Aye, Aye, Captain!

pkdmslf

pkdmslf

Joined
Jun 16, 2006
Messages
1,411
I just received my Spydie Captain this morning. Here are my initial observations:

1. It is a lot smaller than it looks online.
2. It is light.
3. When I first saw the blade configuration online I was "on the fence" whether I liked it or not. Well, I now definitely like it!
4. It feels good in my large hand.
5. If one were to use it for SD, forget about penetration, slashing would be technique with this one.
6. Definitely a great addition to my budding Spydie collection.

If you're in doubt, go ahead and get one. I don't think you will be dissappointed.
 
I don't own one...yet. I must admit at first glance it looked....peculiar. But when I took the time to actually look at the design and then envision the application of different parts of the blade in use...well the knife just seemed ....so versitile...and so brilliant. I think some Spyderco conceptions are like great architecture...sometimes you need to just "study" on the design a bit before the light bulb comes on !

-regards
 
Well brother I am very glad that some Spyder-heads are starting to notice what I noticed about the Captain. When you look at where the rounded off end of that knife blade meets the curvature of the main part of the blade you will readily see that what you have in essence is a "convex Straight Razor".

With the hollow grind on both sides of the blade you can clearly see the slashing/slicing potential in this most functional design. The Captain is indeed a hidden treasure that unfortuanately most Spyder-heads will pass by without even noticing. I also believe that the Captain would be a really nice "second knife" to carry for fisherman, first responders, longshoremen and just about any vocation that uses rope.

Liner locks are not my favorite but this particular liner lock is truly well machined and I don't foresee any problems. The G-10 handle is most appropriate. Boy is this a model I would love to see in ZDP-189 blade steel :eek: :cool: LONG LIVE THE C-111 CAPTAIN :thumbup:
 
love this knife! I agree with nemo it looks like the knife from the movie the hunted

knives are tools not weapons, thats what guns are for
 
This thread caused me to give to the Captain a second look. I had almost immediately dismissed it as too "Mall Ninja" style for me but now that I have considered it, it is not. I don't think the intent was to be tactical. I think Spyderco was just experimenting with ideas and blade shapes, like they do.

I have not held one in person so my views are based only on what I can see from my moniter. That is no way to judge a knife as I have learned. All I can say is, it doesn't seem to have the blade shape that I normally would like. I like points that are pointy and more or less in centerline with the rest of the blade. A little upsweep or downsweep is fine but I am sort of conservative I guess.

Unless one of these falls into my lap, I can't see going out and buying one. I will make a concerted effort to locate one so I can decide in person. I am open to having my mind changed about anything.
 
The more I use it the more I found it very very very well designed.
Today I've used it like a small maddox knife for example. I don't know a lot of knives able to make efficient thrust/cut .
You thrust the blade and it cut immediatly. Like a Ulu knife is you see what I mean.
Really great design ! And somthing already noticed: the handle is really confortable.
Cheers
Nemo
 
Had to have one and carried it for a while. Although I like it very much I prefer a more conventional blade style for general EDC. Excellent design for jobs that would consist of a lot of scraping and cutting though. Nice grip, secure lockup etc. Good hard working knife IMO. No signs of the designer being a ninja or otherwise overly concerned with SD in this design.
 
Nemo said:
The more I use it the more I found it very very very well designed.
Today I've used it like a small maddox knife for example. I don't know a lot of knives able to make efficient thrust/cut .
You thrust the blade and it cut immediatly. Like a Ulu knife is you see what I mean.
Really great design ! And somthing already noticed: the handle is really confortable.
Cheers
Nemo
Click to expand...

You've just really challenged me NEMO :) The tests that I have been doing with my Captain all have to do with slash cuts. But I am sure you are on to something with that rounded off end being efficient for "thrust cutting".

It is unbelievable to me just how unusual the blade geometry is but yet that knife takes an edge beyond belief. That is one knife that a "hollow grind" was just perfect for. OK I will admit it's not for everybody but then again what knife is? But I am seeing many possibilities with the Captain model.

By the way what does anyone know about the designer of the Captain? Jason Breeden is the guy's name and I will admit that I don't know much about him. When I did a GOOGLE search on his name last night all I could come up with was a couple of items giving him credit for designing the Captain. Which is a wonderful accomplishment but I would think that anyone who can concoct a blade that cool has probably done some other blade designs as well :confused: ???
 
I was able to hold/play with the Captain this last saturday(They have a few at Beck's #800-397-3830.) Different, but I liked it. It is smaller then it looks, but fit my hand very well. Interesting design.



Blades
 
Thank you JD ! :)

Jason has answered in some post (I think he posted 7 times)
you can find him in the early Threads about the Captain.

