spyderco captain?

mytowrig

mytowrig

Platinum Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2008
Messages
68
woulda searched, but i can't so, sorry. anyone here use the spyderco captain? edc or other? is it bulky? thick? and my main question, does the spine of the blade have a cutting edge on it as it appears in the pic? if so, how does that work out for carrying it around? looks like trouble... i like the style of blade though, are there any others like it?

captain-c111gp-navaja.jpg
 
There is no cutting edge on the spine. It is just like the unsharpened swedge on the Native and others. It is a nice knife, a little thick but fairly comfortable to use. Odd blade shape, but usable.
 
I don't have one, but I like the blade shape too. Knifewriter Jerry Van Cook did a write-up in the March 08 issue. Gushing review, per usual. Listed blade length as 3" and OAL as just over 7". He said that the 'edge' on the top of the blade was not sharpened and was there for cosmetic reasons, and to lighten the blade. He liked that the handles were well rounded and comfortable to carry, and that the clip is reversible for left or right, up or down carry.
 
now i just gotta think long and hard about if thats really what i want to spend my money on... i'v gotten kinda outta control lately, all over the board. need to start keeping more than i spend
 
Well, I traded the 1st 2 that I had & regretted it. I now have one, again, & like it very much. If it's going to be carried & used lightly, I'd say don't bother. While it's not that heavy for its size, it is wide (Top of blade to bottom). It's the widest of any folder I have, I think.

However, if you're going to USE it, then I say go for it. It's tough & the blade tip (If you can call it that) is nearly indestructable.

Good luck.
 
Handled these a fair bit at the CKG show in March. It's one tough bugger; feels solid and secure in the hand. But, unless you have a very specific use for that blade shape.......:(
 
The blade shape, as with many "tactical" locking blades these days is more of an artistic statement than a practical one. It is usable of course but fact the fact is it was also designed to catch the eye and thus sales. Nothing wrong with that as it is still a very capable knife. the only thing it does lack is a fine point for mundane chores such a splinter removal but I seldom break out the big folder for that, I always have a social knife in my pocket for such chores. I have looked at these as well and will most likely end up with one because I do like the way it looks.
 
mytowrig said:
woulda searched, but i can't so, sorry. anyone here use the spyderco captain? edc or other? is it bulky? thick? and my main question, does the spine of the blade have a cutting edge on it as it appears in the pic? if so, how does that work out for carrying it around? looks like trouble... i like the style of blade though, are there any others like it?

captain-c111gp-navaja.jpg
Click to expand...

G'morning! I feel very qualified to reply because it is my most EDC'ed and is currently snuggled into my left back shorts pocket as I type this. I asked for and received it as a Christmas gift (thanks MOM!). Bear in mind, I asked for it WITHOUT ever holding, testing, and feeling it. I have not regretted it either. I prefer thick, wide, fat-bellied blades and this is one of those.

Positives:
-absolutely smooth as silk liner lock, carried weekly since Christmas 07, never had any problems with it
-stout liners that run the entire contour of handles
-VG-10, which is easy to sharpen
-not overly-built. I only wear it in a back pocket because I keep other items in the front pockets
-handle has nice grip and "tack" to it
-four way positioning for clip, which can be easily changed
-completely open spaces between handles and liners for easy cleaning
-nice long notched thumb ramp
-finger choil, which allows for natural grip. My hand and fingers seem to instinctively find the choil every time
-lightweight, yet does have a well, muscled feel to it
-good for cutting boxes, slicing fruit, and overall utility cutting

Negatives:
-unconventional shape is not ideal for piercing and tip work
-have not attempted to sharpen it myself (sent it back for first re-sharpening) due to unconventional shape
-even though it rides comfortably, a decent amount is exposed, i.e. clip screws, lanyard hole
-because of its wide shape, does have tendency to take up space in a pocket, therefore, if you value pocket space, don't wear it with other stuff in that particular pocket
-priced @ >$100 and still made in Japan, don't understand Spyderco's logic on this, one would think with a price like that it would be made in Golden, CO!

Bottom line: I love this knife. No regrets having it!

That's all I can think of right now.

Live sharp. :D
 
Absintheur said:
The blade shape, as with many "tactical" locking blades these days is more of an artistic statement than a practical one. It is usable of course but fact the fact is it was also designed to catch the eye and thus sales. Nothing wrong with that as it is still a very capable knife. the only thing it does lack is a fine point for mundane chores such a splinter removal but I seldom break out the big folder for that, I always have a social knife in my pocket for such chores. I have looked at these as well and will most likely end up with one because I do like the way it looks.
Click to expand...

Interesting take on why the blade shape is that way. Reading any of Jason's posts on the knife (He designed it & used it quite a bit for initial evaluating), he says he designed the blade for practical use, not for looks. A "piercing" blade tip just wasn't a priority for his needs apparently.

Having talked to or know people that use their knives (To the point that can be said they're "abusing" it), this blade design works. A friend & Forum member has a few of these & recently got a Vess horizontal sheath for it (That takes care of the "too wide in the pocket" problem). His problem with knives is that he breaks tips on a regular basis using them for his job. Apparently, he uses them for digging, light prying, wire stripping, etc. He also has to be mindful of different municipal laws on blade length (3" is "usually" OK).

That's why I say the knife's very good if you're going to "use" it. If it's just going to be a pocket knife for daily, but lightweight chores, there are more effecient (Slimmer & lighter in the pocket) folders out there.

