I seem to like the P'kal

M

MasterExploder

Joined
Jun 2, 2009
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My Spydie collection is only up to 22 so far, but this is 5 of them. :o

The trainer and one knife had some issues, but the Spyderco warranty dept. came through for me and I just got them back today.

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MasterExploder
 
I have a couple and carry one as an EDC - the design is pretty nice overall.

Took the "wave" stud off the EDC - it is positioned wrong IMO.

Maybe get a trainer and switch blades.
 
It does look like the blades will swap out, and I have not seen a red handle P'kal with a live blade.
I still need to get my small hex and torx bits, then I will see how it does.

Has anyone done a Krein regrind on a P'kal? It is already FFG, but he said that he could take it down even more as a slicer.
I wonder if it is worth doing, especially with 4 or 5 other knives like a 154cm Manix 2 PE and a Pacific Salt PE ready to send him that I know will really benefit from it.

Also trying to decide if I should just sell the Manix 2 and get the FFG / carbon scales / S30V steel version. It looks nice.
 
Do you carry the P'kal for self defense, or just as a knife? I've always like the look of it, a Spyderhawk-esque blade, but not so dramatic or large when folded, and a ball lock, but not as large as an M2. I don't know the fighting style at all, or intended to carry for self-defense, or even clipped... Does the handle lend itself well to normal usage for a knife?
 
I would say for defense, or insurance. One of those things I hope to never really use, though I have pulled them out for very light work, being especially careful with the tip.

I don't adhere to any training system, though there are some good points to the reverse edge system, at least it would seem.
The knife is extremely fast to deploy, and is very lightweight, both of which I like. I have never had problems with the wave feature, it works every time so far except on a defective P'kal, and trainer, that are now both fixed. (blades would stay snapped open)

When I can legally carry something like my Rock Salt or fixed-blade Temperance and wear enough clothing for it not to print, then I would certainly prefer that.

For a folder, though, this one is pretty nice. It could be used for EDC, but that thin blade and tip will wear pretty fast with repeated sharpenings.

Just one touch-up to a barely dinged tip on my first P'kal made a difference in the blade length that can be seen.
I would rather EDC and regularly re-sharpen my Native, Delica or Pacific Salt, along with many other sub-$100.00 knife models from Spyderco and other makers which can all be used more heavily than the P'kal without as much worry about damage to the blade, and with a better grip for most uses.
 
Make that, the blades would not stay snapped open, on two out of five examples.

One had a nasty notch in it on the action part of the blade that could be felt while opening the knife, which surprised me a lot, but they all look great now.

I have heard varying reports with Spyderco's warranty department, but I rate them top-notch.
They took care of me and the Spyderco collection is sure to continue growing. Probably not any more P'kals, I may even end up trading one or two of these, but there are a lot of other models.

The Barong may be next.
 
_habit_ said:
Do you carry the P'kal for self defense, or just as a knife? I've always like the look of it, a Spyderhawk-esque blade, but not so dramatic or large when folded, and a ball lock, but not as large as an M2. I don't know the fighting style at all, or intended to carry for self-defense, or even clipped... Does the handle lend itself well to normal usage for a knife?
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I carry mine for EDC, normal uses. I'd rate the knife for medum use, on the heavy side of most daily cutting tasks because of the blade thickness. The blade shape works great on rope, plastic, cardboard, bread, fruit, etc. Not bad whittlin' either.

The handle isn't too bad and I like the "cut-outs" for finger indexing the handle in the hand. It indexes the knife well in a number of holds - nice.

The blade is thin, so it cuts well and will wear faster than a thicker blade. But note that there seems to be a market for thinner blades, as the "Krein regrind" seems to garner some business.

If sharpening shortens the blade - no big deal, as the blade is already a "shorty" in my carry rotation. I prefer an approx. 4-inch plus blade length. So far, I've only had to do touch-ups with the white ceramics.

Not much of a "gee, I carry this for self-defense" type of guy. I carry enough stuff as it is. Practice some basic moves with the knife you carry, be it a slipjoint or whatever.
 
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I am not much of a "gee, I carry this for self-defense" type of guy, nor a "gee, I carry this for EDC" type of guy. I am not much of a gee anything.

I will stand by my statement that this is not a great EDC knife. It works, but the grip alone makes me prefer most of my other folders for this purpose. I usually have at least 2 knives on me and would rather use almost every other folding knife I have for daily cutting tasks.

