made in Taiwan

Spyderco Positron Review

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.

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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.

Spyderco Positron Flipper PlainEdge Fold Knife W/3.01" 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.

Spyderco Air Review

by Benjamin Schwartz 6 Comments

Last Updated: August 11, 2019
Although working with custom makers has become common practice for knife companies, many of these collaborations end up feeling like compromises. Whether it’s because of restrictive budgets, or sub-par execution, or whatever else, rare is the collaboration knife that feels like an unhindered expression of a maker’s vision and style.

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The Spyderco Air, a knife made in collaboration with Gayle Bradley, quite conspicuously unsettles that trend; it is a considered collaboration, and the result is a knife that is fully a Gayle Bradley even as it is clearly a Spyderco. It feels thoroughly thought-out in a way most knives do not. It isn’t the perfect knife for every task, but for the tasks it is designed for, I can’t think of a knife that performs any better.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Air has a blade length of 2 5/8”, a 3 ½” handle, and an overall length of almost exactly 6”; thanks to a combination of milled out titanium liners and thin silver twill scales, it weighs just 1.3 oz. Its lightness is one of the reasons why the Air is billed as a gentleman’s folder, but it is surprisingly robust (more on that later). The Air is made in Taichung, Taiwan.

Although the whole knife benefits from Bradley and Spyderco’s attention to detail, the blade is the heart and soul of the Air – as it should be with any knife. It begins with the shape, a Wharncliffe with a few small, but very important, tweaks: first, a subdued swedge that not only reduces material and weight but gives the Air genuine piercing capability for biting into packaging or cardboard or the like. Second, either a slight cant to the blade or an actual curvature that gives it a little belly, making the traditionally neutral -feeling Wharncliffe shape a little more aggressive with material.

The Air’s blade is made from CPM-M4 steel, a tool steel with a reputation for extreme edge retention. Looking at the composition chart for M4, the standout element is the amount of Molybdenum; at 5.25%, that’s significantly more than any steel I know of or was able to find. Molybdenum makes a steel tougher and keeps the grain size small, allowing for finer edges – and indeed the edge on my Air came clean and has remained so despite a fairly rigorous couple years of use. It doesn’t get toothy or cut rougher as it dulls – and it hasn’t dulled much in two years of fairly rigorous use.

I think the grind is responsible for the edge’s longevity; although the Air is ground thin, the stock isn’t as thin as you’d maybe expect, and there’s still a fair bit of material right behind the edge, which keeps the edge stable. I would take issue with this grind if it affected cutting performance at all, as I’d gladly trade toughness for slicing ability with a knife of this size, but it doesn’t; Bradley and Spyderco seem to have really understood what makes M4 appealing, and ground the Air to best take advantage of that appeal. The end result, as Gayle Bradley discusses in this video interview, is that you have a small, discreet knife that can actually be used pretty hard.

That’s not to say that M4 is perfect. It is a tool steel, which, at least when we’re talking about knives, tends to mean something non-stainless. In my experience M4 tends to tarnish where it is handled a lot, such as around the Spyder Hole. I don’t cut a lot of food with my knives, so my Air wasn’t exposed to the acidity of an apple or a tomato very often; if you use your knife for food prep you may see more discoloration than I did. Even if that were the case, such discoloration is an aesthetic issue, and doesn’t affect performance.

During the testing period for this review I forgot to take the Air out of my pocket and sent it through the wash. When I found it, it was spotted with surface rust over one side, but thankfully a few minutes with a polishing cloth and the rust was gone. This isn’t an indictment of M4, because most steels would rust in that situation; just a public service announcement to check your pockets before doing laundry.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle of the Air is interesting: like the full-size Spyderco Bradley folder, it consists of scales laid over slightly larger liners. This allows the Air to fill the hand while still looking sleek; I think if the twill scales were extended to covert the liners entirely that it, along with the then-necessary chamfering, would make the Air look chunky. All that aside, the arrangement is visually interesting, and I can’t complain about the functionality either: the Air fills the hand better than something like the Al Mar Hawk Ultralight. You can fit all four fingers on the Air, and there’s even a divot in the spine of the knife to rest your thumb during harder cuts – another sign that it was meant to do some heavy-duty cutting.

