- Joined
- Feb 25, 2001
- Messages
- 6,675
Seeing that so many people have recnetly shown an interest in the Spyderco Military, I've pulled this review out of the Buzzbait archives. I wrote it over the winter, but never got a chance to post it. Here goes......
Extended Review of the Spyderco Military
Let me introduce you to an old friend of mine, the Spyderco Military. While it could hardly be called elegant looking, and doesnt exactly brim with social graces, this knife has been a trusted companion on many adventures. My Military was purchased almost by accident, sentenced to a life of agony and despair, and fought its way from the bottom of my pack to earning a place in my heart. If nothing else, this knife presents an interesting story. With a little luck, this review will also illustrate some very interesting design concepts, and how Spyderco has melded them into a simple, no-nonsense utility knife.
The story starts with me looking for a new knife. Id grown up using slipjoints and other traditional knives my whole life, and was in need of a new one. I window shopped at a few local stores, finally concluding that I had no idea what I was looking for. I found quite a few knives in display cases, with vastly different prices, and just couldnt figure out what made one knife better than another. By chance, I also happened by a magazine rack at a newsstand, and picked up my first knife magazines. Wow!!! I was flooded with pocket clips, locks, one-hand opening blades, and different types of steel. I certainly wasnt prepared for this much change in my knife life, but did my best to understand what I read. I eventually turned to the Internet to get a better understanding of these concepts, and got some great advice along the way.
So I jumped forward and placed a mail order, to try out two of these tactical folding marvels. I wanted a small Columbia River and a Spyderco Navigator. Unfortunately, my phone conversation with the knife dealer revealed that he was fresh out of Navigators. Remembering a person who touted his Military quite highly, I changed my order, not even knowing the difference between a Navigator and a Military. Its just a funny looking jack knife, I said to myself. How different could it be?
Well, when the order arrived, the Military almost scared me out of my skin!!! Besides being twice as large as any pocketknife Id ever held, the thing looked like Frankenstein dressed in black. This was one seriously vicious looking piece of equipment. Compared to the diminutive and classy looking Columbia River, the Military had the appearance of some long extinct dinosaur, which had died in a terrible state of disfigurement. I was decidedly revolted and unimpressed. Somebody had even forgotten to polish the handle scales, and there were none of those thick steel liners beneath the G10. I truly felt kind of ripped off, having paid twice as much for the Military as I had for the Columbia River. Sure it was bigger than the CRKT, but I could see nothing redeeming about the knife.
You know what happens when an outdoorsman doesnt like a knife, dont you? It becomes the dreaded fishing knife. Thats right. It becomes the knife that gets left in the creel with the slimy trout. Its the knife that gets put away, both wet and bloody. The fishing knife eventually dies a death of rust and a broken blade tip, if it isnt forever lost at the bottom of some deep lake. Nobody loves the fishing knife, and for good reason. Only disappointments become the fishing knife. The fishing knife is a disposable blade. The Military became my fishing knife. I figured that it would go the way of the dinosaur that it so greatly resembled, and then Id get to buy a better knife.
But something strange happened during that first year. For some bazaar reason, the Military didnt die. I left it to rust. I used it to saw through fish heads on concrete boat landings and rocks. I did everything I could to destroy it in a constructive and sportsmanlike way, but death eluded the Military at every turn. I went on to purchasing other fine tacticals during this time, and continued to leave the Military to its certain fate, even if it was taking a little longer than Id expected. But something occurred during the knifes second fishing season, which was completely unexpected. I began to rely on the Military. Frankenstein had actually earned my trust, surviving the worst imaginable jobs I could throw at it. I dare say that I actually grew to prefer using the Spyderco Military, pulling it from my tackle box for other hard jobs. As much as I liked certain features of other knives in my possession, the Military felt most like the complete package. It had no single characteristic that intrigued me, but possessed more of a uniformity of features, each one contributing to a whole.