At the same time, I am positive that if I am forced into a fight for my life and need to use a knife instead of a firearm, that I would rather have a P'kal, or almost any locking knife, over a slipjoint.
This is just common sense, as it is kinda helpful when a knife blade will not close on your fingers, unless you think that locks on knives have no purpose.
 
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The handle is built with the intention of holding the knife with the edge on the side where you usually have the spine.

It is intended for self defense originally of course, but you can use a reverse edge in many other ways. In reverse grip, it's great for opening boxes, when you hold it in a regular "hammer" grip, it's good for severing ropes or cutting through cloth, using a pulling motion. And if you really need to hold the knife with teh edge pointing the orthodox way, that is also possible, even if that's not the original intention.
 
MasterExploder said:
I am not much of a "gee, I carry this for self-defense" type of guy, nor a "gee, I carry this for EDC" type of guy. I am not much of a gee anything.

I will stand by my statement that this is not a great EDC knife. It works, but the grip alone makes me prefer most of my other folders for this purpose. I usually have at least 2 knives on me and would rather use almost every other folding knife I have for daily cutting tasks.

At the same time, I am positive that if I am forced into a fight for my life and need to use a knife instead of a firearm, that I would rather have a P'kal, or almost any locking knife, over a slipjoint.
This is just common sense, as it is kinda helpful when a knife blade will not close on your fingers, unless you think that locks on knives have no purpose.
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The "gee" remark wasn't aimed at you - there was a previous thread where some members alluded to the P'Kal not being useable as an EDC and was for defense only. The topic was how the P'Kal was doing in the hands of users. It appears there are few actual users of the knife.

I apologize for any misunderstanding, but I find such attitudes to be low on logic. There is nothing particularly unique about the P'kal's blade or handle that precludes the use of the knife as a general carry option.

Also, there are those on this forum who state to the affect "all folding knives should be treated as slipjoints, lock or not". This type of statement is usually made when lock reliability or strength is the topic. Such statements usually miss the point of the discussion. We buy a folding knife with a lock because we want a folding knife that locks open - 100% of the time - and stays locked open until we decide to fold it.

If I have to rely on a folding knife for self-defense, I'd prefer it have a reliable and strong lock. But, if one only carries a slipjoint for one reason or another, one should practice with what one carries, as that is only living with reality.

For example: If one lives where a 2.5-inch blade is all one can carry, then one should practice using such a knife or if one lives is a slipjoint only area, practice with one. In Spyderco-land, one should be able to develop techniques suitable for use with a Ladybug or UKPK, as examples.

In my mangerie of knives, the P'Kal isn't that bad for EDC. There are some better options, but then I wouldn't carry a P'Kal if I chose to carry them. I carry multiples, also, but the P'Kal doesn't fill the "sheeple" role very well or the "lightweight extra" role either; that leaves the EDC use role. And the P'Kal does work decently in the short-blade EDC role - where the blade shape is acceptable, anyway.
 
orthogonal1 said:
The "gee" remark wasn't aimed at you - there was a previous thread where some members alluded to the P'Kal not being useable as an EDC and was for defense only. The topic was how the P'Kal was doing in the hands of users. It appears there are few actual users of the knife.

I apologize for any misunderstanding, but I find such attitudes to be low on logic. There is nothing particularly unique about the P'kal's blade or handle that precludes the use of the knife as a general carry option.

Also, there are those on this forum who state to the affect "all folding knives should be treated as slipjoints, lock or not". This type of statement is usually made when lock reliability or strength is the topic. Such statements usually miss the point of the discussion. We buy a folding knife with a lock because we want a folding knife that locks open - 100% of the time - and stays locked open until we decide to fold it.

If I have to rely on a folding knife for self-defense, I'd prefer it have a reliable and strong lock. But, if one only carries a slipjoint for one reason or another, one should practice with what one carries, as that is only living with reality.

For example: If one lives where a 2.5-inch blade is all one can carry, then one should practice using such a knife or if one lives is a slipjoint only area, practice with one. In Spyderco-land, one should be able to develop techniques suitable for use with a Ladybug or UKPK, as examples.

