Spyderco R Nishijin

[Cynic2701]

Introduction

I really took a liking to the Spyderco R Nishijin when I first saw it in their catalog. In particular, the scales were especially appealing.

According to Spyderco’s website, the R Nishijin is a different version of the R that was originally released back in the 90’s. The main difference is that instead of having skeletonized handles, the R Nishijin has solid scales and milled out steel liners. The handle scales are what make the R Nishijin special—they are a glass fiber weave fashioned after a specific pattern used in making cloth for Kimonos.

The measurements, from Spyderco’s website, are as follows:

Overall Length: 8.07” (205mm)
Closed Length: 4.65" (118 mm)
Blade Length: 3.45" (88 mm)
Blade Thickness: .118" (3 mm)
Cutting Edge Length: 3.16" (80 mm)
Weight: 4.2 oz. (119 g)

Please note that the clip that the R Nishijin ships with is a black hourglass clip, rather than the silver hourglass clip shown. I switched out the clip with another knife because I think that it coordinates better with the tones of the knife.

 

[Cynic2701]

The Nishijin scales are very smooth, with virtually no texture at all. They have a very pleasing 3D look about them that does not come across in pictures very well:

I found the knife very ergonomic in this position with a finger in the choil:

Though a bit less so in this position further back on the knife:

One thing to be aware of is that, due to the pronounced curvature of the choil on the R Nishijin, it could possibly be uncomfortable for someone with thick fingers. I have medium sized hands and I find the choil is just fine for me, but I can imagine that if my fingers were bigger in circumference the choil could end up creating hotspots.

A disadvantage of the smooth texture less Nishijin scales is that they can become slippery. If your hands are coated in oil/grease/blood/soap then the scales become difficult to hold on to when resisting torquing motions. I don’t think that you would have to worry too much about slipping up onto the blade, or the blade slipping out of your hand, as the shape of the knife does prevent this from happening. There is jimping on both the thumb ramp and the choil which also helps to improve grip. Aside from the visual aesthetic appeal of the Nishijin scales, one advantage of their smoothness is that they pretty much guarantees that your pockets will be safe from being shredded.

The knife is constructed in a virtually identical manner to the G-10 Endura’s and Delica’s. Full stainless steel liners (which are milled out inside to save weight) run beneath the Nishijin scales—combined they give the knife a pleasing heft and rigidity. It also offers 4-way tip up/tip down carry, and is completely ambidextrous.

The R Nishijin has one of the strongest, and loudest, lockbacks that I have yet to encounter. Opening is fairly smooth and the lock engages with an audible thwack that is, quite frankly, confidence inspiring. On my example, I could not detect any of the very slight vertical blade play that can often be found on lockbacks and there was no side to side play. Whoever manufactures the R Nishijin has done quite a good job ensuring that the knife gets close attention in quality control: the R Nishijin has very respectable fit and finish for its price point in the $130-150 range. I would be willing to say that the R Nishijin might just have the best fit and finish I’ve seen on a knife that runs less than $250—it exceeds even the vaunted Spyderco Gayle Bradley in this respect.

 

[Cynic2701]

Spyderco has done a great job with the FFG on the R Nishijin. The grind thins out nicely behind the bevel, approaching the grinds found on a Caly 3/3.5, which helps to make slicing effortless. The R Nishijin features a VG-10 blade—a steel that Spyderco has had much success with. After polishing and thinning out the bevels a bit, I cut up two boxes from work that had contained cork boards (they were approximately 40” by 30&#8221 and the R Nishijin kept a decent edge throughout. Personally I’m not the biggest fan of VG-10 - I would much prefer S30V at this price point - but I realize that since the knife is made in Japan S30V would be pretty unlikely. ZDP-189 would improve performance in the knife, though it would also increase the R Nishijin’s cost.

The capability to handle some food prep is one of my requirements in an EDC, and the R Nishijin is right at the lower end of what I consider the cutoff for acceptable. Don’t get me wrong, the knife did very well, it’s just that the cutting edge length of 3.16” does limit what the R Nishijin is able to do without having to resort to making fancy cuts.

The blade is just long enough that you can cut bread without smashing the loaf:

For how thick the blade is, relative to dedicated kitchen knives, the R Nishijin did a pretty good job of slicing onions:

Tomatoes can be cut with the R Nishijin, but unless the tomato is pretty small you will need to do a bit of fancy cutting to get a good slice. Large tomatoes are not going to be able to be cut with one slice:

The distal taper of the FFG actually makes the inch of the blade near the tip pretty good for small mincing tasks, like mincing garlic or shallots.

