Spyderco PPT

[Cynic2701]

Introduction

First of all I want say thank you to j.h. and Spyderco for making the passaround possible. A link to the passaround thread can be found here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/906543-Spyderco-Perrin-PPT-C135PPT-Passaround

Originally released back in 2010, I can remember looking at it and thinking that it looked like a very nice knife—just not for me. So I passed it over. Now, almost a year and a half later, after having carried it for a week, I feel that I’ve had a chance to form a better opinion.

From Spyderco’s website:

Overall Length: 7.375" (187 mm)
Closed Length: 4.25" (108 mm)
Blade Length: 3.156" (80 mm)
Cutting Edge Length: 2.687" (68 mm)

Here’s what the Edge-U-Cation sheet has to say about the PPT:

 

[Cynic2701]

Before I received the knife I was apprehensive of the sculpted texturing of the G10. When the knife finally arrived I was pleasantly surprised that the ridges and texture of the scales was not as rough and sharp as I thought it would be. The scales swell slightly towards the center, and the curved shape of the handle makes it comfortable to hold in this grip:

However when I held it using the choil, it was a bit uncomfortable:

This is due to the fact that the corners on the choil have not been rounded; the corners are sharp, and while they won’t cut you, they are uncomfortable and could cause blisters. You can see what I mean here:

This is an easy fix, though, and if the knife were mine I would round off the corners on some sand paper or a sharpening stone.

The PPT opens and closes very well, and it is easy to flick open. The action on the PPT is decently smooth, but I can feel a very tiny amount of “grittiness” in the feel of the action—as the ball bearing wears a track on the blade finish this should become almost imperceptible.

Overall the fit and finish on this knife is pretty good—for a ~$130-150ish knife. Tooling marks are visible, and although the G10 scales and the stainless steel liners are put together well, the G10 isn’t quite flush with the liners in a few places. I couldn’t find a satisfactory way to photograph it, but the grinds on the blade are a slightly off. The swedge grinds curve to the right a little bit, and the relief grinds for the bevels are uneven. I will note, though, that the bevels have a higher level of polish than I usually see on factory Spyderco’s—I’m not sure if this is the result of a previous individual on the passaround doing a little polishing, or if it came from the factory this way. Kudos to Spyderco if it does.

 

[Cynic2701]

In use the knife performed as I have come to expect from full flat ground Spyderco’s. The knife came to me dull (at least by my standards) but after about 10 minutes on some diamond stones up through the Spyderco Ultrafine stone it was hair popping sharp. The PPT performed admirably on general EDC tasks, and it cut cardboard fairly well. My only complaint is that the factory bevels are a bit steep for my taste, but since the knife isn’t mine I didn’t feel comfortable re-profiling the bevels. To provide a comparison, my Military has shallower bevels, but a thicker blade, and it seems to cut through cardboard with little effort—the PPT required a little more effort and I attribute that to the more obtuse bevels.

Tomatoes seem to be used as some kind of test of sharpness. For a relatively thick blade (in comparison to a thin kitchen knife) the PPT did fairly well:

One should note that the tomato used was a ripe plum tomato. This leads me to my next point. I really try to only eat food that I make myself as much as I can. I use my knives for food prep fairly often—I love food, and I love to eat, but I don’t always have access to my kitchen knives. Maybe I’m at a friend’s place, and all she has are plastic knives and forks (she honestly doesn’t own any kitchen knives), so I have to use my pocket knife. One time I was at her place and they didn’t cut the pizza we ordered; I used an Izula to save the day. Other times I’m on the road and want to make myself a sandwich, so I stop at a grocery store to pick up the ingredients. Long story short, I end up cutting a fair amount of food with my knives. This is where the PPT has both a great strength and a great weakness.

The wharncliffe styled blade is great for cutting on a board, and the way the blade drops below the scales when open makes it much easier to cut on a cutting board as well. Crushing and mincing garlic worked pretty well with the broad shape of the PPT’s blade. The drawback that the PPT has, however, is that the blade is relatively short. When one is attempting to cut bread for a sandwich, one could run into this problem:

The 2.687” cutting edge is just too short for my uses. I’ve found that for my needs a blade length of 3.25” – 4” works best.

Here it is compared to a Military that dwarfs the PPT:

 

[Cynic2701]

In my mind the PPT has strong competition in the smaller mid-sized EDC knife category. The Caly 3 and the 3.5 are very similar in size. The Caly 3 has very slightly smaller cutting edge and overall blade lengths. The Caly 3.5 has about half an inch longer cutting edge and blade lengths.

With the knives closed the comparison becomes much clearer:

In the pocket both the Caly 3 and Caly 3.5 have smaller footprints: they are thinner, lighter, and less wide than the PPT. At 5.3 ounces, the PPT is more than twice as heavy as a BM 943, is 2.3 ounces heavier than a small Sebenza, and is 0.3 of an ounce heavier than an Umnumzaan. Part of the reason that it is so heavy is because of the use of thick steel throughout the knife:

Even though the liners are milled out inside, this much steel in the knife really weighs it down.

