Caribbean

dakine

dakine

Joined
Jan 17, 2007
Messages
483
Decided to pick up a Caribbean on a whim and i have to say it really surprised me. I am more of a Manix fan and this wasn't really on my radar.

When i first got it, i didn't realize how big it actually was. It's starting to dethrone my favorite big Spyderco folder the Manix 2 XL.

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Next thing that got me was the weight. It's not a Manix 2 LW but it is lighter than the XL. For the size it's a great weight at around 4oz.

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At first the color kind of turned me off, but it really started to grow on me and even reminded me of Stryper. From a distance the color pattern and finish almost gives it a metallic look which is a good difference from the yellow salt line. You should be able to find it if you drop this in the water.

Lastly i don't have anything with LC200N, from what i read this is just as good if not better than H1. Happy to have another blade in the rotation that can go to the beach along with my other salts.

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This is on my list of purchases. I hear so much good about it. And I’ve been very happy with lc200n in my spydiechef. Great comparison shots btw! I too didn’t realize it was that big.

The handle texturing really reminds me of the A.G. Russell sandbox knives. I wonder if anyone’s rit dyed them yet....
 
PStone said:
This is on my list of purchases. I hear so much good about it. And I’ve been very happy with lc200n in my spydiechef. Great comparison shots btw! I too didn’t realize it was that big.

The handle texturing really reminds me of the A.G. Russell sandbox knives. I wonder if anyone’s rit dyed them yet....
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I believe someone on here did dye one using blue dye. It came out green and looked really good in my opinion. I think that blue and black would have looked really good too! However, it would not be as visible if dropped.
 
The Caribbean (leaf blade) has been my main one-handed EDC knife since I got mine a couple months ago. Although today I chose to carry my Para 3 today at work. It's usually a choice between one or the other, but usually the Caribbean wins. This thread has got me wishing I'd carried my Caribbean today instead!

Jim
 
Knifeoholic said:
I believe someone on here did dye one using blue dye. It came out green and looked really good in my opinion. I think that blue and black would have looked really good too! However, it would not be as visible if dropped.
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Are there pictures of how that rit dye turned out? I want to see how it contrasts with the black. Maybe dye with red to get an orange stripe.
 
That does look nice, very tempted to try it now. But i still want a bright color in case i drop it but this is very very nice.
 
In some pictures the yellow looks vibrant but in others it looks more subdued. It seems like it is more of the latter (ie not really bright yellow)? I really like the look of this knife and as already mentioned, the color and pattern would make it more difficult to lose in the forest or shore, which is really important to me. Why so many outdoors/hunting knives are camo or black is beyond me.
 
Yeap these old eyes need all the help it can get. Either yellow or orange will help if the knife gets dropped in the woods or in the water. The yellow on the Caribbean is more subdued than the yellow on the salts. But it's probably the lighting and just using a phone camera.
 
dakine said:
Yeap these old eyes need all the help it can get. Either yellow or orange will help if the knife gets dropped in the woods or in the water. The yellow on the Caribbean is more subdued than the yellow on the salts. But it's probably the lighting and just using a phone camera.
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I was hoping it was a bright yellow, but I can see why they opted for a milder color. I just came to terms with holding off on the Caribbean and then I see this thread!

For years I've been tying orange flagging tape to the lanyard holes of all my knives I frequently take with me to the bush. Aesthetically, bright colors aren't really my thing, but on a knife I really appreciate them.
 
Grabbed one off the exchange, I really like it! I gave it a quick spa treatment, and it is firing solid and dropping shut. I have read a couple other people remark on the sharpness it came, and mine is no different. Shaving sharp! My kids love the color, and a few coworkers have complimented. I would recommend for sure, hope they put out a couple other models with lc200n.
 
dakine said:
That does look nice, very tempted to try it now. But i still want a bright color in case i drop it but this is very very nice.
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Hey dakine, That was after multiple "dips" of like 5-10 minutes each. Probably an hour total. After the first dip the green was LIME green. Still very poppy but definitely green. I used teal Rit dye.
 