Okay. Thats enough storytelling for this review. Lets dig into this unusual tactical folder, and see what really makes it tick. Well take a gander at different aspects of the Military, and see how each part of the design adds up to one incredible folding knife.
First off, the G10 handle is quite large. I cant really imagine anyone saying that the Military is too small for their hand, as the handle is noticeably larger than those of other large tactical folders. The handle of the Military is big enough to provide a comfortable and secure grip, even while wearing leather work gloves. Yet at the same time, the overall thickness of the knife is thin enough to comfortably fit in my pocket. As I mentioned previously, the G10 has been left with a very coarse finish. While not exactly aesthetically pleasing, the coarse finish does provide for a rather remarkable grip. Ive only experienced this amount of grip security with canvas micarta, but the G10 is much more comfortable and less rough on the hands. The ergonomics of the handle design are first rate, possessing a very natural contour to the grip. Your hand locks onto this knife like a vise, with little chance of letting go unintentionally.
Not content with just comfort and grip security, it appears that Spyderco went one step further, and tried to add as much versatility and safety to the knifes shape as possible. In the open position, the Military allows for two distinct grips. The main grip allows for a large amount of leverage on the blade. This grip also places your hand at a distance from both the blade and the substrate, in order to keep your hand from getting in the way of the cut. In other words, you wont get friction burns on your knuckles when cutting carpet with the Military.
The second grip is created by both the handle and the blade, allowing you to choke up on the knife, with your index finger in the choil. This feature presents three unique advantages that I can think of. Obviously, choking up on the blade in this way allows for nicely controlled small cuts. The closer you place your hand to the tip of the knife, the better control youll have. This grip also adds a nice measure of safety, creating a ricasso at the pivot. If the lock were to ever fail while handling the knife in this grip, your hand would have to slip upward on the blade to be cut. And last but not least, gripping the knife at the choil makes the Military look smaller in your hand. This may not sound like a big deal, but it will be on the day you have to cut something in front of your grandmother.
Deep traction grooves have also been added to the thumb ramp of the blade, just behind the opening hole. These notches are more aggressive then Ive found on any other knife, possibly to the point of being too aggressive. While they do keep my thumb from slipping, they can be a little uncomfortable when the knife is clipped to your pocket. Theyve produced more than a few scrapes on the back of my hand when reaching for change. If you plan on carrying the Military in your pants pocket, I recommend devoting the pocket solely to its carry. Those deep notches do come in handy when wearing gloves though. The notches transfer through leather gloves, right into your thumb, for a maximum amount of control and security.
The lock on the Military has long been a source of controversy. At first glance, it appears to be just another liner lock. And we all know the reputation of the liner lock. Weve been told for years that liner locks are prone to failure and premature wear, and these statements have often been true. Sal Glesser, the genius behind Spyderco, made some very nice refinements to the liner lock design, increasing both its level of safety and its durability. The Military uses what is called a nested liner lock, where the lock bar actually sits in a recessed area of a G10 scale. This evolution of the liner lock removes the locks most common point of failure, the pins that traditionally hold the liner to the scales. By nesting the liner lock, all forces are spread out to the scales, greatly improving the overall strength of the lock. An added bonus of nesting the lock into the G10 scales is a greatly reduced overall thickness of the knife. Also, with a single nested liner, the weight of the Military has been kept to a bare minimum.
To eliminate vertical blade play, the Military features an eccentric pivot pin. The pivot pin is fitted on each knife before leaving the factory, to create a minimum of blade play. As a side benefit, the pin can be readjusted at a later time, to help compensate for lock wear. While I havent yet had any need to make use of this feature, it is comforting to know that my knife is built for the long haul. I will mention though that Spyderco asks users to send in their knife, should the pivot need to be adjusted. The company uses a specially designed tool to fit the pivot properly, and does not make this tool publicly available. Spyderco wishes to ensure that all lock adjustments are made by trained professionals.
