Vesuvius

Yeah, I was really pumped to buy a Vesuvius. I've been waiting since last years Blade Show. Now that I see that it's FRN I'm definitely going to have to handle one before I buy.
frown.gif
I know FRN has its uses and benifits, but this is not one of the knives I want to see it on. I would much prefer plain old G10 and forget the shell inlay.

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Paul Davidson

Them:"What's that clipped to your pocket, a beeper?"
Me:"Uuh....yeah, something like that."
 
I just saw a collector's club Vesuvius at my local dealer, GPKnives. it's a nice knife, about the size of a Viele. Watch out for that compression lock, it has no detent and that blade can nick you when you open the lock.
 
Hi Brucester, Callahwj, Schmackey. Welcome to the Spyderco forum.

The Vesuvius is in fact Dupont Zytel (There are many brands of FRN that Spyderco and other manufacturers use).

Actually Frank (Centofante), Vince (Chief Engineer) and Jeff (Spyderco General Manager) and the Spyderco knifemakers did an excellent job on the piece. Since it is a new design, we'll be working very closely with the model to refine as we get some real world feedback.

There is a detent which is a part of the compression lock dropping into a separate grind on the blade. So far we've had no problems with the knife accidentally opening. We are learning to control the amount of force required to overcome the detent and open the knife.

Reaction so far has been good. It is a light, strong, attractive ergonomic knife. Tip up or down (right handle only, sorry lefties). The Blue shell is indeed a natural shell that adds a touch of personality as well as a socially acceptable apperance.

There is also an all black version in the works.

sal

[This message has been edited by Sal Glesser (edited 04-07-2001).]
 
Sal, I was unclear. I was actually refering to closing the knife. When I activated the compression lock to close it, the blade flopped down and nicked me on my ring finger. This is no problem. When I get my Vesuvius I will just hold it at an angle so the blade won't flop down on me.
 
Will there be a plain edge version available? I like it, I think it's about time for me to get a compression lock knife.



------------------
William Callahan

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without
hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd
never expect it."
-Jack Handey
 
And by the way, thanks for the welcome Sal. It's awesome to see how much you interact with customers and stand behind your products. One of the reasons I'm becoming a spyderco addict :-)

------------------
William Callahan

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without
hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd
never expect it."
-Jack Handey

I'm one of those wierdos who likes Zytel.
 
Anthony,
When you close the Vesuvius,you might try putting your first finger all the way forward on the handle, and releasing the lock with with your thumb,give the knife a little downward snap.The un-sharpend part of the blade will land on your finger,you can then shift your grip and close it with your thumb in the hole.

Sal,

Thanks for the welcome.
Love the looks of the Vesuvius, how does the shell inlay hold up to EDC? Would like to carry it but don't want to damage the inlay.
I also like the choice of tip up or down carry.(I like mine tip up)
The edge on mine looks like it has been hand sharpened. Do you sharpen the knives that you make here in Colorado by hand?


Happy cutting,
Bruceter
 
So is blue the only inlay color?? Should I wait for a different color or snatch one up now??
smile.gif



Blades

 
Will there be a G10 version? (with or without inlay)


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Carlos

"..And in those days the mad prophet Glesser did come unto the knife knuts, and He did speak of The Hole, and the knife knuts did see that The Hole was good, saying 'Yea, and verily shall we carry holes all the days of our lives!'"
-- The Hole Bible, by Ken Cook
 
Anthony, sorry, my miss. We have found that there is a new learning curve to close the knife. We have learned several "trick" ways that are simple(?).

1. hold the handle choked up close to the blade. Rotate the knife so the blade is over the 1st knuckle. Push the lock home with the thumb and let the non sharpened part of the blade stop on the side of your knuckle. Then rotate the blade back to the opening position and use the thumb to close the blade.

2. pinch the lock home with the thumb and index finger and let the blade drop all the way closed.

Brucester. EDC is not a prob. My wife, Gail, has carried one for 6 months. She's pretty hard on knives and it has held up well.

All Spyderco knives are hand sharpened.

Hi Blades. blue is the only color at this time. We have 16 different flavors of shell. To make many in different shell would be an inventory nightmare.

We've thought about changing shell each year?

Hi Carlos. No plan at this time for a G10 version. Price seems to be the objection. We'll see how the design is received, then we'll plan from there.

sal
 
Opening this box was a real wierd experience. In the package was the Vesuvius, which I was anxious to receive, and the new Herbst, a design that never really did it for me in the past.

Total reversal. The Herbst blew me away. Bigger than I remember, a solid, hefty but comfortable handle and razor sharp. The Vesuvius, on the other hand, was a real disappointment.

As soon as I picked it up, I could tell it was plastic (sorry, Zytel). And it doesn't feel nearly as solid as the other FRN handles, like on the Calypso Jr. Lightweight I have, which I grew to really like. I guess after seeing the full overlayed G-10, and being used to the greater heft of the knives I tend to carry, it would have been hard for any plastic handle to measure up to my expectations.

I also went through the compression lock learning curve. It's a quick lesson, but that nip that teaches you HURTS!

I guess there's a big market for the low end, and that market needs to be served, but personally, I'm glad the Herbst showed up, or I would have been really bummed out. The Herbst has been in my pocket, the Vesuvius is still in the box.
 
Despite many peoples dislike for Zytel/FRN, it's important to not let the texture of the Vesuvius' handle fool you, they are fully reinforced with dual nested steel liners. It should be at least as strong/rigid as all their other heavy duty FRN handled models. IMO

Ken
 
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