One of Spyderco's most popular knives, and the one most often carried by Spyderco's founder, the keychain-sized Ladybug 3 cuts with authority, is nearly as small as your car keys, and - at just over half an ounce - carries just as easily.
If your will be using this knife in and around saltwater on a regular basis, you should consider the Ladybug 3 Salt as a better, 100% rustproof alternative.
• Blade Shape — Leaf Shaped Blade, developed by Spyderco, is similar to a spear point but is not quite symmetric, and is only sharpened on one side
• Blade Grind — full hollow grind blade shape with bevels that extend from the center of the blade down to the cutting edge. This grind maintains full blade thickness through a larger portion of the blade for increased strength. The bevels are ground with a concave radius to create a fine edge profile which is very sharp (straight razors for shaving have this hollow grind), but at the cost of slightly less edge durability compared to flat sabre ground edges
• Blade Edge — the Ladybug 3 is offered in two versions:
A SpyderEdge edge grind, which is Spyderco’s two-step serration pattern of alternating large serrations and double small serrations - easily seen in the photo. Serrated blades hold their sharpness incredibly well because the actual cutting edge is hidden inside each mini-arch, protected by the pointy outer edge of the blade. The pattern increases the cutting edge’s surface area by up to 24%, and is especially useful on materials that are tough to cut with a plain edge - like ropes
The Ladybug 3 is also available with a traditional Plain, or Smooth, edge which cuts cleanly and sharpens quickly and easily
• Large trademark Spyderco Round Hole allows easy opening of the knife using the thumb of just one hand. In turn, the enlarged Round Hole creates a prominent hump in the top of the blade for your thumb to rest against while cutting. The hump and adjoining body have serrations to minimize slipping while cutting.
• Handle — the Ladybug 3 has a high strength, lightweight, fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN) polymer handle with Spyderco's patented bi-directional textured pattern for enhanced grip. This pattern features forward and backward graduating steps raditaing out from the center of the handle.
• The superb quality Japanese VG-10 Takefu stainless steel alloy used in this blade is universally praised on knife forum websites for its exceptional edge holding ability. It exhibits very good rust resistance. Addition of cobalt and nickel improve toughness for better edge stability
• Back Lock style positive locking mechanism employs a rocker arm to engage a notch in the tang of the blade to lock it open; depress the recessed rear end of the rocker in the spine of the knife to unlock the blade; mechanism is recessed to prevent accidental unlocking
• Lanyard hole for keychain or retention cord when used around water, where once dropped, a knife is often irretrievable or lost
• Closed length is 2-7/16"