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Spyderco Squeak Review
Introduction
I received a Spyderco Squeak SLIPIT through a pass around here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...erco-Bill-Moran-Black-Blade-Drop-Point-Squeak! Spydercos SLIPIT knives feature a slip-joint, non-locking design made to comply with folder restrictions in the UK and other countries. The MSRP on the Squeak is $69.95 and it can be found at our favorite online retailers for about $45.
Size & Weight
Essentially, the Squeak is a junior version of Spyderco's UK Pen knife. It is about the same size as a Spyderco Dragonfly, but with a beefier handle. At just 1.6 ounces, it is hardly noticeable in a pocket.
Pocket Clip
One of the most distinctive features of the Squeak, its bigger brother the UK Pen Knife, and their middle sibling the Urban, is its low-riding wire clip. The clip holds securely and the knife nearly disappears in one's pocket. It can be configured for left/right carry, but is tip-up only.
Blade
The Squeak features a plain edged, flat-ground, leaf-shaped blade. It reminds of the blade on the Spyderco Lava -- small and sharp. It is milled from Bohler N690Co steel. N690Co isnt the most commonly used steel in knives imported to the US, but users generally like it. Many compare it to 440C or VG-10. My own experience with N690Co in the Spyderco Volpe and Sig-Tac Pterodactyl found it to retain a good edge with little sharpening required. One side of the blade is etched with the Spyderco logo, the other has knife designer (and company owner) Sal Glesser's stylized initials. A jimping and a choil make for good grip and limit accidental closure.
Handles
The black handles are crafted from unlined Grivory (glass fiber reinforced co polyamide) and feature screw-together construction. The scales are curved and contoured with finger grooves to fit the hand, embossed with the Spyder logo, and grid-patterned for grip. I am generally not a big fan of Spyderco's smaller knives because I find them hard to open one-handed. The Squeak, however, is one of the easiest-to-open small Spydies I've handled.
Fit & Finish
The Squeak is manufactured in Italy by Fox Cutlery. Fox has also produced the Volpe and Hossum series for Spyderco and the fit and finish is as good as any Spyderco offerings coming out of Japan, Taiwan, or the US. Everything fits together well. The blade is centered. The edge bevels look good and the knife came shaving sharp. By design, the Squeak is quite a slicer.
Conclusions
Who are this knife for? If you live in an area that restricts locking folders and blade length, it may make sense for you. Aside from that, I'm not sure that I would recommend the Squeak. As nicely rendered as it is, it's a little too small to be as functional as it could be and it's a bit overpriced compared to the larger UK Pen Knife (which is actually less expensive.) With a Native or Delica, you get a lockback with a little more blade length for marginally more money.
My thanks to Spyderco for making these knives available, to Frank K. for putting the pass-around together, and for BladeForums for giving us a place to make it happen.
Introduction
I received a Spyderco Squeak SLIPIT through a pass around here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...erco-Bill-Moran-Black-Blade-Drop-Point-Squeak! Spydercos SLIPIT knives feature a slip-joint, non-locking design made to comply with folder restrictions in the UK and other countries. The MSRP on the Squeak is $69.95 and it can be found at our favorite online retailers for about $45.
Size & Weight
Essentially, the Squeak is a junior version of Spyderco's UK Pen knife. It is about the same size as a Spyderco Dragonfly, but with a beefier handle. At just 1.6 ounces, it is hardly noticeable in a pocket.
Pocket Clip
One of the most distinctive features of the Squeak, its bigger brother the UK Pen Knife, and their middle sibling the Urban, is its low-riding wire clip. The clip holds securely and the knife nearly disappears in one's pocket. It can be configured for left/right carry, but is tip-up only.
Blade
The Squeak features a plain edged, flat-ground, leaf-shaped blade. It reminds of the blade on the Spyderco Lava -- small and sharp. It is milled from Bohler N690Co steel. N690Co isnt the most commonly used steel in knives imported to the US, but users generally like it. Many compare it to 440C or VG-10. My own experience with N690Co in the Spyderco Volpe and Sig-Tac Pterodactyl found it to retain a good edge with little sharpening required. One side of the blade is etched with the Spyderco logo, the other has knife designer (and company owner) Sal Glesser's stylized initials. A jimping and a choil make for good grip and limit accidental closure.
Handles
The black handles are crafted from unlined Grivory (glass fiber reinforced co polyamide) and feature screw-together construction. The scales are curved and contoured with finger grooves to fit the hand, embossed with the Spyder logo, and grid-patterned for grip. I am generally not a big fan of Spyderco's smaller knives because I find them hard to open one-handed. The Squeak, however, is one of the easiest-to-open small Spydies I've handled.
Fit & Finish
The Squeak is manufactured in Italy by Fox Cutlery. Fox has also produced the Volpe and Hossum series for Spyderco and the fit and finish is as good as any Spyderco offerings coming out of Japan, Taiwan, or the US. Everything fits together well. The blade is centered. The edge bevels look good and the knife came shaving sharp. By design, the Squeak is quite a slicer.
Conclusions
Who are this knife for? If you live in an area that restricts locking folders and blade length, it may make sense for you. Aside from that, I'm not sure that I would recommend the Squeak. As nicely rendered as it is, it's a little too small to be as functional as it could be and it's a bit overpriced compared to the larger UK Pen Knife (which is actually less expensive.) With a Native or Delica, you get a lockback with a little more blade length for marginally more money.
My thanks to Spyderco for making these knives available, to Frank K. for putting the pass-around together, and for BladeForums for giving us a place to make it happen.
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