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Spyderco Rubicon Review

by Dan Jackson 12 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. We may get paid an affiliate commission if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of the links on this web page.

Last Updated: August 3, 2019
Spyderco has released a number of high end knives of the past year. Blades like the Slysz Bowie, K2, Firefly, and Burch Chubby are all retailing at north of $200. Meanwhile, there doesn’t seem to be much of interest going on in the ~$100 price point or sub $100 price points – both of which have been sweet spots for Spyderco in the past with cherished blades like the Paramilitary II, Sage, Caly 3, Dragonfly, Manix 2, and of course the Endura and Delica.

Spyderco Rubicon
Buy the Spyderco Rubicon at BladeHQ

Buy on Amazon

So I have been forced to pick my battles a little bit. I can’t review everything Spyderco turns out, especially if the majority of their stuff is going to set me back 2 bills+. So as 2014 drew to a close I decided to acquire one of their most ambitious pieces to date: the Rubicon. Retailing for over $300, this is the most expensive Spyderco I have ever acquired.

The Rubicon is a collaboration with custom knife maker Peter Carey, a designer / maker that I have previously had zero experience with. The Spyderco Rubicon is an interpetation of Peter’s custom Rubicon. Peter’s knives are meticulously hand finished and coveted by collectors, and one of Spyderco’s goals with the collaboration was to celebrate that aspect of his knives. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a production knife, but the end result, while expensive, is unlike any other Spyderco I have handled to date.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Rubicon has an overall length of 7.48″, has a 3.03″ blade, and weighs 4.2 ounces. This folder is compact enough for daily carry, but to me it is more of a collectible. It feels very lightweight for its size, which is fantastic for daily carry, but I can’t say I remodeled a bathroom with this knife, or had it clipped to my pocket while swapping out the transmission of my truck.

The blade is a bulbous piece of S30V and the shape is faithful rendition of Peter’s custom Rubicon. I think the blade shape is a little too curvy, but it’s faithful to the original design. Of course being a Spyderco collab this blade features a thumb hole. Both the primary bevel and swedge are belt finished and the hollow grinds ripple in the light. A nice touch is the horizontally polished satin flats. This is a high end detail you don’t see on many Spyderco’s. No doubt this was done to mimic the “hand rubbed” flats of a real Carey. The end result is something lustrous and difficult to photograph.

At this point, Spyderco’s CPM S30V is a known quantity. I own several Spydies in S30V (some for 4+ years) and have been reasonably happy with their edge retention and performance, although at this stage in the game I may have preferred something a little different: S35VN or CTS-XHP come to mind. I am not too concerned about squeezing every last drop of performance out of this knife, but I would be remiss if I didn’t lightly admonish Spyderco for not springing for an even more premium steel given the price point. I suppose that just goes to show how good we actually have it.

Spyderco Rubicon Blade

The hollow grind is lean, the edge is keen, and I have been happy with the way this knife carves through cardboard and paper. There is a slight recurve, which has a way of improving cutting performance, but hampering your ability to easily sharpen the edge. The recurve is mild so I’m not expecting too much difficulty, but this is a knife that I will relegate to my Sharpmaker and strops for touch ups, rather than flat stones.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle is where things really start to get interesting. The star of the show is the 3-D machined high polished carbon fiber handle scales with bright orange G10 pivot collars surrounding an oversize decorative pivot. As an avid knife collector I have had the opportunity to get my hands on all kinds of carbon fiber handled knives over the years. I can say that this is the nicest carbon fiber and the best finished carbon fiber handle I have ever seen in the production world. The weave of the carbon fiber is ultra tight, and there are no pin holes or voids. The polish has almost reached mirror like qualities and rotating the knife in your hand reveals a depth and character to the carbon fiber unlike anything else I have seen. I have often been critical of Spyderco for using cheap carbon fiber overlays over G10 on their knives (like the Sage and Domino). They didn’t skimp in this instance.

Spyderco Rubicon Handle

The pivot collar, while entirely decorative, has been beautifully and seamlessly integrated into the handle. The two-tone tri-tip pivot is the nicest I have seen. The carved g10 backspacer, while bold, has also been beautifully rendered. I realize that this is starting to sound like a Jim Skelton video, but if these kinds of details mean anything to you then you will be impressed with the job done on the Rubicon. And construction of the handle is perfect. There are 2 thick stonewashed and skelotonized titanium liners. A couple simple button head fasteners hold everything together, allowing you to revel in the gloriously finished handle.

Spyderco Rubicon Ergonomics

The Rubicon is comfortable and is a nice knife to work with if you can bring yourself to actually use it. Those 3-d finished handles don’t just look good, they provide plenty of meat for you to hold on to. The handle shape itself is thoughtful, allowing your fingers to wrap around it easily and naturally. You do have a forward choil of sorts that you can use to choke up on, and a short run of jimping on the spine provides tactile feedback without being overly sharp and aggressive. As for the polished carbon fiber being “smooth” and “slippery”, I haven’t had any issues holding onto this knife. The handle shape provides lots of traction naturally by virtue of its design. That said, I didn’t take the Rubicon into the shower with me, so this could be one of those “Your Mileage May Vary” situations. If you really need a high traction handle on every knife in your collection, buy a Griptilian and call it a day.