The Air doesn’t have a pocket clip. Apparently Spyderco conducted a survey, and half of the people asked wanted a clip, and the other half didn’t. Ultimately, I think going clipless with the Air was the right decision. The Air is so sleek and lightweight that you truly don’t notice it in your pocket. I always notice a knife that I have clipped to my pocket, no matter small and unobtrusive. Also, I feel that Spyderco would have opted for the wire clip like on the Dragonfly II and, as nice as that clip looks and performs, I find it too easy to break. Finally, the materials the Air is made of are conducive to in-pocket carry; whereas I worry about my Hawk or my Indian River Jack if I carry it without a slip, the Air looks as good today as when I got it, and seems impervious to wear and tear.

Deployment and Lockup

We all know that the Spyder Hole is an excellent deployment method. Mr. Bradley buried the hole pretty deep into the handle, and although it is slightly occluded, there is more than enough exposed to get purchase with your thumb, and the super smooth deployment takes care of the rest.

For lockup there is a titanium liner lock. Although I don’t remember quite how far the liner travelled when my Air was brand new, after two years it is quite close to the opposite side:

Whether this is how it was when I got it, or if it’s a result of the titanium deforming over time, I’ve never had the least amount of bladeplay, and there are very few knives in my collection about which I can say that. And, one of those “The More I Use Knives” things I’ve learned is that the amount of travel on a liner lock isn’t a clear indicator of how well it will work.

One interesting note about the Air: it has an internalized stop pin that’s set into the back of the tang and rides in channels around the pivot. Mr. Bradley talks about the aesthetic merits of this design in the previously-cited interview, and I can’t say that there’s any other concrete benefit to it, but it’s certainly very cool.

Spyderco Air Review – Final Thoughts

In its product class – an EDC blade, or perhaps the increasingly nebulous ‘gent’s folder’ designation- the Air is about as good as it gets. There are knives that I like as much, like the Indian River Jack or the Hawk Ultralight, but I can’t say that either of those knives are objectively better- and in fact there are definite advantages the Air has over either: one-handed opening over the IRJ, and better steel than the Hawk.

Ultimately, when we’re looking at a collaboration knife like the Air, the faithfulness of the collaboration isn’t the point: what matters is what the faithfulness resulted in, and in this case the result is a knife of unmistakable quality.

Spyderco Air Glass Fiber Plain Edge Knife

Made using the highest quality materials
Tested for quality and durability
The most trusted name in you cutlery needs
Clip less folding knife
Walker Liner Lock

I recommend purchasing the Air at Amazon or BladeHQ. Thanks for reading!

Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter Review

by Dan Jackson 34 Comments

You won’t find too many hunting knife reviews on this website. The reason is because I am not much of a hunter. But despite being advertised as a hunting knife, there was something intriguing about the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter that made me buy the knife.

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Designed by Andrew Demko, this is one of the new Cold Steel offerings to feature CTS-XHP steel. Andrew has made a name for himself by bucking the trend of dialed in titanium frame lock flippers, and instead designing simple robust folding knives featuring his tri-ad lock, which is a modified back lock. Back locks (or lock backs) rank among the oldest types of locks for a folding knife. This is another utilitarian pattern from Andrew, but the inclusion of contoured G-10 handle scales the Ultimate Hunter make it one of Cold Steel’s most refined releases to date.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Ultimate Hunter has an overall length of 8.5″, a 3.5″ blade, weighs 4.9 ounces, and is made in Taiwan. This is a larger knife, but feels lightweight for its size. I have shied away from larger knives for every day carry (EDC) as of late, but the Ultimate Hunter has found a way to win me over and has been getting a lot of pocket time – especially on the weekends when I can get away with carrying a bigger blade. Some might scoff at the blade to handle ratio. I never bothered to measure, as the blade to handle ratio has never struck me as a useful metric for evaluating a knife, but for those who do care I will note that the blade is noticeably smaller than the handle. This is a working knife, and in my opinion a generous handle is welcome on a knife that you are going to be using seriously. Although I don’t hunt I have caught my fair share of fish and do a lot of cooking. Based on my experiences using knives while fishing and cooking I can at least speculate to the benefit of a larger handle when processing game.

The blade of the Ultimate Hunter is a simple drop point. It isn’t the sexiest blade shape, but it certainly works. The generous piece of CTS XHP steel has been given a high flat grind with a two-tone satin finish. It’s a lovely blade finish and is a great upgrade over a coated or bead blasted finish. The tip is capable, but not overly aggressive. It would probably serve well skinning and breaking down game without a huge risk of puncturing organs, but that is just conjecture on my part. It slices well and has done a tremendous job breaking down a number of commercial grade cardboard boxes, and I have used the knife to de-bone several chickens for roasting.

