain or Serrated edge: This knife is ONLY GOOD FOR THOSE WHO ARE EXPERTS AT SHARPENING KNIVES. This steel is extremely hard and holds and edge exceptionally well. The disadvantage is that it takes someone who is a very skilled sharpener to resharpen and work with this steel. It is a high carbon steel so it is susceptible to corrosion if not cared for properly. However. Syperco counters this by sandwiching the Aogami Blue Super Steel between a layer of 420J Steel on each side. This protects the Aogami steel from chipping, breaking, and corrosion. THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHOICES. IT DOES TAKE SOME EFFORT TO SHARPEN CORRECTLY AS NOTED ABOVE, BUT THE RESULTS ARE WORTH THE EFFORT! NOW, WRITTEN BELOW ARE MY GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT THE KNIFE IN GENERAL. THE ABOVE FACTS ARE SPECIFIC TO THE DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS OF STEELS AND BLADE TYEPES OFFERED. I am a huge fan of the Spyderco Dragonfly 2 in any of its configurations. This is a smaller knife that does not know it is a smaller knife. Its ergonomics allow it to be used as a larger knife. Its small size allow it to be used as an excellent ED (Every Day Carry). You can take this knife out in public, and because of its smaller size, most people do not generally look at you like you are evil or at looking to do harm to others. This knife has a generous blade and its light weight of 1.1 oz. makes it a joy to carry as you can easily forget that it is even in your pocket. The pocket clip allows for easy deployment and can be switched for left or right carry or you can simply take the clip off and carry it in a pocket. This knife can even be used on a keychain or a neckless due to its light weight. I own many expensive knives, but this relatively inexpensive knife has become on elf my favorite knives. NO MATTER WHICH STEEL YOU CHOSE, THIS KNIVE IS CAPABLE OF EDGES FOR HAIR WHITTLING LEVELS OF SHARPNESS!!! THIS IS AN EXCELLENT KNIFE NO MATTER WHICH STEEL OF BLAKE CONFIGURATION YOU CHOSE. IT IS HARD TO GO WRONG WITH THE PURCHASE OF THIS KNIFE!!! Read more
Tanner—October 8, 2012
I've gone through a ton of knives over a long period of time looking for my perfect knife. I haven't found the "perfect knife" yet, but I have settled on a favorite that I don't foresee replacing. I live in Massachusetts where knife carry laws are much more reasonable than those of our neighbors in RI. My town borders with RI and on an average day that I leave the house, I travel through Rhode Island, or into Rhode Island for several reasons several times a day. I also frequently have to visit a doctor in Boston. In Boston, knife laws are even harsher. I don't carry a knife for self defense, so I don't mind carrying a shorter bladed knife. I use a knife as a tool several times a day.. so in the past the concern I've had with smaller knives that are short enough to carry legally in Boston, has been whether they are as capable as the larger knives for every task I carry a knife for. The first problem with a lot of knives with blades 2.5" or shorter is simply the build quality. A lot of manufacturers simply treat small knives as if they shouldn't be expected to be as capable as a larger knife. The blade may be too thin, they may suffer from poor materials or poor build quality, the lock that keeps the blade open may be weak(which is dangerous), or the knife just may not be strong enough for the user to feel comfortable applying a good deal of pressure while cutting. I've found a few short folding knives that fulfill my need for a short enough blade for Boston(2.5" or less) and also don't suffer from the above common short knife problems.. and if I knew I'd be going to Boston one day, I would make sure to bring one of them with me.. but if I wasn't going to Boston I wouldn't touch them. I would go immediately to my SpyderCo Caly3.. those knives were still missing something that I was only willing to do without to obey the law. That something is a sturdy grip. short knives have short handles, and often in an effort to make the knife more compact, the handles are designed in strange shapes that are uncomfortable during use. You don't want to be using a knife for any serious task that you can't get a firm grip on. A knife should feel sturdy in the hand, and most short bladed knives just don't. This one does. When I first picked one of these up, it was a Christmas gift for my brother. I was shocked that despite it's small size, it felt just as comfortable in my hand as any of my larger knives, including my former favorite knife.. the Caly3. Nowadays I usually carry this knife, the Dragonfly2. I can carry it anywhere I go, including Boston, and I don't have to worry about poor craftsmanship, blade lock failure, poor quality blade steel, or getting stuck with a handle that's awkward to use. This is a small, extremely light, extremely portable, but extremely tough, and quite formidable tool. It's built to the same quality standards as any other spyderco knife, and is just as strong, sharp, sturdy, and comfortable to use. This is the first tiny knife I've owned that doesn't suffer from the many shortcomings I've been stuck dealing with when I travel somewhere with ridiculous knife laws. Because it lacks those shortcomings, I can enjoy the advantages of a smaller knife: it's light and it's tiny, you can clip it in your pocket and forget you have it with you. In addition to being super portable, it's extremely low profile. You won't have people gawking at your bulging pocket or asking why you're carrying a knife, because this thing hides really well despite it's yellow plastic handle. The wire clip is great for the same reasons. Finally this knife has one more added advantage: it's rust proof. I've never had a knife rust upvon me but there is something cool about knowing I can rely on this one never to do that. Dragonfly2 has everything I've ever looked for in a pocket knife, with the additional advantage of being waterproof. It's unlikely I'll come across a knife that I prefer over this one for a very long time. If I had to give up all of my knives, including the very nice fancy expensive ones, I would choose this one. It's too practical to go back to life without it. Read more
