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Zach Burch

@burchknives

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Smoke and steel nerd
💨 Cigar collector 🗡️ Knife connoisseur
🦋 Balisongs · Folders · Cigars · Grails
🛠️ Anodizing · Sharpening · Will sell your knives🤺

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Sprint-run Para Military 3 CPM 15V
by @spyderco_inc

CPM 15V heat treated with a specific protocol developed by Shawn Houston. Nothing looks as good on a blade as those 3 beautiful B’s.

Houston is the custom maker from @triplebhandmade that Spyderco brought in to treat Crucible’s nearly 15% Vanadium cold-work tool steel.

15V has the highest wear resistance of any tool steel Crucible made. Houston’s treat pushes the edge stability and hardness to nearly a 67 HRC.

The Para 3 fits remarkably well in hand. The choil makes gripping the knife with an entire hand easy. The blade is stout, centered, and incredibly sharp.

The blade is slightly shorter than the Tenacious. It is very light. The nested liners make the knife forgettable in the pocket. It’s the perfect EDC, especially if your state doesn’t allow the carry over blades over 3”.

I’d love to see full-sized liners on the PM3 in the future, but that’s just preference. I can see why it is beloved by so many. It is nimble and feels strong. The flat-ground blade design and steel pair perfectly.

I love a long blade, but we are talking about the PM3, not the PM2 or Military 2. I think Spyderco did an amazing job, and I completely understand the hype.

How does the PM3 compare to other models like the Tenacious, Para 2, and Military 2 in your opinion?

@spydercomillieclub @spydercocollectorsclub @spyderco_knives_club #spyderco #para3 #edc #knifecommunity #knifecollector taken in Colorado, USA by @burchknives

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13 days ago

The S90V Bodacious by @spyderco_inc

A knife’s heart and soul are its blade. Many factors influence a knife’s design and ability to cut, but none more so than its steel.

Different makers using the same steel will get different results. Grind, bevel, heat treat, and temper all matter.

That is why I keep coming back to Spyderco. They build around the core of the knife — the blade.

This Sprint Run pairs a satin CPM S90V blade with peel-ply carbon fiber scales. Full-flat grind. No finger choil. The edge runs almost the full length of the blade. The grind shows the steel’s banding clearly. This one was well-executed.

Spyderco is still one of the few production shops putting Rex 121, 15V, and Maxamet into folders and heat-treating them like they mean it. I would take titanium over most handle materials, but I buy Spyderco for the steel.

They make using high-end steel practical. You get those alloys in a knife you can actually carry and cut with, without treating it like a display piece.

Highly recommend the Bodacious Carbon Fiber CPM S90V Sprint Run, especially if you like the Shaman and want the extra edge instead of the choil.

@spydercomillieclub @spydercocollectorsclub @spyderco_knives_club #spyderco #bodacious #knifecollection #edcgear #knife taken in Colorado, USA by @burchknives

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16 days ago

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18 days ago

What’s the best blade steel of all-time?

The Para Military 2 by @spyderco_inc
– in Bohler K390

Some steels are good.
Some steels are great.
Then, there’s K390.

9% Vanadium. Bohler powder metallurgy. K390 is the type of steel that will have Spyderco fans still arguing about the best wear resistance for years to come.

The edge comes alive on the Para Military 2. Slicy. Stable. And should stay sharp for a ridiculously long time.

Not stainless. Not worried. Wipe it with oil, and watch the beautiful patina develop.

Have you tried K390? And is this steel truly legendary??

@spydercomillieclub @spyderco_knives_club @spydercocollectorsclub @bento_box_shop #spyderco #paramilitary2 #k390 #knifecommunity #edc taken in Colorado, USA by @burchknives

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19 days ago

2020 Microtech Hawk Auto in CTS-204P

Haven’t found a knife with thicker blade stock to this day! These old ones were built to last.

@microtechknivesofficial @anthonylmarfione @marfionecustomknives @seanmarfione #microtech #hawk #knifecollector #marfione #bladelife taken in Colorado, USA by @burchknives

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25 days ago

Should have picked up the CruWear Para Military 2 first…

@spyderco_inc killed it with this model. It is my favorite Spydie now, without a doubt.

The micarta feels like a velvet glove. CPM’s CruWear is both stunning, and perfectly ground. The steel’s grain shines beautifully in the sun.

Full steel liners are just what this model needed. It feels stronger than the standard nested-liner Para Military 2, and is still very light.

I’m not a huge fan of G10. I’d prefer full liners and micarta on every knife. It feels like more knife for the money, and makes aftermarket scales an option, not mandatory.

That is a big reason why I like the Tenacious. Nearly the same sized blade. Full liners. Still G10, but very solid.

What’a your favorite Spydie right now? Should Spyderco run other steels with full liners?