Arguably the biggest allure to the Ultimate Hunter is the inclusion of CTS-XHP stainless steel for the blade. It is almost impossible to read or watch a review of a Cold Steel folding knife in AUS-8 where the reviewer doesn’t bemoan the AUS-8 blade steel at some point in the review. I have become comfortable with AUS-8 over the years, and actually like it in inexpensive (sub ~$50) knives. That said I think CTS-XHP is a great choice, and an upgrade of the steel on Cold Steel’s folders is long overdue. I am very excited to see CTS-XHP on this knife.

Out of the box the Ultimate Hunter was screaming sharp. It annihilated cardboard. There is a strand of bamboo along the back fence in my yard, and after a South Florida storm 6 foot tall bamboo shoots will seemingly pop up overnight. Without judicious pruning the bamboo overtakes the entire yard. The Ultimate Hunter has proven itself to be very capable on “bamboo patrol” – gliding through 1″ thick shoots – and allows me to channel my inner Lynn Thompson. Edge retention has been good, but like any steel CTS-XHP will need touch ups and the occasional sharpening. So far I have just stropped and touched up the knife with the fine rods of my Sharpmaker. It is very easy to sharpen. This is a good upgrade over AUS-8, and I have been pleased with the performance of this blade.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The Ultimate Hunter features a linerless G10 handle with a stainless steel lock bar, black aluminum backspacer, and stainless steel fasteners. The G10 is 3-D contoured, nicely finished, and has an attractive “grain” to it. Despite the absence of metal liners, handle construction is very strong. The G10 is thick and there is absolutely no flex in the handle. All of the pieces line up nicely and the fit and finish is very good.

The Ultimate Hunter feels great in hand. The handle shape is very simple and easy to grasp. There is a small forward finger choil, and 2 “finger divots” towards the pivot. This divot catches your index or middle finger naturally when using the knife (it depends on whether you are choking up or not). The G10 appears to have been bead blasted, so it’s smooth, but not slippery. It still has a nice texture to it, but is nothing like the peel ply G10 on my American Lawman. There is some very wide jimping on the spine of the handle. It provides some traction if you are choking back on the handle, but is basically not-present if you are using the knife for regular work. That’s fine by me. The pommel has a small “dish” for your thumb in reverse grip. I don’t use my knives in reverse grip very much, but it does seem to be comfortable in reverse grip.

The handle of the Ultimate Hunter is drilled and tapped for ambidextrous tip up carry, and comes with 2 shiny stainless steel pocket clips. This isn’t an ultra-deep carry set up, but allows for relatively deep carry while still affording easy access. The clip is very sturdy and retention is secure. Because the handle is smooth G10 you don’t have to worry about this knife shredding your pockets like the American Lawman, or Recon 1.

Deployment and Lockup

The Ultimate Hunter has the same “lopsided” thumb stud found on models like the American Lawman and Voyager. The thumb stud is swappable for ambidextrous use. This is a proven thumb stud design and it definitely works. The lock has a very strong spring, and this is not a knife that I can flick open – even with wrist action. It definitely requires you to purposefully roll it open. Not a huge problem for me, but if you like being able to flick open your knives then this is worth noting. Inside there appears to be phosphor bronze washers. The action is nice and smooth.

For our locking mechanism, Cold Steel has equipped the Ultimate Hunter with the tried and true Tri-Ad lock. This beefed up lockback has proven itself to me time and time again to be a very robust and reliable lock. Here it is no different. The sound this thing makes when you snap the blade open is impressive, and is sure to annoy the heck out of your significant other if you obsessively open and close your knives like I do. Like all the other Tri-Ad lock knives I have owned, there is no blade play at all. It is very secure. The caveat to this is that the knife can be tough to disengage sometimes. I can disengage the lock with one hand, but this is really a 2-hand knife.

Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter – Final Thoughts

Labeling your product as the “Ultimate” anything is a bold claim – especially in an age of false advertising litigation. Cold Steel is known for being a over the top, but here I think the moniker may actually be deserved. The Ultimate Hunter is the nicest and most refined Cold Steel folder I have reviewed to date. Cold Steel has taken all of the things I like about their knives (the slick Andrew Demko designs, good ergonomics, excellent fit and finish, and tough build), and are finally mating these qualities to superior materials. And the manufacturing has been kicked up a notch too. The 3-D machined handle is beautiful and the blade is substantial.

