Whosoever pulleth this Spydie from this stone...

G

Grover_Cephas

Joined
Apr 7, 2002
Messages
721
So I was playing "what kind of knife would work best in this situation" today, and I got to thinking. What's up with the "Merlin"? Not the blade, but the name. It doesn't <i>look</i> like the wizard from that Disney movie... :D

Maybe it's just a random name that somebody in Marketing really liked, but I'm interested.

The "Gunting" and "Native" have a method to their names... Does the Merlin, too?
 
...And the Spyderco Chinook...Was it named after the large Chinook Salmon; the NW Chinook Indian Tribe; or the warm, dry Chinook wind?...Why?

...Inquiring minds want to know...:).
 
IIRC, a Merlin is a bird of prey... a raptor or hunter. Raptors (Eagles, hawks, owls) have long curved talons... Talons to which the Spyderco Merlin blade shape is strikingly similar!

Ben
 
Fozzy got it right! The Merlin was named after the bird of prey, as was the Harpy (sea eagle).

Naming them is an interesting process. The Chinook got its name by association with the strong wind, the large salmon and the tie in with the Pacific northwest which is where James Keating is from.

The Kiwi...go figure. Our R&D Department named it and I'm not sure if they were just hungry at the time or thought the blade resembled the bird.

Spyderco often uses manufactured names too like "Delica and Endura" since it's unlikely that those names have been previously used (TM) by other knife manufacturers.

Joyce
 
See that? Ask a question about knives, learn a little something about ornithology.

I love this board :D

(BTW, I didn't know there was a bird called "harpy", either. Just assumed it was a reference to the the mythical bird-women who snatched food away from evil Greek kings. ;) )
 
you learn something new everyday, i've noticed spyderco likes to name their stuff after animals
 
After handling the Kiwi I can see where they thought it resembled the Kiwi bird. It vaguely resembled the bird to me too.
That, or maybe I had too many Darvocet on board at the time.:D
 
Originally posted by Manji
you learn something new everyday, i've noticed spyderco likes to name their stuff after animals
Click to expand...

...So please tell me just what kind of animal these are:

Endura
Delica
Military
Temperance
Worker
Rescue
Dyad
Catcherman
Civilian
Police (And I don't mean "pig")
Merlin
Jester
Snap-It
(Massad)Ayoob
Native
Pro-Grip
Navigator
Salsa
etc., etc...
.:D.:D.
 
Originally posted by Fozzy
Well, I would definitely be in for a Police PIG!!!!! :)

Ben
Click to expand...

...Me too...As long as it's a "lefty", tip-up, with G-10 scales, and has a fully serrated 5.4 inch-long VG-10 blade...But I think I'll have one of those at about the same time that pigs fly.:D.:D.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top