- Joined
- Dec 27, 2004
- Messages
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Introduction
Let me be upfront about this: I didn't really have much interest in reviewing this knife. There, I said it. I only took it on because it was paired up with the Spyderco Schempp Persian in a two-fer passaround.
(Top to bottom: Spyderco Spyderhawk, Spyderco Schempp Persian)
It's not that it's a bad knife, I'm just not a fan of fully-serrated blades. That's not a mere prejudice, either; it comes from experience. My very first Spyderco, in fact, was a full-SpyderEdge Endura. It cut great, if you can call it that; in most materials, I found I was using it more like a saw than a knife. I found I was using the tiny straight-edge portion of the blade, near the tip, an awful lot. In short, a full-serrated blade just didn't suit my needs. So I bought a partially-serrated Delica, which was also a bit more discrete for office carry, and I was much happier.
Now, before anyone threatens to demonstrate their favorite serrated blades on me, I'll readily concede that for certain tasks, serrations can't be beat: rescue work (seatbelts, clothing), maritime work (ropes, sail cloth), some kitchen work (breads, thin-skinned veggies like tomatoes). But for delicate, precision cutting, carving of wood or other hard materials, or slicing cardboard, they just don't work very well. That's not just my opinion: there's a reason why you don't see serrated skinning knives, serrated whittlers, or serrated box-cutters.
What serrated blades do, they do very well; what they don't, they do pretty badly. Oh well, that's why they make so many different knives, right?
Anyway, I did my best to look at the Spyderhawk with an unjaundiced eye.
First Impressions
I'm not totally unfamiliar with the concept behind the Spyderhawk; besides my old Endura, I nabbed a used stainless Spyderco Merlin a while back, and even tried to EDC it for a spell.
Ironically, the Spyderhawk is essentially the bastid love-child of both of those knives: the blade is a larger version of the Merlin profile, and the handle is from the Endura. No really; if you look closely at the round badge in the center of the grip, it actually says "CLIP-IT / ENDURA". Pretty smart of Spyderco, actually; just design a new blade to fit a handle you're already making by the thousands, and that your customers are already familiar with.
(Top to bottom: Spyderco Merlin Stainless, Spyderco Spyderhawk)
So, it's an Endura-sized Merlin. That leaves it in between the Merlin and Civilian/Matriarch in size, although it's a lot closer in size to the Civvie! Compared to a Delica, for example, it's a real handful.
Vital Statistics:
(Top to bottom: Spyderco Delica, Spyderco Spyderhawk, Spyderco Schempp Persian, Spyderco Endura)
A Closer Look
If you're at all familiar with the Endura, the Spyderhawk holds few surprises.
The pocket clip is identical: reversible left or right, tip-up only, held by a single large coin-slotted screw near the butt. When open, the lightweight FRN handle, together with the big hawkbill blade, keep the balance pretty far forward.
And what a blade it is! Not quite as intimidating as the Civilian, it's still got a feral, vicious look to it. The primary grind is a saber grind, hollow ground from the same 3mm stock as the Endura. The tip isn't as paper-thin as the Civilian, either, since this is a utility knife, not a last-ditch I-don't-care-if-the-tip-breaks defensive weapon. The trademark SpyderEdge serrations extend to within a quarter inch of the tip; personally, I wish they'd left a little more straight edge somewhere, preferably at the tang end, for those times when serrations aren't the right tool for the job.
The lock is, of course, the same "back lock" as the Endura. (See a pattern here?) It's the newer style, with the Boye Dent in the lockbar to avoid accidental release and help you find the lock by feel alone. Lock-up is solid as a rock.
In Use
The Spyderhawk clips to the pocket like you'd expect. It's very light for its size, like all Spyderco's FRN models. However, it's very big in the pocket; the severely arched spine causes the blade to protrude quite a ways from the handle when closed. In fact, the entire edge doesn't even fit inside the handle: if you hold it up to the light, you'll see a few small gaps in the serrations! This isn't a problem, though; due to the thickness of the handle, it's hard to imagine how anything larger than pocket lint could find its way to that tiny bit of exposed edge.
