What do you guys think of the Spyderco Navaja?

the super leaf is an awesome EDC, if you are on a tight budget go for a manix 2, the blade shape is very similar to the super leaf.
 
Appletz said:
Has anyone heard of problems with the ratcheting mechanism breaking/failing? One of the youtube comments mentioned it, no idea how common it is or even if it's true.
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On the Spyderco forum Ed S. mentioned that the parts were hardended. Anything can break, given enough time and abuse. The knife is tough, but not stupid-proof.
Tsujigiri said:
OK, I really can't imagine any adversary that would be scared away by a little clicking sound. Besides, the knife doesn't click unless you open it slowly. And who's going to open a knife really slowly just to sound cool if they need the blade for self defense?
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It's more of a reference to the knife's origin (yes I spelled it correctly). This design is hundreds of years old, it's part of the Ethnic Series (Persian, Barong, Khukuri, etc.). It's not supposed to make people run and hide.
 
I don't like anything about the design. Personally, I would go with the Para 2 without a second of hesitation, and get something more genuine as far as design, materials and lock go if you'd like an actual navaja pattern. If you just want a knife that ratchets open and closed, buy a CS Kudu for about $7.
 
Pretty interesting...Spyderco comes out with their own Espada..oops I mean Navaja and it's made in Taiwan( dun dun dun) and it has a mall ninja clicky noise to scare attackers and yet it is being praised.. probably by the same people that ya know..
 
Nternal said:
Pretty interesting...Spyderco comes out with their own Espada..oops I mean Navaja
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Wrong. It's not their version of a Cold Steel, it's their interpretation of a traditional Spanish folding knife.


I'd be interested if it came from Colorado.
 
Nternal said:
Pretty interesting...Spyderco comes out with their own Espada..oops I mean Navaja and it's made in Taiwan( dun dun dun) and it has a mall ninja clicky noise to scare attackers and yet it is being praised.. probably by the same people that ya know..
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Can you read? Most of the posts here are knocking the knife for being gimmicky, and many of the posters are people who usually like Spydercos. Plus, the Taichung factory in Taiwan is very different from other Taiwanese factories (if you'd handled one of their knives you'd know). You know, fans of most knife brands don't blindly follow their brand, and actually use their brains to make their own decisions. Just saying it might be worth a try...
 
Nternal said:
Pretty interesting...Spyderco comes out with their own Espada..oops I mean Navaja and it's made in Taiwan( dun dun dun) and it has a mall ninja clicky noise to scare attackers and yet it is being praised.. probably by the same people that ya know..
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Both the Spyderco and the Espada are modern interpretations of a classic Spanish design.
The original spanish navaja had an archaic locking mechanism that made a typical ratching sound which indeed scared people when they heard it because the navaja was the weapon of thugs back then. Spyderco thought it fun to add a kind of sound to the knife, as a nod to its history.
Furthermore, the Taiwan-made Spydercos from Taichung are better made than nearly any production knife I've come across, save the likes of Klotzli or Chris Reeve. In fact, I can't immediately picture an American-made knife that's as precisely made as for example the Spyderco Sage for the same kind of money.

Now I did handle the knife and found it rather heavy. It has some coolness factor but I expect that it will be a display queen in many collections.
One of the more original looking Spydercos that's eminently usable as well is the Chokwe, my favourite neo-ethnic Spyderco (I have most of them).
 
mixologist said:
I am having such a hard time chosing a new spyderco to purchase. I lost my knife on a long hike and camp in W.Va last week. Now looking for a new one, am willing to drop up to $150. Want a strong/light folder that is about 3.5"- on the upwards size.

Going back and forth looking at para 2, military (like the reason it was made), superleaf, and Caly 3.5. Saw this one.... it's different...not sure what to make of it.

Any suggestions on these blades would be very appreciated. Thanks
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In my opinion Navaja is a great knife. I have mine for almost two week and love it. Almost perfect for me. I love overall design, ergos, good steel. I wish it wouldn't have screw holes in the bolsters and the lock would be a little easier to disengage, but I already get use to the lock. So for me it is a keeper, certainly on the top three and almost perfect for EDC.
Still, my need do not include hiking and camping. For camping and hiking I would go with Para or Military both of them much lighter or Superleaf, which is not much lighter, but stronger due to thicker blade and most likely stronger lock.
If you need nice looking EDC, here Navaja is the winner.
 
For years I've been a fan of classic Spyderco designs as well as their collaborations, but this is one does looks gimmicky to me. And it even does the clackity-clack like a Spanish navaja would....Yeah, tacky. Seriously though, I have no doubt that this Spyderco is a quality piece, in fact it's likely to be 100 times better than the mass produced navajas currently coming out of Spain, but a nod to a classic Spanish design made in Taiwan? Hmm... I think that's something best left to the likes of Cold Steel. But hey, whatever floats your boat.
 
Tsujigiri said:
Can you read? Most of the posts here are knocking the knife for being gimmicky, and many of the posters are people who usually like Spydercos. Plus, the Taichung factory in Taiwan is very different from other Taiwanese factories (if you'd handled one of their knives you'd know). You know, fans of most knife brands don't blindly follow their brand, and actually use their brains to make their own decisions. Just saying it might be worth a try...
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I'm not talking only about this thread.. and how am I of all people a blind follower? I'm one of the few posters on here that doesn't follow the masses and engage in circle jerks with others about spydercos and benchmades. Or raving about a knife over another just because it says USA on the blade.Or afraid to speak on something that I believe out of fear of someone not wanting to be my internet buddy. I am well aware that it's based on the navaja but even in the handle and colors they used it is very similar to the Coldsteel renditions . Unfortunately This knife is the uglier,weaker and louder(clicky click) runt of the litter of the espadas.
 
