Persistence

Bought this knife 9 years ago, and it's still my every day carry. I know someone else who bought the Tenacious, but honestly that was a little bigger than I needed. I was looking for something that didn't take up too much space in my pocket, but could still cut like a bigger knife.Things to consider: G10 handle is excellent, great for the price point. I prefer non serrated blades, as they're a little easier to sharpen. For ease of opening, I prefer the thumb hole over the stud. The jibbing is large and curved, easy to hook your thumb onto for secure cutting. Time tested liner lock. Multiple attachment points for the clip, I keep it tip up in my front left pocket.I've had expensive knives before, unfortunately lost a really nice Benchmade. That's why I bought this one, I wouldn't be torn up if I lost it or something happened to it. I purposely came back 9 years later to review this knife because I almost lost it tonight! Forgot I had it on me and couldn't get into a venue due to security. Left it on the top of the tire of a parked car nearby and hoped it was still there when I came back. Fortunately it was, but to be honest, if it was gone I just would have bought another one to replace it. Fantastic price to value ratio, super durable, and hasn't shown a single sign of wear aside from the blade. I've sharpened it many times over the years without fail.Awesome knife!

I’ve owned a Spyderco before and was quite happy with durability and longevity. Just received this knife and love it already. Quality EDC with an elegant design. The ability to move the clip to all four quadrants is nice too.

I'm an admitted knife aficionado. I love all types of knives and I own quite a few. Among modern folding, one hand opening knives, the Spyderco brand totals more models than all the others in my collection. I've used Spyderco knives since the beginning of their Clipit model introduction nearly 25 years ago. Spyderco knives always offer high quality and excellent value, even though the prices of their knives have increased a good deal over the years. As a hedge on increased production costs, Spyderco came out with their Byrd brand of Chinese made knives several years ago and many people discovered that a knife made in China did not always have to be poorly made of poor quality materials. As time has progressed, Spyderco has continued to have knives made for them in China and the company now uses their original company name on some of these models as well as retaining the Byrd line.The Persistence is one of four related knives in their Spyderco brand value line. The others are the Ambitious, the Tenacious and the Resilience. The Persistence is the medium/small model, measuring 4.125" closed with a 2.75" blade, G10 grip panel and a Walker liner lock. The blade steel is 8Cr13MoV, a very good quality Chinese stainless steel that can take a very sharp edge and can be resharpened fairly easily. The blade shape is that frequently used by Spyderco "leaf" design with a slight drop point. It comes with pretty nice blade jimping for the thumb but no blade choil for the index finger. Cutting edge is the full 2.75" length of the blade. The 4 inch plus length of the handle provides enough space to get a good handle on the knife for control. The pocket clip is one of Spyderco's hourglass shaped models in bright silver and it a four position design. The pocket clip looks really nice and contrasts with the black G10 panels. The blade is 3mm thick which is pretty thick for such a short blade. The liner and locking bar is also fairly thick which gives the knife a substantial feeling that I personally like. It feels like this knife can stand up to anything for which you would use a short 2.75" blade.I have no real complaints against this knife. It's well made of good quality material and the fit and finish is really good. Since it's in the same size category as the much more expensive Sage 1, I really feel like it's fair to compare these knives. They may likely be put to the same types of uses. The Sage has a 3" blade that is 3mm thick and a 4.188" handle, making it a little longer than the Persistence. The blade steel is S30V a deluxe US-made stainless although the knife itself is made and assembled in Spyderco's Taichung, Taiwan, factory. The blade design is the leaf shape and it has a choil integrated half into the blade and half into the handle where the index finger rests comfortably. Jimping is present in the spine where the thumb is placed. The cutting edge measures 2.265". The Sage handle is a carbon fiber overlay to a G10 layer underneath. The carbon fiber really looks outstanding and offers an excellent wear resistance and grip surface, a surface that's not as abrasive as bare G10. Spyderco uses their wire pocket clip for the Sage 1 which I think is a mistake because it looks cheap and flimsy and only allows tip up carry although it can be changed from right to left hand with a single screw. The Sage 1 incorporates the same Walker liner lock design as the Persistence, however, the liner and locking bar of the Sage 1 is a bit thinner than the Persistence. Despite the thinner metal, the Sage lock up feels secure.The things I like better about the Persistence over the Sage 1 are the thicker, sturdier liner lock, the better quality and more adaptable pocket clip and the cutting edge that is a half inch longer than that of the Sage despite the Persistence's blade being one quarter inch shorter in overall length. The Persistence also costs $36--almost 1/3 less than the Sage.The things I like better about the Sage 1 are the carbon fiber panels for appearance and blade choil for ergonomics. The Sage looks better and actually feels much better in the hand. The Sage also uses more expensive deluxe steel for the blade (although it should be pointed out that S30V will require more effort to sharpen if you let the knife get dull or you damage the edge). Those improvements make the knife worth the extra cost in my opinion, however, the Sage 1 currently sells on Amazon for $102--2.8 times the cost of the Persistence.When considering a knife that will be put to a lot of use, a knife that likely will get beaten up and come out with scars, a knife that needs frequent sharpening, the Persistence compares very favorably with the Sage 1. It's built heavier with a blade that is easier to sharpen. It doesn't cost a lot and can be replaced painlessly should the user lose it or manage to break it. It doesn't have the excellent ergonomics of the Sage 1 but the Persistence is entirely useable without any really significant limitations. It's hard to overlook the value of the Persistence. It's a good high quality working knife that one might buy and consider disposable if necessary. It lacks the refinements of the Sage but it gives up nothing in practical use. I personally consider the Sage 1 as just short of perfection in a modern folder of its size, however, I really like the Persistence and I have to say I like it just about as much based on a completely different set of criteria.