That said, you are going to pay a premium for all of this. The Ultimate Hunter retails for a little over $100, a little more than a what new Recon 1 or American Lawman (in CTS-XHP) goes for. For the extra money you get a stouter knife with contoured handles. I think the Ultimate Hunter represents a good value.

Of course the irony to this review is that the Ultimate Hunter is marketed as a hunting knife, and I have never been on a hunt in my life. But I have plenty of experience with hard use folding knives, and the Ultimate Hunter is an excellent rough and tumble EDC. Regardless of the nomenclature, this is the high end Cold Steel Folder we have all been waiting for. Highly recommended if you are looking for a premium large folding utility knife and can get past Cold Steel’s aggressive marketing practices.

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I recommend purchasing the Ultimate Hunter at Amazon or BladeHQ. Purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated – thank you very much!

*Note – I have no idea why the picture is of a SOG product.

Spyderco Slysz Bowie Review

by Dan Jackson 19 Comments

Last Updated: August 1, 2019
An often enjoyed pastime of production knife collectors is to discuss various “Sebenza Killers” arriving on the market. The Sebenza has long been considered a gold standard in high end production cutlery, and the thought that a competitor might knock the Sebenza off it’s podium has been a topic of conversation for some time. The Bradley Alias might be the most notable knife to get bandied about as a “Sebenza Killer,” and there have been several others over the years. But 25+ years later the Sebenza is still going strong, and there seems no end in sight to its reign.

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Ironically, the rise of titanium framelock flippers (something Chris Reeve Knives doesn’t have an answer for) has collectors moving on to other topics, and the thought of a “Sebenza killer” suddenly seems less relevant than it once did.

Still, it’s interesting to think of knives that may stack up to the Sebenza, and as I admired my Slysz Bowie I couldn’t help but draw several comparisons to the Sebbie. Designed by Polish knifemaker Marcin Slysz, the Bowie is his second collaboration with Spyderco, with the Techno being his first.

The Techno met the market with great reviews, and remains a highly regarded production piece. The Bowie is a bigger offering. While quirky like the Techno, the Bowie has its own more business-like character. The knife is expensive, but begged for further examination. I’m pleased to offer some thoughts on the Slysz Bowie after an extended period of carry and use.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Slysz Bowie has an overall length of 7.79″, a 3.42 blade, and weighs 4.3 ounces. The knife is manufactured in Taiwan. Depending on your preferences this could make a good every day carry piece. This is what I consider to be a medium sized knife, and it sits between the large and small Sebenza. Of course if you are looking for something smaller the Techno, also designed by Polish knifemaker Marcin Slysz, could be more your bag. I have never stressed out over blade to handle ratios, but I can’t help but feel like there is a lot of excess handle on this knife, and there is something a little funky about the proportions of the Slysz bowie.

As it’s name suggests, the Slysz Bowie features a clip point blade. This is more of a non-traditional bowie with an elongated clip, and rounded spine. The rounded spine is a lovely detail, and is one I don’t recall seeing on a Spyderco before. The blade has a full flat grind and it is very thin and slicey. The finish is a stonewash that was first taken to a high polish. The blade is still highly reflective and mirrors whatever you hold it up against. I liken it to the finish on my Fantoni CUT Flipper. Clip points have always been a very practical blade shape, and this version provides a good balance of tip strength and fine piercing ability. The cutting performance is also very good.

Spyderco went with CTS-XHP, the same steel on the original Techno. I have had a good deal of experience with CTS-XHP using the Domino. Having been a fan of that steel on the Domino I immediately put the Slysz Bowie to work. This knife is a hoss, and easy handled cardboard boxes, a rope cut test, and some woodwork in addition to regular EDC chores. CTS-XHP holds a nice edge but I especially appreciate this steel’s ease of sharpening. I have yet to have any problems with rust or corrosion with CTS-XHP and so far the Slysz Bowie has been no different.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle of the Slysz Bowie is comprised of 2 contoured titanium handle slabs. The gentle radius of the handles is a nice touch, and it seems like that is how they were able to keep the edges crisp without the knife feeling too blocky in hand. Construction is top notch with matte gray hardware (including an oversize pivot) and a substantial black G10 backspacer. I know that the bright blue backspacer of the Techno was a favorite feature of many. Personally I prefer the more subdued appearance of the black backspacer. The backspacer is jimped in 2 places and protrudes ever so slightly from the handle scales. The light chamferring to the corners of the backspacer give it dimension and detail that belies its plain black appearance.

