Tropen Thoughts/Reviews?

Someone1 said:
Mad about what? I didn't buy the knife, the issues are apparent before buying the knife, i wasn't tricked or robbed. I'm entertained by the amount of cope shown here knowing full well how people would judge the knife had someone like WE or Rike designed and manufactured it. I should be asking if you're the one who's mad but it doesn't really matter to me so i don't care enough to ask.
Click to expand...

If you're not "mad," why rage on so about the Tropen? Have you even handled one yet or just making your judgment based on the way it looks and the nonsense that others (who have not actually handled the knife yet) have to say about it?

It won't matter to you and/or others w/the same blind opinion but the Tropen is actually a very well designed knife but it is not a knife that everyone will enjoy using/carrying because it is mainly designed as a fighting/SD knife.

That's apparent from the 3 primary methods of deployment (Spydie hole, wave and flipper); there's a 4th means of deployment but you'd probably consider that a flaw as well. The purpose of the knife is also evident in the upswept shape of the blade and the concave "capture" swale on the spine which is similar to that on other SD knives like the Ayoob and the ease w/which your can quickly switch to a reverse hand grip.

I've said this before but (of course) I'll say it again. In "normal" use, your finger never comes near the barely exposed edge of the blade when closed.

When you pull it from or put it in your pocket when closed, your index finger is on the side of the scale below the clip to facilitate entry into & removal from the pocket w/or w/o using the wave. When the knife is in your hand and you are ready to open it, the handle is in your palm and your index finger will sit on top of the flipper tab if that's how you want to open it or will rest on the clip side of the scale if you want to use the Sypdie hole or the tip of the wave to flick it open w/your thumb.

So, anyone who has actually handled a Tropen knows that they can't be cut on the blade while it is closed. Any conjecture to the contrary is simply nonsense. I've had the Tropen for over 2 months now and I haven't come close to cutting myself on it yet, whether open or closed. People really need to stop this unsubstantiated speculation and fear mongering about this knife.

I own over 80 Spydercos and it is no more dangerous to handle than any of the others and IMO is among the best designed Spydercos in my collection.
 
Last edited:
If you think the Tropen design is one of the best you've seen then i wonder what you've been doing with your time and money. No offense. You may be able to fool some people, but not all.

sgt1372 said:
If you're not "mad," why rage on so about the Tropen? Have you even handled one yet or just making your judgment based on the way it looks and the nonsense that others (who have not actually handled the knife yet) have to say about it?

It won't matter to you and/or others w/the same blind opinion but the Tropen is actually a very well designed knife but it is not a knife that everyone will enjoy using/carrying because it is mainly designed as a fighting/SD knife.

That's apparent from the 3 primary methods of deployment (Spydie hole, wave and flipper); there's a 4th means of deployment but you'd probably consider that a flaw as well. The purpose of the knife is also evident in the upswept shape of the blade and the concave "capture" swale on the spine which is similar to that on other SD knives like the Ayoob and the ease w/which your can quickly switch to a reverse hand grip.

I've said this before but (of course) I'll say it again. In "normal" use, your finger never comes near the barely exposed edge of the blade when closed.

When you pull it from or put it in your pocket when closed, your index finger is on the side of the scale below the clip to facilitate entry into & removal from the pocket w/or w/o using the wave. When the knife is in your hand and you are ready to open it, the handle is in your palm and your index finger will sit on top of the flipper tab if that's how you want to open it or will rest on the clip side of the scale if you want to use the Sypdie hole or the tip of the wave to flick it open w/your thumb.

So, anyone who has actually handled a Tropen knows that they can't be cut on the blade while it is closed. Any conjecture to the contrary is simply nonsense. I've had the Tropen for over 2 months now and I haven't come close to cutting myself on it yet, whether open or closed. People really need to stop this unsubstantiated speculation and fear mongering about this knife.

I own over 80 Spydercos and it is no more dangerous to handle than any of the others and IMO is among the best designed Spydercos in my collection.
Click to expand...
 
Someone1 said:
If you think the Tropen design is one of the best you've seen then i wonder what you've been doing with your time and money. No offense. You may be able to fool some people, but not all.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to "fool" anyone. Just stating my opinion based on my actual experience w/the knife as compared w/the over 275 knives in my collection, including the over 80 Spydercos that I own.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion as well but, so far, there's no evidence that your opinion is based on any actual experience in handling/using the knife or any other knife for that matter, given your 0% trading rating, which undermines the credibility of your opinion regarding the Tropen or any other knife for that matter.

So, as far as I'm concerned, you're just a troll and I have just added you as the 1st and, so far, only person on my "ignore" list. So, rage on. Ciao!
 
Last edited:
Good stuff sgt1372 sgt1372 . I appreciate your contributions to the discussion. I don't know why some feel the need to cut down those with a different opinion. And in your case, it's an opinion formed from actual experience.
This model seems destined for continued controversy.
 
I'm a fan of polished g10, but I'm gonna wait till someone closes this one out, then I'll scoop one and stow it in the safe next to my T-Mag! ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: AF
AF said:
Good stuff sgt1372 sgt1372 . I appreciate your contributions to the discussion. I don't know why some feel the need to cut down those with a different opinion. And in your case, it's an opinion formed from actual experience.
Click to expand...

Thanks! :)

AF said:
This model seems destined for continued controversy.
Click to expand...

Agreed but I think that any "controversy" about this knife is "much ado about nothing" and just a "bee in [the] bonnet" of the people who claim to be so aghast at the "flawed" design of this knife but who have not even pocketed or handled (let alone actually cut by) one yet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AF
BS. There's not one person alive who would look at this design if offered from budk and say it was good. The only reason people are defending it is because it's a spyderco and think it may be a collector's item and worth flipping in a year or two.

