Spyderco is the inventor of the trademark round hole, which was incorporated into their first folding knives made in 1981 called the Spyderco Worker. Spyderco is run by Sal Glesser and his son Eric Glesser from Golden, Colorado. Their knives are top notch and made in manufacturing facilities all over the world including Japan, Germany and China.
Spyderco not only invented the one-handed opener, but also the pocket clip. They hold many patents and are among the most innovative production sporting knife companies in the world.
One of the latest knives from Spyderco that I’ve just had to have is the Spyderco Leaf Storm designed by Kevin Wilkins. Formerly a Graphic Designer from Germany, Kevin Wilkins has become one of the premier new knifemakers to hit the scene, with a full selection of kitchen knives in addition to the usual sporting varieties.
I reviewed this one on video a while back, and have finally gotten around to writing up a written review for the non-youtubers out there. My impression of the Caly 3 Carbon Fiber with ZDP-189 Laminate blade has matured a bit with ownership of this knife, but I still really like it.
I previously reviewed the older generation of C11 Delica, but the Generation 4 delica represents a major revision to this iconic knife from Spydero, and warrants a review. I also happened to receive the knife in a trade, so I figured, might as well!
I’ve owned several Butterfly knives, and dollar for value, the Spyderfly is probably one of the best bang for buck Balis that I have seen. It’s unique design makes it a bit of an acquired taste for some, but with my limited flipping ability, the knife still acts like a Bali when I flip it.
This Spydero Millitary was one of the better examples that I had ever handled, with fantastic lockup and a perfectly centered and smooth opening blade. This example also did not have the blade rubbing against the G-10 handles that makes that rubbing sound that I dislike so much.
The Spyderco Vesuvius is one of the few FRN handled Spydies to have a smooth contoured handle, which I really like. It is also designed by Frank Centofante, which I was a bit surprised about. The design is much more in-house looking to me, but either way, I love the look and feel!
I haven’t picked up a new Spyderco in a while, but every time I walk into the local knife shop, I see all their Spydercos displayed, and after a while I just can’t help myself. This time it was a Foliage Green Paramilitary that caught my eye, in the limited edition CPM D2 steel configuration. This is a very cool version of the Paramilitary!
Since I reviewed the Ying Yang cricket I wasn’t going to review this FRN cricket, however this one is plain edged, and different enough I figured I would at least give a short review of it. The Cricket is definately one of the more popular ladies knives available, and due to the blade shape, works very well with textiles.
Yet another Spyderco, same FRN construction, though this Merlin here is a bit of a rarer knife. The Merlin is basically an FRN version of the Harpy, with slight differences in blade steel, shape and thickness. This Spyderco Merlin is a plain edge model, which is extremely rare as they are no longer made.
Spyderco does not make a lot of black coated knives in regular runs like most of the big companies out there, and instead released them in small numbers for certain models only. Usualy only a few models are available in black at a time such as the Paramilitary, Native and Delica models. Even with their size, Spyderco has a grassroots feel to it because owner Sal Glasser is still very involved in the knife community.
The Viele C42 from Spyderco is definately what I would consider a Classic Spydie. Produced in relatively small numbers and with very high end parts for the time, the Viele was also reissued with higher end steel later, of which this is an example. I had one of the originals in AUS-8 Steel, with the Micarta slab on the back. The new one has Aluminum on the backside. I have long since sold the original Viele and now just own the new one.
The Spyderco Blackhawk C24 is a very rare Spyderco of days gone by, and as you can see the example here is not in fantastic shape. I picked this up in a trade with a fellow from Russia. Don’t see these available very often at all, and probably bring in close to a couple hundred dollars when mint with the box if not more.
The legendary Bob Lum has designed several folders for Spyderco, and the Chinese Folder C65 is probably the most elegant of them. This is the limited edition Blue Lum Chinese Folder, which was produced in very limited numbers – The standard edition folder is Green. These things can sell on the secondary market for over $300… not bad for a production Spyderco!
The Spyderco Cricket is probably considered one of the ‘cutest’ knives on the market, and is certainly the knife with some of the most female appeal, so embelishing it with some Sante Fe stoneworks work seems natural. Of all the knives I’ve shown to women, the Cricket is definately the one that appeals to them most, and this Ying Yang modified one certainly takes the cake.
The Spyderco Pikal (or P’kal) C103GP is one of the newer MBC (Martial Blade Craft) knives from Spyderco, and is very unique in the way it looks. The knife is meant to be used in a icepick style grip with the edge in (towards yourself). The mechanics of why the knife is held that way make a lot of sense. This knife is pretty much good for self-defense and nothing else, however.
I received this Spyderco Q knife in a trade with a fellow on the rec.knives newsgroup many years ago named SPECOPS. He was a great guy and now and again I wonder what happened to the guy. I’m sure he’s around somewhere… he used to be a Spyderco rep of some sort. I traded him something for the Q, since it was such a neat litlte collector’s knife and it has risen in value substantially since I received it.
I actually owned both the serrated and plain edged versions of this knife, and both are excellent examples of classic discontinued Spyderco designs. I remember reading an article by Massad Ayoob about how the Jot Singh Khalsa was his favourite self-defense knife to carry on airplanes prior to 19/11 because it fit the under 3″ rule at the time.
The Spyderco Dodo is one of the more odd knives made by Spyderco in the last couple of years. and features their ball-lock, which was created in response to Benchmade’s Axis-Lock a few years ago. Its a great little cutter that has a wide blade, and very low blade to handle ratio… typical of many Spydies.
This Warren Thomas designed Karambit was one of the first affordable, well-designed Karambits available on the market. Until the Spyderco, the only ones available were high-end customs, fairly pricey Emersons, or junk Karambits from M-Tech.
Sypderco’s Amazing quality shines through again in these Japanese Made (seki-city) folders. From their Distribution center in Colorado, Spyderco sells some of the highest quality production folders available.
