Are these knives similar in quality - Spyderco vs Navy

Hi - Id like to get one other knife, then I think thats it for me for a while. Is this Spyderco (Made in China) much better than the Navy, or are they pretty much the same knife? (OEM for Spyderco/Byrd?)

Spyderco Persistence (~35USD)

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40346

Navy (K628). Its only $15...dimensions are very similar.

Is there anything else I should look at comparable to the Spyderco Persistence? I already have a Delica, but I really dont like its plastic handle.

If I can get a Spyderco/Byrd Chinese equivalent from Bee/Enlan Id probably do that, but I dont know which models match up...any comments are appreciated...

I only can speak on the Spyderco persistence, Ive never owned or handled a Navy. I believe "Made in China" Spyderco's are made in Sanrenmu Factory. Compared to Sanrenmu's quality it's pretty much on par in regards to their quality. If Spyderco approves of their quality, that is saying something.

The difference I see in the picture is that the Spyderco has deeper checkering on their g-10 (More Aggressive). Spyderco uses a Walker liner lock, Navy uses a "lockback". The Navy K628 is a copy of the Spyderco Native. Spyderco uses 8Cr13mov Chinese SS, a softer steel , easy to sharpen and bring back a razor edge, comparable to AUS-8 steel. Navy K628 uses 440C which is a harder steel with good strength and moderate resistance to corrosion, also easy to resharpen.

I would recommend getting the Persistence because the overall better quality for the money. If you're looking for a more papal friendly knife i would choose the Byrd Crow , similar knife.

How about the Sanrenmu M020FH (or BH)?

I have the Persistence and like it, although it's nothing super special. The 700-series SRMs are every bit as good quality, although none really have the form factor of the Spydie - besides that M020.

No Navy knives in my collection, yet. The K631 is taunting me though.

Does anyone here have the Ontario Rat-1...Price is about 25-30USD.

Is it a solid knife? Any comments are appreciated. Many thanks.

after owning a tenacious and a navy K631 id say both are worthy , question is do you want a cheap decent knife or a cheap good knife ( tenacious)

IMO go for the spidey* - you can see much more care when into it and i question the steel a bit when it comes to some manufacturers . i just dont see some of the sellers and manufactures being forthright.


i would look at the SRM knives if you want a cheaper one. i do not own one yet but if they make the tenacious - well they have my interest

bottom line you are giving spideyco* a couple bucks but its worth it if this is gonna be a well used knife

IDK if its the same price in CA but amazon has it for $27 USD http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Persistence-C136GP-Plain-Knife/dp/B002IWWYS4

Hi Dot...Ive pretty much ruled out the Navy knives and am now looking at a budget USA brand knife.

I like the design of the Ontario Rat-1, its made in Taiwan so its probably so its still a Chinese knife, but I like how it looks, and watched this cool YouTube video.

The Sypderco you linked to Persistance/Tenacious (thanks) are VERY well reviewed, but I already have a Delica...also the pre-drilled extra holes to move the clip are right on top of the washer...well thats just going to get dirt in there, I dont know why people dont mention this...other than that its a really tough choice...:(

Ontario Knives is a very respected knife maker out of California, and the RAT-1 is a very good knife - durable, tough, good steel. Similar to Ka-bar in that they're originally a military knife maker (obviously not as big as the latter, though).

It's not a Chinese knife, though. Taiwan has a pretty long history of making quality knives (Spyderco and CRKT have both made knives in Taiwan for a LONG time, like 20+ years).

It's a step up quality-wise from the Tenacious family (albeit a small one) but be warned the RAT-1 is a heavy bugger for it's size.

It should be noted that the RAT-1 was originally designed to target a much higher MSRP ($80 vs. $50), but Ontario decided it couldn't compete in that market space which is essentially ruled by Spyderco, Benchmade and Kershaw. They cheapened some manufacturing steps (cheaper handle material, non-drilled liners, teflon paint coating vs. hard blade coating) and dropped the MSRP.

If you're looking for something of similar quality at a similar price but with a back lock instead of a liner you could look at the Ka-Bar Dozier line.

