Spyderco Kopa vs. Kiwi

C

cjleal

Joined
May 10, 2004
Messages
36
I am looking for an everyday gentleman's folder. Having recently been bitten by the Spyderco bug :D I have narrowed it down to these two candidates, a Kopa or a Kiwi. The Kiwis I am considering are the jigged bone ones from Spyderco or one of the customized ones from Sante Fe Stoneworks. I am also very interested in the Kopa particularly since it has a pocket clip and a slightly larger blade.

How do these two folders stack up performance wise?

Which would you choose and why?

Which is the better buy?

Thanks,
Chris
 
kopa i don't think is worth the money. if you like the wood scales, i'd recommend getting something from knifekits.com.

spyderco, while making excellent knives, is a bit lacking in the gent folder department.
 
My vote goes for the bone kiwi, but I can't tell you anything about the performance since I do not own one :p
 
I think either of these would function equally well as a gent's knife. Both have VG-10 blades and good quality fit and finish. Performance wise both will do anything one would reasonably expect from a gent's knife. You can't really go wrong with either one. The decision rests on what you like. Clip or not? Wharncliff or leaf shaped blade? Cocobolo or Micarta or Jigged bone? Kopa is bigger and allows for a better grip, but that may not be so important, as you probably won't be doing any heavy cutting with either of these. Like I said, I don't think you can go wrong with one of these.
 
I have owned a few Kiwis and I own a Kopa. I would support getting a Kopa becuase it is slightly larger and thicker, giving the user a better grip. It also has a nice full flat ground blade like a Dragonfly or Calypso and is a more versatile user that the hollow ground wharncliffe on the Kiwi. That said, jigged bone Kiwis are great looking knives and do have a lot of grip or "purchase." If a really small knife with little or no pocket profile is most important, the Kiwi is a great knife. I prefer the jigged bone though, becaus ethe SS Kiwis seem really slick to me.
 
How do the Kopas ride in the pocket? Are they low profile? I want this to be a discrete everyday carry that will go well with evening attire.
 
Clip is shiny stainless steel, but not too large. Rides lower than some, but you can see it if you look. "Discrete" and "low profile" are a bit subjective, hard to say. What sort of evening attire are you sportin' these days?
 
Ritt said:
. What sort of evening attire are you sportin' these days?
Click to expand...

Slacks and a button down normally, for nicer occasions ill through on a sport coat. The knife I use now for dressier occasions is my Vic Soldier, because it is hidden in my pocket. I am not a big fan of having the top end of a folder sticking out of my pockets when I am dressed up. I don’t really want the knife to be noticeable unless I am using it. This knife will be strictly for special occasions as I routinely carry either an 805 TSEK or 720 when I am at school or work.
 
cjleal said:
I am not a big fan of having the top end of a folder sticking out of my pockets when I am dressed up.
Click to expand...

Agreed. So I'd say the Kiwi works better, it's smaller and rides better loose in a pocket (or in its little slip pouch in the pocket). I've had both, and tell you the truth, the Kiwi somehow seems a bit "nicer" to me, more a pure gent's knife than the Kopa.

Added a pic, maybe it'll help.
 
kopa_clip.jpg


Just took the picture a few min ago, hope it helps!

I don't own a Kiwi, but I love my new Kopa (Thanks Ritt!). I high recommend the Kopa as a gents knife. Spyderco does not make the fanciest looking knives out there, but I love how they look and the Kopa is definitely beautiful.
 
Thanks Slvgx and Ritt,

Those pictures helps alot.

I may just have to buy both. I love the flat ground blade of the Kopa. Their is, however, something about the Kiwi that just draws me to it. Knives are like potato chips you can never have just one.
 
I'd be inclined to the Kopa . More generally usefull , both in and out of dress clothes . Jigged bone isn't a fave of mine , it doesn't like to be dropped .
 
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