(Spyderco Spyderhawk, folded)
The Spyder Hole is well clear of the already-thin handle, so it's very easy to open. The grip isn't as ergonomic as Spyderco's newer designs like the Calypso Jr. or Manix, but it's in no way uncomfortable, either. The hump over the opening hole offers the same thumb-ramp as the Endura, to prevent the hand sliding forward under force. The ricasso is smaller than the Endura's, though, so you can't "choke up" on the blade for detail work, like you can with the Endura. But then again, this knife isn't really intended for detail work.
To test the cutting ability of the Spyderhawk, I started out with something it's ideally suited for: rope. The hawkbill blade is ideal for pull cuts through cordage: hook the rope with the edge near the tang, and just pull. Lighter cords are cut easily with the first inch or two of serrations, but as you pull the concave edge attacks the material more and more aggressively, making short work of all but the toughest line.
I started with sisal twine, then moved to 550# paracord, then 1/4" polyester rope. The lighter stuff was trivially easy to cut. The polyester wasn't bad, if it was held tight, otherwise, it could hang up in the serrations. Still, it cut through faster and easier than a plain-edge would.
Cardboard was difficult. The thinner stuff could be cut fairly easily by "hooking" it in the first serration, just behind the tip. But using such a small section of edge exclusively will dull it very quickly, causing it to bind and tear rather than cut. Thicker corrugated cardboard was impossible to cut other than by sawing through it.
Just for kicks, I tried stabbing it into some cardboard; the severely down-turned tip required a rather unnatural motion to get the right angle. Besides, the thin tip is pretty weak for stabbing.
Serrated edges are useless for whittling, so I didn't even try. I did try the Spyderhawk on thin, soft wood -- a pine paint stirrer -- which succumbed only to sawing. Even so, the saw blade of my Leatherman Wave cut the same stick much faster, and without binding.
Conclusion
So, is the Spyderhawk for you? If you work primarily with ropes, strapping or cordage, perhaps. But for marine use, something in Spyderco's Salt line, with their better corrosion resistance, might be a better choice. For self-defense, the Spyderhawk could serve as a cheaper alternative to the Spyderco Civilian; it's certainly capable of some nasty slashing wounds, even though heavy clothing.
However, as a general purpose knife, it's a bit too specialized. Get one only if you have need for it's unique capabilities.
Let me be upfront about this: I didn't really have much interest in reviewing this knife. There, I said it. I only took it on because it was paired up with the Spyderco Schempp Persian in a two-fer passaround.
(Top to bottom: Spyderco Spyderhawk, Spyderco Schempp Persian)
It's not that it's a bad knife, I'm just not a fan of fully-serrated blades. That's not a mere prejudice, either; it comes from experience. My very first Spyderco, in fact, was a full-SpyderEdge Endura. It cut great, if you can call it that; in most materials, I found I was using it more like a saw than a knife. I found I was using the tiny straight-edge portion of the blade, near the tip, an awful lot. In short, a full-serrated blade just didn't suit my needs. So I bought a partially-serrated Delica, which was also a bit more discrete for office carry, and I was much happier.
Now, before anyone threatens to demonstrate their favorite serrated blades on me, I'll readily concede that for certain tasks, serrations can't be beat: rescue work (seatbelts, clothing), maritime work (ropes, sail cloth), some kitchen work (breads, thin-skinned veggies like tomatoes). But for delicate, precision cutting, carving of wood or other hard materials, or slicing cardboard, they just don't work very well. That's not just my opinion: there's a reason why you don't see serrated skinning knives, serrated whittlers, or serrated box-cutters.
What serrated blades do, they do very well; what they don't, they do pretty badly. Oh well, that's why they make so many different knives, right?
Anyway, I did my best to look at the Spyderhawk with an unjaundiced eye.
First Impressions
I'm not totally unfamiliar with the concept behind the Spyderhawk; besides my old Endura, I nabbed a used stainless Spyderco Merlin a while back, and even tried to EDC it for a spell.
Ironically, the Spyderhawk is essentially the bastid love-child of both of those knives: the blade is a larger version of the Merlin profile, and the handle is from the Endura. No really; if you look closely at the round badge in the center of the grip, it actually says "CLIP-IT / ENDURA". Pretty smart of Spyderco, actually; just design a new blade to fit a handle you're already making by the thousands, and that your customers are already familiar with.
(Top to bottom: Spyderco Merlin Stainless, Spyderco Spyderhawk)
So, it's an Endura-sized Merlin. That leaves it in between the Merlin and Civilian/Matriarch in size, although it's a lot closer in size to the Civvie! Compared to a Delica, for example, it's a real handful.
