Knife: Spyderco T-Mag
Price: $49.99, on closeout. MSRP $249.99.
Materials: 2 15/16th inch S30V blade steel; carbon fiber scales; full length titanium liners; rare earth magnet; wire clip; screw construction. All the best; there are no short cuts here. While I have seen this described as a gentlemans knife, the materials lend themselves to some very serious work and I intend to put the knife through its paces, the absence of a lock notwithstanding.
Blade: In my opinion, the blade is a nice, functional shape and a good compromise on length. The blade has a typical Spyderco hump to accommodate the thumb hole. This is probably my least favorite attribute of all Spyderco knives. If you cant live with it, look elsewhere; Ive decided that the holes the utility outweighs my annoyance. S30V is a fantastic stainless steel and I am looking forward to putting Spydercos version through its paces. The blade has a fine (somewhat delicate) point and nice belly.
Locking mechanism: Not applicable. The unique attribute of the T-Mag is that instead of a lock or backspring it has a rare earth magnet to hold the knife open or closed. The magnet has something of an assisted-opening aspect to it in that once started open or closed, the magnet will pull the blade to a resting position, either open or closed. The magnet offers nowhere near the resistance of a backspring or backlock and thus you would be well advised to use the finger choil to prevent an accidental closure. This is not a knife I would want to use in an animals chest cavity. The magnet is powerful enough to suspend the knife from the refrigerator, offering numerous atypical storage locations.
Fit and finish: The scales are beautiful and have a pleasing texture. Given that there are also full titanium liners, I think they are thicker than need be. Personally I would prefer them to be thinner thus giving the knife an overall slimmer profile. The scales and liner fit very well. The blade is slightly off-center between the liners - this is of no functional importance. As the knife arrived, blade play was the worst on anything Ive ever seen not stamped Pakistan. The blade literally rattled when in shaken in the closed position. Even after significantly tightening down the pivot screw, there is still more horizontal play than in any other Spyderco or other quality folder I own. After tightening, it still rattles, although much less. The ergonomics on this knife are very good, as they are on most every Spyderco.
Overall impression: I would give the knife a 6.5 on a scale of 10. At the price I paid and the materials contained, it is certainly a value and I would buy it again. However, I have deducted substantially for the blade play. But for this play, I would rank the knife in the 9+ range. Im going to let the new wear off the knife for a few weeks and then will likely send the knife in for inspection. Hopefully my blade play is the exception rather than the rule.
Price: $49.99, on closeout. MSRP $249.99.
Materials: 2 15/16th inch S30V blade steel; carbon fiber scales; full length titanium liners; rare earth magnet; wire clip; screw construction. All the best; there are no short cuts here. While I have seen this described as a gentlemans knife, the materials lend themselves to some very serious work and I intend to put the knife through its paces, the absence of a lock notwithstanding.
Blade: In my opinion, the blade is a nice, functional shape and a good compromise on length. The blade has a typical Spyderco hump to accommodate the thumb hole. This is probably my least favorite attribute of all Spyderco knives. If you cant live with it, look elsewhere; Ive decided that the holes the utility outweighs my annoyance. S30V is a fantastic stainless steel and I am looking forward to putting Spydercos version through its paces. The blade has a fine (somewhat delicate) point and nice belly.
Locking mechanism: Not applicable. The unique attribute of the T-Mag is that instead of a lock or backspring it has a rare earth magnet to hold the knife open or closed. The magnet has something of an assisted-opening aspect to it in that once started open or closed, the magnet will pull the blade to a resting position, either open or closed. The magnet offers nowhere near the resistance of a backspring or backlock and thus you would be well advised to use the finger choil to prevent an accidental closure. This is not a knife I would want to use in an animals chest cavity. The magnet is powerful enough to suspend the knife from the refrigerator, offering numerous atypical storage locations.
Fit and finish: The scales are beautiful and have a pleasing texture. Given that there are also full titanium liners, I think they are thicker than need be. Personally I would prefer them to be thinner thus giving the knife an overall slimmer profile. The scales and liner fit very well. The blade is slightly off-center between the liners - this is of no functional importance. As the knife arrived, blade play was the worst on anything Ive ever seen not stamped Pakistan. The blade literally rattled when in shaken in the closed position. Even after significantly tightening down the pivot screw, there is still more horizontal play than in any other Spyderco or other quality folder I own. After tightening, it still rattles, although much less. The ergonomics on this knife are very good, as they are on most every Spyderco.
Overall impression: I would give the knife a 6.5 on a scale of 10. At the price I paid and the materials contained, it is certainly a value and I would buy it again. However, I have deducted substantially for the blade play. But for this play, I would rank the knife in the 9+ range. Im going to let the new wear off the knife for a few weeks and then will likely send the knife in for inspection. Hopefully my blade play is the exception rather than the rule.
