Spiderco Shaman, should I?

So as far as the blade goes I haven't used a Shaman but the blades thickness is slightly less than that of the Lil Lionspy which for its size is slices surprisingly well. Sal was talking about a sprint run so it might be worth the wait for that and we can only hope it is a some green, other than natural/jade, G-10 and an Elmax blade :p
 
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firefighterguy said:
Why aren’t they hard use knives? What models have you had that failed on you during hard use?
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I may get flamed for saying this, other than folders with locking mechanisms that work off of spring tension, any well made folder should last a lifetime with no issues. I’m really not sure what would be considered hard use when using a folding knife. They are simply cutting tools, if the blade is a good quality steel and kept nice and sharp, then there is no reason it shouldn’t take anything you could throw at it.
 
I liked everything about it except for that little nub hitting me in the finger when I disengaged the compression lock. That led me to sell it. It is built like a tank and is an excellent knife though regardless.
 
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tomhosang said:
I liked everything about it except for that little nub hitting me in the finger when I disengaged the compression lock. That led me to sell it. It is built like a tank and is an excellent knife though regardless.
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It's a nub/hate relationship. Sal should really fix that.
 
emjay4248 said:
As far as being a good knife for a contractor to use daily I would say no.
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I don’t think any knife makes sense at $182 for a contractor. I’m not sure I’d even take a Tenacious out on the job for that line of work. Contractors need knives that they don’t mind if they are lost or snap in half.
 
Otto Carpenter said:
It's a nub/hate relationship. Sal should really fix that.
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Not sure that can be fixed unless the blade tang and choil is shrunk a bit more. I need to get one in hand and see. But that's a common complaint I keep hearing. Tbo it happens on my pm2 but not as bad.
 
zhyla said:
I don’t think any knife makes sense at $182 for a contractor. I’m not sure I’d even take a Tenacious out on the job for that line of work. Contractors need knives that they don’t mind if they are lost or snap in half.
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People spend that much on Bushcraft knives all the time and beat the hell out of them so I don't see why a solid fixed blade would not work for contractors ?
 
emjay4248 said:
People spend that much on Bushcraft knives all the time and beat the hell out of them so I don't see why a solid fixed blade would not work for contractors ?
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Because a knife in that context is like a screwdriver or a pair of pliers. They get lost. They get used for the wrong thing. I've had some people tell me they go thru a knife every month one way or another. Nobody who works a blue collar job wants to be losing a high priced knife like the Shaman now and then. Just doesn't make much sense when a $20 Kershaw will get the job done.
 
firefighterguy said:
Why aren’t they hard use knives? What models have you had that failed on you during hard use?
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Military, pac salt, endura. Extensive edge damage, Broken tips, lock rock etc. Some occupations are pretty rough on tools
 
Mo2 said:
Not sure that can be fixed unless the blade tang and choil is shrunk a bit more. I need to get one in hand and see. But that's a common complaint I keep hearing. Tbo it happens on my pm2 but not as bad.
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...also on the Lil' Native. I dunno, just seems like a design "flaw" to me on a compression lock. I never remember this intrusion on my PM2.
 
emjay4248 said:
Their is a fine line between harsh use for a folder and fixed blade. I know that I have it and use it for EDC and if I need something tougher I pull out my always at the Bradford G3 fixed blade. It's all about matching the right tool for the right job.
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How true it is...I'm wearing one in M390 in the nice factory leather cross-draw sheath. I have owned a bunch of these in M390 and CPM-3V and have several new ones in the safe in Vanadis 4 Extra...
I still carry my large Seb in my rh pocket, but seldom pull it out any more.
Don
 
It seems that we will have to start getting used to the new Spyderco prices or look elsewhere. as far as a comfortable knife with good steel I would consider the Steel Will Cutjack in M390. It comes in two sizes and in two colors. They are both made in Italy and run between $144 & $153. I have doth the Shaman and Cutjack and I like them both but the Shaman is a better looking cooler knife. I bought one before the price hike.
@150 I didn't mind but @ $180 it opens up to a lot of competitive well made knives w/ great steels and full TI. It is a tough decision and I couldn't make up my mind so I got both and I like both But Shaman wins.
 
While the shaman is advertised at $180, I know some stores will discount it once you put it in your cart. One site I saw brings it down to $163 (I’m hoping this doesn’t count as deal spotting)
 
Thanks all for the input! I’m leaning towards buying this knife, my 98 bucks in Cabela’s points will take much of the sting out of it.

I happen to like S30V and don’t want anything harder to sharpen. This will be a day to day carry knife and will also supplement my Esee 3hm for use on elk and mule deer hunting. I do all my own processing from the mountain to freezer, so a lot of knife time to be had there.
 
Peakbagger46 said:
I’m thinking of selling my Benchmade Rift. I love everything about the knife except how the handle fits my hand; I can’t quite get used to the hump at the back end.

Been eyeing the Shaman. Is it too thick to be a good slicer? The handle looks really comfortable. Unfortunately I cannot find it locally to fondle.

I’ve never owned a Spyderco. Almost bought a PM2 but didn’t like how thin the tip was.

Any other suggestions welcome.
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@ $180, it is massively overpriced. By comparison, you can almost buy a Dozier D2 knife which will have far more edge retention.

Now is a bad time to get into Spyderco. Spyderco is engaging in predatory pricing, dangling "super steels" like a carrot, purely a profit driven company, a dime a dozen, no longer the vanguard. The Shaman is just a larger Native with overpriced grips and a weaker lock. You would be best served buying a regular Native 5 FRCP off ebay at a low price. Neither would make good "slicers," a dumb platitude; despite the flat grind, Spydereco's edges are actually quite large. The native is actually a beefy little knife and the Shaman is even larger.
 
zhyla said:
I don’t think any knife makes sense at $182 for a contractor. I’m not sure I’d even take a Tenacious out on the job for that line of work. Contractors need knives that they don’t mind if they are lost or snap in half.
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100% correct, Spyderco is now a pocket jewelry company. They sell knives to bladeforums.com and then everyone posts selfies. In a way, Spyderco is a social media company.
 
bigguyforyou said:
100% correct, Spyderco is now a pocket jewelry company. They sell knives to bladeforums.com and then everyone posts selfies. In a way, Spyderco is a social media company.
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Haha. You know I’m actually having an endura 4 stainless embellished with engraved sterling silver. I’ll be sure to post some pics when it’s done.
 
I admit to being out of the loop...but why has this knife taken such a significant price hike in just a few weeks? I though the Shaman was priced at around $150. I had this on my list, but I'm now re-thinking.
 
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