Edit: You could also look at some of the budget Kershaw and CRKT stuff. For CRKT you could look at the Drifter, for Kershaw you might be interested in the Scamp (large), Nerve (medium) or Clash (assisted opening, medium). The Scamp would probably be closest to the Tenacious.

Thanks Jekotas for the solid recommendations and info as always...

I will check out the Kershaws I really like that brand, they make a lot of nice looking knives...

+1 for the ontario rat 1. love my rat 1, solid knife. Feels like a fixed blade once opened.

Thanks guys, I just ordered this knife a few minutes ago...I ordered the black on black...

It was $36USD shipped to Canada on Ebay, so thats a pretty good price I guess. It was a tough choice, there are so many nice budget knives in this price area...The Tenacious was very nice, as well as the Kershaws, but this Rat-1 ended up being the cheapest, LOL, and I like its larger size, and black on black.

Ontario Rat-1

i have been abusing the hell out of the kabar dozier hunters for years as my edc.

solid lock up, sharpen quick. they are very flat and fit witout much bulk in your pocket

or in the maxpedition pocket organizer i carry as edc.

got a few for 13usd a while back, find them around (amazon, etc) for 17 or so.

orange handle ones are easy to find in a deep pack or glove compartment.

not the deal an EL-01 is at 10usd (remarkable knife at disposable price) but solid, discreet,

sharp, and available.

Finally gave in to the K631. $13.99 $13.50 special from Exduct tipped me over the edge...

Yeah, I just saw that now too.

Its really tempting...the $13.50 price is awesome, but after shipping ($6.50), its $19.98USD so thats a bit higher.

To anyone here, I have an Exduct 5% coupon pm if youd like...

BH, enjoy the K631 when it arrives!!

+1, I considered that knife too, I really like its military type colors too, the tan, and foilage green...

Right, $13.50... still, with shipping, +/- $20 total seems to be my tipping point with these budget knives for some reason.

I should have sent a shout out for a coupon before ordering, though...

$20 is about the limit for me too...then I start to think...for $10 more I can get this....

Sorry, its my fault you didnt get the coupon bro, I should have posted it in its own thread...

just posted on the other thread but exduct shipping to the us is 4+ dollars a knife. the shipping option with 7 knives in my cart was 35+% of the price of the merchandise, almost 30usd. and they still claim it will take "20 to 30 days". i find this excessive and will not order from them.

Depends what you want. For other commonly available knives, there are cheaper alternatives. For the new flat-grind Navy K631, and other more obscure large folders, Exduct is often the best option. Shopped twice with them - both times received packages in about 2 weeks (which is pretty fast) and received prompt email updates about the order status.

It depends what you want...ManaFont has a selection of SRM, and its free shipping, or registered is $2 per shipment.

Anyway, shipping is kind of expensive, $6 registered for a $13 knife is kind of a lot, I thought China subsidized postage or something...but if ExD is the only place that sells the knife you want, not much you can do, as its the total price you should look at.

When I bought my last order, shipping as like $30 too...it kind of takes away the point of budget knives when your order is over $50, you can get one good USA knife...but $7.50 shipped for an SRM is good. $50 order with $30 shipping - not the best.

Still, I think you should buy an EL01 from Exduct...they are one of the few places which sell it, and you can get it for 15USD shipped registered...very nice knife.

ok, perhaps a little strident.

i dont think it was even the 30 dollars they were going to charge me, it was the fact that nowadays for 30 dollars i get packages from austrailia at my door in 48 hours and the were saying it might be 30 days.

for free shipping (manafont, dx, kd, etc.) i dont care if it comes for 30 days.

you have to factor it into the cost of the knife.

my EL-01 and srm962 came from bestofferbuy where i was ordering flashlights at the same time. the EL-01 was 14usd shipped for free .... so about the same, but they had these at the time:

UltraFire RL-168 HA-III OSRAM LUW-W5AM 2-Mode 150-Lumen Memory LED Flashlight (1*AA/1*14500)

a light i love, no one else does, and is difficult to find.

now that i am through venting and thinking about it, it is unbelievable that i have received probably 600+usd worth of merchandise this year from halfway around the world and have not paid for any shipping.

spoiled is what it is.

with energy prices and petroleum disappearing it may be a state people reminisce about soon while their grandchildren roll their eyes.