Spyderco Kapara - any medium to long term opinions?

I

InThePocket

Joined
Oct 17, 2023
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I'm looking for a longer and larger daily folder to complement the blade on my Leatherman. The Kapara looks like it ticks a lot of boxes for me in terms of blade shape/length/thickness, placement of blade in relation to handle, etc. I like slicey blades with sturdy points, and in addition to other cutting tasks, I do a lot of food prep, which I know it was designed for. I have other knives for tougher jobs; I need a user but it doesn't have to be a beater.

In a way, the Kapara looks like what I would want an Endela or Endura to be if I could tweak it. My main concern when looking at photos is that the handle seems like it might be too slender for my XL-glove-sized hands. I don't have anywhere I can go to actually hold one before buying it, so I'm curious to hear from anybody here who's put in a good amount of time with this knife. Can you share your positive or negative experiences?
 
Do you have a favorite Spyderco that fits like a glove? I have a Kapara in my pocket right now and a range of other knives from the small Techno 3 to the big Subvert. I can compare and give my opinion.

The Kapara is small but for cutting food a pinch grip makes size less important.
 
When I had a Kapara it was my gardening companion. It was excellent for carefully cutting fruit from vines and stems. Another one to look at would be a sheepsfoot Caribbean if you want to stay with Spydercos.
 
Danke42 said:
Do you have a favorite Spyderco that fits like a glove? I have a Kapara in my pocket right now and a range of other knives from the small Techno 3 to the big Subvert. I can compare and give my opinion.

The Kapara is small but for cutting food a pinch grip makes size less important.
Click to expand...
As far as handles go, I like the Persian and the Endura but I find them both a little too thin at the index finger (if I'm not using the choil on the Persian). It makes my hand feel cramped after a little while. I enjoyed the Manix 2 I got to use but didn't spend a ton of time with it. And recently, my favorite Spyderco to hold and use is a Mule with 3D grips.

Food prep is one priority but not the only one, so if the handle feels small for general utility I'll probably look elsewhere.
 
I have a Kapara and like it but if you are concerned about the handle size, look at the Kizer Momo (the large one). It is an amazing food prep folder, that blade in Nitro V is a food prep machine and good for other tasks as well. Additionally, I thought the action on the Kapara was good but this one has it beat

https://imgur.com/a/oIKF77q
 
rlewpolar said:
I have a Kapara and like it but if you are concerned about the handle size, look at the Kizer Momo (the large one). It is an amazing food prep folder, that blade in Nitro V is a food prep machine and good for other tasks as well. Additionally, I thought the action on the Kapara was good but this one has it beat

https://imgur.com/a/oIKF77q
Click to expand...

This looks great! Thank you for sharing.
 
InThePocket said:
As far as handles go, I like the Persian and the Endura but I find them both a little too thin at the index finger (if I'm not using the choil on the Persian). It makes my hand feel cramped after a little while. I enjoyed the Manix 2 I got to use but didn't spend a ton of time with it. And recently, my favorite Spyderco to hold and use is a Mule with 3D grips.

Food prep is one priority but not the only one, so if the handle feels small for general utility I'll probably look elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Yeah the handle feels smaller than an Endura so you likely won't find it to taste.
 
Danke42 said:
Yeah the handle feels smaller than an Endura so you likely won't find it to taste.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I really appreciate that.

And thanks to the rest of you for sharing your impressions, too. Looks like this knife is gonna be a pass for me.
 
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