Spiderco Dragonfly 2: A review,a comparison,and an on the job test

[kirk13]

At the end of my test of the Persistance,I said that the Dragonfly would be one if the Spydies I'd be interested in trying. Thanks to Grathr,I've a FRN Dragonfly 2,with VG10 blade,to test!

Some of you have seen its first pics,taken on my hike on Saturday. The 'Fly will be going to work with me tomorrow for two weeks testing. In the meantime,let's take a quick walk around the new Spydie

[kirk13]

Dragonfly basking in the summer sun


The 'Fly uses a back lock rather than a liner. I'm well familiar with back locks from classic American style lock knives I used to carry in SA. I generally prefer back locks as they're closer to slip joints in how you handle them in closing. The Spydie though,uses a half length lock,and,as you can see,the release point is half way along the spine of the knife.


As you can see here,there's no liners,the FRN scales constituting the body of the knife


The deep finger choil,and knurling on the shoulder of the blade gives the feeling the the 'Fly will be very controllable. The choil also gives the sensation that the body of the knife is much longer in the hand.

[Zed]

I had a dragonfly a while back,for me it was a good useable size and wish the ukpk was this size    look forward to your thought kirky 

[kirk13]

I had a dragonfly a while back,for me it was a good useable size and wish the ukpk was this size    look forward to your thought kirky 

Cheers Paul

[Grathr]

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[kirk13]

So,what do I think of the Dragonfly so far?

Hmmmm...

At this stage with the Persistance,I'd been really impressed. It went a long way to undo a lot of my negativity about Spydercos. The Dragonfly,on the other hand,is largely reinforcing them.

First the pluses.The ergonomics are fantastic! It sits very nicely in the hand. I quite like the looks of the 'Fly. I like the size of the blade a lot. The locking mechanism is smooth to use,and solid in locking. Confidence inspiring would be a good description.

The negatives. I'm not keen on the FRN. As I'd said about the Squeak,I just don't feel it allows an emotional connection to the knife. Like the Perci,the knife is held together by torx screws. However,they're more obvious to the eye,and the hand. Spyderco managed this on the Squeak,why not here? And then,there's the price. In the UK,prices start at the £45 mark. I can only assume that it's down to using a VG10 blade. A this stage,I feel it's just too damn expensive for what it is!

OHO function is fiddly,but doable. Makes me glad for my small hands for a change!

So...

Pros
Great ergonomics
Nicely shaped blade
Looks

Against
FRN feels cheap
Cost
OHO function compromised by size

[styx]

Ohhh this is gonna be interesting

[Grathr]

So,what do I think of the Dragonfly so far?

Hmmmm...

At this stage with the Persistance,I'd been really impressed. It went a long way to undo a lot of my negativity about Spydercos. The Dragonfly,on the other hand,is largely reinforcing them.

First the pluses.The ergonomics are fantastic! It sits very nicely in the hand. I quite like the looks of the 'Fly. I like the size of the blade a lot. The locking mechanism is smooth to use,and solid in locking. Confidence inspiring would be a good description.

The negatives. I'm not keen on the FRN. As I'd said about the Squeak,I just don't feel it allows an emotional connection to the knife. Like the Perci,the knife is held together by torx screws. However,they're more obvious to the eye,and the hand. Spyderco managed this on the Squeak,why not here? And then,there's the price. In the UK,prices start at the £45 mark. I can only assume that it's down to using a VG10 blade. A this stage,I feel it's just too damn expensive for what it is!

OHO function is fiddly,but doable. Makes me glad for my small hands for a change!

So...

Pros
Great ergonomics
Nicely shaped blade
Looks

Against
FRN feels cheap
Cost
OHO function compromised by size

The G10 dragonfly fixes the "feels cheap" part, but is even more expencive.


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[kirk13]

So,what do I think of the Dragonfly so far?

Hmmmm...

At this stage with the Persistance,I'd been really impressed. It went a long way to undo a lot of my negativity about Spydercos. The Dragonfly,on the other hand,is largely reinforcing them.

