Spyderco A.T.R. C70

F

frank k

Joined
May 8, 2001
Messages
2,548
Thanks to Sal Glesser, Spyderco and Dave H. for another great pass around!


DETAILS – Details from Spyderco’s site -

http://www.spyderco.com/dealer_prod...1010&mscssid=HTJ3LAM1WP1D9NP8DGB2QSRHBXEWBCU4


OUT OF THE BOX - My first impression was that the ATR is a good sized knife but very thin and lighter than it looks (4.9 oz. nominal). The ATR fit my hand well and opened easily using the Spyder hole/ Cobra hood. The blade is easy to unlock and fold, but the compression lock took little getting used to for me (just because the lock is on the top of the handle).

The ATR’s fit and finish are first rate. The blade has what I would call a satin finish - more highly polished than the S30V Native, but not mirror polished. The ATR came with a very sharp factory edge that would shave easily and cleanly.


LOCK – The ATR’s “Integral Compression Lock” is similar to a frame lock except that it locks the blade from the back instead of the front. The Compression Lock appears to be very strong and stable, as there is practically no way to twist or bounce it out of engagement as is sometimes possible with some liner or frame type locks.

The Compression Lock is easy to disengage when you want to close the blade, but it requires a little different technique than a frame or liner lock, since the Compression lock is on the top of the handles. To close the ATR, I used the same technique I use for lock backs: release the lock with my thumb then start to fold the blade by brushing it along my leg and finish by pressing on the spine with my thumb.



BLADE – The ATR’s 3 7/16” “Hollow ground modified-dagger tip” blade as Spyderco describes it, is a bit unlike any other blade I have used. The blade has a hollow sabre grind with a good amount of belly and a sharp point. The unusual part is the concave curved spine with a little fin shaped hump near the tip. I don’t know what the “fin” is for, but it looks like it would help keep the point from snagging when opening up the belly of a game animal.

The ATR’s blade is about .123” thick at the spine and about .022” thick behind the edge. The factory edge angle is about 13.4 degrees per side on average.


I found the ATR’s unusual blade to be quite useful, although I would prefer a full flat grind.


STEEL – The ATR’s blade steel is S30V. Some of my comments on S30V in the Native review that can be seen here -

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=268455&highlight=spyderco


More importantly, here’s a thread with some excellent information on S30V from Sal Glesser and others -


http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=270056



More information on S30V is available on Crucible’s site -


http://www.crucibleservice.com/cutlery.cfm#



HANDLES - The ATR’s handles are lightly brushed Titanium. The ATR was comfortable and secure in the standard sabre, hammer and reverse grips. The ATR is also designed to be choked up in the sabre grip. The ATR feels awkward in the palm reinforced sabre grip, since the rear of the handle is too square and angled the wrong way to nestle into the palm comfortably. Also, when I tried the palm reinforced sabre grip my thumb was resting on the lock and I suppose that I could release it in a panicked white knuckled grip. All other grips seem to make accidental lock release near impossible. The combination of the Cobra Hood, the finger groove and the “beak” on the rear of the grips lock the hand in securely, so the palm reinforced grip may not be needed for preventing the hand from slipping on to the blade when stabbing.

Although comfortable, the ATR’s grip is quite slim, measuring 3/8” across the scales and about 9/16” including the clip.


POCKET CLIP - The ATR’s wide uncoated steel tip up clip is revisable from right to left and appears to be very sturdy. The ATR clip is not flat like most clips; its edges are turned inward. The ATR clip gives a tight grip on a pocket – in fact it was a just little too tight for blue jeans.

While I prefer tip down clips, the ATR felt less awkward to me than other tip up knives. Despite its size, the ATR was nearly unnoticeable when clipped against the rear seam of my front pocket, thanks to its thinness.


COBRA HOOD - Why didn’t someone think of this a long time ago! The Cobra Hood (which, if I’m not mistaken, was first used on the Salsa) seems like such natural complement to the round Spyder hole, I miss not having it on other Spyderco knives. The Cobra Hood not only gives your thumb more purchase when opening, it helps index your thumb to the hole.


CUTTING PERFORMANCE - I used the ATR a good bit in the kitchen chopping up veggies and cutting up stew meat. The ATR’s hollow saber ground blade worked great for cutting meat and did well on the vegetables, but I would have preferred a full flat grind.

I also fooled around with a few slashes and stabs to a piece of beef which left me with no doubts that the ATR is capable of producing vicious wounds if used for self defense.

Getting back to more mundane testing, I used the ATR to slice up some cardboard. The ATR went through the cardboard quickly and easily with no issues with handle discomfort.

I went on to make a fuzz stick and point a stake (both seasoned oak), the ATR’s blade shape was not perfect for these tasks, but the ATR got the job done, again without discomfort.



RUST RESISTANCE – After using the ATR in the kitchen, I washed the blade with very hot water and dried it off thoroughly with paper towels before clipping it to my pocket. Well, I obviously didn’t dry it near as thoroughly as I thought; since when I pulled the ATR out a couple of hours later, there were two small/ faint rust spots on the blade. These spots (thankfully) disappeared completely after a bit of rubbing with a pencil and some Tri-Flow. Aside form this; there were no problems with rust.