I can see & have used the blade's different angles for different types of cuts & materials. It's useful, but I don't carry it daily because I don't always need a knife like that. However, if I was "stuck" somewhere & only had "one" knife on me (A rarity, since I usually have 2-3 knives & 1-2 guns on me), the Captain would be the medium size folder that I hope I have on me at that time (However unrealistic that question & "what if" situation might be).
 
As I said it is a very capable knife but the blade was also designed to be pleasing to the eye. There isn't anything you can do with this you couldn't do with an American Tanto blade or even one of Razels. To many tho this blade has more graceful lines and I agree, if it was straight and angular it would look like 100s of others out there and would not be nearly as appealing to me.
 
I really like the look of the Captain, but I despise the Recurve blades I've tried out. I just don't find them to be an all-around balanced tool as much as a Drop Point or similar.

Absintheur, you make a lot of sense in pointing out the aesthetic design of the knife. I really like the way it looks, and I'm sure it's ideal for certain people, but it's still not the all-purpose, designed for every cutting task blade Spyderco makes it out to be.
 
Absintheur said:
As I said it is a very capable knife but the blade was also designed to be pleasing to the eye. There isn't anything you can do with this you couldn't do with an American Tanto blade or even one of Razels. To many tho this blade has more graceful lines and I agree, if it was straight and angular it would look like 100s of others out there and would not be nearly as appealing to me.
Click to expand...

I'd have to disagree with the statement about it being designed based on aesthetics. Everything that I've read from the maker as well as the user reviews indicates that the blade shape was designed specifcally for use, despite the aesthetics.

So unless you have some specific links to back up you statement, I'm guessing that it's based on your opinion alone. Not trying to be pugilistic and certainly no offense intended. You just seem to be making some strong claims about the original intent of the designer, when he's been saying something completely contradictory.
 
I see this as a very functional blade shape. I think of it as a kerambit with a point welded onto the end, so that it is perfect for thrust as well as slash. In the Van Cook article, he tested it for thrusting/penetration and found it to be better than expected.

I would love to see an Emerson model with this blade shape. I would like it with a black-coated blade, for all my covert deanimation needs lol.
 
The Motivator said:
G'morning! I feel very qualified to reply because it is my most EDC'ed and is currently snuggled into my left back shorts pocket as I type this. I asked for and received it as a Christmas gift (thanks MOM!). Bear in mind, I asked for it WITHOUT ever holding, testing, and feeling it. I have not regretted it either. I prefer thick, wide, fat-bellied blades and this is one of those.

Positives:
-absolutely smooth as silk liner lock, carried weekly since Christmas 07, never had any problems with it
-stout liners that run the entire contour of handles
-VG-10, which is easy to sharpen
-not overly-built. I only wear it in a back pocket because I keep other items in the front pockets
-handle has nice grip and "tack" to it
-four way positioning for clip, which can be easily changed
-completely open spaces between handles and liners for easy cleaning
-nice long notched thumb ramp
-finger choil, which allows for natural grip. My hand and fingers seem to instinctively find the choil every time
-lightweight, yet does have a well, muscled feel to it
-good for cutting boxes, slicing fruit, and overall utility cutting

Negatives:
-unconventional shape is not ideal for piercing and tip work
-have not attempted to sharpen it myself (sent it back for first re-sharpening) due to unconventional shape
-even though it rides comfortably, a decent amount is exposed, i.e. clip screws, lanyard hole
-because of its wide shape, does have tendency to take up space in a pocket, therefore, if you value pocket space, don't wear it with other stuff in that particular pocket
-priced @ >$100 and still made in Japan, don't understand Spyderco's logic on this, one would think with a price like that it would be made in Golden, CO!

Bottom line: I love this knife. No regrets having it!

That's all I can think of right now.

Live sharp. :D
Click to expand...

thanks for the great review The Motivator :thumbup:
here's the designer's description of the Captain:
http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=236
 
As I said, this one feels great in the hand the moment you pick it up. I can see why it has such staunch supporters - for those who use it. But for someone like me who doesn't like recurves anyway, that one is way off my 'useability' scale. (But I love the fact that knives like this are designed and then actually produced, even if only for a short time.)
 
I'll have to admit that like alot of what Spyderco offers - the blade shape seemed weird to me. Got one simply because the designer stated that he was looking for something that could pry - while my track record in 50 years of daily knife use averages out to only breaking a tip off every 6 or 7 years - this seemed like it might be my kind of tool. i now own two of them. For the kind of day to day use I'm looking for - these are remarkable - they really require you to carry and USE 'em a bit - they will grow on you big time. Doubt that they are much of a "tactical" knife - but since it's been around 50 years since the last time someone threatened me with a knife and I have never even contemplated the "defensive" use of a blade - this is NBD for me. YMMV.
Much has been made of the blade design - but the handle is at least as well thought out as the blade - you can hang onto the thing and really put some umph into a cutting task with the handle geometry of this tool.
 
Kaizen1 said:
I'd have to disagree with the statement about it being designed based on aesthetics. Everything that I've read from the maker as well as the user reviews indicates that the blade shape was designed specifcally for use, despite the aesthetics.

So unless you have some specific links to back up you statement, I'm guessing that it's based on your opinion alone. Not trying to be pugilistic and certainly no offense intended. You just seem to be making some strong claims about the original intent of the designer, when he's been saying something completely contradictory.
Click to expand...

That only applies if you happen to like using a kerambit or recurve blade, and find it more effective than a drop point.

Designers make claims all the time, that doesn't make them true despite empirical evidence.
 
motivator: thanks for that! i'm getting closer and closer everyday... i'll have to see at the end of the month what i feel i should do... its at the top of my list! (well that, and another cricket. i love those little buggers!)
 
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