Spyderco Volpe. A whole LOT of sweetness. Pros/Cons

[Walking Man]

Whew.... I really love this knife. It's really comfortable.
Spyderco really paid a lot of attention to detail in this one, BUT, if you're a Sebenza fan, this might not do it for you, it's not as finely crafted as a Seb, but I like the size and shape better.
The pros and cons may not be pro or cons to you, but I wanted to be as inclusive as possible. Enjoy!
Action..... pretty smooth. I wouldn't describe it as silky, but it's still smooth. It's as good as any knife needs to be IMO.
Pros......
-Flat ground!
-Comfy to hold!
-Framelock!
Perfect size hole for me. Hole edge is still a little sharp.
-edges are rounded. Very nice touch!
-Spyderco cutout on back! very cool
-Hourglass shaped backspacers. Another nice little touch!
-Olivewood inlays - totally sweet!
-Wavy top. Looks great!
.
Cons.
-Thumb choil/notch? too far from thumb to be effective. Was it meant to be a finger choil or is it just for appearances.
-Earth is not printed on the blade. I was hoping to get an Earth made knife. I guess Sal had to outsource to Venus to keep the price down.
- Weird extra notch below lock relief. I can't figure this one out. It actually makes the knife look better, but I can't help but feeling it has a purpose. I'm listing it as a con because:
-Very slight spaces in between inlay and handle. I mean you HAVE to strain your eyes to see it, but it's there. I'm only throwing this out to show that this knife doesn't have Seb. tolerances, but it doesn't bother me, I like the price better.
-Weight - it's not Ti, but it is actually lighter than SS lockback of the same size.
-Screw in inlays - Do they really need 2 screws in each inlay?
Overall: :thumbup: +
Questions?

 

[biogon]

Great review! Thanks for the info.

What do you mean by the "thumb choil/notch"?

Also, I've been wondering what that extra routed slot next to the lock relief is, also... it doesn't seem to be for holding the slabs while they're being machined.

Are the the inlays actually inlayed? Or are they just placed on top of the slab and screwed down?

Thanks!

-j

 

[Walking Man]

1)What do you mean by the "thumb choil/notch"?

2) Are the the inlays actually inlayed? Or are they just placed on top of the slab and screwed down?

1) The indent thing between the Spyderhole and the false edge on the back of the blade
2) Nope, they are honest to goodness inlays.

 

[biogon]

1) The indent thing between the Spyderhole and the false edge on the back of the blade
2) Nope, they are honest to goodness inlays.

Oh... that indent!?

I always assumed it was an index-finger rest, for index-on-spine grip cutting.

I design most of my knives around that... some Spyderco Rescues had those, I think.

I LOVE how it gives you extra control... but it seems like I'm the only person who uses index-on-spine grip.

About the inlays... WOW. I will definitely need to find one of these soon... if it wasn't for the steel handles, I'd be ALL over it. (I hate the smell and cold touch of steel handles...)

Thanks so much again.

-j

 

[Senate]

Personnally I'd had one pro and one con to your excellent review Walking Man:

pro: the wood inlays feel so "alive" compared to other stabilized wood I've experienced, you even have the smell of olive! no kidding...

con: the framelock on mine is so hard to release, it hurts my thumb. I usually end up closing it pressing the lock with 2 fingers. an opening on the front scale to ease the access to the lock would have helped too.

 

[Walking Man]

con: the framelock on mine is so hard to release, it hurts my thumb. I usually end up closing it pressing the lock with 2 fingers. an opening on the front scale to ease the access to the lock would have helped too.

That is true. Perhaps it was designed to loosen up over time. I don't know so I didn't want to speculate.

 

[Walking Man]

pro: the wood inlays feel so "alive" compared to other stabilized wood I've experienced, you even have the smell of olive! no kidding...

This depends on the knife. If the scales are flat and no shaping is needed, the outer epoxy layer will usually cover up the woody feeling and smell. MOST of the time, if it's a sculpted handle, or if the top layer is removed and the wood is left unfinished you get much more of a woody feel to it. I've seen this both ways, but I really have to admit I like to olive smell.
Also, olivewood IMO is sorely underrepresented in the knife world. It can a very nice and interesting grain pattern.

 

[hardkiss]

i like this piece all around..the only complaint is that it is difficult to release the lock..does hurt my fingers as well..could have made the release mechanism textured so it would catch on to your skin..like the liner lock on the wegner jr..all else is beautiful...it does lock up rock solid..no movement at all in either direction..

 

[Skomskk]

How much did you get it for? I know this is a really old post but I just picked one up for what seems to be a great price