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Last Updated: August 5, 2019
The original Southard Flipper was a landmark knife for the Spyderco. The company’s first flipper, and a collaboration with popular knifemaker Brad Southard, the Southard Flipper helped prove the flipper concept for Spyderco and set the bar for things to come. Subsequently Spyderco released the Domino, an in-house Spyderco design, and the extravagant Rubicon, an over the top high end collaboration with Peter Carey. But everything leads back to the Southard Flipper.
Buy the Spyderco Positron at BladeHQ
The Positron is Spyderco and Southard’s second collaboration. At first glance it more resembles a piece of modern art than a knife, blending Brad’s primitive lines with gleaming steel and carbon fiber. But the simplicity to Brad’s design belies a refinement matched by few knife designers. The Positron was a knife I couldn’t help acquiring.
General Dimensions and Blade Details
The Positron has an overall length of 7″, a 3″ blade, weighs 2.6 ounces, and is made in Taiwan. This is a smaller and more gentlemanly offering than the original Southard Flipper. A 3″ blade is appropriate for most settings, and 2.6 ounces is feather light. However, at slightly over half an inch thick, the Positron is a chunky folder. I may be spoiled by my Boker Urban Trapper, but at first glance the knife seemed very thick – especially given the thin and slender blade.
Speaking of blade, the Positron shares the same hook-nosed profile of many of Brad’s designs. This time things have been scaled down, and the gently curved spine meets with with a gently curved edge. There is a slight belly and the entire blade is set on a slight negative angle to the handle. Spyderco went with a full flat grind, and the blade has been given a sparkling stonewash over a highly polished finish.
Spyderco chose CPM S30V for the blade steel. I am not wild about this decision, especially for a higher end 2015 release from Spyderco. I would have preferred S35VN or CTS-XHP, but lets no kid ourselves into thinking S30V isn’t capable of peeling apples or opening mail – which is most of what I have done with the Positron. I also broke down a ton of cardboard boxes. It performed well. The bitingly sharp blade combined with a thin grind blade and fine finish make the Positron a good slicer. The narrow blade and thin grind remind me of a traditional knife, and it is slicier than the hollow ground Southard Flipper or the Domino.
Handle, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip
The handle is where things start getting interesting with the Positron. Spyderco and Brad decided to nest skeletonized stainless steel liners into a full 3-d contoured carbon fiber handle with a low profile black G10 backspacer. The result is a dramatic yet understated handle. The carbon fiber has been left with a matte finish, and there are no voids in the carbon fiber. The end result looks simple, but only because it has been executed with such technical precision. The fit and finish is perfect on my example, and it makes for an impressive knife.
This is a smaller handle, and a number of smart design decisions make the most of it. The thickness and deep finger choil make the Positron a natural in the hand. There is a short run of jimping on the spine and backspacer. Both serve their purpose to index and secure the hand. If you are careful you can perch your index finger on the small forward finger choil and choke up. There is no texture on the handle, but that never bothered me. The matte finish of the carbon fiber is not slippery, and the Positron is comfortable for normal use.
The Positron makes use of Spyderco’s wire clip. I have come to enjoy it on a variety of my favorite Spydercos, including the Sage 1 and Dragonfly 2. This is one of the most discrete pocket clips on the market, and I can easily clip this knife to a pair of slacks without raising eyebrows from co-workers or shredding your pants. The handle has been milled for ambidextrous clip up carry.
As far as carry is concerned, the Positron is thick, but at 2.6 ounces I never noticed it. It carries discretely. I have enjoyed my Positron in the office and in the back yard. It’s a versatile tool that you quickly forget is in your pocket.
Deployment and Lockup
This is a rare Spyderco folder that doesn’t feature a functional thumb hole. Instead, you get a “trademark” thumb hole and a flipper as your sole means of opening the knife with one hand. The flipper is snappy and pops the knife open easily enough, but it’s still possible to “flub the flip” if you aren’t paying attention. I’d put the detent strength at a “6” on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being ZT 0454 thumb chafing tough, and 1 being totally non-functional. So it’s a good flipper, but not on par with a Zero Tolerance 0562 (which I might peg at an 8). There are caged bearings inside and the action is smooth.
