Spyderco Dodo SE brief review

Artfully Martial

Artfully Martial

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Jun 8, 2005
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I wasn't sure if the dodo was for me, as it's a pretty unique little knife, but when I was informed that they had been discontinued, I figured I'd better jump on it. Worse yet, no knife stores in a few hour radius of me had a dodo (that I'm aware of). So I took a leap of faith and ordered it from NGK.

The first thing I noticed when using the knife is the ergonomics. Spyderco has taken it (for me) from one level to the next for each new Spyderco I use. First it was the para, then the manix, but the new standard of ergonomics for me is the Dodo. I didn't know a knife could be this comfortable--I couldn't imagine it could be better feeling than the manix.

This knife is part of a positive trend in Spyderco's lineup to produce knives with disproportionate blades for their handles. Most of us don't need 4 inch long blades, especially those like me in some more sensitive areas, but folks with medium and large sized hands do need the handle that corresponds to that 3.5 inch knife. Knives like the para, Yojimbo and Dodo address that specific problem.

The G10 is some of the grippiest I've used. It's noticeably courser than my para. I think I like it this way though.

The blade is S30V, and I've had good luck with my S30V para. It has a VERY unique shaped blade. I'm finding it's great for cutting open boxes...just sink the tip and pull back. I'm still not sure about the weird recurve yet. I don't really know what to do with that first bump. I'm also not looking forward to having to sharpen this thing.

The ball bearing lock is a new experience for me. It's a little hard to reach, and I imagine it would be difficult if my hands were wet, but the action is fantastic and the lock integrity is great. Plus it looks really cool. All things considered, I still think my favorite spyderco lock is the compression lock, but this is a great competitor. Also, for those who are curious, like an axis lock, it can be axis flicked open AND closed. It is, however, not as easy as the axis lock. This lock uses coil springs as opposed to omega springs, which according to most last longer. Also, Sal assures me that there are two springs involved in the lock, like the axis lock, for added redundancy. Good to know.

The clip is too tight on my jeans, but it is my favorite kind of clip, the wire one. The wire clips are less noticeable to normal folk and there's no black paint to scrape off (though spyderco black clips GREATLY outlive my Benchmade ones).

I may add more later as I realize stuff I wanted to say.
 
It's the strangest thing. When I got more serious about knives a couple years ago, I thought only three or four Spydercos looked good and the rest were hideous. As time went on, more and more became attractive. Only a month ago I thought the dodo was hideous.

But now I love how it looks.

Spyderco designs take time to be appreciated, sort of like when I hear radically different music. I usually have to hear it 30 times to adjust to the weirdness, but once the shock is gone, I can really appreciate it.

Spyderco actually makes my favorite looking knives now.

Give it another year or so and it'll grow on you.
 
I did a passaround with one of these, and as weird as it looks, it not only feels GREAT in the hand, but that oddball blade shape is surprisingly useful for daily suburban EDC tasks. It's pretty useless in the kitchen, though -- it's a truly crappy slicer. I agree, the rear belly doesn't do much; the hook at the tip got used about 90% of the time.

My only real complaint with it is pocket carry: folded, it has several points and corners. I was intrigued by a Dodo I saw in the Trade Forums, where the owner had moved the clip forward, bobbed the rear point, and rounded the front of the handle so that the folded knife was nicely rounded. If I ever stumble across a well-broken-in user someday, I'd like to try doing the same thing.
 
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