Spyderco Rubicon Profile

In comparison to the rest of the knife, the pocket clip seems like something of an afterthought. The clip on the custom knife is similar, so there is that to consider. The clip isn’t offensive to look at or anything, but next to the rest of the knife the simple stamped clip seems basic and stock. I will say that this is a sturdy titanium clip, and this is a step up from the clip on the Southard Flipper. I will also say that it functions fine as a pocket clip. It has strong retention and buries decently low in the pocket. The Rubicon feels lightweight for its size and I don’t notice it that much in my pocket.

Deployment and Lockup

The Rubicon gives you the option of a flipper tab or thumb hole, and both work well. This is the 3rd flipper in the Spyderco flipper dynasty, and the action is smooth and reliable. The detent isn’t super stong, but the way the flipper tab is canted ensures that the blade will gracefully flip open without fail pretty much every single time. The bearings are very smooth and the blade floats around the pivot.

The Rubicon makes use of a thick titanium liner lock to hold the blade in place. Mine is a little sticky. I have never been a huge fan of titanium liner locks, but I am not sure I would have built this knife any differently myself. The beautiful carbon fiber handles are the star of the show, and I think it would have been a shame (and boring) to make this another titanium framelock knife. The lock bar isn’t the easiest to get at to disengage. It’s not impossible to wedge the meat of your thumb in to free the blade, but when compared with other knives it’s a little less convenient. To be fair I think that is how Peter designed the knife – perhaps favoring aesthetic considerations over raw functionality.

Spyderco Rubicon vs. Zero Tolerance 0562

Blade centering on my example is perfect.

Spyderco Rubicon Review – Final Thoughts

The Rubicon is an ambitious piece from Spyderco. Overall I would say it’s a great success. Spyderco should be proud to have put together such a nice knife. Lately, Zero Tolerance and LionSteel have both been making most of the waves in the high end production knife world. In many ways Spyderco has raised their bar in terms of high end finishing and production quality. I am excited to see some of this trickle down into future offerings. No knife is perfect, and I have a couple minor quibbles with the Rubicon, but I its pros easily outweigh its cons. As a tool the fundamentals are there: it’s comfortable, lightweight, and it cuts well. That said, there were some form over function considerations with this knife, and for me it’s more of a collectable than a true tool knife. I don’t have a problem with that, but for some folks that just won’t work.

Like most expensive things, one question many will ask is, “Is it worth the money?” I can’t answer that question for you. I will readily admit that $325 is a lot of money to pay for a production knife, and I can understand if some view this simply as needless pocket frosting. I will say that I can see where the dollars go when comparing this with a Domino or Southard Flipper. The handle is truly amazing and one look at the material selection and finish work shows you where the $100 or so went. Personally, while I don’t deny that $325 is a lot of money for a pocket knife, I don’t think they are out of line with the asking price. You are welcome to disagree.

If I were to make any refinements I would address the lockbar area. I am not a knife maker so I couldn’t tell you how to take the slight amount of stick out of the lockbar. I might have opened up the lock release area to make the liner lock easier to disengage. And some sort of 3-D machined pocket clip would be uber cool. My guess is that would make the knife even more expensive.

All in all I am impressed with the Rubicon and can recommend it to die hard Spyderco fans and fans of high end production folders. The Rubicon is something truly different from Spyderco, and I am glad I selected it out of the melange of high end 2014 releases.

Spyderco Rubicon 3.04' Folding Knife C187CFP
Spyderco Rubicon 3.04" Folding Knife C187CFP
  • Folding Knives, Knives & Tools
Buy on Amazon

I recommend purchasing the Spyderco Rubicon at Amazon and BladeHQ. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

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Filed Under: Collectable Knives, EDC Knives, Folding Knives, High End Pocket Knives, Spyderco Tagged With: carbon fiber, flipper, made in Taiwan, Peter Carey, s30v

About Dan Jackson

Dan is the creator of BladeReviews.com. He founded the site in 2010, and for the first 5 years Dan wrote all of the reviews and recorded all of the video reviews. He grew up using pocket knives, and the decision to start the website stemmed from his fascination of all things sharp combined with a deep passion for writing. He has personally reviewed almost 300 knives of all shapes, sizes, and price points. He is recognized as an authority on daily carry knives and has consulted with knife companies on product design.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Judas D'Winter says

    February 7, 2015 at 3:54 pm

    Love the review and i agree with it almost completely. The knife price was a bit much for me to swallow. Since i found it online for such a good deal i could not pass it up. I am very glad i purchased the knife. I too will end up making this a safe queen as the knife is just too pretty to tarnish.