The titanium handle slabs have been given a heavy stonewashing. The stonewash supplies the slightest amount of texture to the handles. It also makes the Slysz Bowie very easy for me to cram into my pocket without agonizing over it inviting scratches like a freshly waxed Porsche parked too close to a grocery store. Compared with the Rubicon (another recent Spyderco release) the Slysz Bowie practically begs for use.

The Slysz Bowie feels pretty good in hand. There is a run of Sebenza like jimping along the spine, as well as the backspacer, and the good size handle accommodates my larger hand well. Although no efforts have been made to round the edges of the handles, the contoured titanium makes up for it slightly. The knife is fine for normal use, but I would reach for a fixed blade if I had an extended heavy duty cutting chore. The Slysz Bowie feels capable in forward and reverse grips and handles like a well-balanced medium sized folder should.

The Slysz Bowie takes advantage of Spyderco’s wire clip. It should be no surprise to regular readers that this is one of my favorite clip designs. It’s very discrete and the Slysz Bowie all but disappears into the pocket. The handle is tapped for ambidextrous tip up carry. The knife carries very well being relatively slim and relatively lightweight considering that it’s a decent sized full titanium framelock folder. I will say that I did have issues a couple times with my pants pockets binding up on the lock spring cut out on the handle when I tried to draw the knife.

Deployment and Lockup

Being a Spyderco, this knife gets opened with its thumb hole. This is a generously sized thumb hole that is easy to access with your right hand and opens smoothly and quickly with a satisfying “thwack”. The phosphor bronze washers are very smooth and the detent is tuned to where you can easily flick the knife open but you don’t need to worry about the blade falling out of the handle.

Unfortunately, us lefties are left out in the cold. Just like with the Techno, this knife is difficult to open with your left hand. It’s not impossible, but you can’t enjoy flicking the knife open like you can with your right hand. That’s a shame because part of the appeal of Spyderco is their (usually) ambidextrous designs. I’ll stop whining as I understand that 90% of the people reading this are right handed, but I gotta “keep it real” for my fellow lefties.

For lock up we have a classic titanium frame lock, or a Reeve Integral Lock (RIL) as Spyderco likes to call it. This lock does not benefit from a steel insert like some of Spyderco’s other framelocks, and my knife locks up pretty late (around 75%). That said, its a very sturdy lockup and there is no blade play in any direction. There isn’t any blade stick either. Blade centering on my example is absolutely perfect.

Spyderco Slysz Bowie Review – Final Thoughts

The Slysz Bowie is a hell of a knife, and I imagine if Spyderco released it either a few years ago or for $100 less, it would have made huge waves in the production knife scene. As it stands, it’s a beautiful knife and a solid performer. I pictured it next to my American Lawman for a reason – the Slysz is meant to be used. But I think that the $320+ price tag will scare many folks off. And the absence of a flipper, bearings, steel lock insert, and big name American designer doesn’t give it that “gee whiz” factor that seems to drive a lot of consumer attention these days.

I have justified expensive knives in the past. They are luxury goods. People buy them because they want them. Still, I think a discussion on price is appropriate here. Personally, I bought mine used for $230, and at that price I was willing to check it out. For $300 it was just too rich for my blood. While I could somehow justify paying full retail for the Rubicon, I could not do that with the Slysz.

Here is a shot of the Slysz Bowie next to another hard working knife, the Cold Steel American Lawman:

I am more than a little surprised about the price of this knife, especially since the Farid Mehr K2 is a bigger titanium frame lock, has an equally exotic steel, is also made in Taiwan, and has a MSRP of a full $100 less than the Slysz Bowie. I’ve since learned that the reason for the price difference is largely due to the 3-D machined handles of on the Slysz Bowie and the polished and stonewashed blade. Whether these features are worth the $100 difference is up to you.

The Slysz Bowie is still pretty far off from what a Sebenza costs (currently $410 for a Large 21), so if Spyderco truly had a “Sebenza Killer” in mind, at least it’s almost $100 less. In many ways I like the Slysz Bowie more than a Sebenza. I prefer the full flat grind, superior blade steel, 3-D machined stonewashed handles, thumb hole, and better action. When you consider the value proposition, maybe the Slysz Bowie is priced appropriately after all.

