What Makes The Tenacious The Best Spyderco Knife We’ve Used?

When it comes to finding a reliable folding knife, there are a lot of factors to consider. There are lots of folders on the market and the quality can value drastically between different brands. One of the most trusted knifemakers when it comes to the modern folding knife is Spyderco. If you are in the market for a great folding knife, we believe that the Spyderco Tenacious is the best Spyderco knife we have ever carried.

Spyderco has had a major impact on the design of modern folding knives since they produced their first model in 1981. While they originally produced knife sharpeners and other products, their first folding pocket knife started this brand down their current path towards being a pioneer in the knife industry. Since that first knife Spyderco has continued to create unique knives that combine style with incredible functionality.

The signature round hole in Spyderco knives is another one of their most noticeable features. For a long time the fingernail nick was the standard option for drawing folding knives. Other knives used bulky studs that would catch on clothing. By adding a large hole to their knives as a draw point, Spyderco created an easy to use ambidextrous one handed knife opening system.

As far as blade design, Spyderco made another huge innovation with the partially serrated blade designs. The option of creating a blade that had a smooth cutting edge on the front half and a section with serrations on the back belly of the knife. This made it easier for knife users to easily perform more aggressive cuts using their Spyderco knives and has become another common practice in the knife industry.

Spyderco also improved their own partially serrated blade design by using the Spyderedge system. Your average serrated knife features a number of evenly spaced curvy saw blades like sections called serrations. Spyderco’s unique serrated edge design uses a pattern of two short serrations followed by one larger serration repeated along the entire serrated section of the blade.

One of the biggest innovations Spyderco made was the pocket clip. It almost seems impossible that the pocket knife clip is such a recent invention, as it has become an everyday feature in modern pocket knives. Before 1981 belt mounted holsters had been a common option for fixed blade knives, but pocket knives just belonged in your pocket.

Spyderco changed everything by adding a small metal clip to the handle scales of their knives. Users no longer had to dig around in their pockets to draw their knives, drastically reducing the total draw time. In addition to adding a pocket clip to their knives, the team at Spyderco spend time perfecting it. They began producing knives with a multitude of clip mounting points so users could decide how to carry their knives.

All of these incredible innovations have helped Spyderco become one of the most successful knife manufacturers. Now, almost 4 decades after they produced their first knife, Spyderco is one of the best EDC knife brands in the country.

The Spyderco Tenacious

The Tenacious is probably the best Spyderco knife that we have ever carried. These knives have been designed to offer the perfect everyday carry option for nearly any user. They have a classic and simple look and feel that should resonate with any knife fan. We have all owned a knife like the Tanacious at some point, but these knives are remarkably well made.

Like all Spyderco Knives, the Tenacious is built tough and comes with a few features that you would expect from any Spyderco Knife. The quality of the construction and the low price point make the Tenacious a no brainer for anyone in need of a dependable folding knife. Today we will be looking over a few different aspects of this knife to describe what makes it one of our favorites.

The Body

These mid sized knives are supported by strong skeletonized liners that increase the strength and rigidity of the handles. Because the liners are skeletonized, they retain strength without weighing the handle down, creating a knife with a great balance and feel.

The inner liners also feature a standard liner locking mechanism that holds the blade securely while you work. The release on the liner lock is easy to depress when you are ready to throw your knife back in your pocket. The action of the blade is incredibly smooth and consistent, taking only a little force to move the blade into the open and locked position.

Spyderco is notorious for its advanced blade locking mechanisms, but we find this tried and true method of locking the blade to be just as effective and easy to use as many of their other designs. The fact that liner locks are such standard means that these knives are easy to use for almost anyone with even the slightest familiarity with knives, making them a great gift for anyone in need of a high quality pocket knife.

The Handles

The handle scales are made from sturdy G10 stock. G10 is a composite laminate material made from layering fiberglass soaked in epoxy resin. Once the sheets are stacked, they are cured under pressure until the resin is fully set. The resulting handle scales are both extremely strong and nearly completely resistant to water damage and other forms of erosion. The internal fiberglass component of G10 handles makes them one of the strongest composite laminate handle scale materials available, rivaling carbon fiber in terms of strength and durability and surpassing the strength of both cloth and paper based Micarta laminate scales.

