Category Archives: Folders

Folders, Review

Six months with the Golden Child – Spyderco -C94GCBL- UK PENKNIFE™ COBALT BLUE G-10 CPM® SPY27® – The Part 2

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I have had the chance to buy that UKPK in G10 for 100 euros in January 2025.
Since, it has been my “go to the city” favorite folder.

Sometimes replaced by the Roadie XL for a lower profile or Dredd my Urban in S90V made in Maniago and exclusive to Heinie in the UK.


The UKPK is remarkably versatile, proving itself even in woodworking. Its strong, reliable mechanism keeps it ready for anything — all while remaining fully within legal limits. Stripping vines, carving rods, scraping, cutting — it handles everything with ease. The spring “lock” never falters, and the finger choil adds an extra layer of passive safety, even if it’s rarely needed.

Its thin yet strong CPM SPY27 blade is a true joy to use on wood. In this domain, the UKPK stands out as one of Spyderco’s best hidden gems across all categories made in Golden. And if I ever had to defend myself against an animal, I believe it would perform every bit as well as the legendary Calypso (all the story here).

The tip has seen plenty of use, and all I can say is that Spyderco’s in-house SPY27 steel is extremely forgiving. You can push it hard with no damage to the edge. I’ve compared it with many of my favorite wood-cutting knives — including some specialized for woodworking — and it performs impressively in the same league.

One way I now measure the value of a pocket knife is by the pleasure I get from using it. The UKPK easily ranks among the top on my list. Strong, thin, and precise, it excels as a true “matter separator,” handling everything from everyday tasks to more demanding jobs like scraping paint.

There’s also a distinct joy in keeping the edge razor-sharp, and SPY27 has become my new favorite for that. Achieving a razor edge is a breeze. Being in the AEL-B class, it’s even easier to work on than Magnacut and is extremely leather-stropping friendly. After just a quick session on leather, SPY27 regained that legendary crisp edge — and it’s such a pleasure to use!

Hairs are flying and the convexed home made edge is shining like a mirror.
This is really part of the joy to use leather strops on a steel.

So it is a joy just to strop it again and again just to maintain this razor edge.

Then for forced push cuts, the geometry of the UKPK is just a killer.
It goes deep like a thin Opinel blade can go.

To keep the knife sharp, I’ve mostly relied on leather stropping, with occasional touch-ups on white ceramic, even after cutting cardboard, plastic, acidic food, and hard wood. The UKPK in SPY27 is a winner, offering a significant boost in edge retention and versatility. Maintaining its vorpal edge is even easier and more enjoyable than with the excellent Magnacut or LC200N versions.

It’s no wonder this steel has earned such a special place in my heart.

And I was not able to get any chipping or edge bending in six months.
It gives an hint about the high quality of the inhouse heat treatment on that inhouse steel.

Used in the plate, the SPY27’s core refused to be damaged:
no pitting, no rust, no stain. No damage on the plate ceramic too.
It a gourmet companion and a wonderful carnivorous friend.

In the kitchen, geometry-wise, the UKPK can compete with the best — for example, the Patrick Bonetta Kitchen Warrior. The G10 version is also a visual delight. I never felt “under-knifed” with my Urban, but the UKPK could easily be my one and only Spyderco. A three-inch, legal, high-performance sharp blade is a must-have for EDC, and such knives are surprisingly rare.

This is 100% Sal Glesser design. This Golden-made gem is the all-terrain pocket knife my grandfather would have dreamed of!
Hence its name The Golden Child. 😉

For an alternative you can now get The Metropolitan. Its little brother.

Advice, Folders, Review

Spyderco Chaparral C152SGY – As a main travelling knife.

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For a two-week road trip in Italy, the serrated Chaparral was my only knife. Sal Glesser’s Chaparral has been studied many times on this blog, but lately, the serrated version has become a central part of my rotation.

Why is this knife such a great traveling companion?

Friendly FRN handle: The grey FRN offers excellent grip, even with wet hands, making it comfortable and reliable in a variety of conditions.

Blade length: At less than 3 inches (71 mm), it’s easily accepted as a pocket knife. The serrations effectively add about 25 % more cutting edge, boosting performance without increasing size.

Flat and thin: Its slim profile allows it to comfortably fit in a watch pocket.

Sturdy mechanism: The hidden pin ensures zero vertical play, providing a rock-solid feel.

So this little big knife was my main cutting gear for two weeks.

