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151 of 159 found the following review helpful:
 Well designed, well built, superb value Sep 24, 2009
By Saint Richard
I collect knives, and in addition to the Spyderco Tenacious, I have three other "good" folders of about the same size & weight, suitable for every day carry. All are well regarded in their price classes ($40.00, $90.00 and $120.00).
From among these choices, the knife that I am carrying most often these days is the Tenacious. Admittedly, a part of the reason for that is that this knife is newer than the others. But some new knives I have received over the years (Christmas, Birthdays, etc.) found their place in a drawer pretty quickly. Newer or not, I wouldn't carry this knife if I felt that it was notably inferior to the others.
First, the blade: The Tenacious offers a hefty chunk of steel, especially compared to most other knives at this price point. The modified leaf shape, non-serrated design is very close to the optimal drop point style I prefer. Adequate blade thickness together with the flat grind and wide chord design give this blade extra strength. I'd expect this knife to perform well even for rugged duty tasks. I respect - and never deliberately abuse - my knives. But I don't baby them either and so far these expectations (over about 3 months use) seem well founded.
The Tenacious has some niceties and features that are not usually expected at this price point. The G-10 scales and the smoothness of blade deployment, for example. The pivot tension is user adjustable. I also like the fact that the pocket clip can be switched around to suit user preference. Last but not least, the skeletonized steel liners and a hefty liner lock give this knife a solid feel. (Some people don't like liner locks but unless you are a lefty, I don't know why. They are used on some of the most expensive, custom built folders and with good reason - there is no locking design that is inherently stronger).
I can see just two areas where the Spyderco's designers cut costs on this model. The 8Cr13Mov blade steel seems like pretty good quality - probably comparable to AUS 8 (which was considered absolutely top quality not too many years ago). But it isn't D2 or S30V (see the $90.00 and $120.00 folders mentioned above). The other area where Spyderco cut cost is going with Chinese manufacture. Labor is apparently pretty cheap over there. But you wouldn't know it from the Tenacious build quality.
40 of 40 found the following review helpful:
 Amazing knife, but has a downside. Jul 29, 2011
By AM-Review
I just got my Tenacious today, I don't have any long-term results yet so I will update as necessary. However I like this knife so much I felt the need to write down a review for it ASAP.
First off, WOW! I am blown away at the amazing knife I got for only $32. I did a lot of looking around, reading reviews, checking out hundreds of youtube vids (big thanks to nutnfancy and cutlerylover for the wonderful knife reviews and insight!) and I figured I should give the Tenacious a try due to all the rave it gets around the net. I will say this, those rave reviews are not inaccurate! This thing is simply a LOT of knife with top notch quality for a unbelievable price. There is a few downsides though, one in particular with has soured the excellent experience I have had thus far, but overall the tenacious is worth well over the ~$30 it sells for. In fact this knife could easily sell at two or three times its cost and still be worth it (would need better steel at a higher price point though).
But anyway, here is the pro/con breakdown.
Pro:
- Cheap, cheap, cheap! ~$30 is the kind of knife you will actually use and not worry about beating up. Doesn't really matter if you lose/break it, sure it will stink, but for $30 you won't lose much sleep over it.
- Great lockup. Out of the box the Tenacious had ZERO blade play in either direction, and even after flipping it open with great authority all day long (and I really mean whipping it open hard) it still locks up TIGHT! The liner lock is also rock solid, and I can't imagine it failing under normal (or even beyond normal) usage of the knife.
- Loving the Spydie thumb hole! If you are used to thumb studs, this will take some getting used to, but once you get the motion down you really start to love that thumb hole. In fact I now prefer the Spydie hole over a thumb stud, much easier to use and doesn't turn the tip of your thumb into a well tenderized piece of meat like the studs do.
