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Note, this review will discuss the Yojumbo, and my changes to it, some based on my own preferences, as well as some things that I consider to be outright flaws in the design.
Preface:
Once I got it in my mind, the wharncliffe blade profile trumped all others as my favorite. But it was difficult to find one large enough to suit my predilection for larger blades (4" EDC is my comfort zone).
I ended up getting it in my head to make my own large folding wharny out of knives of other designs, and the most notable example was this:
The above knife is the closest I have come to having my "perfect large EDC wharncliffe folder".
However, it was missing one really important thing, namely a smooth and easy action. Yes, I could flick it with my thumb with a little wrist action, but the fear of a failed opening and what the strong self close would do to me finger always gave me pause, and in the end, I sold it, and kept looking for the right big wharny.
Enter the Yojumbo:
Then within the last couple months I learned about the Yojumbo, and as soon as I saw the picture I immediately though "Spyderco, finally!" The factory Yojumbo looks like close to the knife I have been wanting, and I got mine in hand today.
Here is a quick video playing with the Yojumbo as it was out of the box.
Size:
The first thing I noticed was that it is a very tall blade and handle. It actually seemed to dwarf my Resilience when I put them side by side! Not quite as much blade length, and a bit more handle length. The Yojumbo is actually a fraction of an inch shorter than the Resilience, but it really doesn't feel like it or give that impression.
Blade:
The Yojumbo really wins a lot of points from me for being a wharncliffe, and 4" long.
The nearly half height hollow grind is pretty well done, coming to a fairly lean .020" behind the edge, and this makes for a nice acute point. The knife is nor meant for prying, that is for certain.
The buffed edge is sharp enough from the factory, but doesn't comfortably shave hair, even after stropping. I had to hit the microbevel at 20 dps on the "brown" rods before I had the type of edge I like, which is a toothy, hair popping edge. My Yojimbo 2 was much more impressive for sharpness out of the box.
Ergos:
Here is where I expected to be let down, based on the pictures, and I was right. The point that separates the first two handle grooves is in exactly the wrong spot for my hands, and in my natural grip, my middle finger comes to rest right on it, creating a hot spot. I knew about it in advance from looking at the pictures, and I also knew I would be fixing it on my own knife. And if I were not the type to do such a thing, I would certainly have given this knife a miss.
On the positive side, the handle gives lots to hold on to, and the reason I didn't keep my Yojimbo 2 is because despite being a fantastic knife, the handle was just a little too small for me to feel comfortable using it hard, and actuating the lock. But here it is in the hand of its new owner. Also, I am a tip down guy, and the Yo2 was only tip up.
I customized my old Yojimbo 2:
All work was done by me, except the scales were made by Aramis Ahkmedov, and I modded them to suit my hand and the new shape of the knife. It belongs to a good friend of mine now, who has smaller hands.
Compression Lock:
The Yojumbo, functions as it should. The compression lock feels very strong and solid. Out of the box the lock worked, but was a tad on the stiff side. As can be seen in the video above, the opening and closing action was not perfect, but I adjusted the pivot afterwards, and now the lockup is every bit as solid and the blade opens and closes much more easily. The detent is a touch on the weak side, but nothing that can't be overcome with mindful practice for a break in period.
But there is a problem. The Yojumbo from the factory has a completely senseless tang design that needlessly enters into the lock bar cutout, getting in the way of lock function.
Spyderco has received and acknowledged criticism about about this "feature", and yet they keep doing it. Why? The shape of the tang there serves no actual purpose to the design of the knife, and actively reduces its user friendliness. It makes it more difficult to get your finger in there to actuate the lock and open the knife, if that's how you like to open your compression lock knives. Also, like the Shaman, it requires you to move your finger out of the way at the last microsecond if you want the knife to close all the way.
If this is something that annoyed you about the Shaman, get ready to be annoyed with the Yojumbo. If it didn't bother you on the Shaman, it won't bother you here either because it is not as bad as on the Shaman. But come on, this is a design flaw, pure and simple. I knew about it in advance from looking at the pictures, and I also knew I would be fixing it on my own knife. And if I were not the type to do such a thing, I would certainly have given this knife a miss.
Construction:
Coarse G10. Nested liners. S30V blade steel. T6 hardware for pocket clip screws. T8 hardware for body screws. T10(!) hardware for pivot screws. Excellent all around.
Aesthetics:
While it's not a bad looking knife, there are two things which stand out to me as standing in the way of it being a good looking one. The first is the "nose" on the blade. I would have preferred a sleeker blade profile. And secondly, notice how the front of the scales are shaped like the knife was meant to have a 50/50 choil. I don't understand the reason to shape them like that if there is no choil, unless possibly Michael Janich has intended it as a finger groove for using the closed knife as a sort of kubotan. But that is not a feature I need or want, so I would rather have the more aesthetic lines of a rounded scale.
