SAR/EMS/LEO/FF Spyderco Knives Test

acoldspoon

acoldspoon

Joined
Apr 16, 2003
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Dave H., with the help of the nice folks at Spyderco, has blessed my with a gaggle of Spydercos to play around with this month! Myself and my colleagues in Search And Rescue (SAR) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are going to put these to the test on the Ambulance, on Missing Persons Searches, during Wilderness Medical Training, Search And Rescue training, and K9 training. The knives will spend time on the streets of New York City, Salt Lake City, and the wilds of Moab. Dave, and the folks at Spyderco, I can't thank you all enough. This should be a lot of fun. The knives to be tested include:
Chinook II with partially serrated S30V blade
Stainless Steel Police with fully serrated ATS-55 blade
Spyderhawk with fully serrated VG-10 blade
Assist 2 with 3/4 serrated VG-10 blade and built in whistle
Early Spyderco Rescue 93mm with 3/4 serrated blade in VG-10
Latest Rescue 93mm with 3/4 serrated blade and more pronounced "hump" in VG-10

I received the Chinook about a week ago. The Early Rescue 93mm, Police, and Spyderhawk arrived about three days ago. The Assist 2 and late model Rescue 93mm arrived today. I'm starting to like my mailman.

Here are some group photos:

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/c5c6ee87/bc/96b6/__sr_/f578.jpg?phcZ5dABUch7u0Dr

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/c5c6ee87/bc/96b6/__sr_/68f5.jpg?phcZ5dABmDttnibo

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/c5c6ee87/bc/96b6/__sr_/8a6d.jpg?phcZ5dABWGueK7xY

My first impressions:
Much to my surprise, the Police has been clipped to my pocket since the day it arrived in the mail. While I doubt it would be a good SAR knife, it is a great day to day EDC. It has what looks like a fragile tip, but I just can't help liking it. It is substantial and thin at the same time. And it doesn't take up much room in the pocket. What can I say, it just has this thing about it. So far my favorite for a daily EDC.

The Chinook II is built like a tank! It is my first experience with g10. I see why g10 scales are popular now. Grippy while still felling nice in the hand. I think it could make a really nice camp knife. Boy is it thick!

The rescues (including the Assist and 93mm) will have to prove themselves at work. I will bring them onto the ambulance tomorrow. They might make sense as a kind of knife to use around the dogs, as they don't have points to trip you up when things get hectic. I still prefer a pointy blade paired with a Rescue Hook though. Let's see if these ones prove thier worth. SwiftWater Rescue maybe? We'll try some of that with the Rescue knives and the Spyderhawk at the end of the month. Will also try the Cobra Hood with gloves on tomorrow.

Spyderhawk is cool looking. Will have to prove itself around the ropes and the water later in the month. Still not sure about FRN as the clip mounting recess on the knife has already broken and the clip slides around a bit. Still clips and holds on to my pants, but makes me wonder how sturdy the FRN is. Might want to think about a stainless or G10 Harpy if I like this. Speaking of, I'd rather have a shorter blade for environments in which I'd be using this type of blade, especially white water. This blade seems to be a bit to long to properly exploit the benefits of the hawkbill blade in a rescue setting.

To be continued...
 

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Thanks to you and your friends and to Spyderco for doing this test/evaluation. I'm really looking forward to hearing the results.

Today I'm carrying my G-10 Police--you're right, there is just something about the Police model that is great for everyday carry. You also might be surprised how handy it is in SAR applications--just remember, NO PRYING.

Thanks again,
Allen.
 
Still EDCing the Police too. I am surprised I like it so much. One of the residents that I am living with took the older of the Rescue 93mm, the other one is packed in my SAR/First Aid kit for this weekend at Moab. My wife, a K9 handler, had to have the Chinook pried from her hands when I left for Utah with it. She loved how well it cut large fruit, like pineapples. Still can't wait to play with the Spyderhawk. The Assist's whistle is cool, my dogs respond to it well. Wouldn't use it for SAR though as the whistle would get pretty grody from the knife's use. Instead would like to see how it is as a USAR/Rescue knife when wearing gloves.
(Remote computer with no spell check, will edit upon return to Brooklyn)
 
I can imagine the whistle will get lint and stuff in it.

But then again, if you're lost and need to make some noise,
it's probably not an issue. :)
 
I just got the D'allara in the mail today, so I' thought I'd post an update. My first impressions of the D'allara are good. Easy to gravity flip, yet stays closed when you want it closed. Lock easy to use, though I haven't tried it with gloves. Nice blade profile, I like that it still has a bit of a point to it. Very grippy scales, but not overly thick like the Assist. Nice thick blade. Only detracting thing I can see is that there is a minute bit of vertical blade play. It is the first time I've seen this in a Spyderco, is it unique to this lock? Anyway, we're talking about a millimeter here, so I doubt it will effect performance in the field.

So far, my thoughts on the Spyderco rescue style knives are as follows:

Rescue 93mm-Perfect as a back up tool. Easy to spot in the dark. My first choice for strapping to a first aid pack. I'm actually thinking of buying the Rescue 93mm's little brother for exactly this purpose.

Assist- Too big and too thick as a back up knife, not really practical as an EDC either. I'm just not nuts about it. It isn't the knife I reach for to do any job.

D'allara- Will have to see how it stacks up against the Rescue 93mm. Will have to see how well it opens and closes with gloves on.

Spyderhawk- Haven't found a purpose that this excels at yet. Haven't tried it around swiftwater though. Will put it through the paces this weekend.

Police- Very sweet EDC. Good on everything from kitchen prep to slicing rope. Not something I'd carry for SAR, but I would carry it for everything else. This is the knife I have used the most of the bunch.

Chinook- My wife is using this weekend. It cuts a nice pineapple. She really likes it.

Well, I'm off this weekend for some SAR training in PA. Will report more when I return.
 
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