I want to start with some bickering, so here is something I would have liked a little different. The first bit of the blade's spine, that part that overlaps with the scales, could really benefit from some jimping.
I do understand (at least I think I do) the decision not to put anything there. An irregularity like a jimped spine could distort the clean look the whole knife sports , but for the sake of my thumb's comfort and orientation, it would have been nice.
Now that we've done away with that, I want to describe my hands on experience. Of course it started with an eyes on experience, when I opened the box and let the knife glide out of the bubble wrap. Lo and behold, its size (remember, I'm unable to judge sizes through the internet) was as I would have hoped. It looked bigger than a small knife, but smaller than a big knife. I slapped the titanium scales into my palm and it felt good, the finish (beadblasted?) is smooth, yet has enough texture to it so the skin has some grip. Closing my hand on it, the thumb went straight to the right spot, hooked into the spydiehole and I knew this would feel good even before I tried to open it. The blade travels smoothly with just enough even friction until it comes to rest in the stopping position with a satisfying click. The 'just enough' friction also comes into play upon closing it up. With the same set of motions I use on the Sebenza, the thumb unlocks the blade while the index finger pushes on the spine. The blade travels smoothly, and there is ample time to remove the thumb from blocking its path. Once unfolded, I get a solid four finger grip. The index is gently nudged into position to rest in the rounded bay between the blade and the opening semicircle and the rest of the fingers fall in place, there's just a hair's breadth of room on the handle behind my pinkie.
The wire clip is a bit tight and it does not really do deep carry, although there's not much of the handle showing.
This has come as a pleasant surprise. It's not a Sebenza, but it catches some of that vibe and translates it well. It feels very high quality. I've handled quite a few Spyderco knives, but I must say that the level of fit and finish is equal or better than on some of the US made models I had.
When holding it, there's quite a lot of metal protruding from your hand, given the weird blade shape.
All the edges are perfectly aligned - or at least done so well that my fingers are unable to detect any imperfections. The spine of the blade lines up with the scales when closed, no edges sticking out anywhere.
That always bugs me on the Bugout. When the knife is closed, there is that weird gap between the blade and the scales - it just seems like they took a note when approving the prototype, but then forgot about it and put it in production.
The Spydiechef does not do such things. The lines are clean and go from end to end, not stopping a quarter inch too early.
The knife enthusiast in me is very happy when I'm using that thing. Up until now, I've found the blade shape very handy and I'm waiting for a moment where I wish for a more traditional blade shape because this one isn't cutting it.