Okay. Now for the most important part, the blade. The 4 inch long modified clip point blade has a large opening hole, allowing the knife to easily be opened with gloved hands. The blade is flat ground from a 5/32 thick piece of CPM S60V (known to most of us as 440V), and has a thin pointy tip. Ive heard some people express worry that the tip of the Military is ground too thin. Ive had no problems with the tip, and have actually come to greatly enjoy the utility value of the exceptional point. Overall, Ive found the blade shape of the Military to be almost perfect for many outdoor jobs and utility chores.
Initially, I was more than impressed by the blades ability to hold an edge. Even with regular use, the edge lasted much longer than I had experienced on most other knives in my collection. The blade was also remarkably rust resistant. I had no problems whatsoever until it came time for the Militarys first sharpening session. My attempt at sharpening 440V was a miserable failure, as were subsequent sharpenings. While I did manage to get the knife pretty sharp, my SharpMaker 204 was never able to get the knife as sharp as it was the day I got it. I finally ended up taking 400 grit wet/dry paper to the blade, and convexing the edge bevel, much the same as the edge of a Sebenza is convexed. This method sharpened the blade beautifully, and produced another side benefit. The convexing actually thinned out the edge, increasing the performance of the blade, and maintained most of its initial strength. By the time you read this review, sharpening should no longer be an issue. Spyderco is now in the progress of changing the blade steel of the Military over to S30V, which should prove to be much easier to sharpen.
When it all comes down to making the cut, the Military has proven to be an invaluable part of my knife collection. While I generally prefer a fixed blade in the outdoors, my frequent canoe and boat trips have almost necessitated the use of a folding knife on many occasions. Im also not afraid to admit that folders are just a whole lot more handy to carry than fixed blades. And while the Military is not pretty or harmless looking, the sheer utility value of the design has elevated it to a strong part of my everyday carry rotation. The Military has earned my trust in the hardest way possible, and continues to impress me. This isnt just some disposable fishing knife, as Id previously thought, but an incredible sum of many fine parts, and built for a lifetime of hard yet enjoyable use. Ill go as far as to say that the Spyderco Military is the most functional production folder Ive yet had the pleasure of using. My only worry about the Military is that people may see it the same way that I first did, and never truly get to appreciate how incredible this knife actually is.
Extended Review of the Spyderco Military
Let me introduce you to an old friend of mine, the Spyderco Military. While it could hardly be called elegant looking, and doesnt exactly brim with social graces, this knife has been a trusted companion on many adventures. My Military was purchased almost by accident, sentenced to a life of agony and despair, and fought its way from the bottom of my pack to earning a place in my heart. If nothing else, this knife presents an interesting story. With a little luck, this review will also illustrate some very interesting design concepts, and how Spyderco has melded them into a simple, no-nonsense utility knife.
The story starts with me looking for a new knife. Id grown up using slipjoints and other traditional knives my whole life, and was in need of a new one. I window shopped at a few local stores, finally concluding that I had no idea what I was looking for. I found quite a few knives in display cases, with vastly different prices, and just couldnt figure out what made one knife better than another. By chance, I also happened by a magazine rack at a newsstand, and picked up my first knife magazines. Wow!!! I was flooded with pocket clips, locks, one-hand opening blades, and different types of steel. I certainly wasnt prepared for this much change in my knife life, but did my best to understand what I read. I eventually turned to the Internet to get a better understanding of these concepts, and got some great advice along the way.
So I jumped forward and placed a mail order, to try out two of these tactical folding marvels. I wanted a small Columbia River and a Spyderco Navigator. Unfortunately, my phone conversation with the knife dealer revealed that he was fresh out of Navigators. Remembering a person who touted his Military quite highly, I changed my order, not even knowing the difference between a Navigator and a Military. Its just a funny looking jack knife, I said to myself. How different could it be?