@spydercomillieclub @spyderco_knives_club @spydercocollectorsclub #spyderco #paramilitary2 #cruwear #knifecommunity #edccommunity taken in Colorado, USA by @burchknives

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25 days ago

V2 Orca
by @jk__design

Grade 5 Titanium. CPM-S35VN. Speed-channel handles. Deco blade design.

The V2 Orca is second to none.

Julian’s talent shines with this incredible Zirblast-finished hole variant. Slotted milling added to the face creates a grippy handhold ensuring the bali doesn’t go flying when the knife is on your fingertips.

It feels nimble and strong, with a softness that makes flipping a pleasure.

Speed-channels make the knife fast and bouncy. It’s acoustics put the song in baliSONG. The V2 is one of the most competitive flippers, while being stronger than most fixed blades.

When you want an actual knife, that’s built to take down a tree, then flip identically after, the Orca is the answer. These are made to take a beating.

No expenses are spared. Every detail is ironed out. The Orca has it all. I collect them for a reason.

Thank you to @flipvaults for lending this beauty out!

What’s your favorite Orca?!

#balisong #jkdesign #orca #knifecollector #bladelife taken in Colorado, USA by @burchknives

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a month ago

Para Military 2 Tanto. Blade HQ Exclusive.
@spyderco_inc @bladehq

The black G-10 is off. The @flytanium titanium Lotus scales are on. The PM2 Tanto came back in July with CPM-M4.

The tanto is a hollow grind with a flat ground tip. Perfect for slicing, and a nice thick blade stock behind the piercing tip.

With M4 being non-stainless, I’m excited to see the patina develop. On paper, it hangs with the best steels out there. High edge-retention. Super tough. Easy to sharpen. Count me in.

What do you think of M4? Overrated? Underrated?!

Leave a pic of your M4 steel in the comments!

@spydercomillieclub @spydercocollectorsclub @spyderco_knives_club #spyderco #paramilitary2 #tanto #M4 #knifecollector taken in Colorado, USA by @burchknives

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a month ago

Lightfoot LCC #2642 by
@microtechknivesofficial

09/2000. Vero Beach. 154-CM. Carbon fiber and titanium. Liner lock.

Greg Lightfoot designed it. Microtech built it. Same year it took gold at Blade Show.

The shark on the clip is Greg’s mark. Early knives had it. That’s how you spot a first-year LCC.

A lot of folders after 2000 borrowed this shape. Carbon fiber scales, metal bolsters, that clip-point. The Lightfoot Compact Combat got echoed for a decade.

This one still holds up.

@marfionecustomknives @anthonylmarfione @greglightfoot123 #microtech #lightfoot #edc #vintageknives taken in Colorado, USA by @burchknives

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a month ago

Para Military 2. Maxamet. @spyderco_inc

Carpenter Micro-melt Maxamet was not a knife steel first. It was a high-speed tool steel built for mill-rolls. Its wear has been compared to cemented carbide.

Spyderco is one of the few shops that figured out how to grind it, and put it in a folder. Testing lands around 67-69 HRC.

2.15% carbon. 13% tungsten. 10% cobalt. 6% vanadium. 4.75% chromium. This state-of-the-art steel is built for edge retention. But make sure you wipe it off. It will rust if you ignore it.

Compression lock. Golden, Colorado.

@spydercomillieclub @spyderco_knives_club @spydercocollectorsclub #paramilitary2 #maxamet #spyderco #edc #knifecollector taken in Colorado, USA by @burchknives

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a month ago

Amphibian Outbreak Signature Series by @microtechknivesofficial

Fluted 7075-T6 aerospace-grade alloy. Bohler M390MK. Outbreak hard-coat.

Distressed OD green, red “blood” splat, and biohazard engraved blade. No two coats are the same.

This is the 2023 revival. Early production ran 2001-2003 and died in Vero Beach.

Revamped with the RAM-LOK crossbar, dual studs, and a bigger blade. It’s the same name. Not the same knife.

6.3 oz. Almost 4” of recurve.

@marfionecustomknives @anthonylmarfione @seanmarfione @bladehq @edclifestyle_knives #microtechknives #amphibian #outbreak #knifecollection #edcdaily taken in Colorado, USA by @burchknives

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a month ago

The V1 Orca by @jk__design

People will argue the V2 or some $3k one-off is the best balisong. Fine.

I’ll still pick up the V1. Pinless channel titanium. CPM-S35VN blade steel. Neutral to a little blade-heavy.

This is THE knife.

If you’ve flipped one, you already know. If you haven’t, that’s the argument.

@bladehq @arizonacustomknives @blade_show #jkdesign #orca #knifecollection #balisong #edcgear taken in Colorado, USA by @burchknives

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a month ago