bill moran fb01

Hi Sirgalant,

Bill Moran developed this particular design little by little over a more than 20 year period. It was his EDC in the shop, the field and at home. Of all of the knives he designed and made, he felt this was the "right" combination of size, weight and versatility.

One of his friends came to Spyderco more than 10 years ago and said that Bill had a design that he felt would be a good all around fixed blade and he would llke to see it in the production field. He'd had a number of knives made with other companies, but he felt that Spyderco would be the best to make it so it was as he wanted it.

I do gforge and was familiar with the "forged blade" and the advantages. I worked with Bill for some time to get it "right" and he was pleased with the final product. The design is quite sophisicated and many do not appreciate the overall package until they really have been around knives for a while and can see what he was doing.

The trailing point model was first and was made with a full convex grind and high polish. Cost was high and the market wouldn't accept it, so we went to a flat grind and satin fiish. We later made the drop point version at the request of customers.

Before Bill passed away, he told Jay Hendrickson that Spyderco had handled all aspects of the collaboration very well from execution to royalties.

He had already stopped making knives when we began the project so my part in the deal was that I got to keep his proto, which I still have and cherish. Bill was a great contributor to our industry.

I hope you appreciate and enjoy what Bill Moran created.

sal
 
oh belive me Sal , i appreciate it , mate. let me say i also love spydercos , and can very much appreciate that you get customer opinions from these forums. i read BLADE magazine , and would love to get some custom knives, but they are way outta my price range , so i settle for collabarations , and since bill moran is such an american legend , the fb01 seems a very worthy knife to ANY collection. i am a collector , but i only collect functional knives , and yours are some of the best i own. what i`m saying here is that we love spydercos over here in australia too.

keep up the good work

p.s i also collect sogs , and unlike Spencer frazer , you actually participate in your company`s forum , and accept customer feed back( we as customers actually mean something to you)

regards

SIRGALANT
 
I own the fb01. It is one mean slicer, and I often have it in my vest when I go turkey hunting. I have a lot of drop point blades, so I happen to prefer the upswept version in the fb01.

The VG-10 takes an exceptionally fine edge and is one of the best slicers I own. Last time I dressed out a turkey with it, my friend exclaimed, "That's one sharp knife!" Oh, yeah, and it comes with a great sheath. You won't be disappointed.
 
Sal Glesser said:
It was his EDC in the shop, the field and at home.
Click to expand...

I wonder if Mr. Moran had field dressing animals in mind when he designed this knife. I have had a FB01 for several years and it has been my go-to knife for dressing deer and hogs. I was on a management deer hunt last winter with 4 other guys and we were lowering the doe numbers on an over-populated (i.e deer infested) South Texas ranch. A couple of the guys came armed with dull old buck knives that we couldn't get sharp. I think the Moran cleaned about 8 deer over that weekend and needed minimal sharpening afterwards to bring the edge back to like new condition. On hogs I like a more robust blade thickness but it will do the trick with those animals as well. Overall, it's a great field knife. I wouldn't go on a hunt without mine.
 
Hey Sal, could you do a run of the fb01 in 52-100? I love the design but in a utility fixed blade I highly prefer carbon steel. Not to mention 52-100 should cost less than VG-10. I’m looking forward to the bushcraft knife, but after reading that post of yours I really want to see what Bill Moran’s magnum opus is like.
 
Hi Joshua,

Ask me again after we get the Bushblade into production and we've had customer reaction.

sal
 
yeah , i really can`t wait now. i can think of at least literally 20 spydercos i would buy if i had the money.
 
It is a good hunting knife. It isn't too big or too heavy and it has all the cutting edge you would ever need. The handle also feels very good avoiding hand cramps and awkward positioning in order to make the cuts.
 
I have nothing but the utmost of RESPECT for the late Bill Moran. I got the meet the guy on 3 different occasions and each time he was a prince of a man and really knew his trade. I got both of the Spyderco MORAN models and love them dearly. But my favorite is the FB-02 version. Of all the blades I've owned the FB-02 Drop Point is one of my top 5 favorites. Actually Mr. Glesser your design of the FB Temperance is really about my all time favorite fixed blade design up till now. But what the heck >> between the 3 of them they are all great blades and I wouldn't hesitate to use any of them for about any cutting chore requiring a fixed blade :)
 
I have an FB01 and, much as I love the utility of the blade, I am not so enamored of the sheath. I actually prefer the lewather sheath with a dog leash type clip on the top instead of a belt loop as in John Greco's Li'l Dangler. Now that is a knife and sheath that I adore.
 
I personally prefer the FB-02 also. I just like drop point designs. I like the size of the knife also. I am glad that I have one of these.

Ron
 
Spyderco's are made to use. That's why we put all that "hyphalutin steel" in them.

sal
 
The Moran cuts better than my Calypso jr. The grip is suprisingly secure, thanks to those "stragically placed" kraton inserts, that stick to your hand and not your pocket. It's a great fixed blade pocket knife. Just lose the Tek- Lok and drop it in a pocket.

Wouter
 
I have sold both models. Once they are in a serious hunter's hand, they are hard to put down.:)

When a customer comes to my table and tells me needs a good fixed blade for hunting, I usually hand him one of the Moran's. If he is a serious hunter, he instantly recognizes the quality and utility of both the blade & and handle. Often, the knife costs more than he was planning on spending, but recognizing the above qualities, he scrapes up the cash.

These same hunters often return and tell me how great the Spyderco Moran is; several have advised that they have dressed out 3 - 4 deer with out needing to touch the blade.

The one issue, is the sheath - some love it, some hate it - but I have never lost a sale over the sheath as I have on some other makes.

Mr. Moran often came past my table at Frederick gun shows. We often discussed his "namesake" in my case, and said he didn't understand why Spyderco didn't stick with leather sheath he designed along with the knife. (Yes - He was one of the nicest & friendliest men I ever met). He seemed to be very proud that Spyderco had decided to produce one of his designs.

There is no question in my mind that the FB01 or the FB02 are quality knives, and will perform magnificently in the field.
 
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