Shirley-Owens ARK serrated being discontinued by Spyderco

Hanging around here is a good place to get talked into spending money. That is why I own one of the non-serrated versions. Nice little knife and if someone likes serrated I guess they better get one while they can. I do like the clear sheath.

HSO... where can one find the clear sheath?

While I'm sorry to hear that the SE is being discontinued, I appreciate this thread.

I have been following the design since John mentioned it years ago. I have been meaning to pick one up as I fully agree that H1 with a SE is vastly superior to a plain edge despite my general dislike for full serrations.

Case in point, I have a much used and abused Tasman Salt in SE that I purchased back when they first hit the market. Bought a PE Salt Ladybug when they came out. The Tasman is still going strong, the Ladybug's edge retention was so frustrating that I have tossed it in some drawer and forgotten about it.

That said, I just followed the link and will have my very own SE ARK at my office doorstep Thursday

I have three Spyderco knives made with H1, the Pacific Salt, a Tasman Salt and the Autonomous. These knives get used a lot, at work in and around the ocean and diving and swimming recreationally. I like them because they have very little to no rust as long as you give them a good rinse every once in a while. I use them to cut various types of natural fiber and synthetic rope, fishing nets, fishing line and leaders, fire hose, gasket material of various types, tape, synthetic buoys, etc.. I use them on and around the surface vessels and the submarine that I work on. This includes surface work and underwater work. I also use them on recreational swims and dives mostly to cut loose fishing line from the reefs. I do not find that the serrated edge performs better or holds up better than the plain edge on my Spyderco H1 knives. I always prefer a properly sharpened plain edge to a serrated one. The other factor for many people is that very few people have the proper tools to sharpen a Spyderco serrated edge. I do have a set of ceramic sharpeners with the profile of the serrations on one side. These sharpeners can retain and resharpen most Spyderco serrated edges to better than a factory edge. Even with proper sharpening a plain edge does a quicker, cleaner cutting job with less effort on any material in my experience.

I think it comes down to your intended use and how you make friends with the Spydiedge.

My use for an H1 knife is one that will see more limited specialty tasks, just like my Tasman has seen over the decade plus I have had it.

I don't work or play around a lot of marine environments, so I generally prefer a plain edge knife of moderate to great steel for edc. When I select a knife made of H1 its either going to be used for boating or beach play. It will be what i carry when i can't carry anything else and will most likely be submerged in the wet for long periods of time. My perceived need for this knife would be for emergency cutting tasks such as getting tangled or having clothing get snagged on an unseen obstacle. For that purpose, I prefer a serrated edge.

I am neurotic when it comes to my knife edge on my edc. It will always be shivering sharp and upon random inspection it will most likely seem unused. My edc gets nightly care if it gets used during the day.
However, when it comes to serrated edges, including the H1 steel, i am much more laissez-faire. My method included using rounded ceramic rods of medium and fine that fit into the rounded scoops in the edge to smooth any damage. The blade then receives a strop on a loaded piece of leather with a lot of give. This will sort of squish into the cranies and sharpen the micro serrations. The blade is stropped at the same angle as the edge on the cut side. I then do just a couple of passes full flat on the straight side to press any deformation back into true.

It certainly keeps the knife sharp enough to blast through fibrous material with ease. However, its not "perfect" like my other edc edges, but I have made peace with it

I am pretty serious about keeping my work knives sharp, as my life or well being may be at risk but, I still prefer a plain edge in any situation from cutting fishing line to Samson and Blue Steel rope up to two inch diameter. This is how I put the mirror edge on my knives.

I just got my ARK with SE...wow, what a comfortable "Big" little knife. Certainly cuts above its weight class. I havent done much cutting with it, but it took apart a lime for a cocktail garnish without issue

Incredibly well thought out design and so easy to carry you forget you have it on your person.

How did this knife come to be? I’m interested on how 2 THR members ended up getting a knife mass produced. Is there an old thread that could be linked?

WestKentucky said:

How did this knife come to be? I’m interested on how 2 THR members ended up getting a knife mass produced. Is there an old thread that could be linked?

