- Joined
- May 5, 2000
- Messages
- 1,478
Whelp, my Captains arrived today. (I figured I'd love the knife so I saved some time and bought two.) This is one nicely conceived and nicely made knife. Some thoughts, in no particular order:
*This is an archetypical "small big knife." One of the ways I keep my Spydie collection under control is to get only models that are <3.5" so I can carry them everywhere. This one is well under that mark but somehow doesn't look like it and certainly doesn't behave like it.
*I don't normally use a "drop" opening because I prefer a method that's repeatable every time with every knife under every condition. So I normally go with "stick thumb in hole; move blade." The Captain is by far the most drop-open-able Spyderco I've had--more so than the Millie, even. It could change my mind.
*Anyone who thinks it's not a daily-use knife because of the shape hasn't tried one. That bottom point where the recurve hits the front is perfect for cutting through packaging tape. And while the very tip of the Captain might not look very "pointy," I would very much not want to get stuck with it.
*G10 and VG-10 are perfect for this knife. They're high-quality but utilitarian. The G10 in particular is really nice, with a tight grain that's grippy but not abrasive.
*Room for improvement:
-Change the lock. The liner lock seems well made. One of my Captains locks up all the way to the left; the other locks up just a millimeter farther. That being said, it's out of place on this knife, which otherwise just screams "heavy duty." Ideally I'd make it a framelock like the Sage 2. Between that and the interesting blade grind, it would be a great competitor to you-know-who. A Compression Lock would be another good choice. I keep finding myself trying to close the Captain like I close the Para.
-Lose the semi-swedge or commit to it. The rectangular semi-swedge up top is interesting at first but is really just pointless decoration (unusual for a Spyderco). The blade would look even more stout if it were solid up top; alternatively, it should run all the way to the tip as a false edge. I know the marketing copy says the rectangular grind saves weight, but (1) in practice it's a few grams and (2) it's not as if the knife is very heavy in the first place.
-Add jimping to the steel liners right behind the jimping on the blade itself.
-Break the edges of the steel liners all around. They are "1999 Benchmade sharp." Easily fixed if you know how, of course.
-Offer a version with a serrated recurve area. I'm not normally a serrated guy, but this knife would be great with a serrated recurve. That area is already less convenient to sharpen anyway, and you'd still have the front part for regular cutting.
Bottom line: I didn't think I could find a knife with the potential to bump the Ocelot from my pocket. It might have happened.
*This is an archetypical "small big knife." One of the ways I keep my Spydie collection under control is to get only models that are <3.5" so I can carry them everywhere. This one is well under that mark but somehow doesn't look like it and certainly doesn't behave like it.
*I don't normally use a "drop" opening because I prefer a method that's repeatable every time with every knife under every condition. So I normally go with "stick thumb in hole; move blade." The Captain is by far the most drop-open-able Spyderco I've had--more so than the Millie, even. It could change my mind.
*Anyone who thinks it's not a daily-use knife because of the shape hasn't tried one. That bottom point where the recurve hits the front is perfect for cutting through packaging tape. And while the very tip of the Captain might not look very "pointy," I would very much not want to get stuck with it.
*G10 and VG-10 are perfect for this knife. They're high-quality but utilitarian. The G10 in particular is really nice, with a tight grain that's grippy but not abrasive.
*Room for improvement:
-Change the lock. The liner lock seems well made. One of my Captains locks up all the way to the left; the other locks up just a millimeter farther. That being said, it's out of place on this knife, which otherwise just screams "heavy duty." Ideally I'd make it a framelock like the Sage 2. Between that and the interesting blade grind, it would be a great competitor to you-know-who. A Compression Lock would be another good choice. I keep finding myself trying to close the Captain like I close the Para.
-Lose the semi-swedge or commit to it. The rectangular semi-swedge up top is interesting at first but is really just pointless decoration (unusual for a Spyderco). The blade would look even more stout if it were solid up top; alternatively, it should run all the way to the tip as a false edge. I know the marketing copy says the rectangular grind saves weight, but (1) in practice it's a few grams and (2) it's not as if the knife is very heavy in the first place.
-Add jimping to the steel liners right behind the jimping on the blade itself.
-Break the edges of the steel liners all around. They are "1999 Benchmade sharp." Easily fixed if you know how, of course.
-Offer a version with a serrated recurve area. I'm not normally a serrated guy, but this knife would be great with a serrated recurve. That area is already less convenient to sharpen anyway, and you'd still have the front part for regular cutting.
Bottom line: I didn't think I could find a knife with the potential to bump the Ocelot from my pocket. It might have happened.