I was able to open it in restaurant without to be noticed and replace the dull silverware provided.
The serrated Chap is a folding steak knife by essence.

Its thin blade is making the cuts accurate even on delicate cream croissant shared with a coffee.

One of the challenge for such a thin blade is the famous hard cheese found in Emilia-Romagna: the Parmigiano Reggiano.


Normally, Parmigiano is not “cut” — a traditional leaf-shaped short knife is stuck into it and breaks off large chunks like a wedge. That approach wasn’t a problem for the thin CTS-XHP blade of the Chaparral. It dug in deeply and, with a slight torsion, fragmented the cheese effortlessly.

Hard sausages in Tuscany can be made from deer or doe or even boar.
Again, bring a thing serrated edge to the board and it will be a success.

Pizza can be a challenge. You want to cut through all the layers without dulling the edge on the plate. Serrated edges do not dull easily in the plate. And even some knives encountered provide serrations at the end of the edge like this one:

Here the Chap near a friend’s Captain which has been used to deal with mozzarella.

It feels good to be not the only Spyderco in the village.

After two weeks with the Chaparral, I never felt “under-knifed.” It performed reliably in all conditions — rain, seashore, and forest — and remained socially unobtrusive. Its cutting power, thanks to the thin, hard CTS-XHP blade, proved that a pocket-sized chainsaw can be an essential part of any traveling kit.

After two weeks of use, the Chaparral showed no rust issues, no bent serrations, and no gritty mechanism. I simply rinsed it under the tap and let it dry in my pocket.

Even now, I don’t feel any need to resharpen the blade — the serrations are extremely difficult to dull. For a travel folder, I can confidently say: the Chaparral comes highly recommended!

If you want to see some spectacular moments from my two-week Italian road trip, I’ve released four video postcards on YouTube, all filmed and edited on the same iPhone 14 Pro that provided the photos for this article. If you enjoy them, feel free to give a thumbs up and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@nemosandman

Advice, Folders, Review

MILITARY™ 2 BROWN G-10 CPM® 15V® SPRINT RUN® – Part 2: Convexing the edge.

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You know what ? It’s time to thin the edge of Gambit.
Pictures are better than thousand words.

The gaffer is here to protect the blade against my clumsiness.

The Double Stuff 2 is the main tool. But it is old now.
It has lost some of its teeth in many many edges reprofiling…

But eventually it is a cheap Sharpy bought on Amazon which seems to be 15V best friend. It is 800 grit.
And it bites into 15V like no tomorrow.
So I was able to round the edge’s shoulder. Let’s test it.

It goes deep and steady.
There is real improvement. But gosh, 15V do not like to lose its particules. Compared to Magnacut or SPY27, CPM-15V is hellish.
Now I perhaps don’t have the best diamond tools for that.
But really, it is not a piece of cake in my book.

Now could it be a answer: The Military 2 reaching the 67 HRC ?
But that was exactly my impression after watching the YouTuber’s video — until Jake, a metallurgist for 14 years, left an exceptionally detailed, well-sourced comment under this review.
To quote his conclusion:

“… Spyderco did an amazing job getting a near custom level heat treatment on an amazing steel at an affordable price to many people who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to spend large sums of money on customs. But expecting 67Rc is a bit too much. Shawn has said it repeatedly that it isn’t realistic for a production knife company to hit hardness levels that high and also be able to work the material.“

Many thanks to Jake for his eye-opening comment — truly appreciated!

Advice, Folders

GETTING A CONVEX EDGE WITH THE CPM-15V BLADE OF THE HOULAHOULA PARA3 LIGHTWEIGHT PART 2.

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Since the first try of convexing the Para 3, it is time now to reach the same level of de-shouldering as on my Sage 5 Salt.

My goal here isn’t to touch the edge itself, but to smooth the border between the flat of the blade and the edge angle. This allows me to maintain the edge primarily on leather while reducing drag when cutting hard materials like plastic or wood.

The equipment I used was again the Spyderco Double Stuff 2, focusing mainly on the diamond side. I experimented with gentle, round strokes on the flat diamond stone instead of always moving in the same direction — it seems to remove metal much faster.

For aesthetics, I plan to follow up with white ceramic or jade stones to approach a mirror finish, similar to the Sage 5. Magnacut responds beautifully to polishing, whereas CPM-15V doesn’t particularly care.