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Tsujigiri said:
OK, I really can't imagine any adversary that would be scared away by a little clicking sound. Besides, the knife doesn't click unless you open it slowly. And who's going to open a knife really slowly just to sound cool if they need the blade for self defense?
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You COMPLETELY missed the point of the ratcheting sound (=carraca). It's an hommage to the navajas that were produced for centuries and that had a locking mechanism that, as a byproduct, made a ratcheting sound. Spyderco didn't put it there because it thought it might magically scare away people "by a little clicking sound"...
 
legion681 said:
You COMPLETELY missed the point of the ratcheting sound (=carraca). It's an hommage to the navajas that were produced for centuries and that had a locking mechanism that, as a byproduct, made a ratcheting sound. Spyderco didn't put it there because it thought it might magically scare away people "by a little clicking sound"...
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From the Spyderco product description:

"Unique to the Navaja is the Carraca or ratcheting sound it produces when the blade opens and closes. Carraca ratcheting generates a reaction similar to the sound of chambering a round in a firearm, distinctively announcing the knife’s presence and has been attributed to deterring a criminal or criminal behavior."

I don't think I missed the point; that's exactly what they said the sound is for.
 
Tsujiri,
you need to think with your own brain rather than just quoting a product description.

Original Navajas had the Carraca sound as a byproduct of the locking mechanism. Seen that this type of knives were carried widely in Spain for centuries and all had that ratcheting sound, the sound itself came to be known by everyone in Spain and surrounding areas as the sound made by a knife being readied for use. Hence the "deterring a criminal or criminal behavior" as the sound informed a criminal that the supposed victim was brandishing a blade and wasn't that defenseless anymore.

Fast forward to 2011, USA: I think I can safely say that the average Joe out there does NOT know that the Carraca sound means someone is deploying the blade of a folding knife, I think we can agree with that. Therefore no one in the good ole US of A will be intimidated by such sound (which by the way, is very very muted...I own a Navaja and the ratcheting sound probably can't be heard from let's say 5 feet or so away). Spyderco knows it, I know it, most knife enthusiasts that know of the existence of the Spyderco Navaja likely know it too.

Now Spyderco comes up with that description, you read it, you quote it as unadulterated truth that Spyderco is telling its clients and fans that this knife will magically intimidate anyone who hears the ratcheting sound. I am telling you again: you missed the point (or, most likely, you didn't miss the point, but you are so against this knife from Spyderco that you are trying as hard as you can to find something negative to say about it). All that Spyderco is trying to do is to tell people about what the Carraca sound has meant for this type of knives from an historical point of view (it clearly exudes when Spyderco uses the word "mystique" in relation to the Carraca). You just need a bit of common sense to understand that the description you quoted is not to be taken as something that applies to nowaday's life.

Come on...
 
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legion681 said:
Tsujiri,
you need to think with your own brain rather than just quoting a product description.

Original Navajas had the Carraca sound as a byproduct of the locking mechanism. Seen that this type of knives were carried widely in Spain for centuries and all had that ratcheting sound, the sound itself came to be known by everyone in Spain and surrounding areas as the sound made by a knife being readied for use. Hence the "deterring a criminal or criminal behavior" as the sound informed a criminal that the supposed victim was brandishing a blade and wasn't that defenseless anymore.

Fast forward to 2011, USA: I think I can safely say that the average Joe out there does NOT know that the Carraca sound means someone is deploying the blade of a folding knife, I think we can agree with that. Therefore no one in the good ole US of A will be intimidated by such sound (which by the way, is very very muted...I own a Navaja and the ratcheting sound probably can't be heard from let's say 5 feet or so away). Spyderco knows it, I know it, most knife enthusiasts that know of the existence of the Spyderco Navaja likely know it too.

Now Spyderco comes up with that description, you read it, you quote it as unadulterated truth that Spyderco is telling its clients and fans that this knife will magically intimidate anyone who hears the ratcheting sound. I am telling you again: you missed the point (or, most likely, you didn't miss the point, but you are so against this knife from Spyderco that you are trying as hard as you can to find something negative to say about it). All that Spyderco is trying to do is to tell people about what the Carraca sound has meant for this type of knives from an historical point of view (it clearly exudes when Spyderco uses the word "mystique" in relation to the Carraca). You just need a bit of common sense to understand that the description you quoted is not to be taken like gospel.

Come on...
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Your argument doesn't make sense. Ok, so what you're saying is that Spyderco means something completely different from what they're saying, and if I make fun of their product description I'm not using my brain? So I was supposed to assume that they were making a product claim much more intelligent and reasonable than what they actually said? Fact are facts, and Spyderco did say that the carraca can deter criminals. Yes, that IS what they said. I find that claim a little odd, so I don't see why I can't make fun of it. I don't care what you think they really intended to do by producing this knife; the truth is that they put out a knife with a useless gimmicky feature and made some ridiculous claims about it. And it doesn't matter that this is a "knife from Spyderco," Spyderco is one of my favorite brands. But I do think with my own brain, and I don't assume that Spyderco never puts out duds.

Talk about missing the point...
 
legion681 said:
Hence the "deterring a criminal or criminal behavior" as the sound informed a criminal that the supposed victim was brandishing a blade and wasn't that defenseless anymore.
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Though interestingly the Navaja was also found in the hands of thugs. Guess it works both ways. I still think Spyderco's rendition is a nice knife, though obviously that clicking noise rules out discreet use in public.
 
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