Vital Statistics:
- Open Length: 8.3" (210mm)
- Closed Length: 4.9" (125mm)
- Blade Length: 3.6" (92mm)
- Cutting Edge: 3.4" (85mm)
- Blade Thickness: 1/8" (3mm)
- Blade Steel: VG-10
- Weight: 3.0 oz. (85g)
(Top to bottom: Spyderco Delica, Spyderco Spyderhawk, Spyderco Schempp Persian, Spyderco Endura)
A Closer Look
If you're at all familiar with the Endura, the Spyderhawk holds few surprises.
The pocket clip is identical: reversible left or right, tip-up only, held by a single large coin-slotted screw near the butt. When open, the lightweight FRN handle, together with the big hawkbill blade, keep the balance pretty far forward.
And what a blade it is! Not quite as intimidating as the Civilian, it's still got a feral, vicious look to it. The primary grind is a saber grind, hollow ground from the same 3mm stock as the Endura. The tip isn't as paper-thin as the Civilian, either, since this is a utility knife, not a last-ditch I-don't-care-if-the-tip-breaks defensive weapon. The trademark SpyderEdge serrations extend to within a quarter inch of the tip; personally, I wish they'd left a little more straight edge somewhere, preferably at the tang end, for those times when serrations aren't the right tool for the job.
The lock is, of course, the same "back lock" as the Endura. (See a pattern here?) It's the newer style, with the Boye Dent in the lockbar to avoid accidental release and help you find the lock by feel alone. Lock-up is solid as a rock.
In Use
The Spyderhawk clips to the pocket like you'd expect. It's very light for its size, like all Spyderco's FRN models. However, it's very big in the pocket; the severely arched spine causes the blade to protrude quite a ways from the handle when closed. In fact, the entire edge doesn't even fit inside the handle: if you hold it up to the light, you'll see a few small gaps in the serrations! This isn't a problem, though; due to the thickness of the handle, it's hard to imagine how anything larger than pocket lint could find its way to that tiny bit of exposed edge.
(Spyderco Spyderhawk, folded)
The Spyder Hole is well clear of the already-thin handle, so it's very easy to open. The grip isn't as ergonomic as Spyderco's newer designs like the Calypso Jr. or Manix, but it's in no way uncomfortable, either. The hump over the opening hole offers the same thumb-ramp as the Endura, to prevent the hand sliding forward under force. The ricasso is smaller than the Endura's, though, so you can't "choke up" on the blade for detail work, like you can with the Endura. But then again, this knife isn't really intended for detail work.
To test the cutting ability of the Spyderhawk, I started out with something it's ideally suited for: rope. The hawkbill blade is ideal for pull cuts through cordage: hook the rope with the edge near the tang, and just pull. Lighter cords are cut easily with the first inch or two of serrations, but as you pull the concave edge attacks the material more and more aggressively, making short work of all but the toughest line.
I started with sisal twine, then moved to 550# paracord, then 1/4" polyester rope. The lighter stuff was trivially easy to cut. The polyester wasn't bad, if it was held tight, otherwise, it could hang up in the serrations. Still, it cut through faster and easier than a plain-edge would.
Cardboard was difficult. The thinner stuff could be cut fairly easily by "hooking" it in the first serration, just behind the tip. But using such a small section of edge exclusively will dull it very quickly, causing it to bind and tear rather than cut. Thicker corrugated cardboard was impossible to cut other than by sawing through it.
Just for kicks, I tried stabbing it into some cardboard; the severely down-turned tip required a rather unnatural motion to get the right angle. Besides, the thin tip is pretty weak for stabbing.
Serrated edges are useless for whittling, so I didn't even try. I did try the Spyderhawk on thin, soft wood -- a pine paint stirrer -- which succumbed only to sawing. Even so, the saw blade of my Leatherman Wave cut the same stick much faster, and without binding.
Conclusion
So, is the Spyderhawk for you? If you work primarily with ropes, strapping or cordage, perhaps. But for marine use, something in Spyderco's Salt line, with their better corrosion resistance, might be a better choice. For self-defense, the Spyderhawk could serve as a cheaper alternative to the Spyderco Civilian; it's certainly capable of some nasty slashing wounds, even though heavy clothing.
However, as a general purpose knife, it's a bit too specialized. Get one only if you have need for it's unique capabilities.