In my mangerie of knives, the P'Kal isn't that bad for EDC. There are some better options, but then I wouldn't carry a P'Kal if I chose to carry them. I carry multiples, also, but the P'Kal doesn't fill the "sheeple" role very well or the "lightweight extra" role either; that leaves the EDC use role. And the P'Kal does work decently in the short-blade EDC role - where the blade shape is acceptable, anyway.
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Well that makes sense to me, sorry if I took it wrong.

Lately I have been carrying a P'kal in one pocket and a native in the other, with a Ladybug on the keychain.
Once in a while the Native is replaced by a Endura, Manix 2, or even an other than Spyderco model such as the Kershaw G10 Tyrade.

While carrying just the Native and P'kal clipped to the pockets, however, the total weight is very low.

Thanks for the explanation.
 
I have wondered about this knife myself.... It looks like a good all rounder to me, in addition to the potential benefits if you need to whip it out in the face of an attack....

Would you say this knife has a thinner, more delicate tip than a Para-Military or Military even? Both those knives have very thin tips.

I have my doubts that S30V would wear that quickly if you are just touching up on fine ceramic.

If you snap the tip off this knife will Spyderco replace it? Does the warranty cover that, if you weren't abusing the knife, like prying with it, for example?

You are aware that this is a folding version of the Shivworks Disciple? If you like it that much you should track a Disciple down. Its a very cool little fixed blade designed by custom maker Trace Rinaldi.
 
Buffalohump said:
I have wondered about this knife myself.... It looks like a good all rounder to me, in addition to the potential benefits if you need to whip it out in the face of an attack....

Would you say this knife has a thinner, more delicate tip than a Para-Military or Military even? Both those knives have very thin tips.

I have my doubts that S30V would wear that quickly if you are just touching up on fine ceramic.

If you snap the tip off this knife will Spyderco replace it? Does the warranty cover that, if you weren't abusing the knife, like prying with it, for example?

You are aware that this is a folding version of the Shivworks Disciple? If you like it that much you should track a Disciple down. Its a very cool little fixed blade designed by custom maker Trace Rinaldi.
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You have me there. One factor is that the P'kal is a relatively expensive knife, for me.
I have 4 plus the trainer, but do not have any folding knife that is more expensive than this one, except for the Lil' Temperance which will get a little more money than a P'kal.
I also have a lot of knives that work nicely for EDC that are less than $50.00, including my Persistence and Tenacious at under $30.00 each, but also lots of models from other companies. I tend to use these for the tasks that are more likely to beat them up.

Gotta agree with the blade steel not wearing too fast. S30V is nice. I managed to ding one tip, my fault, and was dismayed by how much blade length was lost restoring it.
As it was already pointed out, this is a short blade, but i don't want it a lot shorter.:eek:

They would replace a knife with a broken tip if it could be determined to be a factory fault, but I don't know how that would happen.
I guess my main point is that if I do pry something, which happens, I would rather use the tanto point on a CS Voyager. It is less likely to break, and if it does, I am out one CS Voyager instead of a Spyderco P'Kal.
The same with my Native. I paid $37.00 for it and the S30V blade will hold an edge similar to the P'kal and much better than the Voyager.
Not too painful financially if I lose, break, or wear it out. It is the main knife that I use lately.


I try not to drink the Shivworks Koolaid completely, but I do have a Clinch Pick that I found used. I have thought about having it "Krein'd".
If I can find a used Disciple at a great price I will probably buy it, but at $240.00, it is a little pricey for me, for a single small blade.
It is also out of stock, and has been since i discovered it, which is probably the true and honest reason that I do not own one.;)
 
Buffalohump, per snapping the tip off a spyderco, been there done that. It's not covered by warranty unless for some reason there is an indication that the blade steel was bad. Just because the user didn't expect the tip to snap is insufficient for a warranty repair. I believe they will regrind it for $20. Second, on replacing the blade, spyderco does not routinely stock parts. Screws and clips they often have, but not blades. If the knife is US made and still in production, you may be able to replace the blade for a fee...otherwise, it's usually SOL.
 
brownshoe said:
Buffalohump, per snapping the tip off a spyderco, been there done that. It's not covered by warranty unless for some reason there is an indication that the blade steel was bad. Just because the user didn't expect the tip to snap is insufficient for a warranty repair. I believe they will regrind it for $20. Second, on replacing the blade, spyderco does not routinely stock parts. Screws and clips they often have, but not blades. If the knife is US made and still in production, you may be able to replace the blade for a fee...otherwise, it's usually SOL.
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I had a similar experience. I was not expecting a warranty repair, the snapped tip was my fault. I don't have a lot of snapped tips, but the ones that have broken have all been my fault, never the steel integrity even on my cheaper knives.
It would really surprise me to find a blade-snapping defect in a S30V blade from Spyderco, or really, any blade coming from Spyderco.

