Anyone have an Ocelot?

BOK

BOK

Joined
Apr 16, 2002
Messages
2,413
Anyone have one of these? Do you EDC it?

I've always liked the looks of it but thought it was a little pricey. Fast forward to today though I have the oppurtunity to buy one NIB for a decent price.

Love the blade shape and the handle...the bear paws I could do without though...
 
Have two different prototypes of it, plus the production pair.

Production version is an extremely well made knife and it feels great in the hand. Agree with you regarding the paw prints, and if you read back to when it was first released, so do lots of others. I get unpleasant mental images of what the handle would look like if one used it to field dress a deer, or clean a fish. If the blade were full flat ground I might consider getting one rescaled by STR. As things stand, I'll stick with the Stretch he rebuilt for me. :D Have yet to find a knife that works better for me as an EDC than the Stretch.

Paul
bar_02.gif

My Personal Website - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
TAH said:
If it didn't have the paw prints, I would own one. :cool:
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree with you more brother :thumbup: I had 3 of them at one time and at one point I deeply considered keeping one as a USER but I could not come up with a good idea on how to eliminate those novelty footprints.

Then one day on one of the main Forums a guy said that he did skin a deer with his and he said he even cleaned the knife afterwards; but to no avail because all of the blood, guts and waste had gotten entrapped into those little footprints and he then said he had one miserable time getting that knife to quit stinking.

I am real picky about being clean and sanitary especially with my eating utensils and any knife or tool I use for food preparation. I was at that point seriously considering having someone like STR put solid scales on it but then I aquired 2 Spyderco Impala models and I then summized that with those 2 great outdoor/game skinning knives that I no longer needed another skinning folder.

I can't for any reason see why they put cut out footprints on that beautiful knife :confused:. As much as I am a very devout Spyder-head there occasionally is something that Spyderco will do to a knife and I just can't for the life of me understand why they did it. It's like the handle they put on the KUMO. I just rack my brains out and wonder what they were thinking when they did that to that really neat looking fixed blade. If they would have put a solid/quality handle on that KUMO I would probably have 2 of them. If they would re-introduce the Ocelot with solid Scales I would probably have one as an outdoor user. I am just simply baffled why they would deem those 2 product decisions as advantageous. It truly beats the hell out of me why they would do that :confused:
 
I guess I am in the minority, but I really like the look of the paw prints. However I understand that they would be a nightmare to clean. They don't seem very practical on an outdoor/hunting kind of knife.
 
JD Spydo said:
I can't for any reason see why they put cut out footprints on that beautiful knife :confused:. As much as I am a very devout Spyder-head there occasionally is something that Spyderco will do to a knife and I just can't for the life of me understand why they did it. It's like the handle they put on the KUMO.

I just rack my brains out and wonder what they were thinking when they did that to that really neat looking fixed blade. If they would have put a solid/quality handle on that KUMO I would probably have 2 of them. If they would re-introduce the Ocelot with solid Scales I would probably have one as an outdoor user. I am just simply baffled why they would deem those 2 product decisions as advantageous. It truly beats the hell out of me why they would do that :confused:
Click to expand...

The Ocelot was not just a skinning folder, it was also intended to be a general outdoor folder. The cutouts were intended to be both a 'nice gimmick' and to enhance grip. I sure like my Ocelots, but replaced
them with the more refined Caly III. The Ocelot is solid, but a bit blocky and the blade is a little thick, compared to the Caly.

The handle choice of the Kumo has everything to do with the fact that it was a custom collaboration. The design is usually 'tuned' with the original designer. I'm pretty sure that the designer insisted on the handle material for the Kumo, he even posted about it to explain how it helped with a secure grip on this knife, so much so that it wouldn't need a guard.

Besides, Spyderco is known for their variations in knifedesigns. They try out new materials and designs all the time. Some work well, some not so well. It's when you offer them for sale that you'll reall know how well something new works in the market. I know I'd been bugging Sal for a couple of years to make the Ocelot a production piece, after seeing the protos, and I'm glad he did.

Wouter
 
JD Spydo said:
novelty
Click to expand...

This word describes the paw prints perfectly.