- Relatively lightweight. I personally don't mind a heavier blade (I EDCed a original Cold Steel Recon 1 for almost 2 years) but this blade isn't heavy at all. Weighing on my scale, it comes to 4.2oz (Recon 1 is 6.6oz). Not as light as something similarly sized like the SOG Aegis (3.2oz), but not a big deal for me at all. It is light enough to forget that it's in your pocket, but feels solid in your hands. Also note that the steel liner in the handle is skeletonized.
- Blade shape, style and size. Oh yes! Love that big bellied, plain edge, full flat grind, drop-point leaf style blade! I am telling you, this is a sizable blade! This isn't a toothpick style blade like most other EDC blades from Spyderco, SOG, Benchmade etc etc, this thing is FAT and has authority. Of all the blades I researched within the $70 or less range, the only blades (that I could find) that are like this are the Tenacious, Resilience and the SOG Aegis. All the others generally are long and skinny type blades, and very seldom have a FFG.
- Wonderful and practical jimping. The jimping on this blade is perfect, your thumb sits perfectly in the ramp and it holds your finger in place! The liner jimping is Ok, nothing special but it gets the job done when combined with the top blade jimping.
- Feels great in hand. I love how this knife feels in my hand, not as good as the Aegis, but for what the Tenacious has it does very well. The knife feels solid and combined with the jimping you feel as if you have a very study grip on it. The handle is long enough for me that my pinky sits just about a 1/4 inch from the end. Very functional.
- G10 handles baby! G10 is definitely one of my favorite handle materials, very strong and looks great. However I must say that the overall grip of the Tenacious G10 is actually pretty weak. It's quite smooth, and is nothing like the G10 scales on a knife like the Recon 1. But the thing is, while the grip is not that grippy, it still feels great. Its got this smooth gritty texture that won't dig up your skin or chew up your pants when you put it in your pocket, and honestly it feels very "cool".
- Great pocket clip tension. So far the Tenacious has had the best clip tension I have ever had in a pocket knife. It grips very well but is not too powerful, easy to put in your pocket and easy to take out. Plus it actually sits pretty low, so only as small part of the knife is exposed outside of your pocket. Granted it's not as deep as a SOG clip, but its pretty close. Although I would have preferred the clip to be black.
- Wonderfully smooth opening action. When I first unboxed the Tenacious it was pretty stiff, but that is not a bad thing. I know with some older Tenacious models the blade would have a tendency to pop out with very little movement. Seems like Spyderco fixed this as I was only able to get it to pop out by smacking the knife really hard. The opening/closing process is quite smooth too, not as buttery smooth as my Recon 1, but it blows away the Aegis. Phosphor bronze bushings makes for a nice action!
- Near perfect blade centering when closed. The overall blade centering while closed is quite good, its not dead center, but is only a faction off in one direction. No rubbing against the liner whatsoever when closing/opening.
- 4-way pocket clip integration. Great concept where you can move the clip to any side (left/right, top/bottom) of the blade. However there is a HUGE downside to this function which I will explain in the cons.
- Best sounding "snap" of all my folders. You know that snap you hear when you flick open your folding knife? Well let me tell you, the Tenacious has a very strong and loud 'crack' when you fling it open. Much more pronounced than my Aegis or Recon 1. Almost sounds similar to the racking of a handgun. Also the Tenacious is VERY fast when you get the flick just right. Blows away my Aegis (which has assisted opening) and my Recon 1 by far.
Now for the cons.
Cons:
- Default clip position is tip-down, which most people do not like. Come on Spyderco, what genius decided that the default should be tip-down? It is probably a 9/10 ratio of people who prefer tip-up to tip-down, and with all the things Spyderco got right with this knife, this is the one glaring mistake that they shouldn't have missed. Sure you can move it, but see the next con to understand why tip-up should have been the default.
