Friday, August 28, 2009

Spyderco Caly 3: Perfect EDC

By Phil C. Gerber

If you are looking for a high quality folding pocket knife, the Spyderco knives are where to look first. The Spyderco Caly 3 is an excellent every day carry(edc) knife. It is small, elegant, and you will hardly notice it in your pocket. It will be very rare to find a bad review on the Caly 3. For what it is, it is close to perfection. The Spyderco Caly 3 comes in 2 different forms. A carbon fiber handle with zdp blade steel and a G10 handle with VG-10 blade steel. I opted to get the G10 version as it is more practical and the steel is easier to sharpen albeit slightly inferior. This knife is small! it is very compact. The reason I choose to carry this knife had much to do with my state law. In Rhode Island, it is illegal to carry a knife with blade length longer than 3 inches. You have to play the cards you are dealt. Besides the size, I noticed that it was extremely comfortable in hand. The ergonomics are incredible. I am 5'10" and have medium hands. It fits perfectly. The Knife does not look like a traditional knife but do not let the looks fool you. It is incredibly comfortable to hold. It is a bit heavier than my Spyderco Delica Wave, but in a good way. The Caly 3 feels high quality and durable.

Out of the box, the deployment was not very fast. It had a sandy sound while opening and it would sometimes get stuck midway. After a few hundred openings, it's perfect. Not too loose that it will open in my pocket and not too tight. I can flick it easily and it will lock up with an authoritative click. The lockup is rock solid. No blade play whatsoever. If I can describe the lockup in 1 word, it would be "confident." One of the reasons I choose a Caly 3 was it's lock back design. My being left handed, I always pass a liner lock design as they are always tailored towards right handers. Any knife that is not ambidextrous is passed. Luckily, this wonderful knife is available to both southpaws and orthodox. The pocket clip is great. It is a hard wire "paper clip" design but it works. It allows the knife to ride deep into the pocket and it is very strong. You can slip you knife in a out of pocket easily. All Spyderco's should adopt this clip. It is a great design. Much better than the clip on my Native.

The blade is very thin. The grind is full flat grind. This means the bevel starts at the spine of the blade making the edge come to a very thin point. The angle is more acute making this blade an excellent slicer. I am fairly good at sharpening. I can put a decent honing edge sharpening freehand. Lately, I have been using the Spyderco Sharpmaker to sharpen my knives. I recommend using the Sharpmaker simply because it makes sharpening easier. It is no substitute for freehand sharpening but it's definitely convenient.

Some time ago, I saw a youtube video where someone modified their knife with a zip tie. They used the zip tie as an Emerson wave. A waved knife is a modified knife that allows you to deploy the knife as you pull it out of your pocket. I had a Delica Wave that I liked and decided to modified my Caly 3 with the zip tie. The results were great. It works pretty good and it does not look too bad. I use my knives hard. It is a good idea to take care of your knives but using your knife is important too.

I love this knife! I also own a Spyderco Native and I used to own a Delica Wave. The Caly 3 is my favorite knife. If the laws would allow it, I would carry a Police 3 G10. Spyderco makes great knives and once you own 1, you have to have more. This knife is so beautiful. It is a gentleman's folder. I purchased mine for around $100 but I am sure you can get it cheaper now. Either way, you will be glad you bought this knife. This knife is a jewel.

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