First the pluses.The ergonomics are fantastic! It sits very nicely in the hand. I quite like the looks of the 'Fly. I like the size of the blade a lot. The locking mechanism is smooth to use,and solid in locking. Confidence inspiring would be a good description.

The negatives. I'm not keen on the FRN. As I'd said about the Squeak,I just don't feel it allows an emotional connection to the knife. Like the Perci,the knife is held together by torx screws. However,they're more obvious to the eye,and the hand. Spyderco managed this on the Squeak,why not here? And then,there's the price. In the UK,prices start at the £45 mark. I can only assume that it's down to using a VG10 blade. A this stage,I feel it's just too damn expensive for what it is!

OHO function is fiddly,but doable. Makes me glad for my small hands for a change!

So...

Pros
Great ergonomics
Nicely shaped blade
Looks

Against
FRN feels cheap
Cost
OHO function compromised by size

The G10 dragonfly fixes the "feels cheap" part, but is even more expencive.


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Very true! I'm at a loss to understand the prices. The Ambi family use G10, albeit not as thick. There's also the SS scaled model,but it's no cheaper than the FRN

[raistlin65]

The G10 dragonfly fixes the "feels cheap" part, but is even more expencive.


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Very true! I'm at a loss to understand the prices. The Ambi family use G10, albeit not as thick. There's also the SS scaled model,but it's no cheaper than the FRN

I agree. The G10 scales version would run me $25 to $30 more here in the US. No way that reflects Spyderco's additional costs.  Just fleecing the customer.

[shark_za]

You have to factor the VG10 into the equation along with the low weight if you want to judge a price point.
You have the G10 Byrd Robin if materials and weight are not important.

I got my first DF locally and felt the pain ($90) but recently got my wife the purple sprint from the states at a much more realistic price.

[kirk13]

You have to factor the VG10 into the equation along with the low weight if you want to judge a price point.
You have the G10 Byrd Robin if materials and weight are not important.

I got my first DF locally and felt the pain ($90) but recently got my wife the purple sprint from the states at a much more realistic price.

I'm reluctant to go down this rabbit hole right now...yeah,I get that the VG10 is chunking up the price,but I don't quite get the need for the VG10.

I'd done a thread about exotic steels a year or so ago. Can I ask folks not to jump into the steel debate yet? I promise to reopen the debate at the end of the field testing!

[kirk13]

The 'Fly done its first day at work yesterday.

Not much to report,except to say that I'm rather pleased with the pocket clip. It clipped to both my jeans and work pants well,disengaged without issues too. This is most interesting because it's the same clip as the Squeak,and I'd had some issues with the Squeak....go figure!

A couple of boxes fell victim to the 'Fly,and,this far at least,the combination of blade shape and ergonomics are very efficient.

[kirk13]

My apologies for having let this thread lapse,but there's been a lot of unpleasantness at work.

Anyway,let's have a look at the 'Fly compared to a couple of competitors



Here we have the Squeak and the Boker Subcom42 to look at.

[Grathr]

Not too unpleasant I hope.
What do you think og it compared to the others?


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[kirk13]

All three are modern,contempary small folders. The Subcom is my favourite design of the three. Steel liners,biscuit style construction,with a thin G10 scale. Steel is AUS8 compared to the VG10 on the 'Fly and the fancy sounding N690Co on the Squeak.

The Squeak shares FRN scales with the 'Fly,but is a slipjoint...

Fit and finish on all three is good,but at their relative prices(£40-60) you'd hope they would be!

OHO on the Spydies is easy and positive. There's much more of a knack to it on the Boker.

All three have pocketclips. All work reasonably well. I have had a couple of issues with the Sqeak in the past,but it's not a deal breaker. I'd say that the Subcom has the best pocketclip though.

One thing I really don't like about the Boker is that there's a matt coating on the blade. Very tactical,I'm sure,but I can't help thinking I'd like it better with a polished finish.

[kirk13]

Not too unpleasant I hope.
What do you think og it compared to the others?


