Pros: Lock Type, Handle Material, Blade Sharpness, Blade Material, Ease of Opening, Handle Feel, Weight, Lock Ease of Use, Overall Quality
Cons: Pocket Clip, None
Wow! Perfect EDC!
I have to admit, I am really picky when it comes to a good blade, but I can find almost nothing wrong with this blade. It is as close-to-perfect as I've seen in my limited experience so far, for an EDC. Whoever engineered this thing knew exactly what they were doing, and they did it very well! To start with the blade, it is a S30V mid-height hollow grind (unusual for Spyderco, but a welcome change), slow belly curve & drop point, double ground edge, with a very comfortable, smooth 14mm Spyderco deployment hole, the usual cool little Spyder and also a made in "Golden, Colorado, U.S.A. Earth" (not Mars? : D) marking. It is not a large blade by any means, but it is aggressively engineered, moderately thick, and much resembles a tooth. It "looks" bigger than it's cutting edge would have you believe. It arrives very, very sharp. A slight touch will cut, so this one's about a step away from a straight razor and deserves to be treated with extra care. The blade is obviously very effective and very strong. My only minus is it's length; I would like to see this blade closer to or even over 4", however the shorter length does make it more appropriate for most EDC circumstances. Will probably pick up a Manix2 XL(full-flat ground) (or wait for a larger Manix 2 hollow ground?) for this reason however. The handle and its construction are amazing. The deployment hole on the blade is perfectly positioned against the handle for ambidextrous lightning-quick, smooth-as-butter opening, the G-10 is grippy enough but not too grippy, the screws are Torx, both sides have non-skeletonized steel liners for impressive strength and easy cleaning, the BBL system is *amazing,* definitely built for long-term usage, and also provides a very consistent draw and close, as well as a very satisfactory but not overdone detente, the shape and curve of the handle as well as its jimping & choils all combine for a "near-perfect" intuitive grip, choke, and reverse grip, and there is no detectable blade play & perfect blade-centering. My only minus is the pocket-clip which is so shiny as to practically advertise (Spyderco logo conveniently near its top!) the blade to all who see it. However, a plus is that it carries with very little of the handle exposed (Manix2 XL "rides high"). Will probably sand the reflectivity off. This knife is not light, and has a heavy feel to it. But I don't mind the weight at all-it is still a relatively light object to carry, and it is heavy due to its quality engineering. It is a workhorse of fine pedigree, and well treated, is a knife that will last many years and perform very well. It is a very good value at just under $100, no doubt. It's main usage would be for a multitasker EDC for most folk. A real good "all-around" blade, however I could also see it being devastatingly effective as a self-defense blade. I think Spyderco had that in mind by choosing to do a hollow grind instead of a full-flat grind. However the tactical/LE/military types would probably rather choose the blacked out Manix models over this one. This is just one of those rare products you come across and wonder why you wasted so much money on other junk before finding it. You cannot lose with this great knife at this great price. Very highly recommended!