Another ding against the PPT is the fact that the corner of the tang is exposed:

They’ve rounded the corner, but the blade is finished with fairly sharp edges around the sides.

I’m reminded of the BM 755 MPR when I hold the knife. For me the 755 seemed like a horribly hefty knife; even compared to a brick it is clunky. The PPT feels like a much more refined 755 MPR with a much more stiff and confidence inspiring frame lock. Kind of like a Sebenza vs. an Umnumzaan, the PPT feels like a more robust Caly 3/3.5.

I generally like frame locks, especially for use in the winter. One of my tests is to pack snow and ice into the knife while it’s closed and let it freeze overnight. Lock back knives tend to fair okay to badly in this test, as snow and ice keep the lock from locking up solidly. The PPT performed fairly well—all it took to clear the ice was some light taps on the spine and the tang pushed the snow and ice clear of the blade stop. The PPT can be opened with a little effort with gloves on (although I wished they would mill a relief cut so that the Spyderhole was easier to access), but the sculpted G10 did not offer as much traction with gloves on as I would like.

 

[Cynic2701]

The blade has been fashioned from fairly standard 3 mm stock. Here it is in comparison with a Spyderco Military:

There are two things you should note from this picture: the asymmetry in the PPT’s scales and liners, as well as the spot where the jimping stops and then starts again. Almost everything about this knife is asymmetrical. This is interesting, and adds an aesthetic flair to the knife. Non-knife knuts will probably think that the PPT is some kind of custom-made knife due to this asymmetry.

The jimping, in my mind, is annoying. The spot where the jimping stops is right above the Spyderhole and it might be due to structural reasons that they chose not to have a continuous line of jimping. Whatever the case may be, I find that that smooth spot is right where I want to put my thumb most of the time—without jimping there my thumb tends to slide a bit when making harder cuts.

When gripped tight for harder cutting, the curve of the handle became uncomfortable and it created hotspots. I’m not sure that the PPT would be my go to knife for white knuckle cutting.

Here’s another asymmetrical element of the knife I find annoying:

The Spyderco website lists this knife as having a tip up left/right hand carry. This is not quite correct, as the handle is only milled to accept the clip for right handed carry. Thus, for lefties, this knife is not very friendly—not only is the Spyderhole occluded by the scales, the pocket clip can’t be set for left handed carry.

On the subject of the pocket clip Spyderco has done an awesome job of smoothing the area under the clip down so that the sculpted G10 doesn’t shred your pants:

Thumbs up Spyderco! My most common gripe with G10, especially the well textured grippy stuff, is that it shreds pockets. This solves the problem.

 

[Cynic2701]

Conclusion

Overall the PPT remains an interesting knife. The asymmetry of the knife is aesthetically pleasing and it has a very “custom-made” look about it. The knife would certainly appeal to the “tactical” crowd, as it has a very unique appearance, and a robust feel about the knife. For the price it’s certainly worth it. My few gripes are easily remedied with some diamond stones and some elbow grease.

However, as a lefty it won’t replace my top two most carried knives:

Thanks for making these reviews possible Spyderco!

 

[flash900]

Thanks for the thoughtful review and excellent photos. I particularly enjoyed your food-related insights!

Question: the lefty issue aside, how would you rate the PPT with your two most-carried -- the Seb and the Caly?

Use a point system, if that makes it easier to compare.

 

[Cynic2701]

Flash 900 thanks for the kind words.

On a 1 - 10 scale with 5 being perfectly average and with knives graded on a bell curve (so it becomes more difficult to move further away from 5) I'd probably give the PPT a 6.5, the Caly 3/3.5 an 8, and the Sebenza a 9.

I like carrying the Caly 3 because it is small, light weight, and a great slicer. The grind on the Caly 3 is thinner than the PPT's, despite both being ground from the same sized 3 mm stock. The jimping is better on the Caly 3/3.5 and I wish that the PPT had jimping on the choil. It runs into the same problems that the PPT does, though, when it comes to food related tasks--the blade is just too short to do what I want it to do sometimes without some fancy cutting. The bread in the picture above I ended up cutting with a kitchen knife because the PPT's blade was just too short to cut it without smashing and destroying the bread. The same thing would happen with the Caly 3 and possibly even the Caly 3.5 (since its cutting edge is only ~3.1ish inches long). The steels used in my versions (ZDP-189 and Super Blue) hold an edge for longer than S30V. The Caly 3/3.5 has softer corners (they bevel the edges of the scales) and the shape and ridge-less scales make the knife much more comfortable for harder cutting than the PPT.

The Sebenza has a lot of things going for it. Maybe I'll get around to doing a review on it sometime, but it doesn't seem to lack reviews like the PPT does. One of the reasons I think the Sebenza can be reviewed against the PPT is because in the pocket it is actually only a little bit longer than the PPT, while being, lighter, slimmer, and less wide in the pocket:

With gloves on I find the Sebenza is the easiest to open of any knife I've come across. Easier even than the Military. The longer blade length lends itself well to food related use, and I really like the feel and lighter weight of the titanium. The pocket clip is well thought out (it doesn't shred pockets over long term use). The ergonomics are the best of any knife I've handled, but that is a very subjective judgment.

