Kopa Cocobolo Wood Not Special?

Architect said:
It is the very nicest Spyderco clip design since the original Jess Horn. Original, crisp and very attractive.
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True, very true. And sadly, just as with the one on the Jess Horn, placed on a knife which, in a perfect world, would be spared the indignity of having one. Ok, thats personal prejudice at work. However, attractive as it is, it exhibits the same rough edges on the back as the regular ones.

As of now, on my personal scorecard, the Kopa gets "pluses" compared with the Kiwi for:
  • full flat grind
  • larger thumb hole
It gets "minuses" for:
  • the boye dent - fugly enough on an "operator wannabe special", much worse here. Does Sal really think anyone's will "gorilla grip" this one?
  • clip - I know I'm way outnumbered here, but to me it looks out of place on anything aspiring to be labeled a "gent's knife". A nice clipped "eyeglass" style case, sold as an optional accessory would be much better. Even if you like it, it still loses points for "unnecessary roughness".
  • point at top of thumb ramp - built in pocket shredder. Sad, since one of the two prototypes was considerably more rounded, that proto and the UK Pen make me hope the production Kopa might be that way too.
  • leaf shape blade - when Sal first described it as the "big brother to the Kiwi", he neglected to mention that it's daddy was the milkman.
Also, but really unfair to to judge till I've handled at least a couple more, is the roughness along the inside edge of the liners. Have eight Kiwis now, and have handled a couple more that I gave as gifts. Out of all of them only one had one very small "burr" there. That was corrected with a single pass of a fine stone. The inside edge of the liners on what I freely admit is the one and only production Kopa I've handled to date could be described as almost uniformly burred.

Still waiting for the other coco one I ordered to arrive. That one will get "tweaked" for EDC use. This one will stay "as is" since it's part of the Kopa "set" I intend to accumulate.
 
Thank you for the pix. I might have to buy one now!

I like the clip on a sheath idea.
 
The Deacon's pix sold me. I just ordered a Kopa and if it works out like I hope it does, it will fill the small utility gap in my EDC and maybe replace my BM 940. I had been considering a Mnandi for a looong time, but I've never been really in love with the way the Mnandi looks (I'm sure it is an excellent knife), so I've been hesitant to part with the $300+ the Mnandi would cost me.

As far as the Deacon's few criticisms:

-When I first saw a Boye dent, I didn't know the purpose - I just thought it was a bit of extra detailing, so it doesn't have any negative "tactical" associations for me and I think it looks fine.
-I like the clip - modern and elegant.
-I agree that the point on the thumb ramp should probably have been taken down, but I can take care of that in a minute with my Dremel if it's a problem.
-The blade shape doesn't strike me as being great-looking (spear points are my favorite shape), but it does look very useful. Dremeling the thumb ramp may improve the looks a little bit.

Thanks for the photos, and thanks for the knife Sal.
 
I have a cocobolo-handled knife that came almost as light as Deacon's, but over time with regular carry has darkened enough that it is now darker than his Delica box. Cocobolo will do that. Sometimes it is better to start off light colored so when it has aged it isn't too dark.
 
lambertiana said:
I have a cocobolo-handled knife that came almost as light as Deacon's, but over time with regular carry has darkened enough that it is now darker than his Delica box. Cocobolo will do that. Sometimes it is better to start off light colored so when it has aged it isn't too dark.
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You wouldn't happen to have any before and after pictures, or even possibly after pictures of the darkened Cocobolo? :D
 
Sorry, I don't even have a digital camera (still waiting for one that I can afford that will take pictures as good as my Leicaflex with slow film). The knife started almost as light as the pictured Kopa, now it is a nice, deep reddish brown, a little darker than the pictured 25th anniversary box. I actually like it better now than when it was new. I also have another cocobolo-handled knife that started out looking like that 25th anniversary box, but is now much darker, it is hard to see the grain on it. Perhaps I have a lot of oils in my skin that darken wood quickly.

I collect antique slipjoints, and a common misperception among the unitiated is that if it is practically black, it must be ebony. A lot of the old cocobolo has aged to the point of being almost reddish black. The more that it is carried and handled, the darker it will get. You can coat it with superglue or lacquer to protect it, but cocobolo is too oily to take a lot of the popular finishes used on wood.
 
My 2nd Kopa in Cocobolo arrived today, and I'm as happy with it as I was with the first. The scales are slightly darker, but to me (not the expert that many on this forum are, but somewhat able to tell what's good, and not), the fit and finish is great! A real winner, I think, Sal! :D :D
 
My wife, Gail, carries the Kopa as her edc. It is considerably darker than when new. I must agree that handling and using the pieces does darken the cocobolo.

I'm afraid you are going to have to "use" your Spyderco. ;)

sal
 
great pic Paul, I just got the hankering for a Kopa after looking at your folder. Looks like a elegant yet sturdy gent's knife, another Spydie on the want list.
 
Just had to say as a follow-up to my post above, that the point on the thumb ramp is fine the way it is. You need to play with it a bit, but it's very ergonomic once you get used to it. The blade shape IS as useful as I expected and the appearance is growing on me. Great new knife.
 
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