- Joined
- Feb 16, 2003
- Messages
- 88
Many thanks to New Graham, who let me know when their stock arrived, and promptly filled my order!
First impressions:
Not much longer than the Dodo (folded), but much more of a handfull. The Yo' handle is only slightly longer from the choil back to the tail, but the tip of the blade is about 40mm further forward, giving much longer reach.
Ergonomics: Handle this knife before you offer an opinion - it's very different in the hand from what I imagined, and much better! The knife has two sets of traction grooves on the spine; one on the handle and one on the blade. With your index finger in the large choil, the thumb rests naturally on the grooved section of the handle. If you choke up to the "mini-choil" at the very front of the handle, for fine work, the thumb will find a good rest on the grooves on the back of the blade. In both cases the length of the handle anchors the knife firmly in the base of the palm for good control. My intended use is purely for light/fine utility work - I have no skills or training in SD and cannot comment on the fit for that purpose. There is a single indexing divot on each scale about 2/3 of the way towards the tail, with a matching hole in the clip. The clip is reversible for lefties, but only allows for tip-up carry.
Fit and finish:
Spyderco have obviously spent a lot of effort fine-tuning the design and manufacturing of this knife before releasing it on the market. The fit and finish are the equal of any other Spydie I've seen. There is absolutely zero vertical blade play (which is a minor annoyance on my Lil Temp.). The release tab of the compression lock is lighter to operate, too, and the pocket clip tension has also been set a little lighter than I'm used to. The blade swings very freely and smoothly - I expect to have to tighten it slightly as the knife wears in. If I could change one thing it might be to give the blade a little more retention in the closed position - a bit more pressure needed to get it moving from closed. This might be achieved by tightening the pivot or by increasing the spring pre-load on the compression insert.
The blade is sharp - this is the first knife I've ever received and not felt the need to immediately work on the edge, even to just touch it up a bit. The fine tip will obviously be delicate - we all know that by now!
The first time I saw a picture, I thought it was ugly. Later, as I read more about the design and the features, it came to grow on me. The design is a quantum leap of "form following function", and Spyderco's materials and manufacturing have done it justice.
If you were thinking of waiting a few months for Spyderco to iron out the bugs in this new model - don't. If my knife is typical, they have it right, now, and have again set the standard. Thanks Sal for taking the time to make it right. It was worth the wait!
First impressions:
Not much longer than the Dodo (folded), but much more of a handfull. The Yo' handle is only slightly longer from the choil back to the tail, but the tip of the blade is about 40mm further forward, giving much longer reach.
Ergonomics: Handle this knife before you offer an opinion - it's very different in the hand from what I imagined, and much better! The knife has two sets of traction grooves on the spine; one on the handle and one on the blade. With your index finger in the large choil, the thumb rests naturally on the grooved section of the handle. If you choke up to the "mini-choil" at the very front of the handle, for fine work, the thumb will find a good rest on the grooves on the back of the blade. In both cases the length of the handle anchors the knife firmly in the base of the palm for good control. My intended use is purely for light/fine utility work - I have no skills or training in SD and cannot comment on the fit for that purpose. There is a single indexing divot on each scale about 2/3 of the way towards the tail, with a matching hole in the clip. The clip is reversible for lefties, but only allows for tip-up carry.
Fit and finish:
Spyderco have obviously spent a lot of effort fine-tuning the design and manufacturing of this knife before releasing it on the market. The fit and finish are the equal of any other Spydie I've seen. There is absolutely zero vertical blade play (which is a minor annoyance on my Lil Temp.). The release tab of the compression lock is lighter to operate, too, and the pocket clip tension has also been set a little lighter than I'm used to. The blade swings very freely and smoothly - I expect to have to tighten it slightly as the knife wears in. If I could change one thing it might be to give the blade a little more retention in the closed position - a bit more pressure needed to get it moving from closed. This might be achieved by tightening the pivot or by increasing the spring pre-load on the compression insert.
The blade is sharp - this is the first knife I've ever received and not felt the need to immediately work on the edge, even to just touch it up a bit. The fine tip will obviously be delicate - we all know that by now!
The first time I saw a picture, I thought it was ugly. Later, as I read more about the design and the features, it came to grow on me. The design is a quantum leap of "form following function", and Spyderco's materials and manufacturing have done it justice.
If you were thinking of waiting a few months for Spyderco to iron out the bugs in this new model - don't. If my knife is typical, they have it right, now, and have again set the standard. Thanks Sal for taking the time to make it right. It was worth the wait!