- The biggest con of this knife, BY FAR, is the bolts used for the clip (and likely for the rest of the body as well). They strip out VERY easily. I personally do not like tip-down carry, so I was thrilled that the Tenacious clip could be moved for tip-up carry. However upon trying to turn the very first bolt, I heard several distinct snapping noises which was the bolt stripping with only LIGHT turning pressure. Second bolt, same deal, started to unscrew only to have all the grooves in the bolt snap like off plastic. I managed to unscrew the third bolt just fine, but the first two are now completely smooth on the inside. So now I am stuck with tip-down carry, which is a HUGE letdown for me. It is the only reason I did not give this knife a perfect score, heck I was even thinking about lowering it to 3 stars because of this (I really like tip-up carry).
One solution to the stripped bolts is to use a dremel to do a straight cut across the top of the bolt so it can be removed with a regular flat head screwdriver. Also note that I believe the Tenacious clip screws are M3 x5mm. (See UPDATE at end of review for further details on screw size)
- The last con of this knife is the blade steel, which is 8CR13MOV. I for one don't mind a softer steel, as this makes it easier to sharpen and touch up. However this blade will rust quite easily. So make sure to keep it oiled or do some kind of rust prevention on the blade (Eezox for example).
Other than that, this knife is practically perfect. It may be made in China, but the quality and craftsmanship is amazing (aside from weak clip screws and tip-down default of course). And for $30 or so you cannot beat this knife, that is a fact. No other blade in this price point even comes CLOSE to the Tenacious in terms of dollar-to-dollar value and quality. This knife is built like a tank and I have a feeling it will last me many many years of hard use.
If necessary, I will update this review with any new info as I use the knife.
UPDATE 7/30/11 - Really not much of a update, I originally wanted to put this in the review but forgot. As I mentioned I also had a SOG Aegis which I sort of compared the Tenacious to a few times. The Aegis and Tenacious (whoa, say that ten times fast!) are pretty similar in terms of blade shape, blade size and overall design (like I said I love these fat FFG blades!)
However notice I wrote "had" a Aegis, I actually got two of them (one was a replacement) because the first one just didn't cut it in terms of quality, so I ended up returning them to Amazon. Both my Aegis knives came out of the box with blade play, which only got significantly worse as I opened and closed the knife a few times. There was also a few other problems too (uncentered and rubbing blade on liner, rough opening/closing etc etc). But without getting too detailed, I loved the features on the Aegis and I still think it is one of the best looking folders out there (I got the digi camo version with TiNi blade coating, absolutely beautiful). So while the Aegis looked amazing and had some really cool features (SOG deep pocket clip design, TiNi coating, lightweight) the Tenacious is by FAR the better knife IMO. I spent $70 on the digi camo Aegis, and both the original and replacement had several quality issues, mainly terrible blade play. So you can understand why I was absolutely blown away with the high quality $32 Tenacious.
So if you are similar to me and love the fat FFG blades and are deciding between the dirt cheap Tenacious or the Aegis, hands down the Tenacious is the better pick. It may not have the looks, but it has the quality (although I actually love the way it looks, just not as fancy as the Aegis).
This also brings me to another point, hey Spyderco, if you are reading this please release an all black version of the Tenacious with TiNi coating on the blade!(please, no Teflon). I would buy another one (maybe two or three more for friends/family) just for a blacked out version. Not sure why you haven't done this yet, this knife is definitely a value flagship knife for Spyderco and is probably your overall best selling knife, so how about you guys release some different options already? It would be a safe bet that most of the people who currently own and love the Tenacious will likely buy another just because it's all black and different. Oh and make the pocket clip default tip-up carry while you are at it.
UPDATE 8/1/2011 - Ok a small update. I managed to get my stripped clip screws off by using a 1/16th hex. I originally used a 1.5mm hex which seemed to fit at the time (not snug enough I suppose). When I used a 1/16th hex I managed to get all but one screw (which was truly stripped). I got the fully stripped screw off with some crude work with a old beater knife I had lying around (I just stuck the knife tip in the screw, pressed hard so it could bite the head, then managed to get it loose enough to get out).
