Tropen Thoughts/Reviews?

Okay, all exposed blade flaw aside... how is this an okay design choice?
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Way to go Spyderco, you Ganzo'd yourself.
 
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I do like this design. I think if I got one, I might be tempted to dull the exposed portion of the edge. I know many would be opposed to that, but I rarely use my blade that far down, and it would add some peace of mind.
 
I'm sorry, but the design issues on this are so glaring that I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. I love Spyderco, but this one seems like a swing and a miss.
 
jstn said:
I do like this design. I think if I got one, I might be tempted to dull the exposed portion of the edge. I know many would be opposed to that, but I rarely use my blade that far down, and it would add some peace of mind.
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I don't think it's necessary but, if it makes you feel better, just do it. It's only about 0.5" at the end of the 4.1" blade and it shouldn't significantly affect the slicing/cutting ability of the knife in any way.
 
PeteyTwoPointOne said:
Despite the absurdity of considering blunting the factory edge on a BNIB knife to use it,

I'm still curiously drawn to this model as a collectible.
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Understood.

FWIW, I don't think the knife is as "flawed" as people are making it out to be (still haven't cut myself on the "feared" exposed edge) but, the way I'm thinking about it now is that if people continue talking sh*t about it, I'll be able to pickup several cheap when Spyderco discontinues it; then keep 1 as a back up and flip the others for a profit when people come to their senses. LOL! ;)
 
sgt1372 said:
Understood.

FWIW, I don't think the knife is as "flawed" as people are making it out to be (still haven't cut myself on the "feared" exposed edge) but.... ;)
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Gotcha...:)

But don't overlook that covered fastener on the pommel, too. ;)

For me, it's not so much a matter of safety or even decreased serviceability, because most of the time I have to remove the pocketclip anyways and I'm very safe and deliberate with my blades...so no big deal there...

And on the bright side, the Taichung F&F looks consistent with their unsurpassed level of execution we're accustomed to :thumbsup:... The handle especially reminds me of the Hungarian and Vallotton :thumbsup::thumbsup: ....

However, I'm very surprised with <what appears to me> the sloppy layout of this design...how'd this model make it off the drawing board, much less out of prototype phase, with these glaring issues o_O???...

Hard for me to believe these things were deliberate design decisions...don't patronize me by saying I can mod them away ....convince me there's a reason behind them...subscribed and waiting........................
 
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PeteyTwoPointOne said:
Gotcha...:)

But don't overlook that covered fastener on the pommel, too. ;)

For me, it's not a matter of safety or even decreased serviceability, because most of the time I have to remove the pocketclip anyways...so no big deal there...

On the bright side, the Taichung F&F looks consistent with their unsurpassed level of execution we're accustomed to :thumbsup:... The handle especially reminds me of the Hungarian and Vallotton :thumbsup::thumbsup: ....

However, I'm very surprised with <what appears to me> the sloppy layout of this design...how'd this model make it off the drawing board, much less out of prototype phase, with these glaring issues o_O...

Hard for me to believe these things were deliberate design decisions...don't patronize me by saying I can mod them away ....convince me there's a reason behind them...subscribed and waiting........................
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The reason?

They only drew sketches of the knife open?

Maybe it was supposed to be a liner lock when it was dreamt up?

We may never know.

I also wanted this knife really badly...not sure about it now but considering getting it and choil modding it.
 
I think Spyderco may have misjudged how the "exposed" edge would be perceived. It does seem obvious that people would shy away from it...
Personally I wouldn't be interested in the knife anyway. I'm not a fan of the blade shape. I do love the polished and contoured scales.
 
AF said:
I think Spyderco may have misjudged how the "exposed" edge would be perceived. It does seem obvious that people would shy away from it...
Personally I wouldn't be interested in the knife anyway. I'm not a fan of the blade shape. I do love the polished and contoured scales.
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Spyderco does the polished G10 scales so well it's a real shame they don't do it more often and with colors other than black as well.
 
PeteyTwoPointOne said:
Gotcha...:)

But don't overlook that covered fastener on the pommel, too. ;)
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I looked at that.

It is a bit "inelegant" and they could have shifted the clip to avoid that but then the alignment of the clip and the scale wouldn't be exactly "right" and the end of the handle would stick out of the pocket it bit more.

But, does it really matter?

To a purist, perhaps but not to me. I frankly didn't even notice it before it was mentioned. If you decide to take the knife apart, wouldn't you take the clip off 1st anyway? I'd think so but, even if not, it doesn't seem like removing it before unscrewing the backspacer screw under it is all that much trouble.

