BY01 Harrier

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The BY01 Harrier is an intermediate size folding knife, and the first model of the Byrd line of knives that is intended as a lower cost, 'economy' line of knives, separate from the Spyderco brand. The

Appearance in catalogs

The BY01 Harrier did not appear in any catalogs.

The BY01G2 Harrier 2 appeared in the following catalogs:

Designer

Sal Glesser

History, mentionings from the forums etc.

After much thought and discussion. We have decided to create and produce a line of knives in China. It is evident that there is a market for the lower cost, lower priced knives and it is also obvious that these knives will capture a good sized percentage of the market simply because of price and in many cases, appearance ... We did not feel that we could achieve the current Spyderco standard, (at least at this time) with a Chinese product, we didn't want to dilute the Spyderco reputation for quality and performance, so we decided to use a different brand name. The name we selected was "byrd" (TM). - Sal's explanation and introduction of the Byrd knives. [1]

The first is the "byrd" model "Harrier" (from the low flying hawk). The model is fairly robust. about 3.5" blade length. The blade is a clip with fair belly. mid-lock-back, stainless bolsters, green micarta scales. The blade steel in this model is Aichi (Japanese) made AUS-6. Catra tests indicate proper AUS-6 edge retention to be consistent with our data. The lock broke well into the heavy duty range (100 inch/lbs per inch). MSRP is $39.95. All in all, not a bad start. 1200 pieces were made. About like the original Clipit "worker" model with a 2 screw clip made in '81.[1]

  • In this post on the Spyderco.com forum, from 22 February 2023, Sal Glesser shares some information on the origin of the line of Byrd knives:

We knew we wanted to begin a line of economy models and we knew we'd have to make them in China to be able to get the price down. The artificial Yuan value, while, in my opinion, is not a level playing field, seemed like the best way to make less expensive Spyderco's as we could see the writing on the wall with costs rising. The quality of the Chinese made knives was improving and we felt we could get acceptable quality for an economy line. I must admit that the beginning was challenging and stressful, but we were eventually able to get it going.

We didn't have a name for the line. I was having a conversation on our forum about long range history and I said; "The dinosaurs that survived are called lizards". Some of our forumites, always a bright group, corrected me and said; "no, the dinosaurs that survived were called birds".

I did a bunch of research and found that theory to be current and loved the idea. I've always been into birds, so the concept seemed good to me. There is even theory now that thinks the dinosaurs were warm blooded. (Probably due to "Global warming" at the time, which made the plants big which made the dinosaurs big).

I decided to call the line "byrd" using the "Y" in byrd like the "Y" in Spyderco. The original artist was a relative of an employee and we commissioned him to create the original art. We'v added a lot since then, as there is much info on that concept now. We even made lapel pins of dinosaurs with feathers and teeth. Today, when I look at a bird, I see a miniature dinosaur.

I'm working on a "T" shirt, with one of our crew, Chappy, which will incorporate the original bird/dinosaur art. It's still off in the future.". [2]

Information from the Spyderco catalog on the web

BY01G2 Harrier 2

Tracing its history back to the very first byrd model, the Harrier 2 is a practical everyday-carry cutting tool in the perfect “in-between” size. Now this utilitarian design is available in a lightweight version featuring injection-molded fiberglass-reinforced-nylon (FRN) handles with a non-slip texture.

Its 8Cr13MoV stainless steel blade is full-flat ground for optimal edge geometry and has a textured index-finger choil and thumb ramp. The handle’s nested, skeletonized stainless steel liners provide structural strength for the knife’s sturdy back lock mechanism and anchor a four-position clip that offers all possible carry options. Best of all, it is over 20-percent lighter than its G-10-handled counterpart.[3]

Variations

The BY01 Harrier is made in China and features a:

SKU Handle Edge(s) Steel From/To MSRP Note Number made Grind Clip Clip positions Collectors club
BY01 Micarta PE AUS-6 2005 - 2005 $39.95 (2005) This first production run of the Harrier featured a persian-style upswept blade shape. N/A hollow grind 3- screw old standard clip RH, TD Main
BY01G2 Black G-10 PE, CE 8Cr13Mov 2019 - $64.00 (2022) The blade shape of the Harrier 2 changed to a Clip point, similar to some Spyderco folding knives, like the C10 Endura and [C11 Delica]]. N/A Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TU/TD Main
BY01BK2 Black FRN PE, CE 8Cr13Mov 2019 - $44.00 (2022) The blade shape of the Harrier 2 changed to a Clip point, similar to some Spyderco folding knives, like the C10 Endura and [C11 Delica]]. N/A Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TU/TD Main
BY01BK2 Stainless Steel PE, CE 8Cr13Mov 2019 - $44.00 (2022) The blade shape of the Harrier 2 changed to a Clip point, similar to some Spyderco folding knives, like the C10 Endura and [C11 Delica]]. N/A Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TU/TD Main
BY01BKWC2 FRN PE, SE 8Cr13Mov 2023 - 2023 $51.00 (2023) The blade shape of the Harrier 2 changed to a Wharncliffe. N/A Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TU/TD Main

Most collectible variation

Questions regarding collecting the BY01

Some interesting questions we are looking for an answer to:

Questions with an answer:

Technical information

Measurements (mm and grams) of the BY01G2 Harrier:

Variation Length overall Length closed Length blade Length edge Blade thickness Weight
BY01G2 195mm 110mm 86mm 72mm 2.8mm 96g

Measurements (inches and ounces) of the BY01G2 Harrier:

Variation Length overall Length closed Length blade Length edge Blade thickness Weight
BY01G2 7.67" 4.35" 3.39" 2.85" 0.110" 3.4oz

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Forum discussion thread: "byrd" line of knives[1]
  2. From the Spyderco.com discussion forum thread | 'Yo Sal you did good again'
  3. The BY01G2 Harrier 2 in Spyderco's online catalog

Pictures

The BY01G2 Harrier 2.

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