Here you go...
Like many others today, my Captain arrived this morning. Postman rang my doorbell just as I was getting ready to leave for work, which left me with just enough time to flip the clip and take it to work with me to put it through the paces.
My pictures, as always, will suck, but I included several comparison shots, some in hand shots, and one particular comparison shot that needs an explanation(more on that later)
Ok, on to the fun part.
Specs:
Overall Length: 7-3/16 (183mm)
Closed Length: 4-1/8 (105mm)
Blade Length: 3-1/16 (78mm)
Edge Length: 2-15/16 (75mm)
Blade Thickness: 1/8" (3mm)
Blade Width: 1 1/4" forward of the hole (32mm)
Blade Steel: VG-10
Hole Diameter: 1/2" (13mm)
Handle Material: G-10
Lock Type: Liner Lock
Liner Thickness: 3/64" (1mm) give or take
Overall Thicness: 15/32" (12mm)
Weight: 4.75oz (136g)
And some general pictures.
Handles:
G-10 scales over top of skeletonized steel liners. As has come to be expected from Spyderco's G-10, the scales are extremely grippy, almost too grippy. It takes quite a bit of effort to extract the Captain from the pocket because of the G-10 texture, which may be a minor complaint for some, but the G-10 will smooth out a little with use. Given a few weeks, if that, the scales will be the perfect texture, and stay that way for the life of the knife.
Clip Placement:
While the Captain is far from being fully ambidextrous, I do appreciate the chance to at least have the option of carrying it. The Captain features a four way clip option, featuring a similar clip to the Military(triangular screw setup, with a hole for adjusting the pivot). Clip tension is tight, as was expected, and combined with the rough texture of the G-10, makes extraction difficult. Again, this is a minor complaint, and personally I prefer it this way. I'd rather have the knife tight at first, and loosen a little, than fall out of my pocket the same day I receive it. For those looking to change the clips, the screws are T-6 Torx head screws. No loctite was present.
It also bears mentioning that in my opinion, the Captain looks good with a four way clip option. The knife itself has a very utilitarian, industrial look, and the extra holes enhance that look. I'm tempted to get some extra screws from W+R to fill the extra holes, as I think that would look very nice.
Blade:
Here's the meat of the review, and the part most of you probably skipped right to.
The Captain has a very unconventional blade shape, but after working with it today, I am quite convinced that it is very well thought out. Without a doubt it's one of the most ugly blades I've ever seen, I can't argue that, but it's a Spyder, and that means that form follows function.
The blade also defies being categorized. I can't call it a recurve, because it doesn't cut like one. I can't call it a Tanto, because the tip doesn't pierce like one. All I can say is the blade of the Captain is, well, unique. It looks like both of those previously mentioned blades at first glance, but in use it performs far better than both.
For the purposes of this review, I'll call it a "Chisel Nosed Hawkbill". Now that you're all thinking "what the..." let me explain. The blade itself has two distinct grinds. The first is the curved section of the blade, which I think of of as the Hawkbill section, and it is hollow ground. I call it the Hawkbill section because the curve very closely matches that of a true Hawkbill, more so than a standard recurve. Here's a picture of my Tasman Salt on top of the Captain. Note the similar curves in the blade. The curvature is nearly identical, and as such, the blade cuts like a Hawkbill, and not a recurve.
Before moving on to the "Chisel" section, let me also specify that the point on the blade where the two grinds meet has all the strengths that a Hawkbill tip does, controlled shallow cutting in particular comes to mind.
The second section of the blade, what I call the Chisel Nose, has some belly to it, and is flat ground. As a result, the tip is VERY strong. You can perform skinning type cutting with this section of the blade, but given the small length of blade, it's not very efficient. However, there is a reason I call this part of the blade the Chisel Nose, because that's what it excels at.
Some of you may recall that I use knives as icepicks routinely at work. The Captain was superb at this type of work. The tip showed no damage at all from contact with ice, or even when the ice broke and the tip made contact with stainless steel walls. This part of the blade made an excellent chisel for scraping ice, and it did not harm the blade at all. This blade is one heck of a workhorse.
If any blade was made for utility, it's the Captain. I'm sure it has it's self defense useages, but this knife feels born to be abused on a day to day basis. The tip is very strong, but it likely won't have good penetration due to it's thickness relative to more SD oriented knives.
This is a great blade to have at work.
Ergonomics:
Superb. The Captain allows me a full four finger grip quite comfortably. It's works wonderfully in forward grip, and ok in reverse grip. If the butt of the knife were rounded a little bit more, it would feel more natural in reverse grip. Edge in grips are horrible. Forward grip is the best, in my opinion. The forefinger choil is mandatory though. The Captain feels awkward if the choil is not used.
Another noteworthy feature is that the Captain also features an "Indexing Thumb Ramp" similar to Chad's Lava. The G-10 slopes down leading into the thumb ramp, which creates a depression akin to a choil for the thumb. It's situation in such a way as to work in tandem with the finger choil for really great blade control. This is a feature I'd like to see on as many knives as possible.
Here are some in hand pics.
Construction:
All screw construction, which will keep the tinkerers happy. The Captain can be disassembled to your heart's content. I did not do so, so I'm not sure if the scale screws have loctite, or if the lanyard or pivot screws are press fit. Disassemble at your own risk. For those interested. The scales screws are T-6 Torx head, and the pivot is T-10.
Washers are Nylon, which account for the buttery smooth action out of the box, but of course there will be those who will immediately swap them out for Phosphor Bronze. There was no bladeplay at all out of the box. Not even a hint.
The liner fully engages the tang just slightly left of center, where it's supposed to be(not that barely touching the tang thing that some prefer) and has plenty of room to move.
Overall Impression:
The Captain is built strong, but is much lighter than it looks. It doesn't feel like almost 5 oz of weight, it feels more like a slightly heavier Delica. It's not a fighting knife, but it is quite possibly one of the better work knives available.
This is the first liner lock I've had in quite a long time, and I'll admit I'm impressed with it. It's quite solid, and doesn't leave me worrying about my fingers, but it's very difficult to close for me(right or left handed). I expect that it's simply my own lack of practice though, rather than any design flaw. We'll see if I learn in the next few weeks.
Here are some size comparison pics.
Will I keep it?
For now? Yes. It's unusual, and I like that in a knife. It's a great knife and it works well for my uses, but the real test will be how easily it sharpens when I have to do so. Hawkbills aren't that tough for me, but knives with a lot of belly are tough for me. The Captain will definitely test my sharpening ability with the Chisel Nose section. I'm fairly confident I can sharpen it well, but if I find it to be too difficult.
It'll also help if I can get used to this whole liner lock business.
Hope you all found this review informative, enjoy.