The handles are also textured to provide an extremely comfortable and secure grip. The small amount of finger cutout on the handle scales aids in making the knife easy to retract and lock. The G10 scales are also harder to damage and hold their texture quite well, even after a lot of heavy use.

In addition to being sturdy, these handles also feature several mounting points for Spyderco’s belt clip design. There are three small holes on the top and bottom of each side of the knife’s handles. This makes it easy to set the Tenacious up in four different clip positions so you can comfortably carry it however you want. The knife can be clipped in the tip up or tip down on either your left or right side. Because the clip movement only requires 3 small torx screws, it is easy to adjust and try new clip positions.

The Blade

The blade’s design is a leaf-shaped blade that has a flat grind from the blade’s spine to the cutting edge. In the closed position the signature Spyderco single hole blade opening point is displayed prominently, nesting right above the locking position. This positioning compliments where your finger naturally falls on the handle, making opening a quick and easy process.

The close blade also tapers nicely along a similar curve as the spine. This design makes the knife easy to pocket no matter what the user’s preferred clip positioning.The shape of the blade’s spine also lends to a quick and comfortable grip along with easy opening once the knife has been drawn.

The 3.39” blade size is an ideal fit for a wide range for simple everyday tasks including opening packages to self defense and light survival tasks. Behind the signature circular hole of this blade and just behind the end of the blade’s grind is a small section of thumb jimping that provides exceptional control while working with the Tenacious. You can grip from the handle for more power or choke up with your thumb to perform controlled cuts.

The Tenacious has a modified clip point blade. This blade tip, combined with the knife’s full flat grind, make it excellent for slicing and other clip cutting tasks. Unlike many clip point blades, the Tenacious does not have a cutout above the blade, giving it a point stability similar to a drop point knife. The blade’s belly can also handle quite a bit of use with it’s gentle curved design.

The blade of this knife is made with 8Cr13Mov Stainless Steel. Everyone is going to have different preferences when it comes to blade steels, but this fine grained stainless steel alloy is a great option for pocket knives. It has a decent level of corrosion resistance so it can easily handle any weather conditions you might find yourself in. This steel can take a fine edge and is hard enough to handle some serious work before needing to be resharpened.

Overall

When you combine all of these factors, you are looking at a pretty solid knife. The 4.45” closed length fits comfortably in most adult hands and the blade is large enough to hand a wide range of tasks from slicing an apple to more utilitarian jobs like opening boxes or cutting rope. Obviously this is not the knife you would want to use if you were trying to chop through a limb or baton some firewood, but that is not the knife it is trying to be. Simply put, the Tenacious is a great folding knife. It’s not going to perform miracles, but it will be there when you need a solidly built little knife to take with you anywhere you go. It has a solid build, comfortable scales, and a great blade which is all you can really ask for in a pocket knife.

All of these factors combined help seal the Tenacious as a great knife, but it’s the price point that makes it the best Spyderco knife we have carried. On the day we are publishing this review, the Tenacious only costs $69.95. For that low cost you are getting a solidly constructed workhorse of an EDC knife that has a simple yet unique look and will serve you well for years to come.

This is also one reason why this knife makes such a great gift for knife enthusiasts both new and old. The strong and dependable blade and nearly indestructible handle scales are great for new knife users and the familiar features and classic look will be appreciated by anyone who values a good knife. It is also a great addition to throw in a pack or clip onto your pocket when you are camping, hiking, fishing, or even hunting small game.

When something is Tenacious, it means that it holds on firmly and keeps it close. We think that this is a pretty appropriate name for this folding knife because once you start carrying it, you are going to keep a tenacious hold on it for years. If you don’t believe us pick one up and see if it’s the best Spyderco knife you have used. We know you’ll agree that this is a solid knife and a steal for an EDC pocket knife under $100.

No matter what you are looking for in a knife, we have options for you. If you want to try the best Spyderco knife, grab the Tenacious and you won’t be disappointed. If you are looking for something else, our easy to use filters make the process of finding a knife with the characteristics you value simple. You can filter by factors like knife type, blade size, handle material and more. You can even use our exclusive Knife Builder tool to assemble your own unique knife package that will match the look and feel you like in a knife. If you still need help finding a knife, our team is always happy to help. You can reach out to us by phone at 1-866-336-2834 or send your questions to support@theknifeconnection.com and one of our experts will be happy to help you.