If you think this is good then maybe you should start demanding other makers design knives with exposed edges? Oh, wait, you would never really say that's good and you'd definitely never advocate for that. I guess you're right. My 0 rating makes my opinion wrong. Exposed edges are the pinnacle of folding knife design and we'll be seeing more of it in the future because people like you say it's a non-issue. Why not just throw a fixed blade knife in your pocket? If you aren't stupid you won't cut yourself.

In the real world this design is stupid and so is this discussion.

Ask yourself. If spyderco had come out with a poll and asked their prospective buyers if they'd prefer a folding knife with or without an exposed edge, how many people would have voted for having exposed edges? I guarantee the result would be 0. You know and so do i. But i guess my 0 rating means I'm wrong.

For clarification, a good knife should be regarded as a good knife even if it's budk selling it. A bad design should be considered a bad design even if it's spyderco selling it. The way to determine if a knife is good or not is to ask yourself if the lowest quality manufacturer or seller were selling it, would it be good or not? If the military, as it is manufactured now, was sold by budk, would it be a good knife or not? Most people would say yes. If the tropen were sold by budk would people say it's good? Most would say no because of it's obvious design flaws. Take any knife and apply the same logic. Would the slysz bowie, offered by budk, be a great knife? The answer would be yes. Absolutely. Would a tropen offered by budk be a great knife? The answer would be no. Absolutely. Honest people will answer the same way. That's the simple truth. The real trolls are the ones who refuse to speak honestly
 
Last edited:
Someone1 said:
BS. There's not one person alive who would look at this design if offered from budk and say it was good. The only reason people are defending it is because it's a spyderco and think it may be a collector's item and worth flipping in a year or two.

If you think this is good then maybe you should start demanding other makers design knives with exposed edges? Oh, wait, you would never really say that's good and you'd definitely never advocate for that. I guess you're right. My 0 rating makes my opinion wrong. Exposed edges are the pinnacle of folding knife design and we'll be seeing more of it in the future because people like you say it's a non-issue. Why not just throw a fixed blade knife in your pocket? If you aren't stupid you won't cut yourself.

In the real world this design is stupid and so is this discussion
Click to expand...
I guess you're one of two things. Ignorant, or trolling. Ignorance is solvable by you educating yourself. Trolling would need to sorted out by someone else.
 
Someone1 said:
BS. There's not one person alive who would look at this design if offered from budk and say it was good. The only reason people are defending it is because it's a spyderco and think it may be a collector's item and worth flipping in a year or two.

If you think this is good then maybe you should start demanding other makers design knives with exposed edges? Oh, wait, you would never really say that's good and you'd definitely never advocate for that. I guess you're right. My 0 rating makes my opinion wrong. Exposed edges are the pinnacle of folding knife design and we'll be seeing more of it in the future because people like you say it's a non-issue. Why not just throw a fixed blade knife in your pocket? If you aren't stupid you won't cut yourself.

In the real world this design is stupid and so is this discussion.

Ask yourself. If spyderco had come out with a poll and asked their prospective buyers if they'd prefer a folding knife with or without an exposed edge, how many people would have voted for having exposed edges? I guarantee the result would be 0. You know and so do i. But i guess my 0 rating means I'm wrong.

For clarification, a good knife should be regarded as a good knife even if it's budk selling it. A bad design should be considered a bad design even if it's spyderco selling it. The way to determine if a knife is good or not is to ask yourself if the lowest quality manufacturer or seller were selling it, would it be good or not? If the military, as it is manufactured now, was sold by budk, would it be a good knife or not? Most people would say yes. If the tropen were sold by budk would people say it's good? Most would say no because of it's obvious design flaws. Take any knife and apply the same logic. Would the slysz bowie, offered by budk, be a great knife? The answer would be yes. Absolutely. Would a tropen offered by budk be a great knife? The answer would be no. Absolutely. Honest people will answer the same way. That's the simple truth. The real trolls are the ones who refuse to speak honestly
Click to expand...
Have you actually handled the knife? I have one. You would have to be both stupid AND trying to cut yourself to do so. There's an old saying that when you don't know what you're talking about your mouth is better used for chewing. I recommend some beef jerky for you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AF
Stating one's opinion with greater frequency and increased volume doesn't necessarily convince other people. In fact it can have the opposite effect.
 
Siguy1976 said:
Just for the record, I have taken the Tropen and gently run a wine cork down into the cut out of the knife longitudinally.
It will cut the cork, try it! Ask yourself if it can do this to a RIGID cork that is much WIDER than your fleshy finger that could squeeze into the cut out more easily, why wouldn't it cut you?
If you don't yet own the Tropen, try clipping any compression lock knife in your pocket. Then see for yourself if your pinky finger could brush through the cut out when getting something else out of the pocket. Try this standing, sitting, crouching and try it with different pants on(relaxed fit, slim fit, different pocket sizes etc.). Realize that if that knife had been the Tropen, with a razor sharp section of S30V in it, you may have just cut yourself. It really is just a matter of time if you EDC the knife and not just admire it in your safe ;)

If I cut myself on any open knife, it is my fault. If I cut myself on a closed pocket knife, where does the blame rest?
Click to expand...
I EDC mine, no cuts whatsoever. Not even a worry of one. I'll make sure to update the thread about it.
 
Dang, here I thought I genuinely liked the knife. Turns out spyderco done hypnotized me with those holes in the blade and I'm all thought controlled. I just wonder why they didnt make me like ALL their designs so I'd buy them all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AF
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top