Where's the Shaman buzz?

I handled a shaman today at my local shop. The contoured G10 was nice. It was super comfortable in the hand when using the forward choil. I love the blade profile. But it seems to me that the knife was intended to be used always being held by the forward choil. Any other grip was just “meh”. and that dang compression lock. God I hate it. I know I am in the minority but man I cant stand that lock. If the Shaman was a liner or a frame lock or even a lockback I would consider it. It does make me realize that the native is in my future though
 
Riz! said:
I handled a shaman today at my local shop. The contoured G10 was nice. It was super comfortable in the hand when using the forward choil. I love the blade profile. But it seems to me that the knife was intended to be used always being held by the forward choil. Any other grip was just “meh”. and that dang compression lock. God I hate it. I know I am in the minority but man I cant stand that lock. If the Shaman was a liner or a frame lock or even a lockback I would consider it. It does make me realize that the native is in my future though
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I’m considering this entire post a typo due to your swole-up thumbs ;)
 
Riz! said:
I handled a shaman today at my local shop. The contoured G10 was nice. It was super comfortable in the hand when using the forward choil. I love the blade profile. But it seems to me that the knife was intended to be used always being held by the forward choil. Any other grip was just “meh”. and that dang compression lock. God I hate it. I know I am in the minority but man I cant stand that lock. If the Shaman was a liner or a frame lock or even a lockback I would consider it. It does make me realize that the native is in my future though
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I agree that the forward choil grip is extremely comfortable on the Shaman, I tend to use the forward choil on knives that have them (SNG, Shaman, Native). Backing off and using the handle grip does provide some impressive knuckle clearance.
I havent used it for food prep but I think I might bring on a few camping trips. I like to pack a folder and should be able to do just about everything a small companion knife needs to :thumbsup:
 
Cursum Perficio said:
I'm thinking Elmax would be ideal in a Shaman.
But S90V, M4 or Cru-wear would work for me too.
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Elmax for a tough stainless option or M4 for a tough option makes so much sense given the harder use profile of the Shaman. I must say that turning our noses up at S30v is preposterous given how well balanced it is, but we're all super steel junkies here. Thanks for making knives that fit my big old bear claws Sal! Spyderco rocks!!!
 
Daniel Ebert said:
I would really want one in lc200n. I really love that steel. I also really enjoy the native, as a boat knife. I live off the Columbia/sandy river and fish a lot. The weather is rain/wind 80% of the year. So having a knife that can be wet all day, or even a few days while camping is a big deal for me.
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So much noise over the last year about LC200n. I'm going to pick up a Native Salt when it comes out. Really excited to see how this steel performs for me! I know it has great edge retention and is rustproof (or nearly rustproof). Can anyone tell me if it is a tough steel?
 
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ScooterG ScooterG

That was funny dude. Really my dislike for the compression lock comes from the fact that I am lefty and like locks that I can use more easily left handed. I am not knocking the shaman. It just doesnt do it for me. I guess, for me, that shape of a handle (those which are made to always be held with the forward choil) seem to work best on smaller knives. That choil allows you to make a knife that folds up very small but has a handle that funtions bigger than it actually is. The Urban, native and the PM3 come to mind right away. Those all work for me.

I guess thats why I like the military. The choil is non commital. You can use it to choke way up, or not use it at all. If you dont, you do not feel like you are holding the knife incorrectly
 
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Choil commitment issues? Ha ha. This blade would be tricky for lefties. I find the choil on the Shaman very comfortable but I notice the clip in the normal grip position. I really like this knife and after trading points in at DLT I got this blade for under $130! Super happy with this knife but at the $190 mark, I’m not sure that I would have pulled the trigger. Sprint runs will catch my interest, especially in Lc200n.
 
Riz! said:
I handled a shaman today at my local shop. The contoured G10 was nice. It was super comfortable in the hand when using the forward choil. I love the blade profile. But it seems to me that the knife was intended to be used always being held by the forward choil. Any other grip was just “meh”. and that dang compression lock. God I hate it. I know I am in the minority but man I cant stand that lock. If the Shaman was a liner or a frame lock or even a lockback I would consider it. It does make me realize that the native is in my future though
Click to expand...
I'm right there with you on the compression lock. I've got 3-4 reasons I dont prefer it. Poor Lefty use is one of those reasons.
 
sharpbear said:
So much noise over the last year about LC200n. I'm going to pick up a Native Salt when it comes out. Really excited to see how this steel performs for me! I know it has great edge retention and is rustproof (or nearly rustproof). Can anyone tell me if it is a tough steel?
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It's supposed to be really tough. Check out the datasheets. It's not like 3v toughness but it's really good. A well balanced steel.
 
sharpbear said:
So much noise over the last year about LC200n. I'm going to pick up a Native Salt when it comes out. Really excited to see how this steel performs for me! I know it has great edge retention and is rustproof (or nearly rustproof). Can anyone tell me if it is a tough steel?
Click to expand...

I used it to cut a hinge slot, in a door, when I happened to leave my chisels at home. It did fine and came out with no rolling/chips and it was still razor sharp. It completely surprised me; my 154cm, which is my regular work knife, a griptillian 154cm, always has a hard time doing that task.

Edited for punctuation.
 
Whats with the Shaman when closed. The blade doesnt look like it was made for the handle. When open it fits but closed, the blade looks out of place. Its not a deal breaker in any way. Just makes me wonder. When compared to the manix or native or pm2, for examples, the blade and handle were so thoughtfully mated together when closed.
(I love Spyderco, no disrespect is meant here in anyway.)
 
Hi Riz, Mo2,

I'll keep you lock preference in mind. Though if you "pinch" the lock to the handle, (thumb and index finger) it works fairly easily right or left handed.

Hi Sharpbear,

Welcome to our forum and thanx for the kind words.

Hey Italian,

I wanted a wide blade, both for better edge geometry on the thicker stock and I wanted to drop the edge rather than raise the spine. Handles are for holding, blades are for cutting, they do have a relationship, which we work with, but performance usually carries more weight than appearance. I used the best compromise I could in the design without making the blade smaller or the handle larger.

Hi Jill,

Sorry about that. I would like to get you pleased. Can we repair or replace you Shaman?

sal
 
Sal Glesser Sal Glesser

Thanks for your reply. For a one handed, right handed or a two handed close the compression lock works well for me. I checked out a lefty PM2 recently and it worked fine for me also. I guess my bias comes from the fact that I love the Military (liner or frame lock versions) and have used a one for so long in my left hand that closing liner and frame locks has become second nature. The thing I love about your company is that you have a flavor for everyone. I will say though... a Ti framelock/CF Shaman with an S90V blade would go nicely with my Knifeworks Millie!
 
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sharpbear said:
So much noise over the last year about LC200n. I'm going to pick up a Native Salt when it comes out. Really excited to see how this steel performs for me! I know it has great edge retention and is rustproof (or nearly rustproof). Can anyone tell me if it is a tough steel?
Click to expand...

I think it’s comparable to S30v, I have been using the Mule in my Kitchen since it was released (last spring?) and it has seen a decent amount of carcas cleaning. I have scraped more than a few bones for my four legged sidekick and did not notice any edge rolling when I eventually sharpened it.
It’s a great Steel and I think it will change a lot of people’s opinions about stainless
 
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