For lockup we have a nested steel liner lock. The lock engages early and the blade is free of play. Being a steel liner lock, there is no lock stick either. I like the liner lock for a couple reasons: the knife is lighter than if it had a titanium frame lock, and it gives the Positron more of a gents folder vibe. It’s a nice change of pace from all the framelock flippers that grace these digital pages.
Readers have commented that the jimped lockbar is a little difficult to disengage, because there is no cut out on the show side handle scale. I must have fat thumbs, because I never had a problem disengaging the knife, but I see what people are saying. This is worth mentioning.
It is also worth mentioning that blade centering is perfect.
Spyderco Positron Review – Final Thoughts
The Positron is a solid offering from Spyderco. I think it carries the torch established by the original Southard Folder and the Domino and moves things into an interesting direction. This is a more refined knife making use of real carbon fiber, nested liners, and 3-d machined scales. The blade is thin, the knife is a good size for EDC, and it carries well. It’s not as wild as the Rubicon, and strikes me as something that I actually want to carry. As usual, fit and finish from the Taichung Taiwan factory is superb. I showed the knife to my dad and he commented that it shared similarities to his Kershaw Skyline, an interesting observation that puts the Positron in excellent company.
I also think the price is fair for what you get. Retailing for well under $200, it almost seems like an affordable Spyderco – a rarity in a sea of $200+ offerings. It’s not a value monster like the Urban Trapper, but it’s not highway robbery either.
The biggest con I can come up with is that the handle is a little thick. It’s comfortable in hand, and I don’t notice the knife in pocket, but at over half an inch thick it still looks thick. The lack of a cutout for the lock release is another potential con.
Ultimately, this is a beautiful knife, and a step in the right direction for Spyderco. I look forward to seeing how their line of flippers continues to evolve. I recommend the Positron to Southard and Spyderco fans, and for those wanting a discrete and refined daily carry blade.
- Made of highest quality material
- Manufacturer: Spyderco
- Spyderco positron Flipper PlainEdge fold knife w/3.01 inch blade
I recommend purchasing the Spyderco Positron at Amazon or BladeHQ. Thanks for reading.
Dan,
Thanks for a timely, fair and interesting review! I like the Positron enough to buy two.
The blade is actually just a hair over 3 inches in length; I wish it were just under.
My two flip perfectly — easily but not as fast or as powerful as the latest Zero Tolerance flippers, which have a bit too much snap for my taste.
I don’t find the beautiful CF handle at all chunky — it feels great in the hand.
Two nits: the pointy end on the scales is a bit too pointy. And the cutout surrounding the tiny Spydie hole should be enlarged a little to allow the Positron to to be opened manually by sliding the thumb. I like that as an alternative to flipping.
The Positron is my favorite Spydie of 2015 and one of my current favorite EDCs.
Hey Michael,
I am glad you like this one too. That is an interesting observation about the pointy end of the scale. I see what you are saying, although I did not notice it as a hotspot in use.
I agree, it would be nice to be able to use the thumb hole on this. This is a rare instance where Spyderco chose form over function – I am guessing to preserve the integrity of the design.
My thought on describing the knife as chunky is that it appears thick for it’s size. I agree that it works well in the hand, and besides it “looking” chunky I don’t think the knife itself is overly heavy or bulky in use.
Dan
I like my Positron for a $154 flipper with nice CF.
I would’ve liked it more if access to the lock disengagement area was better. Also, the bottom of the handle is definitely too pointy.
It’s a nice thin slicing blade. Very good flipper action on mine. The CF gives good traction but although the handle us 4 inches you lose some space due to the flipper tab acting as guard. It’s a tight grip for me and as such the clip digs into my palm.
Overall, a likable and light EDC flipper.
Ramin,
Thank you for stopping by. For $154 it’s a great deal. I paid around $170 for mine – not terrible. I see them currently retailing for $180. I’m less enthused the higher we creep towards $200, but at $154 that’s just a phenomenal deal.
Good point about the lock bar disengagement. You have to cram your thumb in there. I will update the review with some thoughts on that.
Dan
With Spyderco’s MAP enforcement going into effect on 1.1.2016 the street price of the Positron will be 40% off MSRP or $167.97. It’s still worth it at that price but I wish they had spent a little more time addressing some of the minor irritants like lockbar access and pointy bottom.
I agree, Ramin. Those refinements would improve the knife.
