Reviews - Knives

Woods Monkey takes a quick look at a new offering from Spyderco--their Byrd Wings G-10 model.  For those that are choosy about their edges, it gives you the best of both worlds.

My buddy had a real beater '69 Camaro.  Three different colors, odd wheels, smelled a little funny, you know, a beater.  But she had it where it counted and that was under the hood.  Three hundred plus horses, headers, duals, fat four barrel Holley carb sitting on a polished Edelbrock intake.  It was a screamer when you put your foot into it; she'd drop 2 gears, open up all 4 barrels and put you BACK in the seat!  It was a sleeper and we made many chrome-laden rods look the fool.  This new Byrd Wings knife from Spyderco is a sleeper too.  Made in China usually says right off to me low quality but I'll tell ya, this knife has it where it counts. The G10 scales feel great. G-10 always makes a knife feel better to me and this knife is no different.  It's black and silver with a pocket clip, no real frills on the surface.

Look closer and you'll see that someone had the forethought to drill all corners of this baby so you can put that nice stainless, logo'd, pocket clip wherever you want.  That's important because you'll have to pick what your primary blade will be, the clip-point plain edge or the blunt tipped sheepfoot serrated.  See, it has two full sized blades, one opens East, one West with your choice of blades.  I always hear guys say they hate the half serrated blades, just give them a plain edge.  I use a serrated blade every day at work so I like that type of knife personally, but this knife will give each person what they want.  The blades are made of 8Cr13MoV and were razor sharp out of the box.  I have yet to sharpen it so I can't really comment on stropping it back to shape yet, it just hasn't needed it.  The Byrd Wings seems to have removable hardware so it can be taken apart and cleaned.  There is an open spine to the design so a quick run under the faucet should be all that's needed except for in the most extreme cases.  Closed length is 4.75" so it fills your pocket, especially since it has two 1/8" thick blades side by side in there, but it's not too bad.

If you have ever handled a Spyderco, you'll know that they have that great hole in the blade for one hand opening.  The Byrd BY20 is similar but its hole resembles more of a bird's eye silhouette.  What ever you think it looks like, it opens real easy.  You can just roll that blade out, feel the liner lock pop into place and know you have a reliable tool at the ready.  That goes for either blade too, they both feel the same, have that same great lock-up, and will cut what ever you point them at.  I have had this knife on me since the BLADE show in May and it's been nothing but stellar.  There is NO loosening of the blades, something I thought would happen with an inexpensive imported knife but it's really holding up well.  And here's the best part: it retails for under $50!  I found it online for about $32 and that is some serious value for this knife.  There are lots of Byrd knives in the family, even a smaller non-locking version of this knife, and if this is any indication of the bang for the buck, I wouldn't hesitate to get one.  Or two.  The BY20 would make a really good B.O.B. knife if you wanted a folder.  I avoid cheap knives like the plague but I have to say, this is an awesome little knife from over seas.  Stainless everything, G-10 scales, dual blades, and quickly cleaned. The Byrd Wings BY20 is a real winner, and with a great price point to boot.

Visit: www.spyderco.com

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Finnman   |2009-07-13 21:42:49 I ordered 5 Byrds 4 months ago: Cara-Cara, Meadowlark, Flight and 2 pcs Finch. I was also really surprised how good quality tough blades they are, even those keychain sized Finches. Cara-Cara and Finches came in FRN and Meadowlark & Flight in stainless steel. I found FRN more comfortable, cause it´s lighter to carry and not so slipper that smooth SS is. Byrd´s steel is kind of high carbon content which sharpens well and holds an edge. You have to also take care of the blades cause they will rust a bit. That I noticed on my trip to Thailand which have very humid climate. All in all I don´t know why to buy 4 times more expensive Spydercos cause those Byrds work so well. Great bang for the buck! Reply | Quote 0   0

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