Very beautifully crafted Spydie too. The construction pins are fabulous. :eek:

Cheers
Nemo
 
I think Jason is in the process of moving right now, not far but still moving is a pain as I am sure you all know. I'll make sure he knows to check this thread as soon as he can.
 
Yeah the designer Jason can sometimes be found kicking around on the forums. He seems like a pretty cool guy. I'm planning on picking up a Captain pretty soon, it's a very interesting design. I'm kind of over the liner lock thing though.

And the Case bug has bitten me extremely hard this month!
 
I really like my new Captain after carrying it for the first time today. It sliced right through an old 1/4 inch thick, 2 inch wide leather belt with little resistance. The handle feels great in my hand. It's probably the easiest smoothest opening spyderco I own. I wasn't surprised at the size. I always print a life size copy of the Spyderco website knife image and spray-mount it to foam board. Photoshop is a wonderful tool for this. I then cut it out and have a life size mockup to hold in my hand before I spend my money. No surprises! My only beef with the Captain is the liner lock. Am I the only person that finds disengaging the lock really hard with one hand? There's barely enough of the lock available to get your thumb on. The rough edge is really doing a number on my thumb after a little too much "knifesturbation". Fun to open but closing it is a real pain. My only other problem was the sticky substance all over the handle. Not sure what it was but the handle had a thin sticky film all over it. A good external cleaning with Dawn dishwashing liquid did the trick but it felt really nasty at first.

Overall it's a great fugly little knife that will get lots of EDC time if I ever warm up to the lock.
 
Great testimony "Augustus88" :cool: . You are proof of the fact that this knife has to have a "hands on" usage to even begin to see it's potential. I will be the first to admit that the first time I laid eyes on the knife that I was even a bit perplexed as to what potential that blade design would have. After trying it first hand I was pleasantly surprised.

Your experience with leather cutting doesn't surprise me in the least. With the blades at a constant angle of attack I think it's potential is huge. I am also anxious to see what other blade designs that Mr. Breeden has in store for us.
 
Hi,

I have notice also how easy the C111 can stick in wood.
Strange when you see the profile of the tip you could not swear it will
but on a gentle thrust the knife will go deep in very hard wood! Amazing !

What I enjoy also is the "compactness" of that knife. It is short, easy to carry. I It gives a max of power in a concentrate scale with a lot of confidence.
Last time I notice that kind of "Spyderco Power"... I was handling my Dodo.
But the ratio blade/handle is closer to 1 on the C111 and you got a blade which give you a max of cutting length in a compact folder.
Jason appears to be a great knife designer and it's easy to see, with Sal and his Spydermen: he's very well inspired !


Cheers
Nemo
 
Thanks for all the positive feedback from everyone! I'm very busy right now and have not hardly had time to sleep.
I have been designing seriously for around 8 years. I have tried to keep my designs as pure as possible. Only in the last couple of years have I started buying magazines and going to shows.
This opportunity with Spyderco has been a dream come true. I hope to do many more collaborations in the future. Sal and the team @ Spyderco have alot of good ideas and there are several of those that were in the works before any of my other submissions. I hope to see the Captain prosper to the point that other variations arise! Then I hope to see other creations surface.
I will be more than glad to work with anyone on designs or to take ideas and put them to paper or CAD. I enjoy knives and see them as functional tools that are to be carried daily and used many times each day. My first Captain has been clipped to my pocket since the day it arrived. I can only hope to clip more in beside it!!!!!
 
Hairsplitter said:
Thanks for all the positive feedback from everyone! I'm very busy right now and have not hardly had time to sleep.
I have been designing seriously for around 8 years. I have tried to keep my designs as pure as possible. Only in the last couple of years have I started buying magazines and going to shows.
This opportunity with Spyderco has been a dream come true. I hope to do many more collaborations in the future. Sal and the team @ Spyderco have alot of good ideas and there are several of those that were in the works before any of my other submissions. I hope to see the Captain prosper to the point that other variations arise! Then I hope to see other creations surface.
I will be more than glad to work with anyone on designs or to take ideas and put them to paper or CAD. I enjoy knives and see them as functional tools that are to be carried daily and used many times each day. My first Captain has been clipped to my pocket since the day it arrived. I can only hope to clip more in beside it!!!!!
Click to expand...

I have just one question at this time. What would you think about having a variety of the Captain that would have serrations in the main curvature of the blade. All the while the rounded end could remain plain edge. I would buy 2 of those if Spyderco would offer them with a serrated variation. Your thoughts please :) ?
 
All these positive comments, coupled with the start of a new job working on & around freight barges, makes me want to get one! You bastards!!! ;)
 
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