Dan
I’d never say that Spyderco should just blindly copy any and all trends in knife design. But, one of the major things I love about Spyderco is their willingness to make knives for EVERYONE(see multiple knives designed for a single country, or even a single CITY, to fit draconian knife laws; a whale rescue knife; the Salt series; the ARK… plenty of examples). I think this knife fits into that, as well as the “Unbelievably good Spyderco + Custom Maker collaboration” category. The knife will appeal to those who look at smaller, slender knives with a bent towards the Gentleman’s Folder look. I absolutely agree about having the option of using the hole; barring this thing, I’d be getting a Domino for my first Spydie flipper for just that reason. But I think that the function here isn’t like a Delica or PM2 or one of the other “working knives”; it’s more the function is to 1) Embody Southard’s design 2) be a pure Gent’s Folder flipper with a super slim profile. This thing just fills one of the many many slots in Spyderco’s product line: pure flipper. They can make this thing as a collab, and not get accused of abandoning the thumb hole or something stupid(see Valloton Sub-Hilt for a Spyderco with thumb studs), and if any deployment method is close to the SpyderHole for ease of use and accessibility it’s probably the flipper.
TLDR: I think the no-hole choice is great, and I can’t wait to buy mine.
Patrick,
You make a very good point. Spyderco has a diverse range of offerings – for all kinds of applications and preferences. Personally, I really like mine and I don’t mind that the thumb hole is not functional. Let me know what you think of yours if you end up pulling the trigger.
Best,
Dan
Oh, at this point, it’s a “when” not “if”. My next 2 are that one and the PM2 in S110V(my first PM2). One satisfies my want for a Spyderco flipper and fits my personal taste a bit better. The other is a PM2(which is so universally praised and respected, I don’t even have to say anything about it to explain why I want it). Now it’s just deciding which one to buy first…
Patrick,
Decisions, decisions! Either knife is nice, but my Positron is getting lots of pocket time these days. Let me know what you think when yours arrives. Cheers!
Dan
Is it just me, but I seem to find this awfully similar to the Caly 3? Its like a what if there was a flipper instead of a Thumbhole opening. The carbon fibre and wire clip seems to be drawing parallels too. Maybe its just me haha
Dominic,
I see your point, and there are definitely some parallels between the 2 knives (the clip, the use of carbon fiber, etc). However, if you handle the 2 knives side by side they have a much different feel – especially since the Caly is made in Japan.
The new Spyderco Mantra shares many of the lines of a traditional Spyderco, including the Caly 3, and has much closer profile. But that one has a full titanium handle. Who knows, maybe they will swap the Titanium for CF one day?
Best,
Dan
+1 to that. Much like how the Caly 3 (to me anyways) feels like a more-refined Delica, the Mantra feels like a more-refined Caly 3. Honestly I handled the Mantra once and the Positron dropped a couple of spots on the list. The Positron is good, but it’s now outclassed by products from other companies, as well as by other new products from Spyderco.
How does this compare to Lionsteel TRE G10, Spyderco air or rubicon? They’ll similarly priced around (Exception of rubicon) at the moment on amazon so thought you could share your insight. Looking for a flipper with either titanium lock or carbon fibre and these knives seem to fit the bill quite nicely
John,
I handled a TRE at Blade Show – it’s beautifully made but the action wasn’t particularly good and I am not sure I prefer it over the Positron. The Rubicon is a much different knife (far bigger, flashier, and bulkier – more of an art piece than a true EDC). I haven’t handled an Air, but it’s a small knife, no pocket clip, or flipper. It will feel a lot different from the Positron.
Dan
I have the Positron and TRE which I’ve carried for EDC. I like them as both look non-threatening and sized just like a Swiss Army Knife.
But in terms of overall quality, details, and flipping action, I have to say that there is no comparison between the two.
Also, there seems a lack of premium feel in the Positron’s finish which unfortunately I find it overpriced even at only $168 after 40% off (makes Kizers all look like a bargain).
But then, the TRE even in G-10 finish is generally more expensive than the Positron although it uses M390 blade steel vs S30V.
I’d check out the Spyderco Mantra. Personally I prefer it to all of the Spyderco knives you’ve mentioned, including the Positron. I haven’t handled the Lionsteel but Everyday Commentary likes it a lot. But for myself, being a Spyderjunkie, I’d pick the Mantra or Mantra2.