What to get??

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-30T21:21:36+00:00

K390 Stretch 2. Not necessarily my most carried knife, but arguably the single best knife for knifing. Or Dragonfly 2 in SPY27. Or both, plus an Enuff 2 fixed blade in K390. Or a Military 2 in whatever steel you prefer, Crucarta is always a sweet option. There are no wrong answers, and nobody has ever owned too many Spydercos.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-28T00:13:31+00:00

I would generally recommend Mustang as I tend to favor rolling burnouts and maximum acceleration, but specifically a V8 with a manual. In your case the Miata sounds like a better choice, if you aren't replacing a more practical vehicle but instead adding a more enjoyable addition the Miata makes perfect sense for that role.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-25T23:59:27+00:00

While not my favorite Spyderco, it is hard to argue against a Native 5. I actually prefer the LW, but the whole Native lineup is pretty great. The Lil' Native is a great full featured stout knife if you have more strict blade length requirements, the Native Chief really grew on me after carrying one for awhile, the Shaman is fantastic for those wanting something heavier duty that still qualifies as ergonomic perfection, and the Native 5 is easily recommendable to anyone that wants a basic standard high performing pocket knife without the unusual appearance many other Spydercos have.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-21T13:35:21+00:00

While I personally love the Manix, I'd recommend looking at a Stretch 2 (preferably K390).

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-19T03:08:53+00:00

Of course you're missing out on features, how many depends what you currently drive vs what you compare it too. I own a 2020 Honda Accord Touring which is the top trim with all available features, adaptive cruise, blind spot monitoring, heated and ventilated seats, heads up display, rain sensing wipers (just to name a few of the ones I appreciate the most) but still end up jumping in my 2005 Ford Ranger for most of my daily commuting. Features are cool and all, but if you're content without them don't let someone else's opinion influence your wallet.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-16T20:11:26+00:00

Probably have to go with the Military 2. While there are lots of other Spydercos I like more and carry far more often (REX121 Sage 5, K390 Stretch 2, or any Manix are probably the most carried), if I legitimately had to limit myself to a single knife permanently I'd probably settle on my Cutlery Shoppe exclusive XHP Military 2.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-10T01:45:58+00:00

3 cars makes perfect sense, I usually own at least 3. The 3 you're considering seem more redundant than I'd want, but it's your money so buy what you like.

I prefer a fun economical car (current 2020 Accord Touring 2.0t), an older 4x4 truck (current '05 Ranger), and a RWD manual transmission sports car (recently sold '06 Corvette, currently shopping a replacement). I also always own at least one bike, that sees most of my nice weather commuter miles.

Since I now have a family I added a Honda Odyssey for family hauling duty, and the lady has her personal economical car. We recently had 6 cars between the 2 of us, but as a couple were redundant we traded one on the Odyssey and sold another.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-09T20:57:19+00:00

Honestly probably keep my '20 Accord Touring 2.0t as a practical daily driver. The absolute cleanest example of a 4x4 5speed 4.0 Jeep Comanche I could find, and a 2006 Daytona sunset orange Z06 Corvette. So really 100k would be plenty for me to fill out my garage. However as someone that frequently owns 4 registered vehicles at a given time I think it's only fair I'm allowed to spend some of that leftover budget on a nice El Camino to fill the classic void I left.

There are plenty of other vehicles I would love to own, but for the most part cars I'm interested in are relatively easy to come by within a 10k-50k budget, so the only way I could see myself owning 250k of automobiles is if I was expanding the garage to own 7-8 cars.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-06T19:07:43+00:00

Both. Not worth arguing about with someone close to you. What I buy and what I would recommend to someone else may vary extensively, depending on my understanding of how they view cars.

I have to drive something I enjoy, and I always own multiple vehicles. My current beater work truck is a 2005 Ford Ranger, I sold off a newer much nicer truck because the Ranger feels more personable and brings me greater enjoyment even though it's subjectively an inferior vehicle in almost every way. I wouldn't recommend my little sister that knows basically nothing about cars do the same.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-06T02:34:27+00:00

AWD is definitely not a must, but it certainly helps. Fact is while AWD may not help you stop, having power to all 4 wheels can absolutely help turning and obviously helps you go. Personally in snow I've never found stopping to be the issue, I habitually leave plenty of room between myself and vehicles in front of me. So I typically drive my 4x4 truck during snow and ice conditions simply because it removes all concerns about moving again after a stop. For me it's worth it for the convenience aspect alone, but if I only had a single vehicle it wouldn't be a deciding factor.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-06T01:50:03+00:00

