- Joined
- Nov 13, 1998
- Messages
- 153
It's not often I get excited about the DESIGN of "ordinary" folders. However, two of Spyderco's recent (re)designs have really got my attention. Somehow, they seem to get something essential just (about) right. And all this in their non-custom line.
The two folders I'm talking about are the '98 ENDURA and the CALYPSO JR. I won't bother you with personal carry preferences (and the changes that these two have brought about, e.g., the Endura quite unexpectedly replacing the BM AFCK as my "primary carry folder"), but let me just mention a few things.
The '98 Endura. At first look, it's like a sparrow in a flock of GREAT TITS (it's Parus Major, 'talitiainen' in Finnish, couldn't resist the temptation of using capital letters, sorry); ordinary, unexceptional, even "grey" in a deep sense of the word(s). Like the girl next door you'd never thought to become your wife; there were/are so much more interesting things around! But then you met HER, married/purchased her (excuse the connection), and started to live with her. Day by day you realized more and more of what a GEM you've got. Something in her seemed to be JUST RIGHT.
If the HANDLE of the Endura were thicker (more hand-filling, yeah), it would not allow the knife to seat as tightly in your jeans' front pocket(s rear edge, where the seam precludes *any* inadvertent openings, which really aren't a problem with back-locks). Much thinner it couldn't be. If it were narrower (a "lower profile", like in CS El Hombre), your grip wouldn't be as sure as it is. Wider isn't necessary. Ah, the "much too coarse" texture of the grip? But if it were smoother, you'd need a handle of a different shape to get a secure grip. The blade? Glad you asked, but let's go to the pivot/lock and the clip first.
Nothing exceptional in the PIVOT: usually tight enough, but it varies from exemplar to exemplar, not possible to adjust it yourself (which is a pity), the whole thing flexes a bit if you try hard, etc. But it does smooth out with some use; the two Enduras I have open easily *sans thumb* and they do not express noticeable play at the pivot. The tension of the backlock spring varies a bit, too (and with it the ease of opening with a flick of the wrist), but even the softer-springed one has no intentions of unlocking itself under any reasonable pressure, twisting, etc.
The CLIP is Endura's forte (along with some other Spydie models). Butt-end (which some old liner-lock aficionados, like me, still may find distracting), removable, reversible (to the other side, still butt-end), and all this without some fu**ing special screwdrivers! A coin will do, thank you. (The clip is too long, for most uses, and of a wrong shape, as in practically ALL folders today.)
And the BLADE (I'm speaking here about the plain-edged version. I have the serrated one too). Again, nothing really exceptional, except perhaps ATS-55 steel. But nothing outright detrimental, either (which is an asset for a skeptic). Could, of course, use a bit more belly, a few degrees less angle at the secondary bevel, maybe (just maybe) a flat grind, and perhaps a less pronounced hump at the back; but not, of course, at the expense of the shape of the handle and the overall performance of the knife. Not a real "slasher" ('cutter', that is), nor a real stabber. Agree, but do you really know what you need of a knife tomorrow? I don't. That's why I'm more than satisfied (though never happy) with good compromises.
But does it PERFORM exceptionally well in some respect? No, I think not. It really doesn't excel in anything. Nevertheless, the '98 Endura is my pick for the "most versatile and functional low priced folder of the year".
... continued ...
The two folders I'm talking about are the '98 ENDURA and the CALYPSO JR. I won't bother you with personal carry preferences (and the changes that these two have brought about, e.g., the Endura quite unexpectedly replacing the BM AFCK as my "primary carry folder"), but let me just mention a few things.
The '98 Endura. At first look, it's like a sparrow in a flock of GREAT TITS (it's Parus Major, 'talitiainen' in Finnish, couldn't resist the temptation of using capital letters, sorry); ordinary, unexceptional, even "grey" in a deep sense of the word(s). Like the girl next door you'd never thought to become your wife; there were/are so much more interesting things around! But then you met HER, married/purchased her (excuse the connection), and started to live with her. Day by day you realized more and more of what a GEM you've got. Something in her seemed to be JUST RIGHT.
If the HANDLE of the Endura were thicker (more hand-filling, yeah), it would not allow the knife to seat as tightly in your jeans' front pocket(s rear edge, where the seam precludes *any* inadvertent openings, which really aren't a problem with back-locks). Much thinner it couldn't be. If it were narrower (a "lower profile", like in CS El Hombre), your grip wouldn't be as sure as it is. Wider isn't necessary. Ah, the "much too coarse" texture of the grip? But if it were smoother, you'd need a handle of a different shape to get a secure grip. The blade? Glad you asked, but let's go to the pivot/lock and the clip first.
Nothing exceptional in the PIVOT: usually tight enough, but it varies from exemplar to exemplar, not possible to adjust it yourself (which is a pity), the whole thing flexes a bit if you try hard, etc. But it does smooth out with some use; the two Enduras I have open easily *sans thumb* and they do not express noticeable play at the pivot. The tension of the backlock spring varies a bit, too (and with it the ease of opening with a flick of the wrist), but even the softer-springed one has no intentions of unlocking itself under any reasonable pressure, twisting, etc.
The CLIP is Endura's forte (along with some other Spydie models). Butt-end (which some old liner-lock aficionados, like me, still may find distracting), removable, reversible (to the other side, still butt-end), and all this without some fu**ing special screwdrivers! A coin will do, thank you. (The clip is too long, for most uses, and of a wrong shape, as in practically ALL folders today.)
And the BLADE (I'm speaking here about the plain-edged version. I have the serrated one too). Again, nothing really exceptional, except perhaps ATS-55 steel. But nothing outright detrimental, either (which is an asset for a skeptic). Could, of course, use a bit more belly, a few degrees less angle at the secondary bevel, maybe (just maybe) a flat grind, and perhaps a less pronounced hump at the back; but not, of course, at the expense of the shape of the handle and the overall performance of the knife. Not a real "slasher" ('cutter', that is), nor a real stabber. Agree, but do you really know what you need of a knife tomorrow? I don't. That's why I'm more than satisfied (though never happy) with good compromises.
But does it PERFORM exceptionally well in some respect? No, I think not. It really doesn't excel in anything. Nevertheless, the '98 Endura is my pick for the "most versatile and functional low priced folder of the year".
... continued ...
. What *is* new is the EXCEPTIONALLY NARROW SECONDARY-BEVEL. It's almost a single-bevel flat-grind blade! At the middle of the blade, between the edge and the spine, the Calypso must have (proportionally) considerably less steel than, e.g., the Dragonfly or almost any other folder. That's what makes it scalpel-like and easy to resharpen. And it is a courageous move in a standard production folder indeed!