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As to the work situation,it's nothing that couldn't be solved with the judicious use of a baseball bat,or some people growing a set of ba...well,I think you can see where I'm going with this

As to my feelings about the 'Fly? Read on!

[Grathr]

Not too unpleasant I hope.
What do you think og it compared to the others?


Sent from a device made from star dust using tapatalk

As to the work situation,it's nothing that couldn't be solved with the judicious use of a baseball bat,or some people growing a set of ba...well,I think you can see where I'm going with this

As to my feelings about the 'Fly? Read on!

Will do!


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[kirk13]

The first 12 or 13 days didn't provide the 'Fly much of a challenge. It was the usual work menu of cutting sellotape or sticky plastic tabs,and slicing the odd box.

The things that are worth noting are the following:

1)After the first day or two,I really felt the 'Fly needed sharpening. The first sharpening was done freehand with the smooth Lansky stone. This is usually enough to put a nice edge on a SAK or Rough Rider. On the VG10, it was ok-ish,but not really enough.

The next approach was to run it through the carbide sharpener on my Lansky blade medic. Now that done the job,really transformed the edge!

2) The pocketclip on the 'Fly appears to be exactly the same one as on the Squeak,but where I had a few issues of the knife falling out of my work pants,the 'Fly has clipped comfortably and securely into ever pair of trousers I've worn over the test,from jeans to cargos, shorts to my shooting pants. Very impressed!

3) the 'Fly is very light! Initially this was something I wasn't too keen on. I like a bit of weight in the hand;and in the pocket,just so I know the knife is there! Once I gained confidence in the 'Fly,the weight stopped being an issue.

4) Public perception: More than a few folks got spooked by my using the Squeak,yet far fewer were bothered my Perci. No one seems to have noticed the 'Fly! I've enjoyed OHOing it at every opportunity,but it's just one unnoticed! Not that I'm complaining

[kirk13]

Day 14 saw what I was waiting for(both as a reviewer and as a salesman): Two pallets of stock!

For 'heavy' work the 'Fly isn't as good as the Perci. The combination of blade shape and handle ergonomics arn't as good for using the tip at angles,but even so,I was pleasantly surprised! I'd an Alox with a pruner blade on me as a backup in case the 'Fly couldn't hack it,but the thought of using it never crossed my mind

Overall,the Dragonfly done everything that I asked off it,and did it well!

[Grathr]

Those spydies might look a bit strange but they really do work!


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[kirk13]

So how do I feel about the Dragonfly now,and would I recommend it?


Crap,this is the hard bit

Using the Dragonfly overcame a lot of my initial reservations. You get used to the feeling of the FRN scales. The weight isn't the issue I thought it would be. You get used to the grip needed for easy OHO.

The first day I didn't carry the 'Fly,I dropped my hand to my pocket,to full the 'Fly out to cut a bit of tape. It wasn't there,and I was disappointed!

Do I think it's worth the money? No,I really don't. While it is a really good little knife it doesn't justify a £45 price tag. If it were £35 or thereabouts ? Maybe! If Spyderco were to build one with a less exotic steel at sub £30? I'd be all over it like a wet t-shirt!

Will I recommend it?

Er,no,I don't think so. And it boils down to the choice of steel,and the effect it has on the price. I said earlier I'd re-open the debate on exotic steels,and here's the time and place:

If my understanding is correct,the VG10 is loved for holding an edge,and for corrosion resistance. That's all well and good,but it's just not needed on a small pocket knife. The extra £20 or so it's adding to the price tag is something I can't justify. If your spending lots of time in the bush,or your a service man? Yeah,sure..but then I can't imagine you'd be messing around with a knife as small as a Dragonfly! The other issue is that of sharpening. Yes,it turns out I can sharpen VG10. But,if I'm at work,and my SAK looses its edge,a couple of passes through my Vic ceramic sharpener and I'm back in business. Won't be so easy here

The other factor contributing to me not recommending the 'Fly is this:
With the exception of the Persistance,every Spydie I've had has initially disappointed. For the price you pay even for the cheaper ones,I expect a blade that's properly sharp out of the box. I expect something that feels special in my hand from the word go.