From the Spyderco website:

"Someone once said to Sal Glesser, Spyderco's owner, "You must design in the dark because your knives look so strange." True again. Our recognizable appearance is a result of designing ergonomic functional tools rather than applying lipstick and nylons to a pocketknife."


To me, the paw prints are "lipstick and nylons". :rolleyes:
 
The knife that I AM looking for to hunt with is a Jess Horn. It's pointy tip and narrow blades looks good for waterfowling and upland.
 
sherlockbonez said:
The knife that I AM looking for to hunt with is a Jess Horn. It's pointy tip and narrow blades looks good for waterfowling and upland.
Click to expand...
The burgundy FRN ZDP-189 C38 is pretty easy to find at decent prices.

As for the Ocelot - might be possible to load a large bore syringe up with slow drying epoxy and VERY CAREFULLY fill those suckers.
 
I love the knife but I don't own one due to the paw prints. I actually cannot believe that they put them on there. Stuff will get stuck in the paw prints and end up rusting the liners, or looking bad, or smelling bad.

The paw prints are just not a good idea at all on any knife handle, especially one that you cannot take apart.
 
I've looked at the Ocelot many times over the past couple years and it always comes down to I don't like the paw prints....else I'd definitely own one.

I too have studied on a way to do something with the paw cutouts...like put a colored liquid plastic in there that would harden...too much trouble I guess because I've never done it. Of course I'd have to have the knife before I could try to fill in the prints.

Otherwise it seems like a heck of a knife.

:)
 
If Spyderco offered the Ocelot with or without paw prints, it would be interesting to see the sales figures. ;)
 
If the model held any appeal for me, I'd buy one and fill the paw prints with JB Weld, just to give them a bit of contrast. That way I could still see them clearly and they wouldn't be crap traps.
 
JD Spydo said:
Then one day on one of the main Forums a guy said that he did skin a deer with his and he said he even cleaned the knife afterwards; but to no avail because all of the blood, guts and waste had gotten entrapped into those little footprints and he then said he had one miserable time getting that knife to quit stinking.
Click to expand...

I remember reading that thread a while back. Thats what basically kept me away from the knife and probably still will.

Its too bad though because the handle ergonomics are fantastic and the style of blade shape really appeals to me too.
 
I'll likely get one next time I'm at the dealer's. It's a great EDC size and I quite like the paw prints.
Won't be gutting anything any time soon, so no worries there :thumbup:
 
I'm wondering. . . Do the cut outs really make the knife that much more difficult to clean than any other lock back with pinned construction? I don't hunt, but if I did I don't think I'd choose to to any dressing with any folder, especially one that I couldn't take apart to clean.

FWIW, I like the looks of the Ocelot, but it's a little too pricey for me. Maybe when I have a bit of birthday or christmas money to spend I'll spring for one for camping and hiking.
 
I like my Ocelot quite a bit....I don't hunt/skin animals with it.... so i've got no problems with the cool little pawprints on the handles....the Wegner ergos feel really comfy in my hands....one of my most comfortable clipits in the "forward" grip..... :thumbup: If i could pick just one clipit for my edc needs the Ocelot would be one of my top 5 choices .... :)
 
I use the Impala and the Wegner for game. If one is going to use a folder for dirty work, I cannot see where the paw prints are any different from the recesses in every folder, or empty clip screw holes, or lanyard holes, or skeletonized liners, or space behind liner locks, or the heads of screws.

The best solution is the open back Impala, but then that limits it to a liner lock. I suspect the dirt in the paw prints matter is more theoretical than practical. It wouldn't stop me if I didn't have the other two already. My edc is a Progrip with the plastic clip (which I prefer) and back lock but I don't find it difficult to clean either. They sure aren't any more difficult to clean than the inside of a leather sheath for that matter...:) Regards, ss.
 
straitshot said:
If one is going to use a folder for dirty work, I cannot see where the paw prints are any different from the recesses in every folder, or empty clip screw holes, or lanyard holes, or skeletonized liners, or space behind liner locks, or the heads of screws.
Click to expand...

This is a good point, but I still don't like'm. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top