My Drop Point D'Allara got here yesterday. I think Spyderco has a serious winner here.
My main doubt buying a new D'Allara blind - I coudn't find one to fondle - was the lock. I had handled a first generation model, and a Dodo, and in both cases I liked the ergos but the knife was a serious pain to close - the amount of squeezing required was just more than my fingertips were happy with.
Problem gone. The access channel (recess? call it what you will) is wide and nicely bevelled, my fingers fit right in. It's not quite as easy to close as an Axis lock, because the ball is smooth and recessed instead of ring-textured studs sticking out, but there's no obnoxious effort involved, just a conscious motion to squeeze the ball and pull it back. I'm going to be interested in the next couple weeks in finding out if this eventually becomes a subconcious muscle memory like closing the Axis is now.
The ergonomics are truly excellent for my hand, and I'm right on the Medium / Large glove size divide. There's room for a bigger hand than mine, maybe up to enormous, easily up to a regular XL glove size. It's certainly designed as a user, not a fighter, it seems - and there's not a damn thing wrong with that. What I mean is that it fits VERY well in a series of tool grips, hammer and sabre and choked up, but does not seem to have any design features to facilitate edge up, tip down, etc postures. But in that range of "hold it like a tool" grip postures it fits into my hand like it was custom made. No Native / Manix style choil, which is a plus for me but not for evreyone.
I do think that in extremis it would do just fine as a self defense instrument - to hold it, rather than look at, the hand feel reminds me of a Chinook, with a little bit of that lock into your hand swell from a Kelly Worden. Ain't nothin' wrong with that. And that profile is a serious wound channel waiting to happen.
In the past I haven't been a big fan of Spyderco's hollow sabre grinds - my last one is a Chinook 1. But if I'm going to own one, the D'Allara Drop is the way I like them - high, and ground on a large radius. The hollow grind on my Chinook is just about 12mm high, my Native (Golden, S30V) is right over 13mm, this one is pushing 18mm (measuring up from the edge until you hit flat.) It reminds me of the old REKAT grinds, and my Outdoor Edge Carson Magna. The ground edge is also nice and fine - going just by eye here, a little thinner than my Native, a lot thinner than my Yojimbo or Chinook, about as thin as my Ronin. Not as finely ground as my BM 705 (or certainly my 921 or 770), not quite as fine as my 710, about the same as my S30V 730 and D2 940. Very nice indeed. (Sorry, no Caly here, and my old Endura has been reground so extensively I can't even remember the factory edge.)
Based on the pieces I'm comparing it to, that edge thickness should be sweet - thick enough to take hard use without any worries, but thin enough to really bite deep where, say, a Chinook might wallow. The blade shape is, except for the higher hump, almost exactly identical to the Benchmade 550 (the hole-opener Griptillian). The Spydie it comes closest to in blade shape is the vanilla (not Atlantic or Pacific) Salt. I think it would make an excellent skinner. It's got plenty belly for that, or food prep, but it also has a tip that doesn't LOOK scary-pointy, but effortlessly penetrates extra heavy cardboard on either a push or a tip cut. The edge presentation from the handle angle is very nice, again very reminiscent of the BM 550 - great agressiveness into hard or soft work on a flat cutting surface at a natural wrist angle, while remaining very friendly to 3D work in both hands - whittling, envelopes, line cutting, etc.
It fills a lot of pocket, especially for its blade length, but it doesn't carry bulky. It doesn't feel fat, or print visibly through jeans - I think the sculpted handle makes it look thicker than it carries, if that makes sense. It pockets much easier than its listed numbers would indicate. Spyderco.com says it weighs 5.1oz, versus 6oz for the Chinook and 3.6oz for the Yojimbo. But in my hand, and my pocket, it feels barely heavier than my Yo, and much lighter than my Chin. Maybe it's just me?
This is THE most agressive FRN surface I own, and the most agressive I recall encountering. Done bi-directionally as it is, it really locks into your hand. It may be too rough a texture for me - give week or two to handle it. It's certainly damn near undroppable and slip proof, even in gloves - great in work gloves, and better than decent in both insulated leather and thick fleece ski gloves. Easy to open in all three, and not bad to close - fine in the plain leather, a little attention is required in the thicker ones.
It's certainly agressively enough textured that I hesitate to carry it in my front pocket - it really chews on the back of my hand when I reach past it to go deep in the pocket for my keys. This seems exacerbated because the edge of the mold where the texture ends and smooth takes over really sticks out on the butt in a way it doesn't on the sides or lock end, and that is positioned to hit the back of my hand like a scraper as push past it into my pocket. Looking at it I'm really not sure if that's intentional or a side effect of the swell for the butt - either way I don't like it. It's probably going to have a little talk with Mr. Dremel.
