Matriarch ?'s

[Cutshaw]

I just recently purchased an old-stock Merlin and love the blade. So, now that my interest is piqued in hawkbill blades, I've got a question.

The Civilian, at 4-1/8", is too long for legal carry where I live but I've noticed the discontinued Matriarch is in the same basic design but was manufactured with a locally-legal <4" blade.

On to my question: A few of the descriptions I've found for the Matriarch note a "paper-thin" tip. I've gotten a chance to feel a Civilian and I could live with a tip of that integrity. Was the Matriarch made with a thinner blade/tip?

I realize they are not designed as utility knives but are the Civilian & Matriarchs pretty much the same except for blade length & FRN/G10?

(I've tried searching here and on the Spyderco Forums and haven't really been able to answer my question...)

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ed Ricketts]

Pretty close cousins...yes, that's essentially the difference, & both pretty darn cool. Despite what's been said by Mr. G, and others much more knowlegable than I, I find them very handy for some utility work, like pruning and some other gardening. HOWEVER, you must then be careful of the tip. Yes, if you bang it into a rock, or maybe a nail or some wire along a fencerow, you are much more likely to damage the tip than if you used a merlin. harpy or spyderhawk.
But as long as you don't go crying to spyderco about it later, no reason you can't. I generally use a "regular" hawkbill for those chores now, though, since the Matriarch is kinda scarce.

 

[SIFU1A]

the mat and civvy's tips are about the same,