I'd questioned the value of Case folders. As soon as I got my first one,I got it,I understood the big deal!

I've been carrying the Squeak again over the last few days,and now,having got my head around the Dragonfly,I've started really enjoying it. But would I buy another one at UK prices? Hell no!

I don't know if you all remember the Cool Wall on Top Gear? The basic premise of the Cool Wall was that if you had to explain why a car was cool,it wasn't. No matter how good,or how exotic or expensive,if you have to explain it fails. This sums up the Dragonfly,and the Squeak for that matter

[HarleyXJGuy]

Great summary even if I do not agree with it lol.

Your points are valid and all I just have no issues paying a little more for higher quality materials.

As far as not being sharp I am very surprised by this. If the 10 or so Spyderco's I own they have all been serviceable sharp with most being stupid sharp.

Anyhow just wanted to say, great review and to bad about UK prices.

[kirk13]

Great summary even if I do not agree with it lol.

Your points are valid and all I just have no issues paying a little more for higher quality materials.

As far as not being sharp I am very surprised by this. If the 10 or so Spyderco's I own they have all been serviceable sharp with most being stupid sharp.

Anyhow just wanted to say, great review and to bad about UK prices.

Cheers Harley

[Grathr]

I have to agree with you on the price point. They are great knives but not THAT great.

The first time I handeled the FRN Dragonfly I was also abit disapointed.
The G10 dragonfly thoug is a very different animal.   It looks similar, but feels a lot better in the hand. But then its even more expencive.

And the cool wall comparison was brilliant. Thats exactly how I feel about the FRN Dragonfly as well.


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[AimlessWanderer]

Nice write up John

For me though, it's a knife I would never carry, but not for any reason you've covered. The instant deal breaker for me is the back lock. I do like a pocket clipped OHO blade, but with the slippies I'm used to carrying, it can be easily and safely closed with one hand too. This for me rules out a lot of liner locks, and every back locking knife I've handled. That's not to say you physically can't close a back lock one handed, but I've never used one where I felt this could be done safely. I don,t care how iconic the Buck 110 is for example, I'd never own one.

I might even value OHC higher than OHO.

Closing lock knives where to have to put a digit in thr travel path of the blade has caused me more cuts than using a slipjoint blade ever has. So purely on a safety of use standpoint, I'll have to pass on these. Thi is in no way intended to detract from your conclusions 

[powernoodle]

[zoidberg]

Nice write up John

For me though, it's a knife I would never carry, but not for any reason you've covered. The instant deal breaker for me is the back lock. I do like a pocket clipped OHO blade, but with the slippies I'm used to carrying, it can be easily and safely closed with one hand too. This for me rules out a lot of liner locks, and every back locking knife I've handled. That's not to say you physically can't close a back lock one handed, but I've never used one where I felt this could be done safely. I don,t care how iconic the Buck 110 is for example, I'd never own one.

I might even value OHC higher than OHO.

Closing lock knives where to have to put a digit in thr travel path of the blade has caused me more cuts than using a slipjoint blade ever has. So purely on a safety of use standpoint, I'll have to pass on these. Thi is in no way intended to detract from your conclusions 

IMO the Dragonfly is an exception to this issue.
Unlike the Delica etc it has a pretty useful blade choil.
It safely hits the digit and I have no issue one hand closing with either my left or right hand.

[harronek]

This is an interesting thread .
I have a DF2 with ZDP189 steel .
It is a fantastic little knife .
But I don't find myself carrying it that much now that the initial purchase buzz has worn off .
I also have a Delica ZDP189 and the buzz is still there after many weeks .
I know in certain situations the Delica could be considered to big ,and it's not fair to compare the two I know , but for me the Delica wins without doubt .

Ken

[Etherealicer]

To me the edge retaining capability of exotic steels was the holy grail. That was until I learned how to sharpen my knifes then it lost its appeal, became a double nuisance (harder to sharpen and more expensive).

As for the Squeak: The way I hold it, the blade always wants to close (too much pressure with the thumb). This I find very irritating so its out of the question for me.