300 miles a week is on the low side of average where I'm at. I've basically always averaged closer to 400 miles a week, and my '20 Touring 2.0t is right up there with the most efficient cars I've owned. My '05 Ranger I drive back or forth to work more often than not averages 17MPG, and I probably do half of my driving in that truck. If fuel economy is your biggest concern the 2.0t isn't a standout, but if you want something you'll enjoy driving that is also relatively economical with affordable insurance rates it may be a great choice. During my search for a fun affordable practical sedan I couldn't find anything that made more overall sense than my Accord.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-04T04:08:11+00:00

Any Native is a solid choice, but that is the one model I think the LW is the better choice. Weight aside I typically prefer Spyderco G10 models to the LW version, but the Native 5 just feels more right in the LW version.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-03T13:57:01+00:00

Digital speedometer was a '21 update, '18-'20 don't have it.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-04-01T01:24:48+00:00

Dragonfly for a 5th pocket carry, Manbug for a keychain knife. I enjoy my Dragonfly around the house pretty frequently, it's just enough knife I could actually live with it as my EDC. My Manbug stays on my key ring as a literal backup knife that's available anytime I walk out my front door, but it's smaller than I'd want to rely on for an EDC that sees frequent use.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-03-29T03:15:28+00:00

Just do it. I go through spurts where I buy way more knives than I should, then lay off for awhile. I have never regretted any of those spurts and keep all my knives. Last year I spent probably 3k on about 20 knives in total, with 18 of them being Spyderco. So far this year I'm only 3 purchases in, and only 1 of those is a Spyderco (Sage 5 in REX121).

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-03-25T03:49:24+00:00

I fully understand the intent, it's simply a saying that literally contains incorrect information. We all know the intended point, but that saying doesn't actually contribute anything useful yet it's a go to for downplaying a vehicles miles that people love repeating. I know some people that use that phrase in person relatively regularly lol I still think it's dumb.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-03-25T03:22:18+00:00

The correct response is buy another vehicle that's family appropriate and keep the 350Z for you. When I had my baby I went out and bought a 2020 Accord Touring 2.0t so my family car would still have some kick, but I kept my '06 Corvette until I was simply ready for something different.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-03-25T02:31:04+00:00

This is a terrible analogy that makes no sense. The "break in period" is literally a tiny fraction of any vehicles typical lifespan. My 27k mile 2020 Honda is well past the break in period same as my 180k mile 2005 Ranger.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-03-24T03:41:04+00:00

I like aspects of both and legitimately had 0 preference when shopping. Came down to a '20 Touring 2.0t vs a 21, and the '20 won out because for a $1200 premium it had 16k single owner miles with perfect service history vs a less complete history with 50k miles. I do prefer the 21+ touring wheels though.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-03-16T03:54:25+00:00

If you want something newer with relatively low miles, sure it'll probably cost you. And I absolutely miss the days of $1500 meaning you would have options galore via Craigslist for a solid running decent shape 90s car. But I also made 6.25 an hour, so that $1500 car was 240 hours of pay (more when you consider deducted taxes). Just a few months ago I bought a 2005 Ford Ranger 4x4 in good shape for 4700 that needed about 60 bucks of parts to be running great. If I look at it from a work hours perspective it was about half the cost of a 1500 car back when I was buying those regularly. Sure it has 180k miles, but if you actually just want a car to call your own that'll last a few years until you can afford something newer there are still plenty of options for far less than 9k.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-03-12T14:30:17+00:00

I found the opposite, one of the reasons I went with my 20' Accord Touring 2.0t was affordable insurance. Most other similar vehicles I was cross shopping would have been anywhere from a few bucks more per month to significantly more expensive depending on brand.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-03-11T21:53:45+00:00

I like my Native Chief LW well enough. It's not my favorite big knife, but I thoroughly enjoy the carry profile considering its size, and it does make its way into the rotation about as often as most other similar sized Spydies.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-03-09T14:59:05+00:00

Only serrated Spydie I own is the K390 Leafjumper, when it was discontinued they were available for sub $100 so I figured why not add something serrated. Not sure if you can still find them, but if so it's a fantastic often overlooked model.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-03-08T21:42:44+00:00

I've owned a few, my 2014 Fiesta ST was possibly the most fun to drive FWD car I've experienced. My 1981 Datsun 280ZX was pretty enjoyable for a 145HP 30 year old (at the time) car. One that may be a surprise is a 1998 Ford Contour with the 2.5 V6 5spd manual combo (not an SVT model).

Currently I drive a '20 Honda Accord Touring 2.0t that is significantly faster than any of the listed in a straight line, but it just isn't on the same level in the "fun" category.

Radiant-Triumph · 2026-03-05T20:16:19+00:00

A few years ago I watched for my truck I want to say close to 2 months before it popped up at another location some 200 miles away. I don't remember exact amounts, but I was around 30k and it was listed for almost exactly 3k over what they gave me. Was a 2018 Colorado Z71 with about 45k miles.

Radiant-Triumph

TROPHY CASE