NEW PRODUCT: Spyderco YoJimbo2

I just stumbled upon 3 at BladeHQ, have at it! They're all yours!

Edit: all gone now. Who scored one!
 
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Got mine in the mail today too, had it pre-ordered at knife center but on Wednesday saw that Knife Works had some in stock so I bought one (cancelled my pre-order), couldn't be happier great knife, love it already
 
It's a great knife! I picked mine up from the Spyderco outlet store, the customer service was great and the knife is perfect!
 
Got mine Saturday. It's an impressive blade, for sure. It's right in the size/weight/carry niche between the Para2 and the Manix 2, but also quite a bit different. I'll have more comments later.
 
I like the wharncliffe style so much, I just orderd a Blackhawk Be Warned, to ride along with the Yo. :p
 
Here's my take on the Yojimbo after two full days of carry and a couple hundred times of opening and closing it.

The knife is really comparable in blade length to the Para 2. It appears to be a couple of milimeters shorter. (These are all published specs so no surprises here or anything). Weight and carry wise, it falls between the Para2 and the Manix 2.

In fact, the wharncliffe blade styling and the unique blade spine shape and handle are the reasons you will or won't want this knife in addition to (or instead of) the Para2. In terms of size, price, and carry options, it's otherwise in line with the Para2. But if you like a wharncliffe blade, it's a very attractive knife.

Note that the blade spine actually declines into a little valley past the handle. Nearly all Spydercos rise to a "hill" just after the handle, and the thumb typically rests on this rise, with jimping where applicable. The Yo2 is different. There is handle jimping at the end of the handle. But I find this grip to only really work for me if I'm using it as a utility blade above shoulder height. After experimenting with grips I've found the way the knife "wants" to be held is with the thumb extended on the spine into that little non-jimped valley. Michael Janich demostrates this in his YouTube video of the knife. I'd go so far as to say if you don't embrace this grip, you may not be fully comfortable with the knife. The narrowness of the opposite end of the handle is best suited to either this grip, or Filipino style grip.

Also note that the blade spine is totally unjimped. Your thumb does slide on it, but with the valley shape your thumb finds a secure hold. Once used to it, I didn't miss the jimping. Further, with jimping on the blade spine there, there would surely be complaints of the jimping being abbrasive to pants pockets or hands reaching for keys. As above, I think you have to accept this type of grip as perfect for the knife, at least with my size of hands.

Another difference is the Spyder hole is just a bit harder to grab with my thumb-flesh than my Para2 (or others ... I'll use the Para2 here for description, since it's a comparable Golden/G10/Compression lock knife). This has resulted in some missed first attempts to deploy, not that the pivot isn't smooth (it is), but that my thumb slips. It's a minor issue, and one that a couple days of practice has largely mitigated. But I think if I put the knife aside for a while and come back to it, I'll have to relearn to take extra care in placing my thumb in it. I should also point out that I have pretty big hands. I get the feeling that if the Yo2 were 20% larger, it would fit my hand better and the thumb deployment would be easier. I'm not saying the knife feels tiny. But it was probably designed for average adult male hands, and mine are larger than average.

One other niggle, previously noted, is that the compression lock is just a bit harder to unlock than the Para2. Like the deployment issue, it's not the hardware itself that's different, but the issues of getting a digit on the hardware. The cutout for the lock release is a little smaller, making lock release some 25% more difficult than the Para2. With practice I was unlocking it with one hand consistently, but also getting some fingertip soreness from this as my fingertip only got a small amount of purchase on the lock.

As for overall look and feel, the knife is sharp as any Spyderco I've ever gotten, had a dead straight wharncliffe blade, and just feels solid and good. I know it's designed with self defense in mind, but my take on it is that it's a practical utility blade as well and, in fact, doesn't look particularly more aggressive than other Spyderco designs with similar blade sizes. The ~45 degree slope to the tip is well suited for piercing, yet is also reminiscent of box cutters. As I am untrained in weapons tactics, the overall utility of this blade is a big attraction for me, and I'm convinced it will be a good knife for me.
 
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+1 mud shrimp moe. i cant wait to get a hold of my yo2. that blade shape is perfect. the grinding while practical also looks good. everytime i took at the yo2 the first thing that come to my mind is a broken sword. i must love ugly blades bc the yo2, waved e4 and harpy are my favorite spydies.
 
yo23p.jpg
 
Seems a little smaller than I expected, now that I see it next to other knives. Any pics of it closed and in the pocket?
 
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