My Dodo has arrived.

S

stevekt

Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
2,074
After 2 weeks my new blue plain edge Dodo has arrived. My first impressions of the knife are very good. Lock up is solid with no play at all, none. I don't think I own any other folders with no blade play. Opening and closing was a breeze earlier today but since I've been playing with this knife all day long my hand is now sore. My Endura now feels like a long, clumsy, awkward knife compared to the Dodo with its short curved blade. The ball bearing lock is a simple effective design and looks pretty cool as well.

The blue G10 is very nice, much nicer than "tactical" black. The surface texture and finger grooves make for an excellent slip-free grip. The bright blue along with the comical blade and handle shape make for a very friendly yet utilitarian looking knife. I showed the knife to my brother and he commented that it "looks like a bird". I would feel very comfortable carrying this knife in the workplace.

So far I've only used the knife on scrap paper and the blade was very sharp right out of the box. The knife will get a good workout on cardboard, plastic strap, packing tape, and shrink wrap when I take it work this weekend.

Two thumbs up for the Dodo.
 
Thanks for the posting. When I first saw the Dodo months ago, I thought Sal had really flipped his lid. :eek: But, over time, it has taken a hold of me in some strange way. Now, I will be ordering a blue plain edge in about a week or so. I will also be posting my impressions as well. Enjoy your Dodo.
 
I would like very much to see a photo of the blue handled Dodo. Please post a photo, thanks
 
You can see photos of the blue Dodo at Spyderco's website or at any of the major online knife sellers' sites.
 
The Dodo is such an amazing design; I actually prefer it over my Yojimbo. It has me looking forward to the Manix.
 
The Dodo has become my primary carry knife on my job. They only allow knives with 2" blades where I work and the Dodo gives a full size handle and an effective blade shape for doing warehouse type work. It excels at cutting cardboard, plastic and twine/rope. The S30V blade is outstanding in the performance arena as it cuts like a razor/laser for a looong time with no touch-up needed. The handle is superbly designed and fits my hand like it was made for ME.

The Ball Lock on my Dodo needed a week's break-in period till it loosened to the point where it is easy to operate one handed. The lock is SOLID and gives me a great deal of confidence in it's performance.

I'll be honest here and say that my first week with it almost had me taking it back to the dealer. The lock was so stiff it was difficult for me to operate and required two hands to do so. This was counter-productive for me in that I need a true one-hand opener/closer on my job. Something told me to stick it out and give it a fair shake before making that 100+ mile round trip to my dealer. I'm glad I did. I started seeing improvement after several days and within a week it was performing the way I needed it to perform.
Now it has become the work knife of my dreams. For years I've wanted a folder that would meet the stringent blade length requirements of my employer while giving me a bigger, better handle to hold onto than you normally find on ALL folders in the ~2" blade range.

I am very pleased that Spyderco stepped up to the plate and provided a cutting tool that meets the needs of people like me who have need of a smaller blade with a hand filling grip.

A job well done folks!
 
I just got mine yesterday and the operation is very smooth. Only thing is that little ball is hard to get a grip on to close it one handed, heck it's hard enough two handed. It's resessed into the handle so much and so smooth it's hard to get a grip on it. I can catch it with my fingernail sometimes to close it one-handed but sometimes I don't have a fingernail. It doesn't feel stiff or anything like that and locks up nice and secure.

I like it other than that. I really like that handle material for some reason, it is nice and grippy. My benchmade axis lock can be operated very easily one handed. I wish the ball bearing lock was easier close like that but it's flatter and the clip is more secure.
 
Just be careful with it. It seems like every time I get a new knife I say to myself "This is the sharpest knife ever" but I don't think it's possible to go sharper than the Dodo. I've cut myself with it effortlessly several times. Just a week ago I was cutting a couple of mats off my Golden Retriever's coat and I overcut one. He's fine, but the Dodo slipped and just barely caught my fingernail. I mean really lightly just sort of dinged it. I look down and I have a 1/4" slice right through my fingernail into the skin below it and it's bleeding! I have never had a knife catch my fingernail and cut all the way through it, especially with such a small amount of force behind it. So, enjoy, but watch that sucker!
 
and this is not a bad thing . . .

First time I saw a Dodo (Blue G10 and PE), I was WTF ! ! ! Well, after chatting with the nice salesman, I took it home.

The grip is fantastic and the more you use the knife, the more you see the design elements shine through. It is a Big knife in a small package. Very sheeple friendly (the bright blue helps a lot) and stupid sharp.

It cuts like a 2 foot razor, the only blade sharper is my Civilian (after a year, that blade still scares me).

First impressions can be quite deceiving with Spyderco knives, however, ownership has never dissapointed.
 
I agree with misque's comments. The Dodo is a great knife for a warehouse type environment. My workplace doesn't have specific blade guidelines but anything other than a box cutter is usually frowned upon. I made a post on the main forum a few weeks ago asking for box cutter alternatives (short blade, long handle) and most recommended the Dodo. I was a bit intimidated at the thought of sharpening the curvey blade but after seeing it in person I think I can handle it.
 
gitarmac,
I've adopted a whole different way of closing the Dodo than any other one-hander I own.
Basically, I seat the butt of the handle in the heel of my hand, grasp the ball with thumb and index finger, pull the ball back and flip the blade closed. Be careful to keep the other fingers curled up or they will bleed! :eek:
This takes a little bit of practice but it soon became second nature for me. I can get the knife out, flick it open, make the cut and flip it closed fast enough to make people do a double take. It's fun to see that "what just happened here?" look on their faces. :D


All the best,
Mike U.
 
I have 2 axis lock BM 705's. One is very easy to hold back the lock and flip open and closed, the other it's a little harder to flip open. I think due to the design it's just easier with the axis lock. I like the flat profile of the ball bearing lock though. I watched that movie and that's basically how I do it with the dodo but it's just way easier with the axis lock. Of course this doesn't really affect the practical use of the knife, I just like to play with them sometimes. I also have a leek that's a lot of fun to open and close. Now THAT'S a sharp dangerous blade! I fileted a knuckle once before I even knew it happened, never felt it. Another time I dropped it on the bed with the blade open and it stuck in the pillow!! I don't use that knife for heavy duty stuff.

The more I look at my dodo the more I appreciate it's design and good looks! What is that design on the blade that looks like a circle with an arrow on it?
 
The instant I saw my first Dodo (on this site, actually), I knew I had to own one. It was so ugly it was beautiful, like a Saab. The name was a stroke of brilliance. But it was the technical innovations--the blade geometry, the ball-bearing lock, and handle design--that made this a must for my collection. The ball lock on mine isn't stiff at all, and the knife opens smoothly with one hand. It's one of my favorites.
 
I have mastered the one-handed dodo opening!! I have also found that it is very easy to open AND close my other spydies with one hand. To close I put my index finger in the blade hole and press the lock with my thumb. One must be very careful to keep digits out of the way of the closing blade.

One night whilst fiddling with my dodo I noticed the ball moved a little. The next night it moved more and I could close it with just my thumb!!! I did this a few times then it seemed to lock up tighter. I was going to send it back to be looked at but it seems OK except for the ball still moves a tad. It kind of bums me out cause I lost confidence in it. I think if I send it back it won't really appear like anything is wrong. I thought about using more to see how it wears but then I would risk sending it back worn. I might have gotten one of the earlier models. I'll probably send it back next week and let the gang at spyderco take a look at it just to ease my mind.
 
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