Spyderco T-Mag vs. CRKT Edgie

A slipjoint folder is, as most readers already know, a folding knife that does not lock open. Slipjoints have been among the most common of utility blades since the first Roman friction folders. While technology has long since moved on, the need for a good slipjoint utility blade has not changed in the intervening years. As luck would have it, I recently found myself in possession of two examples of contemporary "slippies" by two of the knife industry's larger manufacturers. Both the Spyderco T-Mag (now discontinued) and the CRKT Edgie are clip-equipped non-locking folding knives intended for daily utility tasks. Both do what they do well, though there are obvious differences between these two knives. The Spyderco targets the high-end user who desires a non-locking folder, while the Edgie is intended for the budget-minded consumer with similar needs.

The T-Mag is seven inches overall with a CPM-S30V blade that is just under three inches long. It has a cbarbon fiber handle and a stylized wire pocket clip. The Edgie is also seven inches long, with a blade of roughly the same length. (It's obvious these knives fit the same niche in terms of application.) The Edgie has a stainless steel pocket clip, a blade of 420J2, and is an interframe design featuring textured Zytel (plastic) handle scales. The T-Mag clip is reversible (it is designed for tip-up carry only) while the Edgie can be carried tip-down, right-hand only.

While the T-Mag is flat-ground and features the tardemark Spyderco opening hole, the Edgie (which has an oval opening hole) is chisel ground. The reason for the Edgie's blade grind is very specific: the knife is "self-sharpening" and contains a strip of diamond abrasive that rubs against the cutting edge when the blade is opened and closed. This means that, in theory, the Edgie will remain sharp as long as it is opened and closed with regularity. The relatively soft 420J2 steel in the Edgie's blade is no doubt a nod to this, as 420J2 is very easy to resharpen (making it easier for the internal abrasive to do its work).

The carbon fiber handle of the T-Mag feels relatively smooth to the touch, but not uncomfortably smooth. It is fairly ergonomic. When open, the T-Mag's blade is held in place by a rare earth magnet. This system involves very little tension, but the contours of the handle and blade ensure that you will not cut your fingers open while using the T-Mag. When you hold the knife, the index finger falls naturally into a grooved choil aft of the cutting edge. There are matching serrations on the thumb ramp of the blade hole hump. In use, therefore, your own hand holds the T-Mag open. While the blade may start closed at any point (the faintest pressure on the back of the blade will do this), your fingers stop the knife from closing and remain safe within their designated arcs.

One caveat for those of you with electronic gadgets and gear: the rare earth magnet in the T-Mag is powerful enough to grab the Edgie and hold it in the air. I found this out quite by accident and was a little alarmed at the knife's proximity to my PDA.

The textured Zytel handle of the Edgie provides the better grip of the two knives. It boasts some grooves on the spine area of the scales just behind the blade. The tension on this knife is much greater and thus the blade is much harder to open. It is anything but "smooth," because the blade has to grind against the abrasive strip every time it opens (or closes). Once open, a traditional slipjoint holds the blade in place. Medium pressure on the back of the blade closes the knife again.

In cutting, the Edgie's Wharncliffe and the T-Mag's flat-ground clip point both cut neat slices out of heavy cardboard, repeatedly. The edge of the T-Mag held up very well in repeated cutting, while the softer steel of the Edgie grew dull. Opening and closing the Edgie rehoned the edge with relatively little effort and the knife started cutting again as it had before. The chisel-ground edge becamse more scuffed and rough the more the internal sharpener was used, which is to be expected.

In testing, both knives do what they do reasonably well, with benefits and liabilities. The Edgie does not have the T-Mag's penetrating point or superior edge retention (and it cuts as a chisel-ground knife does, biased to one side of the work). It also sharpens itself, does not have the magnet inside the T-Mag, and costs considerably less than the T-Mag. As in all things, you must balance the costs versus the featuers and choose the mix that is right for you. >>