SHARPENING/ EDGE HOLDING – The ATR held its edge very well. I did not have to sharpen or touch up the ATR at all while I was using it. Before sending it out I gave it a very light touch up to bring the edge back to close to the factory sharpening, but it was still shaving well and really didn’t need sharpening.



CUT TO THE CHASE - The ATR deserves some serious consideration for anyone looking for a high end EDC with hard use capabilities.



Thanks again to Sal Glesser, Spyderco and Dave H. for the pass around.





- Frank



Here are some links to other Spyderco pass around reviews -


Temperance & Impala

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=263754


Native Lightweight C41BK

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=268455


Lil’ Temperance C69

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=270637


Chinook II C63GPS

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293968



Jester & Ladybug with Photons

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2499036#post2499036
 
Nice review, I share your good opinion of the ATR. I would like to add that the action was just a bit stiff when I bought it but the ATR really loosened up in aabout a week.
 
Frank have you though about being a professional reviwewer? :D

Thanks
 
Originally posted by anthony cheeseboro
Nice review, I share your good opinion of the ATR. I would like to add that the action was just a bit stiff when I bought it but the ATR really loosened up in aabout a week.
Click to expand...

I agree. Mine was a little stiff at first, but is very smooth now. The ATR is an awesome knife. You can tell that a lot of thought went into this knife. They even put a "lip" on the backside of the lock to insure that it doesn't get pulled too far out. :eek:

I also think using the lock to hold the blade closed was a good idea.
 
Thanks for all of the kind words on the reviews.

The pass around ATR was also adjusted bit on the tight side, but I’d rather have it a little on the tight side than too loose, so I didn’t make any adjustments. I would guess that the ATR would not be very well suited to a real loose adjustment, since the blade might open too easily accidentally when carrying.




- Frank
 
Can you say anything on how it compares to the buck mayo or a sebenza?
 
Originally posted by brownshoe
Can you say anything on how it compares to the buck mayo or a sebenza?
Click to expand...


I have never owned or used a Sebenza or a Buck/Mayo, so unfortunately I can’t compare them.




- Frank
 
Thanx for the review Frank. Very nicely done and thank for the kind words.

sal
 
I have both the Buck Mayo and a sebenza. First let me say that for me the character of these three knives is different so a direct comparison is not easy. I can say the following.

The form factor of the ATR is superior to both, the shape of the handles really locks the hand in.

My impression fo the ATR is that it seem quite massive. Perhaps I've been carrying small knives lately, but it seems noticibly more beefier than the other two. ( I think due again to the impression given by the shape and design of the handle)

As to the blade shape, I prefer the sebenza or Buck Mayo.

I can't really say it's superior to either, just different. Certainly if one has tastes toward a heavy duty top class folder then I would consider it carefully.
 
Let me echo Frank's sentiments and thank Sal and Dave for making this possible for all of us.

In the ATR I found several things I liked and some I didn't, I'll group them accordingly.

What I liked:

The size.
This knife is just about perfect in overall size. It's neither too large nor too small. There's enough blade to cut through a sandwich without coating your hands in mayo, while not appearing to be wielding a sword at the lunch counter. By now I've gotten spoiled by Spyderco's handle to blade ratios, especially in Sal's designs. The ATR is no exception. Plenty of secure control. Nice.

The lock.
This is the first compression locked knife that I've used. I found it easy to manipulate, though I did pinch the skin when opening lefty. It 'snicks' into place with a reassuring sound and remained reliable throughout. Spine whack, etc. blah, blah, blah... not a hiccup. I like this system.

The fit and finish.
Top notch as usual. The grinds looked good to me. The handle was smooth with no sharp edges. As mentioned, the lock-up was perfect. I did notice a tiny "clicking" sound when the knife was moved back and forth (to replicate, think of spinning a combination lock one way then the other, repeat quickly.) This was observed whether the blade was open or closed and may simply be a peculiarity of the compression lock. Performance was unaffected.

What I didn't:

The clip.
The pocket clip is well finished and attractive. It had indexing holes that line up perfectly with those on the scale beneath. It held the knife securely in my pocket.
However... I found the shape of the clip wrong for me. From their mounting points on the handle, pocket clips generally angle away from the scale, then turn and run parallel to it for a certain distance, then angle back down to the scale again. (Examine your's, I'll wait...good.) ;) On the ATR that parallel-run distance is only about half that of my Military, for example. It looks to have been designed to fit exactly over the double-stitched seam on a denim jeans pocket. It does just that, but that's too short. It causes the bottom of the clip to stay angled away from the scale when you pocket the knife. For a hyperbolic example, slide a cheap-style bic pen into your pocket. See the space between the clip and the fabric? That's what I'm talking about.

The Cobra Hood.
It's not my thing. Oh, it works to be sure; so well in fact that it made no difference when I covered up the hole with duct tape. I did that after becoming suspicious that I wasn't even using the hole to open the knife. I wasn't. I want to. There was a thread a while back, something about "What design element defines Spyderco?" For me it's the hole. I know many of you love this hood-thing, but for me just oversize the spyderhole and forget the extras.

This is a fine knife, but it would never be a daily carry for me. What's the saying, "The more people I meet, the more I like my dog"? Well for me it's, "The more knives I try, the more I like my Military.

That said, my two favorite things about the ATR were its overall size and its compression lock. So... when Dave's Paramilitary passaround appears, sign me up! :D
 
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