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In short, US troops (including male officers) were being raped in the showers (often by gangs of troops from some of our Eastern European "allies") on bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. John designed a knife to be used by someone with little to no training, that could also be worn on the dog tag chain, so it would always be on the troop. Sam turned John's ideas into the actual knives, customs at first. John pitched it to Spyderco hoping they'd get their Japanese partner to produce the knife with Myodo's rust proof H1 steel. Spyderco agreed, and (with some design tweaks for large scale production) the custom ARK "Anti-Rape Knife" became the mass produced ARK "Always Ready Knife".

rust collector said:

I always wondered what people saw in neck knives. While I can believe just about anything from that part of the world, seems like the buddy system would work better than a wee trailing point knife anyone can grab. I would also think a 4" Kershaw dune would be more intimidating/effective, rust be damned.

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The point is to have something on your person. While communal showers aren't something that is way up my list as to something to he wary of, the idea of a knife that can be worn anywhere is appealing. The ARK is a blade that fits comfortably and securely in your hand. A sold 2-3 finger wrap and it is nearly impossible to wrench out of a determined grip.

The neck sheath has a little lock that is easily engaged when you reach up to draw the knife. Your finger sort of just hits the tab, kinda like mild retention holsters do. However, it is awkward from any other angle. Pair that with the breakaway chain and you have a knife easily drawn by the wearer, difficult to draw by an attacker, and is on a chain that can't easily be used against the wearer like paracord could.

I can tell you, naked or not, someone fighting back with a raptor talon (especially something that cuts deep and delivers a ripping wound like a serrated knife), even something as small as a 2" blade is going to be effective most of the time.

A determined potential victim could damage an attackers throat, abdomen, and groin before the other person knew what was happening. A bigger and heavier knife may do more damage or may be more "scary", but having a razor sharp blade on your person ALWAYS that weighs about as much as a name badge trumps a pig sticker left in the gym locker.

I think the ARK needs to be in hand to fully appreciate the mission it was designed to fulfill. It really is a nasty little knife that could do serious damage when needed at the worst possible time.

Directly analogous to personal firearm carry...what you left at "home" will never help save your ass.
No matter where you are, carry the proper tools. Period. Point. Blank ...

I've worn my ARK the last several days 24 hours a day. More often than not I have forgotten I had it on my person.

There is a peace that comes in carrying a literal talisman that can be pressed into useful service beyond just SD. The H1 steel it remarkable. Its sharp and requires no care. Its kinda comforting being at the ready at the office, in the car, the the shower, in bed, at the gym. I really have no reason NOT to wear it short of going into a government building.

JShirley said:

(Again, serrated H1 is amazing. Only plain-edged ARKs will be available after the end of this year. PE H1 is fine, but will require frequent sharpening with any use.)

Fiv3r, I"m really glad it's working for you. I can say without prejudice that the ARK is one of my two favorite neck knives at any price.

John

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It really is the first neck knife that hasnt driven me nuts with its weight. I actually decided to see if i could get by for the rest of the week sporting nothing but the ARK as my edc. I did break my previous on my person 24/7 rule last night. I rolled over in bed a bit hard and it smacked my wife...she did not appreciate it. But hey! The sheath lock held up

So far, so good when it comes to carrying just the ARK. Actually, it displaced a recently purchased Manix 2 so completely that I gave said Manix to my little brother. He'll appreciate it more, and I have decided that I dont like the awkwardness of the ball lock. It's a lot easier for me to just yank a fixed blade from a chain than it is to pinch the little tabs on the Manix.

The little ARK has handled everything. Opening my lunch, opening mail, breaking down boxes, etc. It has handled all of the mundane chores just as effortlessly as it fills the role of SD knife. Actually, i find the whole profile incredibly useful. It is certainly more practical than say a Spyderco Civilian.

To reiterate, I truly do prefer H1 in the serrated configuration. It is most likely the only steel i prefer SE over PE simply due to the fact that in my personal experience it performs a lot better long term. Other's mile may vary.

In short, the ARK has kinda solidified the best parts of Spyderco for my uses. While I appreciate their build quality and not enough good things can be said about Sal and Eric, i find most of their knives don't do for me in a day to day capacity. However, when you take their innovation and apply it to something outside the box like a rustproof edc fixed blade that weighs next nothing, im way on board. The ARK has rekindled my appreciation for H1. I may need to pick up another fixed blade in it before next summer's beach vacation. At the very least I'm mulling around picking up another ARK in SE to keep in reserve should I ever lose this one.

Folks that haven't tried H1 and hesitant to try a SE, i can't think of a more cost effective and useful tool than the ARK.

Jake