I did pry some heavy staples up out of the way with a knife today. No screwdriver was handy. I would not have used my P'kal to do it, though it would probably have been OK.
Instead I used my Dozier Ka-bar that I picked up for $15.00. Made in Taiwan of less than the best steel, it needs sharpening pretty frequently, but it gets the job done without any risk to a more expensive knife.

Both of my Dozier Ka-Bars are also extremely solid with no wiggle to the blades at all and a very nice grip, it is just a very impressive for a knife at that price.

MasterExploder
 
The handle shape caters to the reverse-in P'kal grip. Other fast deploying knives include the waved models which are more traditionally shaped. You can switch the clip on a Delica/Endura wave and deploy it in the same grip.

First and foremost it's a defense knife for a specific philosophy (hence it's name). It will obviously cut like any other knife for boxes, twine, etc.

There are also people carrying Kerambits for EDC tasks. The fact is that a properly designed "traditional" blade will out-cut either for daily tasks because it didn't have to budget a specific grip over normal ergonomics. I can cut paper with a pair of left-hand scissors in my right-hand but it won't usually do as well and will be a bit ackward under heavy load.

By "traditional" blade in this case I am referring to a standard Hawkbill as both the Kbit and P'kal are closer towards that designation than any other. In saber/hammer grip I would give the crossbill, superhawk, tasman/harpy, civilian/matriarch, or Spyderhawk (soon to be released!) kudos over either forementioned blade because the ergos are being used in a normal way.
 
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Snagblade said:
The handle shape caters to the reverse-in P'kal grip. Other fast deploying knives include the waved models which are more traditionally shaped. You can switch the clip on a Delica/Endura wave and deploy it in the same grip.

First and foremost it's a defense knife for a specific philosophy (hence it's name). It will obviously cut like any other knife for boxes, twine, etc.

There are also people carrying Kerambits for EDC tasks. The fact is that a properly designed "traditional" blade will out-cut either for daily tasks because it didn't have to budget a specific grip over normal ergonomics. I can cut paper with a pair of left-hand scissors in my right-hand but it won't usually do as well and will be a bit ackward under heavy load.

By "traditional" blade in this case I am referring to a standard Hawkbill as both the Kbit and P'kal are closer towards that designation than any other. In saber/hammer grip I would give the crossbill, superhawk, tasman/harpy, civilian/matriarch, or Spyderhawk (soon to be released!) kudos over either forementioned blade because the ergos are being used in a normal way.
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I agree with this. If someone wants to use it for EDC, I will not fault them for it. For my uses, I agree that the no-compromise grip is superior. I just bought a Tasman Salt.
The H1 steel of the tasman salt will not hold an edge as long as S30V, but I like it for a short, curved blade and 3 ounces total weight is cool.
Of course it never rust either.:thumbup:

The only problem is deciding what to rotate with. I started 2009 with 9 knives; a vintage family fixed-blade, 5 Spydercos, a Buck Nighthawk and two Cold Steel Voyagers.
The daily carry choices were easy back then.

The year is ending with a much larger selection to choose from, I have lost count. Probably 40+ knives total and 23 Spydercos so far.

I haven't carried my poor old G-2 Enduras in a while, but they are ready to go any time. :D
 
Yes the question of what to rotate is bothering sometimes. Getting dressed was easier back before I started carrying a knife (actually easier before knife #2, and so on, lol).

The P'Kal is a great sum of all parts type of knife (g10, S30v, blade shape, wave, etc). it's also a very interesting concept and nice that it has a bit of flair to it. For all matters aside, it will cut and poke about as good as any other knife and for most of us do it's daily duties without question. Mine usually include cutting tags, opening envelopes, or occasionally opening a UPS box.

Ultimately it's what makes you smile that gets carried and not everyone has to "get it". My father in law cant figure out my selection of Spyderco knives and I roll my eyes at his MacGyver sized Swiss Army Knife.

I think they should also make a traditionally griped P'Kal as well. I LOVE the blade shape, lock and wave much more than my D4 Wave.
 
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