Spyderco Bushcraft, thoughts?

T

THE L1ZARD KING

Joined
Aug 12, 2011
Messages
3
Anyone own one of these? I am curious what you think of it and how it compares to other bushcraft blades.

-Ty
 
Last edited:
I have three. Two are seconds of the spalted maple run, the third is one of the new G-10 pieces. All three are very good knives, comfortable in hand for hours at a time. They are easy to sharpen, take a nice edge and hold it quite well. I can't make any comparison to other bushcraft blades, though, since these are the only ones of that style I have. When you live on the open prairie, there isn't much bush to craft.
 
I think there are much better options if you are looking for a bushie. It's not what spyderco does best IMO
 
I think it is a great bushcraft knife. My favourite bushcraft knives:

Alan Wood/Ray Mears Woodlore (early one, before the tapered tang) O1
Skookum Bushtool in CPM3v
Spyderco Bushcraft O1
Shing Badger 3v

These are all pretty similar designs/sizes (arguably the skookum is the odd one out) so if you like knives like this, the Spyderco will be right up your alley.

My review of it is here.

Arguably, it's a lot of money for a Scandi ground piece of O1 and you could do the same tasks with a Mora. It's an old argument and you will know the value of your own dollars.
 
Hi L1zard King,

Welcome to the Spyderco forum.

The model was designed by knifemaker / Bushcrafter Chris Calycomb and he's one of the Bushcraft UK. com group. He worked with his coworkers on the design, all expert Bushcrafters. A good Bushcraft design is one that will work well in all of the Bushcraft activities for many hours a day, day after day, without any hot spots. Not the kind of thing you can judge or measure virtually or even quickly.

sal
 
I don't remember for sure, was it three or four years in developement? I'm sure it was at least three, but I lose track of time.
 
Hi Jack,

It did take a long time, didn't it? Machining the handle exactly to the prototype was critical. a few thousands made a difference. We had to modify the program several times. Then we had the Spalted Maple difficulty. :eek:

We also workied very closely with the designer and the Bushcraft guys to make sure we were getting it right.

sal
 
I had one of Chris's knives but had to sell it in the end. It was a marvel and I was really pleased to hear that Spyderco managed to successfully reproduce the handle - which seemed to work well no matter how you held it. Quite the miracle really :)

I don't really like bushies - preferring (at that scale) either a 4-5" scandi (like a Hankala Tommi) or a convex like a Shing, Serrata or one of the Fallknivens. I find bushies a bit clumsy. Had a go of a lot of them and haven't found one that isn't better replaced by two other knives.

That's its problem. It is a sharp edged tool trying to be a couple of knives at once - and never amounts to being one competent knife

That said the Spyde looks the mutts :)
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Jack,

It did take a long time, didn't it? Machining the handle exactly to the prototype was critical. a few thousands made a difference. We had to modify the program several times. Then we had the Spalted Maple difficulty. :eek:

We also workied very closely with the designer and the Bushcraft guys to make sure we were getting it right.

sal
Click to expand...

Like the man said, "Take your time. Do it right."

Edit to add: I just got around to running a search, and found a thread from 2006 talking about the early developement. I'd say the BushcraftUK bunch are pretty picky. ;)
 
Last edited:
Wow! I can't say I expected to hear from Sal.

It's good to hear that it was in development for some time to ensure it met all expectations. Ergonomics are key and truly one of the reasons that peaked my interest on the Spyde Bushcraft. Recently I was on a multi-day camping trip with some friends and had the opportunity to try several Scandi edged bushcraft type knives, many performed well but the handle is what set the Spyde apart from the pack. I understand there's not much the higher end bushies can due that a Mora can't however I've never met a Mora as comfortable nor as aesthetically pleasing. This will end up being my first Spyderco as well as bushcraft knife. Again I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to give me their input.

-Ty
 
yablanowitz said:
Like the man said, "Take your time. Do it right."

Edit to add: I just got around to running a search, and found a thread from 2006 talking about the early developement. I'd say the BushcraftUK bunch are pretty picky. ;)
Click to expand...

Got a link to that thread? Search terms used for find it perhaps, because I'm not having any luck
 
only thought is that it's overpriced
Click to expand...

I'd have to disagree. I have several O-1 bushcraft type custom knives from well known and respected knife makers and this holds it's own in all ways, and has better F&F than the customs. The feel of the knife in the hand is truly exceptional. Sure, you can buy a cheaper O-1 blade if that's your desire but you aren't going to find many in the same ball park quality wise cheaper than the Spyderco offering.

Are you saying this as an owner and user, a competitor, or a collector of other similar knives you can compare them to.

I have made an O-1 knife but I'm sure not an expert knife maker. I do know the markets current availability pretty well though, and have a bunch in not only O-1, but several other steels. I suppose you could say all knives are overpriced and you might be right. This one is no more over priced than any other offering at it's quality level. In fact it's a very good deal.

Joe
 
I have bought 2 spalted maple factory 2nds and must say that the design is without doubt the most comfortable & versatile handle in my collection. Almost all my fixed blades are convex grind so the only other scandi grind knives that I own are a Mora and a Blind Horse Bushcraft (also in O1) to compare against. The barrel handle with finger detent on the BHK is fantastic and comfortable but the handle on the Spydie BushieUK just beats it by a good margin. So good that it goes beyond comfortable, it's really nice to hold (you'll find yourself fondling it) and actually inspires confidence in use which is just as well because these ship savagely sharp. The Scandi grind is great for wood work, easy to maintain the edge and the O1 holds an edge great. Some have said that the Scandi grind is prone to break out and chipping rather than edge roll when abused (not something that has happened in my experience). The only down side I would say is that high carbon content of O1 means that it is readily prone to oxidation (my BHK is much worse for this than the BushcraftUK) and just needs a little care, avoiding wet storage and requiring the odd oil wipe. And then there's 'that' sheath. It possesses more than a little eccentricity that only adds to the 'Britishness' of the design. You will learn to love it even though it's not a looker as it is functional and sturdy.
 
xavierdoc said:
I think it is a great bushcraft knife. My favourite bushcraft knives:

Alan Wood/Ray Mears Woodlore (early one, before the tapered tang) O1
Skookum Bushtool in CPM3v
Spyderco Bushcraft O1
Shing Badger 3v

These are all pretty similar designs/sizes (arguably the skookum is the odd one out) so if you like knives like this, the Spyderco will be right up your alley.

My review of it is here.

Arguably, it's a lot of money for a Scandi ground piece of O1 and you could do the same tasks with a Mora. It's an old argument and you will know the value of your own dollars.
Click to expand...

If it wasn't in O1 but in 3V I would buy one (or two) instantly.

O1 was a nice combination with the maple scales for a traditional bushcraft knife.
Unfortunately it took very long to bring it to the market after the first idea.
At this point there are a lot of traditional bushcraft blades on the market at competitive pricetags for quite some time.
Personally I don't like the combination of a modern handle material like polished G10 with a traditional patina forming steel like O1.
Like said before, a modern handle with a pm steel like CPM3V would make it different in the market and would bring it closer to the reputation of Spyderco being high tech and innovative.
 
Hi Neo,

We have from the beginning considered a full flat powdered metal to mate to Chris' great handle. Our thoughts were S90V. Why would you prefer 3V?

sal
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top