If you can swallow the price tag, or can snag a good deal on it, this is an awesome knife. I am not ready to declare the demise of the Sebenza, but this is still a damn good knife.

Spyderco C186TIP SLYSZ Bowie Folding Knife, Titanium, 3.42-Inch

Plain sharp edge
7.79 inches overall length
4.37 inches closed length
3.42 inch blade length
Titanium handle

I recommend purchasing the Slysz Bowie at Amazon or BladeHQ. Purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated – thank you very much!

Spyderco Rubicon Review

by Dan Jackson 12 Comments

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Folding Knives, Knives & Tools

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.

Cold Steel Rajah III Review

by Dan Jackson 17 Comments

Last Updated: July 28, 2019
I almost entitled this review “confessions of a mall ninja”. Yup, your buddy Dan has something of a dirty secret: I’m a fan of ridiculous knives from Cold Steel. You may have guessed as much after reading reviews of the Spartan and XL Voyager. I just didn’t talk openly about it.

Buy the Cold Steel Rajah III at BladeHQ

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The truth is I think some of these more outlandish Cold Steel knives are fun, and some are also legitimately good knives. And let me add that there is something about buying a folding knife knowing you can blast through a side of beef with it (whilst rocking out to heavy metal music) that lends a certain pride of ownership that I don’t quite get with my Delica. There is a je ne sais quoi, if you will, with select Cold Steel products. It keeps bringing me back.

The Rajah series is among their more mall ninja-y folders, but, as with most things, there are shades of gray. If you want to go full ninja then check out the oversized Rajah II. If you are secure, but not quite Open-Carry-Bear-Mace-On-Your-Web-Belt secure, then there is the more middling Rajah III, which also happens to be the subject of today’s review.

Some might argue the Rajah III is small enough for normal people to carry. Some might argue it’s not for mall ninjas at all. Some might argue I’m a jerk for even implying that the knife may be for mall ninjas. Regardless of your personal proclivities, I’ve had my eye on it for some time.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Rajah III has an overall length of 8-3/8″, a 3-1/2″ blade, and weighs 4.4 ounces. Despite being the smallest version in the series it is still a big knife. It’s not totally ridiculous for me to carry, but at close to 3/4 of an inch thick, this is one I feel in the pocket. Definitely an after hours carry for me. The Rajah II with it’s 6″ blade is a dedicated outdoor tool, or perhaps a mostly a folding novelty.

The Rajah series was designed by Andrew Demko, who has designed a number of great folders for Cold Steel. Apparently, the classic Nepalese kukri was the inspiration for this design. Cold Steel waxes poetic about the “dramatic power of the kukri as both a tool and weapon” in their product literature. I can attest that kukris make for great choppers, but here we are talking about a 4.5 ounce folding knife.

The blade is kukri shaped. I guess that could be described as a modified clip point with a recurve if you wanted to try and get technical. It has the big kukri belly and a deep recurve. The recurve isn’t quite as crazy as the Spartan’s, but it is still pretty serious. The 4mm thick blade tapers down to the tip, and has been given a full flat grind. It slices well – especially with that recurve. The knife carves aggressively too. I was very pleased with how this blade performed, and think there is some truth to the Cold Steel sales copy regarding kukris. Sharpening can be a chore, but there is truth to this being a high performance blade shape.

Cold Steel initially offered the Rajah III with a bead blasted blade finish (shown here). Not my favorite choice, but it works. They have since updated the knife to feature a stonewashed / tumbled finish. I prefer that finish over the beadblast as it is not as susceptible to rust and I think it looks a little nicer.

Cold Steel originally offered the Rajah in AUS8. They changed the steel to BD1 in 2015-2016. Both AUS8 and BD1 are softer steels. Cold Steel got a lot of feedback from customers wanting something with better edge retention than AUS-8, so they upgraded their premium line of knives to CTS-XHP (and then S35Vn in 2018), and their more budget oriented knives they upgraded to BD1.

I don’t have a lot of experience with BD1, but it’s a softer steel. Easy to sharpen, and presumably holds a better edge than AUS-8. I think it was a good option for the Rajah series as the price is still reasonable.