Fit and Finish:
Overall very good, but mine came with coarse scratches in the hollow ground bevel. It looks like they didn't progress through all their grits before satin finishing, because in the left side hollow, I can run my fingernail down the bevel and catch in scratches from heel to tip. It's not super noticeable, nor a deal breaker, but it is what it is.
Here is the before and after of my Yojumbo.
Before mods:
After mods:
You'll notice that the "nose" is gone, and the blade has a sleeker look. It is also less front heavy, though still somewhat so. This makes it lighter and faster in the hand, which certainly fits the initial concept of the design.
The handle point has been ground down and reprofiled into belly. I would have made it a continuous inward curve, except that would have exposed the nested liners, and I didn't want to have a small spot of liner showing through the G10. But the handle is perfectly comfortable for me as it is now, and fits my hand very well. I also ground the first finger groove slightly forward so I can get my hand closer to the cutting edge, and rounded the front of the scales, purely for aesthetic purposes.
I ground the tang to remove the metal corner that intruded upon the lock bar cutout. I can still feel it touch my finger when I close the knife, but at least now the knife closes all the way without my having to move my finger out of the way. I can also use the compression lock more easily to open the knife, if I want to (but this isn't something I do often with my compression lock knives - I'm a Spydie hole thumb and index finger flicker).
Overall, I am quite happy with the knife, given that I have known for years that every folder I buy will receive some kind of modification by my hand. Had this not been the case, knowing what I do, I would almost certainly have passed this knife over and kept looking. And had I bought it, I am pretty confident that I would have sold it shortly after. But as it stands, with my modifications, I rank it right up there with the Spyderco Resilience as a fantastic knife platform, even if it required more changes than the Resilience for me to love it.
Should you buy it if you will keep it as it is from the factory?
If you feel that everything about a design should have a purpose, probably not. The silly compression lock intruder will defy your rational way of looking at things. I can't help but shake my head and wonder why this design element keeps popping up with Spyderco. It would have been such a simple matter to shape the tang as I did, and avoid this issue completely.
If you have hands shaped just like mine, and/or dislike handles that dictate grip positions, then definitely don't buy it.
Those two considerations aside, I do actually think the Yojumbo is a great knife, and with its strong construction, good fit and finish, and time tested S30V steel, I think it's going to be a solid worker for who buys it.
My Yojumbo is awesome and that's why I bought and modded it
Preface:
Once I got it in my mind, the wharncliffe blade profile trumped all others as my favorite. But it was difficult to find one large enough to suit my predilection for larger blades (4" EDC is my comfort zone).
I ended up getting it in my head to make my own large folding wharny out of knives of other designs, and the most notable example was this:
Aus10a Voyager Tanto XL plain edge converted to wharncliffe.
The above knife is the closest I have come to having my "perfect large EDC wharncliffe folder".
However, it was missing one really important thing, namely a smooth and easy action. Yes, I could flick it with my thumb with a little wrist action, but the fear of a failed opening and what the strong self close would do to me finger always gave me pause, and in the end, I sold it, and kept looking for the right big wharny.
Enter the Yojumbo:
Then within the last couple months I learned about the Yojumbo, and as soon as I saw the picture I immediately though "Spyderco, finally!" The factory Yojumbo looks like close to the knife I have been wanting, and I got mine in hand today.
Here is a quick video playing with the Yojumbo as it was out of the box.
Size:
The first thing I noticed was that it is a very tall blade and handle. It actually seemed to dwarf my Resilience when I put them side by side! Not quite as much blade length, and a bit more handle length. The Yojumbo is actually a fraction of an inch shorter than the Resilience, but it really doesn't feel like it or give that impression.
Blade:
The Yojumbo really wins a lot of points from me for being a wharncliffe, and 4" long.
The nearly half height hollow grind is pretty well done, coming to a fairly lean .020" behind the edge, and this makes for a nice acute point. The knife is nor meant for prying, that is for certain.
The buffed edge is sharp enough from the factory, but doesn't comfortably shave hair, even after stropping. I had to hit the microbevel at 20 dps on the "brown" rods before I had the type of edge I like, which is a toothy, hair popping edge. My Yojimbo 2 was much more impressive for sharpness out of the box.
Ergos:
Here is where I expected to be let down, based on the pictures, and I was right. The point that separates the first two handle grooves is in exactly the wrong spot for my hands, and in my natural grip, my middle finger comes to rest right on it, creating a hot spot. I knew about it in advance from looking at the pictures, and I also knew I would be fixing it on my own knife. And if I were not the type to do such a thing, I would certainly have given this knife a miss.
On the positive side, the handle gives lots to hold on to, and the reason I didn't keep my Yojimbo 2 is because despite being a fantastic knife, the handle was just a little too small for me to feel comfortable using it hard, and actuating the lock. But here it is in the hand of its new owner. Also, I am a tip down guy, and the Yo2 was only tip up.
I customized my old Yojimbo 2:
All work was done by me, except the scales were made by Aramis Ahkmedov, and I modded them to suit my hand and the new shape of the knife. It belongs to a good friend of mine now, who has smaller hands.
