Temperance Fixed Blade Review

Mitchell Knives

Mitchell Knives

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I picked up a PE Spyderco Temparance Fixed Blade (#27) yesterday from Becks cutlery here in NC, and thought I would give a little review of this knife since I don't hear it being mentioned a whole lot. I picked this up after playing around with my Perrin (great knife). I'm starting to get more into fixed blades so, I though the Temparance was worth a try.


Steel: The Temperance is made out of VG-10, a steel that I'm starting to appreciate more and more. The edge was incredibly sharp out of the box. Easy to re-sharpen, good edge holding.

Blade: The blade is just under 5 inches and is fully flat ground. It looks very similiar to the blade on an old Calypso folder. The blade is fairly thin, and looks like it would cut forever. The grinds look perfect as does the polished finish. The blade is fairly wide.

Handle: The handle is FRN. The knife is very ergonomic and secure in the hand. When held in reverse grip, the handle has a nice little recess for your thumb when you cap the end of the knife. The handle also has a series of indentations that aid in manipulation and grip. I read that the tang goes halfway through the handle, which seems plenty strong to me.

Sheath: The sheath is apparently kydex and comes with a tek-lock. The sheath is well made and could be set up for IWB easily. The sheath seems to be well made and free from rattle, etc.

Carry: I carried the knife for several hours using the tek-lock, and found the knife to be very comfortable and easy to access. I will experiment with IWB later.

Cutting: I tested the knife by cutting cutting up a bunch of old cardboard. The knife performed wonderfully, it cut though the material like it wasn't even there. Afterwards the blade could still shave although not quite as well. The knife looks like it would be great for general utility or SD applications.

Overall: Seems like a great knife. I bought the Temperance because I was so impressed with my Perrin FB, and wanted something more utility oriented (more belly mainly) that could still be used for SD. The Temperance could be used for either equally well. The handle is very ergonomic and the flat ground blade cuts well. The whole package is fairly light, and would carry well using the supplied tek-lock or even IWB. Spyderco does make a trainer version of this knife for those who wish to use it as a primary SD knife. I don't hear this knife mentioned a whole lot, but it seems like a great "do all" knife. It's a great knife for the price and is very versitile.
 
Thanx Zombie, for the report and the kind words. A great deal of effort went into the design and reproducing the original hand carved handle. Because of the wide flat grind, edge retention is improved due to edge geometry over other VG-10 blades tested.

sal
 
I traded a Matriarch for two Temperance trainers. I really wanted two Perrin trainers but probably have to wait a while until Spyderco makes them. I´ve been trying the Temperance trainers out and I am quite fond of them. I also saw that you can get a "live" blade with a black finish - great.

I do wonder why the cutting edge isn´t lower than the forefinger and the top part of the blade is higher?

Shouldn´t cutting performance be improved if it were more like a kitchen knife where the edge comes into contact with the media being cut before the handle reaches the same level.

Otherwise the design seems very sound even though it isn´t perfect for my needs, carry without being able to see it (where the Perrin excels).

Thanks Sal for designing a couple of nice trainers.

/Colinz
 
frank:

The sheath is holding the blade securely and without noise. I've been carrying it around IWB for the last two days with no problems. Maybe they just got a bad sheath.
 
Colinz,
I do wonder why the cutting edge isn´t lower than the forefinger and the top part of the blade is higher?
Shouldn´t cutting performance be improved if it were more like a kitchen knife where the edge comes into contact with the media being cut before the handle reaches the same level.
Click to expand...
I agree. IMO it would work better for utility purposes if the blade would be shaped as I tried to draw at the bottom (current blade shape at the top).
f-temp_02.jpg

Thanks for review, Johnathan!
 
Perrin vs Temperance: That would be a hard choice, and would really depend on what you intend to use it for.

The Temperance seems to cut better and have a more versitile blade shape because of the belly. The handle is comfortable although bigger than the Perrin. The sheath on the Temparance seems to be of much higher quality. The Temperance would be great for utility or SD. Carries well.

The Perrin cuts well, although not quite as good as the Temperance. The handle is really well thought out, nice and small for IWB carry. There is not as much belly so, it won't be quite as good for utility. The sheath is ok, but not great. Also carries well, a bit deeper and smaller than the Temperance.

If you need a knife for SD, either knife would do fine but, I would have to give it to the Perrin for strictly SD. The Perrin is a bit lighter and carries IWB slightly better. It has everything you need in a SD knife and nothing you don't. A custom sheath would make the knife much better. Plus, you could sharpen the false edge of the Perrin for backcut work.

The Temperance would be great for SD too. The handle is bigger than the Perrin's, something to think about for IWB carry. However, the Temperance would do SD and utility equally well. There is a trainer for the Temperance, none for the Perrin.

If you're looking for a streamlined SD knife, go with the Perrin. If you want a SD knife that will also do utility, go with the Temperance. I don't think you could go wrong with either. Better yet, buy both.
 
Sergiusz,

Thanks for the pics. That was exactly what I meant.

BTW I own a Perrin and agree with ElectricZombie on all accounts except the sheath. The sheath is the worst kydex I´ve ever seen. I bought a custom sheath instead.

/Colinz
 
I am surprised that the Temperance is viewed as better capable of utility work than the Perrin, when I thought their roles were exactly reversed; i.e., Perrin for SD and utility, Temperance as purely a MBC fixed blade.

So the Perrin really has that little of a belly on it, eh? I like what I'm hearing about the handle, though.
 
Hey Guys...

The sheaths on the Perrin seem to be injected concealex or zytel..I don't believe they are a pressed sheath...

You you guys are interested in getting something going with the Temparence as far as sheaths go,, lets talk about it..We can work the same deal as on the Perrins..

ttyle

Eric..
 
Eric,

Can't let you have all the fun, had these up and runnin' for a long time :). See you in Novi!!
 
Hey Mike..

Yaaa I know..

I've got way too many irons in the fire as it is....:)
Slow off the start I guess....

Yupper will see you there..

ttyle

Eric..
 
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