    The CF is the real star of the show here. Anyone that doesn’t appreciate clean CF should just move on. It is just so clean for a production piece that it boarders amazing. The orange accents just make it pop visually and that i really like. The raised portion of the backspacer is also a very nice touch that i would like to see more of in the future. It is almost like jimping for the palm. Very comfortable to me.

    My only real grip is the blade shape. I am not a fan of these fat, Ken Onion-style blades. If this knife would have been just a touch thinner (from edge to spine), then it would have been about perfect.

    One possible typo in your write-up. I’m not sure what you are trying to say here: “but I can’t say I remodeled a bathroom with this car”?

    Thanks,
    JD

    Reply
    • Dan says

      February 7, 2015 at 3:58 pm

      First of all, thanks for catching that typo JD. Much appreciated (and fixed).

      Glad you like this one as well. I agree, the carbon fiber is a masterpiece. I couldn’t believe people were griping about the “slippery carbon fiber” in the comments section of my video review.

      Yeah, the blade shape is a little funky… I agree and that’s a good point. I will say they stayed true to Peter Cary’s original design. The custom version is just as bulbous.

      Dan

      Reply
      • Judas D'Winter says

        February 7, 2015 at 6:17 pm

        My jab at the blade shape wasn’t against Spyderco. They are just trying to make a faithful reproduction. Kudos to them for succeeding! My jab was against Carey. May he have less Ken Onion-ness in the future 🙂

        JD

        Reply
        • Dan says

          February 7, 2015 at 7:26 pm

          I agree and think it could use a little refining!

          Dan

          Reply
  2. Ameer says

    February 7, 2015 at 8:26 pm

    Thanks for the review, Dan. I have been looking forward to this one after I heard you say on the podcast that you got a Rubicon.

    This is a knife I really want, and have wanted since it was first announced, but will probably never buy. It’s more than twice the price of any knife I’ve ever purchased, but man do I like the aesthetics and the idea of the clean, curved cf. I usually feel like my spydercos are a good value, and it sounds like this one is worth the price tag in terms of materials and unique design.

    I enjoy all your reviews, but I particularly appreciate the ones for high-end knives that I’m interested in but just can’t justify buying at this point in my life. You always do a great job conveying your experiences and that helps to quell the temptation on my end.

    Reply
    • Dan says

      February 8, 2015 at 7:07 am

      Thank you, Ameer. I can understand why you would not buy this knife. Frankly if I didn’t run a website dedicated to knives I am not sure I would own this one either! It is a beautiful piece and I am glad you are able to live vicariously through the review a little bit. That’s awesome and I’ll keep that in mind the next time I am on the fence about buying another expensive knife. 😉

      Dan

      Reply
  3. James says

    February 8, 2015 at 5:57 am

    Nice work as usual. I personally hate spyderco knives and only own the VALLOTIN sub hilt because it is the polar opposite of their normal product. The Rubicon still has the look I can’t stand so I’d never buy one. All the same I appreciate your efforts to share your thoughts about this knife. Keep up the good work and thanks for your due diligence
    James

    Reply
    • Dan says

      February 8, 2015 at 7:08 am

      Hi James,

      Thanks for taking the time out to stop by, read the review, and comment – even if Spyderco isn’t your thing. I appreciate the encouragement and hope to review something more up your alley in the not so distant future.

      Dan

      Reply
  4. David Berkowitz says

    February 8, 2015 at 9:32 am

    Greetings, Dan. Well thought out review. I appreciate the frankness of your commentary.
    Under the heading of “Deployment and Lockup”, you show another knife below the Rubicon. Can you tell me what that is? For some reason, it hits my fancy.
    Thanks,
    Dave

    Reply
    • Dan says

      February 8, 2015 at 10:37 am

      Thank you, David. That would be the Zero Tolerance 0562. A full write up can be found here: http://bladereviews.com/zero-tolerance-0562-cf-review/

      Dan

      Reply
  5. Forrest Chump says

    April 11, 2015 at 9:14 pm

    Stellar writeup as usual, thanks for your efforts! I’ve owned a Gayle Bradley which was phenomenal but had to part with it for a time. Im now in the market for a “working” folder. The Bradley is insanely robust and fit and finish are phenomenal. I put it to work on a daily basis which brings me to my question; no doubt there are form over function decisions made with this blade, but can I use it hard on a daily basis? Throw it in a pocket for a weekend backpacking trip? There hasn’t been a task I found that the Bradley couldn’t eat up…. can I put the Rubicon to work in the same fashion or is it just pretty? Also the titanium on S30V…. how do you see that wearing long term? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Dan says

      April 12, 2015 at 6:16 am

      Forrest,

      I have owned and extensively used a Gayle Bradley as well, so I know where you are coming from. Personally, I’d have a hard time using the Rubicon like that. Theoretically, it should perform and hold up fine. Practically speaking I have no idea as I did not “hard use” my Rubicon. It is a fully functional knife though, and see no reason why it couldn’t survive a backpacking trip, extensive use, etc. It’s pretty, but fully functional.

      Dan

      Reply

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