Well, when the order arrived, the Military almost scared me out of my skin!!! Besides being twice as large as any pocketknife Id ever held, the thing looked like Frankenstein dressed in black. This was one seriously vicious looking piece of equipment. Compared to the diminutive and classy looking Columbia River, the Military had the appearance of some long extinct dinosaur, which had died in a terrible state of disfigurement. I was decidedly revolted and unimpressed. Somebody had even forgotten to polish the handle scales, and there were none of those thick steel liners beneath the G10. I truly felt kind of ripped off, having paid twice as much for the Military as I had for the Columbia River. Sure it was bigger than the CRKT, but I could see nothing redeeming about the knife.
You know what happens when an outdoorsman doesnt like a knife, dont you? It becomes the dreaded fishing knife. Thats right. It becomes the knife that gets left in the creel with the slimy trout. Its the knife that gets put away, both wet and bloody. The fishing knife eventually dies a death of rust and a broken blade tip, if it isnt forever lost at the bottom of some deep lake. Nobody loves the fishing knife, and for good reason. Only disappointments become the fishing knife. The fishing knife is a disposable blade. The Military became my fishing knife. I figured that it would go the way of the dinosaur that it so greatly resembled, and then Id get to buy a better knife.
But something strange happened during that first year. For some bazaar reason, the Military didnt die. I left it to rust. I used it to saw through fish heads on concrete boat landings and rocks. I did everything I could to destroy it in a constructive and sportsmanlike way, but death eluded the Military at every turn. I went on to purchasing other fine tacticals during this time, and continued to leave the Military to its certain fate, even if it was taking a little longer than Id expected. But something occurred during the knifes second fishing season, which was completely unexpected. I began to rely on the Military. Frankenstein had actually earned my trust, surviving the worst imaginable jobs I could throw at it. I dare say that I actually grew to prefer using the Spyderco Military, pulling it from my tackle box for other hard jobs. As much as I liked certain features of other knives in my possession, the Military felt most like the complete package. It had no single characteristic that intrigued me, but possessed more of a uniformity of features, each one contributing to a whole.
Okay. Thats enough storytelling for this review. Lets dig into this unusual tactical folder, and see what really makes it tick. Well take a gander at different aspects of the Military, and see how each part of the design adds up to one incredible folding knife.
First off, the G10 handle is quite large. I cant really imagine anyone saying that the Military is too small for their hand, as the handle is noticeably larger than those of other large tactical folders. The handle of the Military is big enough to provide a comfortable and secure grip, even while wearing leather work gloves. Yet at the same time, the overall thickness of the knife is thin enough to comfortably fit in my pocket. As I mentioned previously, the G10 has been left with a very coarse finish. While not exactly aesthetically pleasing, the coarse finish does provide for a rather remarkable grip. Ive only experienced this amount of grip security with canvas micarta, but the G10 is much more comfortable and less rough on the hands. The ergonomics of the handle design are first rate, possessing a very natural contour to the grip. Your hand locks onto this knife like a vise, with little chance of letting go unintentionally.
Not content with just comfort and grip security, it appears that Spyderco went one step further, and tried to add as much versatility and safety to the knifes shape as possible. In the open position, the Military allows for two distinct grips. The main grip allows for a large amount of leverage on the blade. This grip also places your hand at a distance from both the blade and the substrate, in order to keep your hand from getting in the way of the cut. In other words, you wont get friction burns on your knuckles when cutting carpet with the Military.
The second grip is created by both the handle and the blade, allowing you to choke up on the knife, with your index finger in the choil. This feature presents three unique advantages that I can think of. Obviously, choking up on the blade in this way allows for nicely controlled small cuts. The closer you place your hand to the tip of the knife, the better control youll have. This grip also adds a nice measure of safety, creating a ricasso at the pivot. If the lock were to ever fail while handling the knife in this grip, your hand would have to slip upward on the blade to be cut. And last but not least, gripping the knife at the choil makes the Military look smaller in your hand. This may not sound like a big deal, but it will be on the day you have to cut something in front of your grandmother.
