Spyderco Lil' Temperance C69

F

frank k

Joined
May 8, 2001
Messages
2,548
First of all, I would like to thank Dave H. for this pass around of his personal Lil’ Temperance.



DETAILS – Details can be seen on Spyderco’s site -


http://www.spyderco.com/online_prod...=C69&mscssid=XW8T783FQUTJ8NWHUGQ5W3EUJWRW55V1



Dave’s Lil’ Temperance has the modified spear point/ leaf blade.


OUT OF THE BOX – Wow this thing is ugly! Everything about the Lil’ Temperance seems substantial and rugged. The Lil’ Temperance was comfortable to hold and opened smooth and fast; although like the ATR, closing took a little getting used to due to the position of the lock on top of the handle (opposite of a liner lock).

QC of the Lil’ Temperance seems very good although, as other reviewers have noted, the pass around knife dose have some blade play. Also one of the recesses in the g-10 scales for the pocket clip had a sliver of material around the pivot that was not fully milled out.


LOCK – The Lil’ Temperance has a Compression Lock, which has some similarity to a liner lock except that it locks between the top of the blade and a stop pin. The Compression lock seems to be very strong and stable. The Lil’ Temperance’s compression lock seems to be near impossible to disengage accidentally in any normal grip.


BLADE – The 3” blade is the “modified spear point” which I would describe as a form of drop point (there is also an “upswept modified Bowie” which I would call a trailing point variation).

The blade is fairly thick; starting out at .157” on the spine just forward of the handle scales and tapering to about 0.045” at the tip. The blade is about 0.026” behind the edge.

STEEL – This Lil’ Temperance’s blade steel is 440V (S60V). Spyderco is in the process of phasing out 440V in this model in favor of S30V, another Crucible particle metallurgy steel. There is some information from Sal Glesser and others on S30V and 440V in this thread -


http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=270056



HANDLES - The Lil’ Temperance’s green G-10 scales fit my hand well in all grips. The integral guard and thumb ramp separate the hand form the blade and the two rear finger grooves give added grip security. While secure, comfortable, and certainly hand filling, the Lil’ Temperance’s grip is fairly bulky and thick (.525” across the scales, .735” including the clip).



LINERS – The Lil’ Temperance has dual nested steel liners.


POCKET CLIP - The Lil’ Temperance’s wide plain steel clip is similar to the ATR’s clip. The Lil’ Temperance’s clip can be switched from tip up to tip down carry, but is not reversible to the left side. While the Lil’ Temperance’s clip is similar to the ATR’s it is a little looser, so it was not too tight on my Wrangler jeans pockets.

The Lil’ Temperance is kind of bulky for its blade length but it carries well clipped.



CUTTING PERFORMANCE – I used the Lil’ Temperance for basically the same things that I used the ATR for and I really appreciated the Lil’ Temperance’s full flat grind on deep slices, but the blade is a bit too thick in my opinion and could use a little more belly.



EDGE HOLDING & SHARPENING - The Lil’ Temperance’s 440V blade seemed to hold an edge very well but not quite as well as the S30V ATR that I was testing at the same time.

440V has a reputation for being a bear to sharpen and I am sure it could be if a lot of metal needed to be removed, but the Lil’ Temperance (having been previously properly sharpened) was a breeze to touch up using a DMT hone.



CUT TO THE CHASE – The Lil’ Temperance is a rugged utilitarian EDC with a defensive slant. I like the Lil’ Temperance’s ergonomics and the blade shape, although I would prefer a thinner blade with a bit more belly.


Thanks again to Dave H. for the Lil’ Temperance pass around.




- Frank



Here are some links to some other pass around Spyderco reviews -


Temperance (FB05) & Impala (C73)

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=263754


Native Lightweight C41BK

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=268455


A.T.R C70

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=270638


Chinook II C63GPS


http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293968



Jester & Ladybug with Photons


http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2499036#post2499036
 
I shopped and handled, but finally passed on the Lil Temperance. Although the handle fit well, I thought it was way too little blade for the size handle. For that size blade, you can carry a much smaller knife. I didn't like the compression lock, for me it was awkward to close one handed. IMHO some of the "martial designs" get in the way of it being an EDC piece, however that said, if you want a martial knife, with EDC as a secondary consideration, it may be the knife for you.
 
V-1, very nice review.




Brownshoe, I tend to agree on the blade size to handle relationship, but many people like a large hand filling grip combined with a shorter blade to comply with blade length restrictions.

What I would really like on the Lil’ Temperance is a thinner blade with more belly.

As to the compression lock being somewhat more awkward to close one handed, I think that is the only practical disadvantage when compared to a liner lock. Still, closing the compression lock is no more difficult than with a lock back once you get used to it.

I think that the compression lock is a much better design than the liner lock when it comes to strength and more importantly, stability or resistance to being bounced or torqued out of engagement.

The compression lock is similar to the liner locks when it comes to ease and smoothness of opening, but also like liner locks in general, the compression lock dose not hold the blade closed tightly, so I can see the potential for opening in the pocket if the blade is not kept clipped closely against a seam.





- Frank
 
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