On the subject of sharpening, I sharpen this knife with the rods of my Spyderco Sharpmaker. Rod style sharpeners are best for curved blades like this. You will have an extremely hard time trying to sharpen this with bench stones or paddle sharpeners.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

Much like the Spartan, the Rajah’s handle is grivory (high density plastic) over full nested steel liners. The back spring is hardened steel, and the backspacer is more grivory. Everything has been screwed together for your convenience. This is a lightweight yet strong handle design that has been meticulously crafted. This knife is made in Taiwan, and like virtually every other knife from Taiwan that I have handled, it has been really nicely finished. They even included a lanyard hole.

Andrew Demko is a man who clearly understands ergonomics. His designs are among the most comfortable I’ve handled, perhaps only second to Ernest Emerson. Although the Rajah III is a scaled down version of the Rajah II, you aren’t sacrificing a comfortable grip. I take a large glove and there is just enough room for a good full grip. You can move up on the handle for more detailed work, and lean back into the handle for light chopping. The Rajah III also feels very at home in reverse grip. There is no jimping, and the scales have been given a very light texture. I’d say its pretty much perfect for my applications.

Like on many of their other designs, Cold Steel has included two pocket clips: one for each side of the curved handle. They also included 2 sets of screws, which is a nice touch. These clips don’t allow for super deep carry, but it is still a fairly discrete package. The clips are simple but they work well. They have been given Cold Steel’s trademarked crappy black teflon coating, so don’t expect them to look new for long.

As far as carry is concerned, this is a thick knife and you will feel it in your pocket. It isn’t very heavy for its size, so it has that going for it, but I can’t deny that this is a bulkier knife. If you are looking for a very discrete slim line EDC knife then I would look elsewhere.

Deployment and Lockup

The Rajah makes use of a large thumb plate for deployment. You can push the blade open with your thumb, or the plate can function similarly to an Emerson Wave, allowing you to open the knife from your pocket. With a little wrist action I can flick the knife open with my thumb. The strong backspring gives the closed blade a healthy “detent” (resistance to opening). I will say that the action of this knife is extremely smooth. Smooth to the point where the blade will fall freely on it’s own upon disengaging the lock.

Cold Steel has equipped the Rajah III with their tri-ad lock. For the uninitiated, the tri-ad lock is an improved back lock strengthened by the inclusion of a hardened steel stop pin between the tang of the blade and the lock bar. This stop pin absorbs much of the shock that would otherwise transfer directly to the locking mechanism and potentially compromise the lock.

In my experience these tri-ad lock knives are tough. My knives have held up well over the years without failing, developing blade play, etc. In addition to normal use as an EDC knife, I did beat on this knife a bit in my back yard. I chopped through some bamboo and hacked away at firewood – stuff I wouldn’t normally do with a folding knife. The knife held up beautifully. The way I see it, the only downside to the tri-ad lock is that it can be tough to disengage – especially with one hand.

Cold Steel Rajah III Review – Final Thoughts

Is the Rajah III a realistic EDC option, or is it going to be on the cover of next month’s “Mall Ninja Monthly”? I think the truth lies somewhere in between. While the Rajah III is aggressive looking and somewhat impractical for your average suburban/urban EDC, I cannot deny that this is a solid tool that is capable of getting real work done. It may not be the most convenient choice for an armchair general like myself, but I still respect and the Rajah III for being well made, and enjoy how it is a little different than the rest of the knives in my collection.

Also, the fundamentals to the Rajah are solid: the tri-ad lock is extremely sturdy, the knife is lightweight yet strong, the handle is comfortable, the blade slices and dices with the best of them, the fit and finish is extremely good, and the price is very attractive.

If you want a no-nonsense, high performance Cold Steel lockback folder with a 3.5″ blade then I suggest checking out the American Lawman. The Lawman continues to be one of my favorites. It is slimmer than the Rajah III and less intimidating. In my mind it is clearly a more practical EDC choice. But if you are looking for something a little further out there, and like the lines of the Rajah series, then check out the Rajah III. For $45 this is a tremendous value and an excellent knife. I like mine a lot.

Cold Steel (CS62KGCM-BRK) Rajah III Plain BD1 Steel Stone Wash, Black

Blade length: 3-1/2 inch
Overall length: 8-3/8 inch
Steel: carpenter CTS Bd1 alloy with stonewash finish

I recommend purchasing the Rajah III at Amazon or 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.