- Joined
- Jan 17, 2004
- Messages
- 735
After spending a whole bunch of time trying to find my go-forward EDC knife, I ordered a Chaparral, based on the feedback I heard here, as well as hours of time spent watching videos and reading other's reviews. My requirements were pretty simple, as most of my usage is opening stuff and slight food prep, like cutting an apple, etc. I did not want something too large. I know that "large" means different things to different folks, but I was looking for something a tad larger than my Dragonfly-2.
My Chaparral arrived today, so I've only had it in my hands for a few hours. I won't get into specs or anything like that, as you can find that out elsewhere. I was looking for something that was a bit larger than my Dragonfly-2, but not as large as something like a Delica-4. I tried to EDC a Delica, but it was just too damn large for me. Again, this is about "my" situation, as yours will probably be different.
Upon reading countless reviews of the Chaparral, my biggest area of concern was the thickness (or should I say thinness) of the blade. Upon holding the Chaparral in my hands, I no longer have those concerns. Of all the knives I've handled, this is the most comfortable. The grip is nice, the jimping and choil is great and the overall size just fits me nicely. I wear an XL glove, as I have long fingers. The Chaparral fits me very well.
The 1st thing I noticed was although I knew the wire pocket-clip was darkened compared to the DF-2 clip, it was also longer. I wasn't expecting a longer clip. That longer clip, on mine, is not as stout and sturdy as the one on my DF-2 knives. There's a bunch of side-to-side and up-and-down motion. I checked and the attachment screw is tight. That being said, I took one of my DF-2 clips and put it on my Chaparral and prefer it much better, for now. I may revisit the OEM longer clip down the road, but for now, I'm going to keep the shorter/sturdier DF-2 clip on there.
As far as the blade, I absolutely love it. I love the sharpness, I love the thickness/thinness and I absolutely love the shape and look of the blade. This is the smoothest deploying blade that I have on any of my other Spyderco's.
If I had any complaints (again, I've only had this for a few hours), it would be the lack of the Boye Dent and the rectanglish cut-out for the back lock vs. the half-circled cut-out on my DF-2. I've read that the Chaparral doesn't "need" the Boye Dent, however I think it would look much better with it, along with half-circle cutout. I really don't like the looks of it currently, but I don't consider it a deal breaker.
So far, I'm please with this purchase and will start to immediately carry this with me and see how it performs. I have very high hopes that this will be my go-forward EDC knife for quite some time.
Here are some pics (not the best) for size comparison.
Top to Bottom/Left to Right
Kabar Dozier Hunter Folder
Benchmade Mini-Griptillian
Dragonfly-2 G10
Chaparral
Dragonfly-2 FRN
Kershaw OD-2
The Dragonfly-2 FRN is minus its clip, as it's riding on the Chaparral for now. It's difficult to see, but on a couple of the pictures, I have the OEM Chaparral clip just laying off to the side, in order to see the size difference.
My Chaparral arrived today, so I've only had it in my hands for a few hours. I won't get into specs or anything like that, as you can find that out elsewhere. I was looking for something that was a bit larger than my Dragonfly-2, but not as large as something like a Delica-4. I tried to EDC a Delica, but it was just too damn large for me. Again, this is about "my" situation, as yours will probably be different.
Upon reading countless reviews of the Chaparral, my biggest area of concern was the thickness (or should I say thinness) of the blade. Upon holding the Chaparral in my hands, I no longer have those concerns. Of all the knives I've handled, this is the most comfortable. The grip is nice, the jimping and choil is great and the overall size just fits me nicely. I wear an XL glove, as I have long fingers. The Chaparral fits me very well.
The 1st thing I noticed was although I knew the wire pocket-clip was darkened compared to the DF-2 clip, it was also longer. I wasn't expecting a longer clip. That longer clip, on mine, is not as stout and sturdy as the one on my DF-2 knives. There's a bunch of side-to-side and up-and-down motion. I checked and the attachment screw is tight. That being said, I took one of my DF-2 clips and put it on my Chaparral and prefer it much better, for now. I may revisit the OEM longer clip down the road, but for now, I'm going to keep the shorter/sturdier DF-2 clip on there.
As far as the blade, I absolutely love it. I love the sharpness, I love the thickness/thinness and I absolutely love the shape and look of the blade. This is the smoothest deploying blade that I have on any of my other Spyderco's.
If I had any complaints (again, I've only had this for a few hours), it would be the lack of the Boye Dent and the rectanglish cut-out for the back lock vs. the half-circled cut-out on my DF-2. I've read that the Chaparral doesn't "need" the Boye Dent, however I think it would look much better with it, along with half-circle cutout. I really don't like the looks of it currently, but I don't consider it a deal breaker.
So far, I'm please with this purchase and will start to immediately carry this with me and see how it performs. I have very high hopes that this will be my go-forward EDC knife for quite some time.
Here are some pics (not the best) for size comparison.
Top to Bottom/Left to Right
Kabar Dozier Hunter Folder
Benchmade Mini-Griptillian
Dragonfly-2 G10
Chaparral
Dragonfly-2 FRN
Kershaw OD-2
The Dragonfly-2 FRN is minus its clip, as it's riding on the Chaparral for now. It's difficult to see, but on a couple of the pictures, I have the OEM Chaparral clip just laying off to the side, in order to see the size difference.