I purchased this knife a few months ago to fill in for a Kershaw knife that was more than twice the cost, but has a serrated blade that required sharpening and did not seem to hold an edge well at all. I just wanted an inexpensive EDC knife since I was kind of disappointed in my expensive Kershaw knife. Maybe I set my expectations a little low, but I was still really excited to get this knife based on other reviews. I have to tell you that first impression I was EXTREMELY impressed, but still skeptical about how it would hold up long term. So, now I am writing a review after using it for tons of stuff over the last few months. I have opened boxes, cut a lot of rope and paracord, whittled wood, shaved fletchings off aluminum arrows and lots of other everyday tasks. I was curious how the 8Cr13MoV steel would hold an edge, and WOW, it is still really sharp, and I haven't even sharpened it yet.Let me tell you just how sharp it is...the other day I was working and practicing opening and closing it with one hand sitting at my desk. I wasn't looking at it and just trying to repeat the process over and over. As I was closing the knife I saw something white fall on my desk and when I looked down there was a fingerprint the size of a pea laying on my desk. I looked at my hand and realized that when closing the blade it had shaved off the skin of my index finger so thin that my finger did not even bleed! Now that is SHARP!One last example to point out. I was working on a Cub Scout outing and we were making survival bracelets out of paracord with about 80 people. We had a lot of paracord to cut to length and we were doing it on demand as kids chose their preferred color. A few other people were trying to help and had their pocket knifes out and just making a mess of the paracord because they could not cut through all the layers cleanly. Now, this may not be the ultimate test of a knife, but I let someone borrow my knife to cut it when they were having trouble and they absolutely fell in love with it. They were amazed at how sharp it was and how fast and smooth it cut the paracord. Again, not trying to say that paracord is so resilient that no other knife can cut it effectively, just that in a real world scenario it stood out well above every other knife that others were trying to use that day.For a knife that I was hesitant to buy because it kinda looked weird compared to knives I have owned in the past, I think I am now hooked on Spyderco and will probably end up with a collection. I was online shopping for a Spyderco for my wife and decided to write this review in the process. I hope my experience helps you make a decision.UPDATE 11/11/13: If you haven't bought this knife yet or are still on the fence, get off the fence, this knife rocks! I have been using it for 8 months and I absolutely love carrying it. I have never had a knife that I enjoyed the opportunity to use as much as this knife. I also bought a Spyderco Byrd for my wife and it is a great smaller option for her smaller hands and pockets, but with the same high quality steel. With this knife I finally understand what I have been missing with other pocket knives all my life...yes, it's that good, and for the price the value is off the charts.