Caribbean.....out finally ..got one....

I initially thought the detent was weak as well but I cannot shake the blade open so I think it is fine. The action on mine is very smooth. It flicks open similarly to a PM2 and while it doesn't fall shut, I can easily make it close one-handed with a little bit of wrist flick while pinching the compression lock.
 
I just received mine, and I must say I'm glad I pulled the trigger. This is my first Taichung Spyderco. The detent on mine is good; not quite as "grabby" as the one on my PM2, but mine won't shake open either, so I think it's good to go. What the pics can't convey is how comfortable this knife is in hand. The ha doe is more comfortable than my PM2. It also feels lighter than I expected.

I buy very few knives anymore, and when I do, I usually wait at least a month before pulling the trigger to make certain I really want it. This was an exception for me, and one I'm glad I made. This is also only my second compression lock. I'll be EDCing this for now to see how I like it in my typical mundane uses.

Jim
 
Held one today in a store, it was brand new and the action was good, flicked open fine and half way dropped when the lock was released. I have to say though, I wasn’t particularly impressed.

I like how large it is and the light weight for such a size BUT the handles look and feel terrible. If I didn’t know (from Spyderco telling me so) that the scales were G10 I would think it was GFN. The two layer (black sticks above yellow) configuration looks bad in person and has an odd feel to it.

I’m not going to go so far as to say I won’t ever buy one, as it would serve a purpose for me, but I passed on it today once and probably would again. If they start making PE Salts in LC200 then I probably won’t buy one, if they don’t I probably will eventually, especially with a TiCN blade.
 
Finally, got a carribean PE leaf delivered.

The initial feel of the black (raised) portion of the handle scales against the pads of your fingers takes a sec' to get used to. That oddness faded quickly when, with my non dominate hand, I pinched the hole in the blade and tried to pull the knife out of my grip. I was realizing how useful and effective those grooves will be to help secure your grip, especially with wet, slippery, and sometimes (fish) blood soaked hands.

The yellow (lower) portion of the groove, gives space for the fish slime to squeeze down into. The grooves, yep that's the genius part of Sal's design. You can easily see a lot of thought went into their creation. Notice too, they are cut in such a way to help prevent a slip in both directions (push or pull). I appreciate it being incorporated here, where boats are rocking and rolling.

Bought it for saltwater, hard use, no let's be honest, a-b-u-s-e, with very little maintenance. Digging the ceramic detent and Ti clip, with open back design so that sand doesn't cake in there while wade fishing.

Wanted a PE blade with better edge retention than H1. Thanks for listening to your customers Sal and giving us the upgraded LC200N. This is huge, because when I'm on vacation fishing, I don't want to spend that week touching up steel with lower edge retention.

Does it have the action of a PM2? No.

Will it ever ? Maybe not?

Do I Care? No. But, if a PM2 with LC200N and upgraded hardware is released, I'd buy it too. Nuff said
 
chris_p_bacon said:
The yellow (lower) portion of the groove, gives space for the fish slime to squeeze down into. The grooves, yep that's the genius part of Sal's design. You can easily see a lot of thought went into their creation. Notice too, they are cut in such a way to help prevent a slip in both directions (push or pull). I appreciate it being incorporated here, where boats are rocking and rolling.
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Hi James, Chris,

Thanx for the comments. We also filled in the skeletonized holes in the liners with machined G-10 so sand and crap would less likely to get caught in the skeletonized holes. You are correct in that a great deal of thought went into the design.

sal
 
I received a PE Caribbean yesterday. Although I've been a consumer of Spyderco products for over ten years, this is my first Taichung-made knife. First thoughts are that I'm very impressed. The design and overall quality are top-notch. I'll be using it an a general outdoor knife (mostly kayaking, hiking, camping, and mountain biking); long-term review to follow after I'm able to use it.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi James, Chris,

Thanx for the comments. We also filled in the skeletonized holes in the liners with machined G-10 so sand and crap would less likely to get caught in the skeletonized holes. You are correct in that a great deal of thought went into the design.

sal
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Not to mention that black, smooth spot where the clip contacts the handle. IMO, that's a BIG feature. If a knife (especially a fairly large one like the Caribbean) has a clip, but its contact point is too rough and shreds pocket material, I won't carry it. This knife clips on and pulls out very easily, and is pretty easy on my pockets.