In general I carry a Sebenza about 50-60% of the time, and the Caly 3 about 20-30%. I carry the Caly 3 when I want to carry a smaller knife, and it doesn't seem to scare people like the bigger large Sebenza does.

The PPT has the same blade length drawbacks that the Caly 3 does, while being heftier, heavier, and with a thicker flat grind. The PPT is ~77% heavier than the Caly 3, and 74% heavier than a 3.5. Price-wise, depending on the model, the PPT is $10-25 more expensive on some of the popular knife vendor websites. Between the two I'd go with the Caly 3/3.5 over the PPT personally.

Hopefully this is useful for you.

 

[jball1125]

Its not too common to run by a review that hits every point you could possible think of. Great job!

 

[cutter17]

This is an excellent review Cynic. You have covered a lot of things that a lot of people never hit on, at least I don't.

I have a PPT, and usually an asymmetrical knife will drive me crazy, as I tend to look for symmetry in all things.....probably an OCD thing. But not too bad here and I have come to accept it. Although I do like the heaviness of the knife, but that is a characteristic that differs person to person. It would be nice with a 3.5" blade though.

Again, excellent review. Thanks for taking the time.:thumbup:

 

[flash900]

Cynic, many thanks!

Based upon this fine evaluation, I look forward to your review of the Seb -- large and small, if possible.

 

[ibute21]

Great review and thanks for the pictures. I've been eyeballing this knife for the longest time and now that I know it is roughly the size of a Caly 3, I'll be sure to pick one up when I have some cash to spare.

 

[Cynic2701]

Thank you all. I hope my review has been helpful.

Flash900: I'll see if I can get around to doing one.

 

[dfkdfk]

Really nice review man. You provided some very interesting insights.

 

[Pointshoot777]

One pet peeve I have with so many folders, including this one - is the pocket clip. I'd like to be as low key as possible. So many clips are too bulky and a color which makes them too noticeable when wearing dark slacks or jeans. The worst ones are bright stainless colored with almost a mirror finish (the bead blast finish on this knife's clip isn't quite as bad). You can always bring out a can of paint, but I don't get that some kind of 'look' would override what would seem to be practical & obvious. Why make a deep pocket carry knife to help with concealment, and then put a silver colored 'flag' of a clip on it ?

I like many of Fred Perrin's designs and I also like Wharncliffe type blades. Its weight isn't a factor for me. But at this price point for Taiwan made, I'd have to try it in hand before buying.

P.S. - very nice review. Well done !

 

[Steel130]

Nice right up. And there is nothing quite like using a nice sharp knife for food prep as well. I am curious. How do you test for sharpness when you first get a knife. For me if a knife can push cut newspaper I feel good about it. But this is because my only free hand stones are the sharpmaker rods. Again nice job.

 

[Cynic2701]

Nice right up. And there is nothing quite like using a nice sharp knife for food prep as well. I am curious. How do you test for sharpness when you first get a knife. For me if a knife can push cut newspaper I feel good about it. But this is because my only free hand stones are the sharpmaker rods. Again nice job.

I use a three finger test (I started doing it before I read about Murray Carter's three finger test, honest!) where I gauge how much pressure is needed to cut very very slightly into my finger pads. I don't draw blood, I just sort of separate the skin. A sharp knife doesn't require any pressure, and I shouldn't be able to move my fingers on the blade much more than a millimeter without being cut. The PPT, as I received it, was dull enough that I could run my fingers up and down the blade with no fear of being cut. Since I use this test rather frequently I have developed calluses that perhaps make my fingers a little more resistant to being cut than most people. I really don't advise using my test.

For example the factory fresh Spyderco R Nishijin that I received earlier today could shave hair very easily, but I could run my fingers up and down the blade without being cut.

In any case the PPT could whittle hair after I sharpened it, but I didn't sharpen it again before I sent it off. It was respectably sharp, but I wouldn't expect it to have been much more than hair popping.

Thanks for the kind words.

 

[EaZ8]

good review, thanks, it made me take a look at mine and notice a couple things.
i just picked up the PPT a few days ago, and new this thing is SHARP! so watch your fingers.
i notice all the same things you mention, the left/right carry was slightly disappointing, but im a right carry so it works out perfect for me.
i bought it because at its price point, i didnt see anything else i liked that seemed as well built and strong. i also didnt want a long blade. i went with the intention of buying a para military2 but this caught my eye and to me it surpassed the para. i like frame locks, so that was a big bonus on this, when it locks up you hear it and it feels solid!

 

[flash900]

i bought it because at its price point, i didnt see anything else i liked that seemed as well built and strong. i also didnt want a long blade. i went with the intention of buying a para military2 but this caught my eye and to me it surpassed the para. i like frame locks, so that was a big bonus on this, when it locks up you hear it and it feels solid!

I also don't want long. In what way did it surpass the Para2?

 

[Spydesense]

Very nice review! Eventhough it was a GREAT reveiw, I still can't decide whether or not I want one. I have two Para 2's and was thinking about possibly trading one of them for a PPT... but I'm not sure if I would like the PPT or not.