My first wire clip, I like it so far. It clips on and off my pocket nicely, but I'm not sure how securely it holds, it comes out of my pocket with very little tension. I'll know better how I feel after a week.
The liners are nicely swiss cheesed, in two hole sizes to my eye. The clip is on a nickel or flathead fastener, like a Native. Everything else is Torx headed - T9 (T10? my 9 fits but rattles around) for the pivot, T6 for the three assembly screws. These are one sided screws, not double headers like my Yojimbo. Full length steel back spacer - no blow though cleaning, but only one way for crud to get in. Solid construction - if I pinch the scales in front, they (and their liners) flex a little, but there is no end to end flex of the whole handle unit like the Yojimbo or BM AKCK has a little of. And this is in Zytel at a $89.95 full MSRP, remember. (I paid $52, and free shipping on orders over $125 from savsonswordsandknives.com - this was an impulse buy when I snagged their last 710HS).
The only other thing I've noticed and disliked is that the handle doesn't cover the top back lock corner of the blade when knife is closed, so if you're handling it you can get that sharp corner bump. This sticks out even a little more prominently than my Chinook. My 730 is my only Axis that I notice has that sin, but at least Bechmade radiused that corner so it isn't sharp to bite you. This isn't a lockback that demands a crisp corner there - if the scales don't cover it, leaving it sharp seems like a needles oversight. I forsee another visit from Mr. Dremel.
What else? VG10, Seki City. Blade stock looks equal to my Native and Ronin, thinner than my Yo and Chin, just thicker than my BM 730. Smoothed spots on both sides where the clip touches, to keep the FRN from chewing at your pocket I presume. Hair popping, damn near scary sharp out of the box. The thumb ramp is completely smooth, I might like a little texture there.
I think this could be Spyerco's serious competition into the Griptillian market, for people who want a 'modern' lock and excellent steel in a full size user but don't want to pay a premium price. I think I'd love to see a sprint run in ZDP, laminated or not, or in a flat ground leaf blade. But off the shelf this seems like a nicely priced hard, hard user with great ergonomics and an excellent general purpose blade.
I'm going to EDC this for a week or two and write up some updates on how it breaks in and what I think of the features I'm not sure of yet. I might (might, ya bastids, no promises) get some pics or scans.
I'll try to answer any specific Q's or comparisons. Did I miss anything major?
My main doubt buying a new D'Allara blind - I coudn't find one to fondle - was the lock. I had handled a first generation model, and a Dodo, and in both cases I liked the ergos but the knife was a serious pain to close - the amount of squeezing required was just more than my fingertips were happy with.
Problem gone. The access channel (recess? call it what you will) is wide and nicely bevelled, my fingers fit right in. It's not quite as easy to close as an Axis lock, because the ball is smooth and recessed instead of ring-textured studs sticking out, but there's no obnoxious effort involved, just a conscious motion to squeeze the ball and pull it back. I'm going to be interested in the next couple weeks in finding out if this eventually becomes a subconcious muscle memory like closing the Axis is now.
The ergonomics are truly excellent for my hand, and I'm right on the Medium / Large glove size divide. There's room for a bigger hand than mine, maybe up to enormous, easily up to a regular XL glove size. It's certainly designed as a user, not a fighter, it seems - and there's not a damn thing wrong with that. What I mean is that it fits VERY well in a series of tool grips, hammer and sabre and choked up, but does not seem to have any design features to facilitate edge up, tip down, etc postures. But in that range of "hold it like a tool" grip postures it fits into my hand like it was custom made. No Native / Manix style choil, which is a plus for me but not for evreyone.
I do think that in extremis it would do just fine as a self defense instrument - to hold it, rather than look at, the hand feel reminds me of a Chinook, with a little bit of that lock into your hand swell from a Kelly Worden. Ain't nothin' wrong with that. And that profile is a serious wound channel waiting to happen.
In the past I haven't been a big fan of Spyderco's hollow sabre grinds - my last one is a Chinook 1. But if I'm going to own one, the D'Allara Drop is the way I like them - high, and ground on a large radius. The hollow grind on my Chinook is just about 12mm high, my Native (Golden, S30V) is right over 13mm, this one is pushing 18mm (measuring up from the edge until you hit flat.) It reminds me of the old REKAT grinds, and my Outdoor Edge Carson Magna. The ground edge is also nice and fine - going just by eye here, a little thinner than my Native, a lot thinner than my Yojimbo or Chinook, about as thin as my Ronin. Not as finely ground as my BM 705 (or certainly my 921 or 770), not quite as fine as my 710, about the same as my S30V 730 and D2 940. Very nice indeed. (Sorry, no Caly here, and my old Endura has been reground so extensively I can't even remember the factory edge.)