 

[Cynic2701]

One of the things I really like about the overall shape of the R Nishijin is that the blade drops down below the choil a little bit:

This makes cutting on a flat surface like a table or a cutting board a lot easier than other knives that a more pronounced belly.

Additionally, I found that I’ve really taken a liking to the blade shape of the R Nishijin—the actual edge is almost straight, with a subtle curve like a modified wharncliff blade. Another thing that is nice is that the spine of the blade is flat, which is useful for scraping things. Here it is compared to the blade on a Spyderco Military:

 

[Cynic2701]

Unfortunately the R Nishijin has some pretty stiff competition in Spyderco’s own lineup. The CF/ZDP-189 versions of the Caly 3 and 3.5 can be had for a comparable price, or even ~$15-20 in the Caly 3’s case. The CF/ZDP-189 Caly 3.5 provides a very slightly shorter cutting edge length (of 3.125” to 3.16&#8221 while being 0.445 inches shorter overall and 1.1 ounces lighter and offering a ZDP-189 blade.

With their blades lined up the differences in cutting edges can be seen:

Here’s a comparison of their overall length:

Furthermore, the Paramilitary 2 offers competition from Golden Colorado. The S30V version of the Para 2 can be had for around $100-110 and offers similar dimensional properties with a thicker blade, G-10, and is 0.45 ounces lighter.

When closed, the amount of real estate that each knife would take up in your pocket becomes apparent:

The R Nishijin has a flat and thin profile, which can be noticed next to a Military and a Para 2:

 

[Cynic2701]

Final Comments

I’ve really enjoyed using the R Nishijin. Fans of the Endura/Delica lines will be pleased to know that the R Nishijin is pretty much right in between the two knives in size—though it has a choil. I only have a few complaints about the knife, and they come, primarily, from having carried and used knives with a similar design. At the price point I think that the increase in cost over a Para 2 or a CF/ZDP Caly 3.5 is coming primarily from the cost of low production and the use of Nishijin scales. The ~$130-150 price point puts it in competition with other knives that offer higher end blade steels and similar materials; the main difference being that the Nishijin scales have, in my opinion, a significantly higher aesthetic appeal than plain carbon fiber or G-10. If the handle scales were replaced with G-10 I’m sure that the “tactical” guys would be falling all over each other to tell you how “tactical” it is, but as it is I think of the R Nishijin as more of a classier EDC knife that could certainly handle anything you throw at it.

Despite the allure of the knife, I generally keep my knife collection to 12-14 knives. Currently I can’t really justify keeping the knife in my collection, so I’m giving it to my brother who will, I’m sure, enjoy and use it much more than I can. As a result, I don’t think that the R Nishijin is going to be able to edge these other knives out of my pocket:

 

[rpn]

Nice write up and pics. It's such I good looking knife that it tempts me now and then. With my para 2, it's hard to justify for me though!

 

[viper89]

Great review. I enjoyed this review of the R. Lots of good info with great pics.

 

[SideTracked]

Thanks for the review, I've been looking at this knife for a while but never hear an buzz about it.

 

[Irminsul]

Thank you for the thorough and very instructive write-up on the Nishijin. I have one of them, and I absolutely agree with the pros and cons of a smooth and slick handle. It's a gentleman's folder, to be carried in dress pants where the smooth finish of the scales will posit no hazard to the fabric.

 

[whp]

Good review. I agree with you that although a nice knife I can t see it ever replacing my Endura zdp, my Pm 2 or my Sage 1 in my pocket.

 

[Gramps]

Nice review.....thanks. I had one briefly, but sold it as I these days I tend to not keep knives that won't see duty. I was very impressed with the construction....I've seen and held quite a few Spyderco back locks over the years and I can honestly say that this Nishijin R has the most remarkable lock-up of any I've encountered. It's mid-way in size between an Endura and Delica, but has a nice little choil. While the Nishijin handle does look slick, in practical use I did not find lack of secure grip to be an issue. Quite to the contrary, as my hand got a bit damp from perspiration I found the grip on the Nishijin to be very solid with no noticeable slipping. My sense is that there is a perception visually about Nishijin that does not match actual real world use, or perhaps the description of Nishijin as "glass fiber" coveys a sense of slippery.

I think the knife is a "sleeper".

Thank you again for a very enjoyable review.

 

[Cynic2701]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

Thanks for the review, I've been looking at this knife for a while but never hear an buzz about it.

I like to review knives that you don't see much written on.