Having just received my Shabaria #365,; I'd be happy to offer up my thoughts for what it's worth.
Right off the bat, the looks of this knife alone are going to make you feel something- which could be good or bad, I suppose. For myself, I was intrigued enough to buy one as soon as I could find one.
It's quite impressive, actually, given the hourglass shaped handle- which I thought might be awkward. It does hold well in my hand. The handle material (which I understand is a bead blasted Micarta) feels secure without being slippery. Although with the way the knife is held, I can't see your hand slipping as the shape lends a good 'grab'. There are dual stainless liners and a stainless backspacer that give a solid feel to the slim handle.
Opening the knife is as easy as any Spyderco, utilizing the traditional hole in the blade. On the liner lock side, the hole is partially obscured by the lock, consequently lefties might not go for this one too much. I found opening the Shabaria simple, either by a flick of my thumb or by rolling my thumb over a closed grip. Either way, no problems. Once opened, the lock engages solidly and with an authoritative 'pop'. For me this was great news, as some other Spydies I have never locked up that well. Disengaging the lock is easy too, as the handle is recessed in that area to allow one's thumb to access the lock. The entire opening/closing feel of this knife reminds me more of a full custom quality piece than a factory one. High quality feel overall.
The blade is long, I believe just a shade under 4". And it looks every bit that length, when contrasted to the very petite looking handle. The blade is recurved- although for my usage, I'm honestly not quite sure what the benefit will be. The tip of the blade is needle sharp, causing me to bleed after stupidly touching the tip with my index finger. (Let he who is without sin....) Blade steel is VG-10, and of course is scary sharp from the factory. From other threads I've found- it's high quality and will sharpen up nicely. The only use I've found so far for it was some ill fated Christmas card envelopes and the box Knifecenter shipped it in. Whipped through both with no problems. And that's a pretty good estimation of my usual cutting chores. So for 'average household duty' it should serve well.
The Shabaria also has a pocket clip, positioned for tip down carry. It allows the knife to be tucked away discreetly in the pocket. When folded, the top of the blade is exposed quite a bit, due again to the curvature of the handle- but you'd never know it- not a big deal.
Two other nice touches, the gold spyder-bug thing on the pocket clip, and Eduard Bradichansky's logo on the blade. Blade tension appears to be adjustable through a phillips head screw at the pivot. Cleaning this knife may prove to be a little tricky, as the whole thing is riveted together.(not that we ever take our knives apart, right?
I would recommend one to any knife enthusiast, but especially if you're into Spydie's.
The design of the Shabaria may well be enough to make sales but it's the accompanying quality that I feel makes it worth it. For myself, the bold styling(for a folder) means a lot. Take out all of your tactical style folders, lay them across your desk or whatever and squint real hard at them. Kind of blend together, don't they? (not to imply that the Shabaria would be a good tactical, I don't know that, I'm just saying style-wise)
The more I look at it, the more I dig it- you might find yourself looking twice too. You won't be disappointed. Another winner from Spyderco's Custom Collaborations line.
Just my opinion-
clip
[This message has been edited by clip point (edited 24 December 1999).]