Based on the pieces I'm comparing it to, that edge thickness should be sweet - thick enough to take hard use without any worries, but thin enough to really bite deep where, say, a Chinook might wallow. The blade shape is, except for the higher hump, almost exactly identical to the Benchmade 550 (the hole-opener Griptillian). The Spydie it comes closest to in blade shape is the vanilla (not Atlantic or Pacific) Salt. I think it would make an excellent skinner. It's got plenty belly for that, or food prep, but it also has a tip that doesn't LOOK scary-pointy, but effortlessly penetrates extra heavy cardboard on either a push or a tip cut. The edge presentation from the handle angle is very nice, again very reminiscent of the BM 550 - great agressiveness into hard or soft work on a flat cutting surface at a natural wrist angle, while remaining very friendly to 3D work in both hands - whittling, envelopes, line cutting, etc.
It fills a lot of pocket, especially for its blade length, but it doesn't carry bulky. It doesn't feel fat, or print visibly through jeans - I think the sculpted handle makes it look thicker than it carries, if that makes sense. It pockets much easier than its listed numbers would indicate. Spyderco.com says it weighs 5.1oz, versus 6oz for the Chinook and 3.6oz for the Yojimbo. But in my hand, and my pocket, it feels barely heavier than my Yo, and much lighter than my Chin. Maybe it's just me?
This is THE most agressive FRN surface I own, and the most agressive I recall encountering. Done bi-directionally as it is, it really locks into your hand. It may be too rough a texture for me - give week or two to handle it. It's certainly damn near undroppable and slip proof, even in gloves - great in work gloves, and better than decent in both insulated leather and thick fleece ski gloves. Easy to open in all three, and not bad to close - fine in the plain leather, a little attention is required in the thicker ones.
It's certainly agressively enough textured that I hesitate to carry it in my front pocket - it really chews on the back of my hand when I reach past it to go deep in the pocket for my keys. This seems exacerbated because the edge of the mold where the texture ends and smooth takes over really sticks out on the butt in a way it doesn't on the sides or lock end, and that is positioned to hit the back of my hand like a scraper as push past it into my pocket. Looking at it I'm really not sure if that's intentional or a side effect of the swell for the butt - either way I don't like it. It's probably going to have a little talk with Mr. Dremel.
My first wire clip, I like it so far. It clips on and off my pocket nicely, but I'm not sure how securely it holds, it comes out of my pocket with very little tension. I'll know better how I feel after a week.
The liners are nicely swiss cheesed, in two hole sizes to my eye. The clip is on a nickel or flathead fastener, like a Native. Everything else is Torx headed - T9 (T10? my 9 fits but rattles around) for the pivot, T6 for the three assembly screws. These are one sided screws, not double headers like my Yojimbo. Full length steel back spacer - no blow though cleaning, but only one way for crud to get in. Solid construction - if I pinch the scales in front, they (and their liners) flex a little, but there is no end to end flex of the whole handle unit like the Yojimbo or BM AKCK has a little of. And this is in Zytel at a $89.95 full MSRP, remember. (I paid $52, and free shipping on orders over $125 from savsonswordsandknives.com - this was an impulse buy when I snagged their last 710HS).
The only other thing I've noticed and disliked is that the handle doesn't cover the top back lock corner of the blade when knife is closed, so if you're handling it you can get that sharp corner bump. This sticks out even a little more prominently than my Chinook. My 730 is my only Axis that I notice has that sin, but at least Bechmade radiused that corner so it isn't sharp to bite you. This isn't a lockback that demands a crisp corner there - if the scales don't cover it, leaving it sharp seems like a needles oversight. I forsee another visit from Mr. Dremel.
What else? VG10, Seki City. Blade stock looks equal to my Native and Ronin, thinner than my Yo and Chin, just thicker than my BM 730. Smoothed spots on both sides where the clip touches, to keep the FRN from chewing at your pocket I presume. Hair popping, damn near scary sharp out of the box. The thumb ramp is completely smooth, I might like a little texture there.
I think this could be Spyerco's serious competition into the Griptillian market, for people who want a 'modern' lock and excellent steel in a full size user but don't want to pay a premium price. I think I'd love to see a sprint run in ZDP, laminated or not, or in a flat ground leaf blade. But off the shelf this seems like a nicely priced hard, hard user with great ergonomics and an excellent general purpose blade.
I'm going to EDC this for a week or two and write up some updates on how it breaks in and what I think of the features I'm not sure of yet. I might (might, ya bastids, no promises) get some pics or scans.
I'll try to answer any specific Q's or comparisons. Did I miss anything major?
) thin skin may want to know that, out of the box, it's a VERY agressive surface, in both the good and bad way. Great for gloves, pretty rough on your hand when you've just done dishes. 