Deep traction grooves have also been added to the thumb ramp of the blade, just behind the opening hole. These notches are more aggressive then Ive found on any other knife, possibly to the point of being too aggressive. While they do keep my thumb from slipping, they can be a little uncomfortable when the knife is clipped to your pocket. Theyve produced more than a few scrapes on the back of my hand when reaching for change. If you plan on carrying the Military in your pants pocket, I recommend devoting the pocket solely to its carry. Those deep notches do come in handy when wearing gloves though. The notches transfer through leather gloves, right into your thumb, for a maximum amount of control and security.
The lock on the Military has long been a source of controversy. At first glance, it appears to be just another liner lock. And we all know the reputation of the liner lock. Weve been told for years that liner locks are prone to failure and premature wear, and these statements have often been true. Sal Glesser, the genius behind Spyderco, made some very nice refinements to the liner lock design, increasing both its level of safety and its durability. The Military uses what is called a nested liner lock, where the lock bar actually sits in a recessed area of a G10 scale. This evolution of the liner lock removes the locks most common point of failure, the pins that traditionally hold the liner to the scales. By nesting the liner lock, all forces are spread out to the scales, greatly improving the overall strength of the lock. An added bonus of nesting the lock into the G10 scales is a greatly reduced overall thickness of the knife. Also, with a single nested liner, the weight of the Military has been kept to a bare minimum.
To eliminate vertical blade play, the Military features an eccentric pivot pin. The pivot pin is fitted on each knife before leaving the factory, to create a minimum of blade play. As a side benefit, the pin can be readjusted at a later time, to help compensate for lock wear. While I havent yet had any need to make use of this feature, it is comforting to know that my knife is built for the long haul. I will mention though that Spyderco asks users to send in their knife, should the pivot need to be adjusted. The company uses a specially designed tool to fit the pivot properly, and does not make this tool publicly available. Spyderco wishes to ensure that all lock adjustments are made by trained professionals.
Okay. Now for the most important part, the blade. The 4 inch long modified clip point blade has a large opening hole, allowing the knife to easily be opened with gloved hands. The blade is flat ground from a 5/32 thick piece of CPM S60V (known to most of us as 440V), and has a thin pointy tip. Ive heard some people express worry that the tip of the Military is ground too thin. Ive had no problems with the tip, and have actually come to greatly enjoy the utility value of the exceptional point. Overall, Ive found the blade shape of the Military to be almost perfect for many outdoor jobs and utility chores.
Initially, I was more than impressed by the blades ability to hold an edge. Even with regular use, the edge lasted much longer than I had experienced on most other knives in my collection. The blade was also remarkably rust resistant. I had no problems whatsoever until it came time for the Militarys first sharpening session. My attempt at sharpening 440V was a miserable failure, as were subsequent sharpenings. While I did manage to get the knife pretty sharp, my SharpMaker 204 was never able to get the knife as sharp as it was the day I got it. I finally ended up taking 400 grit wet/dry paper to the blade, and convexing the edge bevel, much the same as the edge of a Sebenza is convexed. This method sharpened the blade beautifully, and produced another side benefit. The convexing actually thinned out the edge, increasing the performance of the blade, and maintained most of its initial strength. By the time you read this review, sharpening should no longer be an issue. Spyderco is now in the progress of changing the blade steel of the Military over to S30V, which should prove to be much easier to sharpen.
When it all comes down to making the cut, the Military has proven to be an invaluable part of my knife collection. While I generally prefer a fixed blade in the outdoors, my frequent canoe and boat trips have almost necessitated the use of a folding knife on many occasions. Im also not afraid to admit that folders are just a whole lot more handy to carry than fixed blades. And while the Military is not pretty or harmless looking, the sheer utility value of the design has elevated it to a strong part of my everyday carry rotation. The Military has earned my trust in the hardest way possible, and continues to impress me. This isnt just some disposable fishing knife, as Id previously thought, but an incredible sum of many fine parts, and built for a lifetime of hard yet enjoyable use. Ill go as far as to say that the Spyderco Military is the most functional production folder Ive yet had the pleasure of using. My only worry about the Military is that people may see it the same way that I first did, and never truly get to appreciate how incredible this knife actually is.
