A Chokwe, finally.

F

Frozy

Joined
Apr 3, 2010
Messages
479
After a month of hesistation, i decided to order the Chokwe. Initially i was worried because everyone seem to agree that Chokwe has an extremely weak tip. I can even manage to break 1/2 inch of tip off my XL Espada by stabbing it hard into a bamboo board. Thus, i'm afraid that the Chokwe tip's will be broken if i use it hard enough. However, other features of the Chokwe such as the titanium frame and the coffin shape handle attracted me to a greater extent that i just had to get one. And here it is, finally!


Although the shape of the handle is squarish and not contoured, it's actually comfortable to hold.
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Closed, in hand.
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View from other side.
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Close up.
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Lock up is solid, with absolutely zero lock or blade play. After applying Benchmade bluelube, the blade flies open.
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Size comparison.
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Chokwe pocket carry. It screams 'knife' and will definitely raise eyebrows from non knife people.
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The bead blasted titanium handle is simply gorgeous!
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Conclusion:
Fit and finish of this knife is perfect, except for the sharpness. This Chokwe arrived with a section of the edge blunt enough not to be able to slice through paper. 15 minutes on the Sharpmaker white stone and it's back to normal. Nothing to worry about, since this i the first time i have encounted a blunt Spyderco knife. Also, the tip of the Chokwe is not as weak as i thought. Before i ordered the Chokwe, i tested the tip strength of my dragonfly salt by dropping it tip first into a fallen tree trunk from a height of 2 meters. My dragonfly salt tip is only damaged alittle, so i'm pretty sure that the Chokwe tip can handle medium duty usage perfectly. Oh yes, the Chokwe is a slicing demon! Don't believe me? Get one for yourself and get ready to be amazed :D
 
Nice review and photos.

My Chokwe is one of the fastest (if not THE fastest) opening Spydie I've got. Came that way right out of the box. Very sharp, too.
 
Frozy said:
Also, the tip of the Chokwe is not as weak as i thought. Before i ordered the Chokwe, i tested the tip strength of my dragonfly salt by dropping it tip first into a fallen tree trunk from a height of 2 meters. My dragonfly salt tip is only damaged alittle, so i'm pretty sure that the Chokwe tip can handle medium duty usage perfectly.
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Glad you like your Chokwe. I got mine for crazy cheap from Amazon and love the slicing ability it has, not to mention the super-smooth opening. I had not wanted any Ti knives because I don't care for stainless steel and had imagined that having any sort of metal handle would be slippery, but I quickly discovered that the tactile nature of Ti is nothing like SS. I love the last picture, as it captures the texture of the Ti really well.

I'd still be careful with the tip. H1 is a more forgiving steel and tends to bend rather than break, so the tip on the S30V blade may not fare quite so well (though I doubt you had any intention of repeating you 2 meter drop test with the Chokwe). Thanks for sharing!
 
This is actually my first titanium frame lock knife, and i'm not disappointed at all. And yes, i will not repeat the drop test on my Chokwe! Spyderco should manufacture more titanium frame lock knives :D
 
My Chokwe is 'HK'- Manufactured in August 2011. Maybe yours is made in the previous year when they haven't started stamping the Taichung on their knives?
 
Awesome review and great photos. I hardly ever hear anything about the chokwe, one of spydercos under-appreciated knives for sure.
 
Frozy said:
My Chokwe is 'HK'- Manufactured in August 2011. Maybe yours is made in the previous year when they haven't started stamping the Taichung on their knives?
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Yeah mine says HI so that must mean August 09 then? I have caly super blue with 'HK' . Always wondered what them letters were for. Cheers.
 
P1GEONPOO said:
My chokwe only says Taiwan and not Taichung-Taiwan like yours:confused: does anybody know why this is?
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Frozy said:
My Chokwe is 'HK'- Manufactured in August 2011. Maybe yours is made in the previous year when they haven't started stamping the Taichung on their knives?
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This. Mine is a first run and also says only Taiwan. After the great reception the knives from this maker received, they asked Spyderco if they could change their mark to Taichung, Taiwan to distinguish them from Spyderco's other Taiwanese maker (I believe there are two different makers there). I'm not sure when the change took place, but your knife was manufactured before this.
 
I had been eyeing this knife for over a year now and your thread finally got me to pull the trigger and order it from amazon. Can't wait!
 
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