Compression Lock:
The Yojumbo, functions as it should. The compression lock feels very strong and solid. Out of the box the lock worked, but was a tad on the stiff side. As can be seen in the video above, the opening and closing action was not perfect, but I adjusted the pivot afterwards, and now the lockup is every bit as solid and the blade opens and closes much more easily. The detent is a touch on the weak side, but nothing that can't be overcome with mindful practice for a break in period.
But there is a problem. The Yojumbo from the factory has a completely senseless tang design that needlessly enters into the lock bar cutout, getting in the way of lock function.
Spyderco has received and acknowledged criticism about about this "feature", and yet they keep doing it. Why? The shape of the tang there serves no actual purpose to the design of the knife, and actively reduces its user friendliness. It makes it more difficult to get your finger in there to actuate the lock and open the knife, if that's how you like to open your compression lock knives. Also, like the Shaman, it requires you to move your finger out of the way at the last microsecond if you want the knife to close all the way.
If this is something that annoyed you about the Shaman, get ready to be annoyed with the Yojumbo. If it didn't bother you on the Shaman, it won't bother you here either because it is not as bad as on the Shaman. But come on, this is a design flaw, pure and simple. I knew about it in advance from looking at the pictures, and I also knew I would be fixing it on my own knife. And if I were not the type to do such a thing, I would certainly have given this knife a miss.
Construction:
Coarse G10. Nested liners. S30V blade steel. T6 hardware for pocket clip screws. T8 hardware for body screws. T10(!) hardware for pivot screws. Excellent all around.
Aesthetics:
While it's not a bad looking knife, there are two things which stand out to me as standing in the way of it being a good looking one. The first is the "nose" on the blade. I would have preferred a sleeker blade profile. And secondly, notice how the front of the scales are shaped like the knife was meant to have a 50/50 choil. I don't understand the reason to shape them like that if there is no choil, unless possibly Michael Janich has intended it as a finger groove for using the closed knife as a sort of kubotan. But that is not a feature I need or want, so I would rather have the more aesthetic lines of a rounded scale.
Fit and Finish:
Overall very good, but mine came with coarse scratches in the hollow ground bevel. It looks like they didn't progress through all their grits before satin finishing, because in the left side hollow, I can run my fingernail down the bevel and catch in scratches from heel to tip. It's not super noticeable, nor a deal breaker, but it is what it is.
Here is the before and after of my Yojumbo.
Before mods:
After mods:
You'll notice that the "nose" is gone, and the blade has a sleeker look. It is also less front heavy, though still somewhat so. This makes it lighter and faster in the hand, which certainly fits the initial concept of the design.
The handle point has been ground down and reprofiled into belly. I would have made it a continuous inward curve, except that would have exposed the nested liners, and I didn't want to have a small spot of liner showing through the G10. But the handle is perfectly comfortable for me as it is now, and fits my hand very well. I also ground the first finger groove slightly forward so I can get my hand closer to the cutting edge, and rounded the front of the scales, purely for aesthetic purposes.
I ground the tang to remove the metal corner that intruded upon the lock bar cutout. I can still feel it touch my finger when I close the knife, but at least now the knife closes all the way without my having to move my finger out of the way. I can also use the compression lock more easily to open the knife, if I want to (but this isn't something I do often with my compression lock knives - I'm a Spydie hole thumb and index finger flicker).
Overall, I am quite happy with the knife, given that I have known for years that every folder I buy will receive some kind of modification by my hand. Had this not been the case, knowing what I do, I would almost certainly have passed this knife over and kept looking. And had I bought it, I am pretty confident that I would have sold it shortly after. But as it stands, with my modifications, I rank it right up there with the Spyderco Resilience as a fantastic knife platform, even if it required more changes than the Resilience for me to love it.
Should you buy it if you will keep it as it is from the factory?
If you feel that everything about a design should have a purpose, probably not. The silly compression lock intruder will defy your rational way of looking at things. I can't help but shake my head and wonder why this design element keeps popping up with Spyderco. It would have been such a simple matter to shape the tang as I did, and avoid this issue completely.
If you have hands shaped just like mine, and/or dislike handles that dictate grip positions, then definitely don't buy it.
Those two considerations aside, I do actually think the Yojumbo is a great knife, and with its strong construction, good fit and finish, and time tested S30V steel, I think it's going to be a solid worker for who buys it.
My Yojumbo is awesome and that's why I bought and modded it
). The Spyderco Resilience is one of the few knives that I found to be super easy to carry tip up and tip down with fast deployment from just about any pocket. There's just something about the dimensions, which is again why I would love to see a knife by Spyderco that hits all the same bases as the Resilience, but is offered in a fine grained nitrogen steel (and with a well executed compression lock for good measure). Note: a deep carry clip on a tip up Resilience does hamper deployment somewhat, unless waving but I've gotten away from waved knives for actual use and carry.