Spyderco Tenacious G-10 Review

The Spyderco Tenacious G-10 is a full-size, utilitarian blade with some unique attributes that deserve your attention.

Performance Comparison

The Spyderco Tenacious is a solid, full-size pocket knife. One of the salient characteristics is the customizability of the pocket clip. In this photo, the pocket clip is hidden, but one can see the dual trios of holes for moving the clip to some of the other possible positions.

Photo: Jediah Porter

Blade Integrity

In assessing blade and edge integrity, we have to look at a whole range of things. First, of course, is the initial sharpness. No knife will pass muster if it comes from the manufacturer dull. The Spyderco can shave you. That's good. Next, the blade material informs edge integrity and sharpening characteristics, to some degree. The 8Cr13Mov steel that Spyderco uses in the Tenacious knife is highly regarded, but not the best in the business.

For shoppers with a modicum of knife knowledge, the 8Cr13Mov steel is a Chinese interpretation of the famous AUS8 steel you may have heard of. Finally, the performance of the blade material is informed by the hardening process used. The best steel, unhardened or hardened poorly, is useless. Poor steel, hardened well, can perform quite well. Each knife manufacturer is relatively tight-lipped about its hardening process, and only the most die-hard knife users and reviewers, with special instrumentation, can deduce the worth of the hardening process. Rest assured that Spyderco's hardening process is high quality. What we end up with, then, is a blade that sits right in the middle of our test roster.

Ergonomics

In most ways, the form of the Spyderco is utilitarian. The handle is rather squared off, and the blade has clean, squared off back edges. The size is decidedly "full," optimized for heavy tasks and big hands. The sprung "liner lock" works fine. The best ergonomic attribute, especially for those who are not accustomed yet to carrying a pocket knife clipped in your pants, is the fact that the pocket clip of the Tenacious can be configured any one of four different ways. It can be hung in your pocket tip up or down, with the blade opening with your left or right thumb, in any combination of these two variables. Whether you don't yet have a strong preference for carrying orientation or you have a preference and cannot find a knife configured how you like, this customizability is welcome.

Whittling is on the moderate end of heavy use. The big blade and big handle are ready for an adult's hands to whittle.

Photo: Jediah Porter

No other knives in our test have all four configuration options. We wish the handle of the Tenacious was more rounded.

Portability

Full-size knives are bulky. The Spyderco is no exception. By our measured dimensions, the Tenacious is roughly average among the full-size knives. It is a little thinner than the others, but the opposite dimension -let's call it depth- is much greater. It sits, therefore, fairly low profile in your pocket. The aforementioned customizability of the pocket clip ensures that you can carry it exactly how you like. Regardless of the carry options, the bulk of the Tenacious will always hamstring it concerning portability.

The pocket clipped Spyderco Tenacious, ready for serious tasks.

Photo: Jediah Porter

Construction Quality

All the knives we tested are well built. To make a tight, durable knife is fairly easy. To stand out, a well-built knife must optimize the other attributes. Using excellent materials and processes in the blade, as well as carefully tuning the portability and ergonomic qualities speak to the underlying construction quality. Finally, doing so at a reasonable weight is crucial. If it easy to make a sturdy knife, it is harder to do so at a moderate to low weight. The Spyderco is among heaviest knives in our review. Of the modern-constructed knives, few are more substantial than the Tenacious. This suggests quality, both in initial impression and in a deeper examination.

Other Features

There are no other features on the Spyderco Tenacious. This is simply a single-blade pocket knife.

In an average male adult hand, the Spyderco more than fills the fist. For the burliest of tasks, this size is beneficial.

Photo: Jediah Porter

Value

Regarding price, the closest competitor is the Best Buy Kershaw Leek. The Leek is just a little more expensive, but offers a better blade and assisted opening function. Of the two, for every day carry by average users, the Leek edges ahead in value. However, the Tenacious is among the least expensive full-size knives we tested. For users with big hands, big pockets (literally. Not in the financial sense), and heavy tasks to tackle the Spyderco is the best value in a full-size form.

Conclusion