Pygmy Warrior

245Trioxin

245Trioxin

Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Messages
279
I haven't seen many reviews on this blade. Any issues with sharp edges, for a knife with a lot of fanfare there's not much info or reviews.
 
I don't like the steel in n the Pygmy and I already have the warrior in H1, which I hated at first but since H1 work hardens, over time and use and sharpening it has become an awesome knife. The H1 warrior has same lack of interest and reviews as the Pygmy. Maybe because each knife is obviously a combat knife and has very little practical use for EDC, hence no reports on them as I imagine even fewer people have ...uh, tested these knives (not like you can test these the same way as an average EDC knife). As much as I now love my H1 warrior, its versatility in practical use is next to nil and I usually carry my Bradley Bowie or South Fork for both self defense and a more diversified spectrum of uses...not to mention in WAY better steels.
Cool knives though so who cares if they have garnered no publicity or praises from the general knife community.
 
Some users have complained about the sharp edges digging in their hand. And usually no publicity or fanfare means discontinued model.
 
I'm not sure about the Pygmy. I live 200 yards away from Spyderco and visit very frequently. Since I had already purchased the H1 warrior I thought I'd take a look at the Pygmy, as soon as I found out what steel it was I didn't even bother to hold it. As far as the full size warrior, it is one of the most comfortable blades to handle and I've found no hot spots in my hand....I even recently posted how I don't like g10 unless handle ergos are spot on, and the warrior definitely fits that requirement. If the Pygmy was at least vg10 then I'd have given a hoot, but pygmys steel simply is below my standards. My only real complaint about the Spyderco version of the warrior is those damn stupid serrations instead of the saw tooth as the original was designed....I loathe serrations and have and will continued to NOT get certain "desirable" spyderco or any other maker if it only comes in an SE version.
 
Oh and as far as being discontinued, last time I went to the factory is was still in cases and not the discontinued case....whatever that means to you. I suppose it will be discontinued as the warrior and was recently axed and is for sale on Spyderco website as such and is now displayed in the discontinued case. (Discontinued case also houses dealer returned blades so I got the new Bradley Bowie at a huge discount...only thing is it's lasered with dealers number, but that number is a special prime number, 161, so discount and cool prime = my knife). I was gonna get the new proficient cuz I just have to have, but I may wait till one is in the "banished" case for a great price...and maybe another cool number. Heck I may even get another warrior outta that case cuz 2 is better than 1.
 
Catabis said:
My only real complaint about the Spyderco version of the warrior is those damn stupid serrations instead of the saw tooth as the original was designed....I loathe serrations and have and will continued to NOT get certain "desirable" spyderco or any other maker if it only comes in an SE version.
Click to expand...

Just curious, if you thought the serrated edge was stupid, what did you intend to use the original saw teeth for if those had been on the knife? Because you can't really saw things with them very well, or can you? With the serrated edge, you at least have a really good back edge for cutting rope.

I really liked the cleaned up design of the Spyderco Warrior compared to the original and I was actually considering getting the Pygmy, but the sharp G10 kinda put me off and I didn't see so much use for those saw teeth.
 
The original warrior design had saw teeth. Not for sawing but for limb trapping similar to how, say an alligator uses its teeth, to hold on to prey. The saw teeth used as a trapping mechanism "bite" into clothing or flesh to hold an arm, hand, yada yada so as to make getting out of the hold more difficult and to make holding the trap more securely and easier. The Spyderco warrior was updated by an Israeli army guy and he implemented the serrations for throat cutting and other cutting. Saw teeth are imo are easier to maintain and I've always just disliked serrations all together. Mainly I don't like spyderco version because I would have preferred the design to stay true to original, but is a very minor dislike, otherwise I really love the warrior.
 
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Anyone have any images in hand? And also, is the grip uncomfortable. I understand some of fans of the late Al Mar's design and REKAT'S were disappointed
with this version. As for the offset teeth, these are made to create jagged wounds.
 
I'll look for some but I also forgot to mention that the warrior was deliberately designed to be held in the backhand style so maybe that will help your mental image how the curve of the spine forms a hook much like the praying mantis. So in that hook are the saw teeth, they grab and hold, if it rips and tears flesh then so be it but the primary function was to act as a gripping mechanism. Hope that helps till some images pop up.
 
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I can't seem to find the documentation about the Warriors history that came with my spydie Warrior. It has THE best info about the knife, it's intended use, Michael Echanis' contribution to design and finally images.
To answer your question regarding the Warriors grip NOT the pygmys.....awesome, comfortable, Ergonomically perfect for my size hand. What can I say, yes there are a few things I don't like, such as its a combat specific blade so EDC with a good excuse is improbable (I want to carry daily but damn those knife laws), serrations and finally the sheath. The sheath is superior quality and has room for extra storage, but the securing strap is made of some stretchy material and doesn't unbutton quickly, the blade rattles around inside plastic liner....awesome sheath just not the best for the Warrior...oh well.
Despite my criticisms, I'd buy this blade again and again.
Umma have to go and play with my warrior now...
 
I found my Warrior booklet. Since I don't have image posting ability I will give you a direct quote out of the booklet describing its design shape purposes.

"As noted previously, Echanis' primary contribution to the Warrior design was the suggestion to include serrations on the back of the blade to increase its utility. (Randy) Wanner and (Bob) Taylor ultimately abandoned the idea of cutting serrations in favor of the offset "saw teeth" that grabbed aggressively when the back of the blade was used to hook a weapon or an opponent's limb. The ability to hook and forcefully trap an opponent's limb with the teeth is another distinctive advantage of the design. The fact that the teeth also tend to tear and extend a wound channel when the knife is retracted after a thrust was also found to be beneficial, increasing the combat effectiveness of the Warrior design.
When you grip a Warrior knife in your hand, all these elements come together synergistically. You realize that by simply locking your wrist and using natural, instinctive, gross-motor movements, you are immediately capable of employing the knife with devastating effect. That is exactly the type of confidence and immediate empowerment that Wanner and Taylor wanted our troops to have in a combat knife and the Warrior is still unique in its achievement of those goals."

There you have it. Directly from Spyderco's published booklet, "The Warrior Path: The History, Evolution and Purpose of the Warrior Knife" by Michael Janich.
 
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I've known about the design since the early 90's with Greg Walkers Fighting Knives magazine. I just wanted to know if the current incarnation
is comfortable in the hand, I've read other reviews about sharp edges digging in the hand.
 
I've got a couple of the old REKATs and they're cool knives. I like Spyderco's version as well, haven't tried the Pygmy yet but I like the design enough in general I'll pick one up eventually.
 
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