So, Santa brought me a Spyderco Roadie, I have a couple of Byrd knives but this is my first Spyderco. There doesn't seem to be much first hand information out there yet on this knife so here goes my 2 cents. The picture quality on my phone isn't awesome so apologies in advance if some of the photos aren't quite clear.
I had two main reasons for getting this knife: I wanted a smaller but still usable knife to fit in the watch pocket of my jeans and I was curious about the N690Co steel. I tend towards smaller folding knives but often even those don't fit into the pocket and my SAK Rally, while an awesome little multitool, is just too small for any serious cutting duties.
This Spyderco model is made in Italy:
How big is it? Umm... small!
There are plenty of specs out there, I haven't included them here. It fits nicely into my watch pocket. Here it is compared to a double A battery:
In the hand this is between a 3 and 4 finger grip. The Spyderco finger choil at the tang end of the blade is shallower than it is on the "full size" models but the jimping top and bottom does give plenty of purchase. Using the choil lets me get my pinky on the handle, sliding back to use the maximum reach of the blade (which, given the size of this blade and knife, is at something of a premium) turns this into a 3 finger knife.
The handle ergonomics are good and, coupled with the great fit and finish, I find this knife comfortable to use, no sharp edges. On my Byrd knives (Meadowlark 2 and Tern slipit) the curved point at the top of the handle scales that completes the finger choil with the blade is kind of intrusive in some grips. This one is shallower and I didn't notice it as much. Note the edges of the spine are sharp, which might bother some people. I found the width of the spine was enough to make it fine to press on. The FRN scales are quite smooth but between the good ergonomics and the jimping the grip is good.
The action of this knife is a bit different to a traditional slipjoint. The tang has something like two cams that the backspring notches into: the first creates a half stop, the second "locks" the blade open. This makes the opening and closing very easy and yet seems to hold the blade open quite nicely. The blade is opened using the two dents machined into each side of the hump on the blade. This isn't technically a one handed opening knife but the pinch grip on the blade coupled with the easy opening action means you can press the handle against something and lever the blade open. As you're holding the blade there isn't really a safety issue. If you are a "fiddler", the blade opens with a nice little snick and the knife provides a range of textures.
The blade is a slightly upswept, flat grind sheepsfoot with a small secondary bevel. Personally from a safety point of view I think the sheepsfoot is a good choice of blade in a slipjoint: the angle of the tip encourages you to use it at an angle that forces it back against the joint making it less likely to close on you, even when piercing or drilling. It arrived sharp, I'm trying to figure out the whole stropping thing so I did give it a quick run over the leather before using it. It has the Spydie hole but this is more of a logo/decoration and serves no practical purpose. Obviously I have not had it long enough to comment on edge holding, I'll follow up later. In terms of performance everything is in the context of the size of this knife: it IS small and so has limitations. As a food prep knife, for example, it cup sliced ham up just fine.
To give it a run out, I did some basic wood cutting tasks.
And used the edge of the spine to do some scraping. Just for the sake of it I also tried the spine on a ferro road, it threw sparks just fine.
In summary, the Roadie is small, lightweight, easy to carry, and for me comfortable and functional beyond its size. So far I am very pleased... I'll update after I have lived with it for a while.
Hope everyone had a good holiday and wish y'all a safe and happy New Year!
I had two main reasons for getting this knife: I wanted a smaller but still usable knife to fit in the watch pocket of my jeans and I was curious about the N690Co steel. I tend towards smaller folding knives but often even those don't fit into the pocket and my SAK Rally, while an awesome little multitool, is just too small for any serious cutting duties.
This Spyderco model is made in Italy:
How big is it? Umm... small!
There are plenty of specs out there, I haven't included them here. It fits nicely into my watch pocket. Here it is compared to a double A battery:
In the hand this is between a 3 and 4 finger grip. The Spyderco finger choil at the tang end of the blade is shallower than it is on the "full size" models but the jimping top and bottom does give plenty of purchase. Using the choil lets me get my pinky on the handle, sliding back to use the maximum reach of the blade (which, given the size of this blade and knife, is at something of a premium) turns this into a 3 finger knife.
The handle ergonomics are good and, coupled with the great fit and finish, I find this knife comfortable to use, no sharp edges. On my Byrd knives (Meadowlark 2 and Tern slipit) the curved point at the top of the handle scales that completes the finger choil with the blade is kind of intrusive in some grips. This one is shallower and I didn't notice it as much. Note the edges of the spine are sharp, which might bother some people. I found the width of the spine was enough to make it fine to press on. The FRN scales are quite smooth but between the good ergonomics and the jimping the grip is good.
The action of this knife is a bit different to a traditional slipjoint. The tang has something like two cams that the backspring notches into: the first creates a half stop, the second "locks" the blade open. This makes the opening and closing very easy and yet seems to hold the blade open quite nicely. The blade is opened using the two dents machined into each side of the hump on the blade. This isn't technically a one handed opening knife but the pinch grip on the blade coupled with the easy opening action means you can press the handle against something and lever the blade open. As you're holding the blade there isn't really a safety issue. If you are a "fiddler", the blade opens with a nice little snick and the knife provides a range of textures.
The blade is a slightly upswept, flat grind sheepsfoot with a small secondary bevel. Personally from a safety point of view I think the sheepsfoot is a good choice of blade in a slipjoint: the angle of the tip encourages you to use it at an angle that forces it back against the joint making it less likely to close on you, even when piercing or drilling. It arrived sharp, I'm trying to figure out the whole stropping thing so I did give it a quick run over the leather before using it. It has the Spydie hole but this is more of a logo/decoration and serves no practical purpose. Obviously I have not had it long enough to comment on edge holding, I'll follow up later. In terms of performance everything is in the context of the size of this knife: it IS small and so has limitations. As a food prep knife, for example, it cup sliced ham up just fine.
To give it a run out, I did some basic wood cutting tasks.
And used the edge of the spine to do some scraping. Just for the sake of it I also tried the spine on a ferro road, it threw sparks just fine.
In summary, the Roadie is small, lightweight, easy to carry, and for me comfortable and functional beyond its size. So far I am very pleased... I'll update after I have lived with it for a while.
Hope everyone had a good holiday and wish y'all a safe and happy New Year!
Nothing major, just some sliced skin, maybe a bit of blood, band aid stuff. Really just a poor tool choice on my part but the Roadie was right there in my pocket... what are you gonna do?