The action on mine is actually smoother than that of my PM2.

This knife is a pleasure to use so far. The blade and edge geometry are amazing. I love Spyderco's PE leaf blades. If I were going to use a Caribbean for cutting lots of rope, I'd probably also pick up the SE sheepsfoot version.

Jim
 
I just found out about this line of folders from Spyderco... I must say that if I ever get one, it will be leaf shaped fully serrated. They handle slabs look great, that's for sure!
 
Went swimming in the ocean yesterday with my Caribbean in my board shorts. Washed it off in the sink when I got back to the house. I didn’t end up needing a knife for anything yesterday but it was great having one on me in case I needed it not worrying about the salt water.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi JB,

Thanx for the comments.

On the blade / handle ratio thing. That's an eye thing and not a function thing. Handles are for holding, blades are for cutting. In this design, I wanted a blade that was 3-3/4" long, as I'm planning a larger version. (4-1/4" blade). This is a work knife, not an art knife, so I wanted a handle that was ergonomic for a large hand even with gloves. I guess different designers have different philosophy's behind their designs. The balance and control of the blade to handle has different functions to different designers. Think scalpel. A handle large enough to control the blade and a blade small enough to control and no larger than necessary to do the intended job.

This model took a long time to design and long time to build. Special steel, custom G-10, and we had to assemble twice as we added ceramic ball bearings when we learned the steel ball bearings were rusting.

sal
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It looks like a great design, nicely done! Do you have plans of offering it with different scales in the near future?
 
Looks like the fully serrated version is what I want but now that Sal is producing a 4" version I'll be waiting for that.
 
That's pretty big :). Illegal to carry here in FL, so I'll stick with my original. I'm not sawing anything in half that the original can't handle. If I need more than that i have fixed blades.
 
neffarious said:
That's pretty big :). Illegal to carry here in FL, so I'll stick with my original. I'm not sawing anything in half that the original can't handle. If I need more than that i have fixed blades.
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not illegal just makes it no longer a pocket knife or a non-weapon by old case law.

unless your in Tampa or Miami or another of the big cities with their own ordinances.
 
Sorry, the law is too vague for me to be willing to risk it. It can easily be interpreted as any thing over 4 inches is not a "common pocket knife" and could be considered a weapon. You find a jerk cop and it's trouble. It's even worse if you have a jerk judge, which I have twice now in Seminole county. Never criminal matters, but point is, it's simply not worth the risk until the law is written in a concise manner with no room for interpretation.
 
neffarious said:
That's pretty big :). Illegal to carry here in FL, so I'll stick with my original. I'm not sawing anything in half that the original can't handle. If I need more than that i have fixed blades.
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Well you always have the option of using it at home:)
 
I have plenty of knives to use at home of all sizes :). The point of this one is to use in the water, specifically the salt water for me. All my other stainless work fine in the fresh. salt is a harsh mistress :)
 
neffarious said:
Sorry, the law is too vague for me to be willing to risk it. It can easily be interpreted as any thing over 4 inches is not a "common pocket knife" and could be considered a weapon. You find a jerk cop and it's trouble. It's even worse if you have a jerk judge, which I have twice now in Seminole county. Never criminal matters, but point is, it's simply not worth the risk until the law is written in a concise manner with no room for interpretation.
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yeah I said exactly that....over 4" is not a pocket knife...?

it falls into the weapon category. so not illegal just different set of rules from a case law ruling from 195o something if I'm remembering right or so of 4" and under blade is a pocket knife not a weapon.

yeah Seminole county. i own a couple properties there. that's why I vote out judges every election.
 
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