Spyderco Tenacious Review

Anyone who owns a quality pocket knife knows that the brand matters. Two knives with the exact same blade length and width will cut completely different based on how they’re made.

Spyderco has a long-standing reputation for making good knives that won’t cut through your wallet. A mid-sized single blade knife like the Spyderco Tenacious is practical for almost any situation, and small enough to throw pretty much anywhere.

Because of this, it has proven to be one of Spyderco’s most popular pocket knives. Added bonus: it’s also one of their least expensive.

You can get the Spyderco Tenacious with a straight, serrated, or partially serrated blade. If you need a nice, versatile knife for a variety of different applications, I would suggest the partially serrated.

Fully serrated edges can be a bit clumsy and difficult to sharpen, however if your day-to-day use requires some heavy cutting the partially serrated blade is a nice combination to have.

If you’re just doing push-cutting, the straight edge Tenacious will do that job just fine. If you need to saw through tough materials a lot, serrated is usually best.

Keep in mind that a serrated edge will be harder to sharpen and will take significantly longer because each serration needs to be done separately. If you’re not going to be cutting and sawing through hard materials, it’s probably not worth it.

 

The Blade Materials

I’ve been completely satisfied with the blade. It’s sleek and thin, at .118” thickness, but still strong. I was happy that Spyderco texturized the top of the blade because it gives the user a lot more control–like traction to your grip.

They’ve also added a little extra spine in the back to make it stronger, and the steel is pretty good for the price. However, even though it’s made of stainless steel, it’s not rust-proof.

The steel Spyderco uses for this blade, 8Cr13MoV, has run into criticism for this reason. But honestly, I don’t find that to be a deal breaker. If you clean it regularly, you’ll avoid the rust.

You should clean all your knives after you use them anyways. Or, if you want, you can opt for a knife with higher quality steel, like the Benchmade 908 Stryker, or the ParaMilitary 2 but you’ll be paying upwards of $150.

Liner Lock

The Spyderco Tenacious opens with a thumb-hole and locks with a liner lock. These two features make the knife super easy to open and close. The liner lock is textured, which again adds a little more control.

However, the thumb hole can be a slightly cumbersome at first use, but that is quickly overcome. It’s definitely functional for easy opening, but can get snagged in some occasions, however very rare, just thought it was worth mentioning.

Handle Materials

The handle is is made out of G-10 laminate, making it light but strong. It’s very comfortable and fits my hand really well. Inside, it has added skeletonized steel liners, making it even stronger.

The pocket clip fits nicely on my pocket, and it can be extended four different ways, and it’s not bulky. As handles go, it’s pretty much everything you’d want.

The knife is 7.76 inches from end to end with the blade extended (the blade is 3.39 inches), making a little on the bigger side when compared to other mid-sized pocket knives. However, it’s also a little lighter than you might expect. Personally, I think this is a huge plus.

The blade is nice and long, but the knife itself is lightweight. And it fits in my pocket just fine. But if you need a small knife, the Tenacious is probably a little too big.

Spyderco Tenacious Review – Final Thoughts

I’d say that you can’t really go wrong with the Spyderco Tenacious. It’s functional and easy to use. It handles well, and is strong enough for my daily use. I personally believe that it more than makes up for it’s the lower-grade steel and thumb hole issues with it’s strength, durability, and functionality.

Overall, I love the Spyderco Tenacious, especially for the price, you’re not going to find many pocket knives like this for less than $50.