Rit also makes a dye remover. I haven't personally used it but the guy who guided me through the dying process said he uses it and it really strips the dye out, so if you don't like a dye job you can try again/try another color. Not sure if it would pull out the stock yellow color, my friend did not make it seem that way though.

Edit: After looking at the product more, it is used to strip heavy colors out of fabric before you dye with another color to get a more targeted result. So it may pull the yellow out a bit, but you could dye it yellow again to really bring the color back.
 
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dakine said:
Yeap these old eyes need all the help it can get. .
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Hi Dakine,

They don't make eyes like they used to.

FYI, The Caribbean was a very lengthy project. The design goal was for a Salt water working knife for commercial needs. Boatmen, fishermen, dock workers, merchant marines, divers, etc. The current design is the smaller of the two. The pattern itself took more than a year of refinement. Blade shape for the purpose, thicknesses, lock selection, ergonomics, materials, etc.

I wanted LC which is a custom size, I didn't want to make the normal bright yellow or black. I wanted a texture that worked well with gloves or bare skin. I opted for the compression lock over the Linerlock, (which is easier to unlock with gloves) because I wanted the extra strength of the Compression Lock. The liners also have to be LC, anther thickness. The texture and color that I chose had to be custom made and custom milled. The liners have been skeletonized to reduce weight, but the holes are filled with the scale so debris doesn't get caught in the liner holes. (I don't know if we can make this comb in FRN)? A strong titanium clip for security. But all in all, I wanted a very simple model once designed. Many years of background are in this model.

Today I'm carrying a sheepfoot plain edge version. I'm in a wet place.

sal
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Dakine,

They don't make eyes like they used to.

FYI, The Caribbean was a very lengthy project. The design goal was for a Salt water working knife for commercial needs. Boatmen, fishermen, dock workers, merchant marines, divers, etc. The current design is the smaller of the two. The pattern itself took more than a year of refinement. Blade shape for the purpose, thicknesses, lock selection, ergonomics, materials, etc.

I wanted LC which is a custom size, I didn't want to make the normal bright yellow or black. I wanted a texture that worked well with gloves or bare skin. I opted for the compression lock over the Linerlock, (which is easier to unlock with gloves) because I wanted the extra strength of the Compression Lock. The liners also have to be LC, anther thickness. The texture and color that I chose had to be custom made and custom milled. The liners have been skeletonized to reduce weight, but the holes are filled with the scale so debris doesn't get caught in the liner holes. (I don't know if we can make this comb in FRN)? A strong titanium clip for security. But all in all, I wanted a very simple model once designed. Many years of background are in this model.

Today I'm carrying a sheepfoot plain edge version. I'm in a wet place.

sal
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Another home run sir, I already told my friends and family back in Hawaii to get this bad boy for the fishing and beach trips. It's also great for the wet climate in here in the pacific northwest. Definitely going on hiking and camping trips. Although i am a bit jealous that this wasn't named the "Hawaiian".

Right now my two favorites the sharibbean brothers.

HbxOvkj.jpg
 
kniferbro said:
Hey dakine, That was after multiple "dips" of like 5-10 minutes each. Probably an hour total. After the first dip the green was LIME green. Still very poppy but definitely green. I used teal Rit dye.
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Yours came out awesome!! Definitely a good job on it. Most likely i'm just going to buy another one to try different colors on and just keep the original color on one.
 
Sal Glesser said:
The liners also have to be LC, anther thickness.
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I didn't realize the liners were also LC200N. On the Spyderco website, it just says stainless steel, and I'd thought this was a weakness of the design. So only the pivot, screws and stand-offs are corrodible, then?

I have a leaf blade on the way, and although I'm supposed to be getting rid of knives, I suspect I'll have to get the larger version when that comes out too. I've always like Spyderco's simple and efficient designs. Always wanted a Resilience with better (and thicker) blade steel and stronger lock. Sounds like the big Caribbean will pretty much be that.
 
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