So today I went to my hardware store to get replacement screws, which strangely enough I managed to find (despite the rarity of the small size). They have pretty big heads, but work just fine.
At least with my Tenacious the clip screw size and threading are as follows.
Diameter - M3 (metric)
Thread - 0.5
Length - 5mm (6mm works if you are doing tip-up carry, as the screws can stick out a little without hitting the blade or any other important moving part of the knife. The ones I got were 6mm in length. However I wouldn't recommend 6mm for a tip-down carry, as it will poke into the blade/bushings. You may even want to get a 4mm as well, if you can find some, in case 5mm is too long).
So you are looking for M3-0.5 x 5mm if you want to replace the Tenacious clip screws. I lucked out that my hardware store had these tiny screws, but the most likely place to find them is some kind of hobby shop that deals with RC cars and things of that nature.
Also if you are curious to how big the heads are on my screws, check out the Tenacious customer pictures, I have uploaded a picture or two showing that.
UPDATE 8/2/2011 - Yes I know, too many updates, but any info I can share that may help somebody, I will share.
Anywho I recently sent Spyderco a email about my situation with the stripped clip screws, today I got an email back from them. It was short and to the point, they wanted to know my address so they could send me some replacement screws. How's that for customer service! Amazing! So if any of you have problems with stripped screws for any part of your knife, go to the Spyderco website and use the contact form to tell them your situation. They will probably just send you new parts, no questions asked.
I gotta say I am really starting to love Spyderco, so far my experience has been amazing. High quality products, great prices and wonderful customer service. What more could you ask for?
47 of 50 found the following review helpful:
Bang for the Buck Jun 29, 2009
By kenneth richar
This knife is amazing. It has all the features of a much more expensive knife without the price of one. The g10 checkering on the handle fits snuggley in my hand, The blade comes shaving sharp out of the box, and it flicks out extremely fast for a un assisted blade. The only draw back to this knife is the blade steal. 8cr13mov steal is kinda on the soft side and my blade after a weeks worht of use is now no where near as sharp as it was out of the box. So if you plan on buying this knife id invest in a spyderco sharpining tool too.
55 of 62 found the following review helpful:
Best Value for the Money! Apr 13, 2009
By NineteenElev3n
"NineteenElev3n"
With brass bushings and a decent quality and sharp blade, the Spyderco Tenacious is the best value for the money anywhere for the entry level knife collector or carrier. I recommend that any knife collector or carrier get this one for their collection; you cannot go wrong with this one. For a very detailed review, I recommend looking up Nutinfancy on YouTube. He provides an excellent review on everyday carry (EDC) knives.
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Unbeatable value Oct 07, 2009
By M. Wang
For $35, this is the best knife you'll find. It came out of the box razor sharp, and still holds a decent edge after some use with cardboard boxes and cutting paracord. After about 5 mins of stropping, it was just as good as new. The G-10 is comfortable, and holds a decent grip even if you have sweaty palms. This knife (though ambidextrous) was designed for the right hand, as the G-10 has a slight groove for the thumb while opening and closing. The carry clip was a slightly stiff when I ordered it, but it works perfectly right now. Carry tip up, tip down, either side. The liner lock is tough and thick, but smooth enough so you're not closing it with two hands. It deploys quick and smooth, with a beautiful snapping click. The entire grip and design of the knife fits very well, and I love the fat belly of the knife. Makes cutting a whole lot easier. It's pretty light, at around 4.0oz. I had been carrying around a leatherman most of the time, and this thing is a feather compared to the Skeletool CX. If you're leaning towards buying this knife, just get it. It'll be a knife you can actually use and abuse.
I recommend getting the full straight blade instead of the 1/2 serrated.
If you're thinking about spending $30 or more on the little brother (Spyderco Persistence), you might as well get this one. Bigger blade, similar weight, and same price.
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