Of course, I'm not a knife maker or designer and what matters to me as a user is not the same as others with a more acute perspective. All I know is that I like the knife and that's all that matters to me.
 
OBTW, after handling it for awhile, I do have one complaint about the design of the Tropen worth commenting upon now.

The circular shape of the wave tang is a bit to "grabby" and hangs up in the corner of my pocket rather than releasing freely like the patented Emerson wave does on my Matriarch (and on other Emerson collaborations).

When this happens the spine of the blade strikes the leg of my pants and my pants and/or leg could be cut by he upswept tip of the knife, which is made more likely by the extended 4" length of the blade.

This is actually more dangerous IMO than the dreaded exposed blade edge we have all been talking about until now. The spine of the Matriarch can hit my leg as well but the smoother release and hawkbill shape of the blade essentially eliminates any risk of getting cut upon wave deployment.

Guess they had to design it that way to make it sufficiently different than Emerson's to avoid patent problems but I think it the wave tang still could have been shaped better to allow for a smoother release. I found that I can diminish the problem if I "lift" the knife as I engage the wave in the pocket corner, rather than pulling straight out w/the Emerson.

BTW, I also think there is a binding problem w/the non-patented wave on the P'kal but, in that case, you actually need to lift the knife as the wave engages in order to deploy the blade and grip the knife correctly.
 
Lapedog said:
I also wanted this knife really badly...not sure about it now but considering getting it and choil modding it.
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I was thinking that a choil at the end of the blade would solve the "problem" in terms of eliminating the exposed edge but I don't think a choil would make the long, upswept blade of the Tropen any more useful for "fine" or precise cutting, as it would on the much shorter/smaller knives where a choil is actually useful.

I'll be very interested to see the results if you (or anyone else) actually gets it done.
 
sgt1372 said:
I was thinking that a choil at the end of the blade would solve the "problem" in terms of eliminating the exposed edge but I don't think a choil would make the long, upswept blade of the Tropen any more useful for "fine" or precise cutting, as it would on the much shorter/smaller knives where a choil is actually useful.

I'll be very interested to see the results if you (or anyone else) actually gets it done.
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I’m abit worried that between the choil and the Spyderhole there won’t be much blade height left which will result in abit if a weak point.
 
sgt1372 said:
I was thinking that a choil at the end of the blade would solve the "problem" in terms of eliminating the exposed edge but I don't think a choil would make the long, upswept blade of the Tropen any more useful for "fine" or precise cutting, as it would on the much shorter/smaller knives where a choil is actually useful.

I'll be very interested to see the results if you (or anyone else) actually gets it done.
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I think a choil would be really weird on this knife. The handle is already very long, cutting half an inch of usable blade off of it will just make it look unbalanced.
 
Hey there,
Picked up the Spyderco Tropen a couple of weeks ago. I do love this knife. The wave opener on a full flat grind, the scales, the steel, the flipper and the ample guard it provides are all things I have wanted a long time. Glad to see them together at last.
I also love compression locks however:
A compression lock with a slim profile knife like this has led to some complications: The blade edge overlaps the compression lock when closed and prevents flicking open the blade. Flicking the blade closed by depressing the compression lock is prevented by the flipper bumping against the finger placed on the compression lock. Finally, the cut out for the compression lock leaves the heel of the blade exposed even when the knife is closed. This could all be avoided with a liner lock!

I've been carrying this knife for a couple of weeks now and here are the facts about the exposed edge:

Anyone who has really wide or calloused pinky fingers, or only uses their pocket for this knife will not have a risk of cutting themselves on this knife in pocket. The exposed blade heel is not going to send anyone to the hospital! The risk is of small cuts is to the side or pad of your pinky finger when reaching into your pocket for something other that this knife. When standing, the risk is less, as the exposed edge is about two thirds of the way down the pocket, and most things will be at the bottom. Keys, change, keychain light will lie at the bottom of the pocket UNLESS sitting, crouching, or lying down. Then the pocket contents shift position, as does the knife and exposed blade heel. Throw some bills into the mix and go from relaxed fit pants to slim fit, and you start rolling the dice. Sitting position is where a cut is most likely to happen. The pocket material folds and creases and you have to start forcing your fingers through to the bottom, which is now the side of the pocket where the blade heel is. Try rushing for change with cold fingers and a seat belt on at a toll booth.
As I said earlier, it isn't a deal breaker for me although I do find it irritating because I take care around my own home and workplace to minimize the chance of small, needless injuries. It bothers me that there is even a small chance of cutting myself on a closed knife in my pocket. Liner lock!
I will still cherish and carry it. Cheers
 
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