The use of gaffer helps preventing any deep scratches on the blade finish.
It works great. The black dust is metal removed by the diamonds.
I do that outside in the wind. I don’t want to breath that dust.

Eventually this second round has gone so smoothly (compared to the first one linked at the start of this review) that i was on the verge to work on the Military 2.

Remember Sal saying:
“The Edge is a Ghost. Always changing. Dying (dulling) being reborn (sharpened) split personality (angles and geometry changing). Think of the edge as gas in a vehicle. It runs out of gas and you put in more gas. We provide the format, materials, design for use, variety to avoid boredom and create interest, but the edge is your creation. The result of your understanding, education, experience and practice.“

The comparison between the Sage 5 Salt and the Para 3 continues. In short: the Sage 5 has superior geometry thanks to its high 3 mm FFG blade, while the Para 3 features a sturdier blade, a thinner point, and is overall lighter (no steel liners).

It’s really your choice — both are highly capable and complement each other, coming from the same design mind. Shawn Houston even notes that the Para 3 carries “that Delica vibe.”

I’m impressed by the Sage 5’s exceptionally smooth action — one of the best among Spyderco’s compression lock knives. I love both knives. These days, the Sage Salt rides with me, but while both won’t let you down, the smooth Sage is more fidget-friendly. Both are great, but the Sage 5 is simply less popular… 😉

Advice, Folders, Review

For another fistful of minutes – De-shouldering the Spyderco Sage Salt Part 2

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Let’s go back to the same process but adding 15 minutes more can be a game changer in term of geometry. But let’s be clear this is typically the Pareto law which says: “The Pareto principle states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes.”
It means that in 15minutes + this new 15 minutes it is not the most efficient as 80% of the job was done during the 6 first minutes last time.
But those added fistful of minutes are a little bonus to even the bevels.

As you can notice I have concentrated my thinning process mainly on widing the bevel.

10 minutes later, I got a more even larger bevel which should go shining after some leather stropping.

On another fistful of minutes, I will work on the tip but I like to keep some material here.
Now I’m basically dealing with a flat grind with a convex edge at the end.
In Japanese a convex grind is also called a hamaguri grind. Literally this means: clam. This name comes from the convex way the side of the shell moves to the end. Exactly like the full convex edge. A full convex grind is sometimes also called an appleseed grind. Again because of the pointy tip of the seed of an apple.( I’m a fan of  アップルシードa Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow.)
But for now it is much than satisfying in terms of whittling and dealing with hard maetrail to cut.
The edge goes deep in every push cuts and the high FFG blade five a lot of control for powerful results.

(Badge designed by Guillaume Xais)

So far my initial impression are confirmed: the Sage 5 Salt is a keeper and another 3 inches blade length Spyderco to rule them all like the Delica 4, the Native 5 or the Para 3 or even the UKPK ! All are Sal Glesser’s children (The Para 3 paternity is shared with Eric !)


It is perfect in all aspects – sharp thin blade, centered, strong detent compared to the Military 2, no blade play, suuuper smooth.
The Sage5 is the best implementation of a compression lock I have ever had… Perfect tolerances and no lock stick.


The open-backed construction allows easy cleaning. This Sage 5 is really asking to be used and, thanks to its yellow handle, retrieved even on the forest or ocean floor. Really a must have 3 inches knife for all occasions.
And I’m a huge fan of the Native 5 and the Para3. But this Sage 5 seems to lead the pack.

Folders, Review

The Perfect Spyderco Native Exclusive AKA Spyderco C41GPCWBK5 Native 5 Folding Knife 3″ CPM-CruWear Black Plain Blade, Smooth Black G10 Handles, KnifeCenter Exclusive !

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Seven years ago, I was already in love with a KnifeCenter Exclusive Native. The idea of offering a smooth G10 handle was, IMHO, a great EDC enhancement, as aggressive G10 can quickly turn any knife into a pocket shredder.

As you can notice, the Native 5 with its OEM clip can perfectly clip into a watch pocket.

I was certain I had missed the opportunity to own one of those smooth operators made exclusively for KCI when Alex, a fellow member of the Facebook Spyderco Fan Club France, pointed it out to me.
They were still in stock! HERE!!

I have known monsieur Howard Korn, the founder of KCI, since his early beginnings back in the 90s when he was operating almost alone. He even suggested that I design their logo. Howard was among the very first resellers to offer knives on a large scale using a very new medium at the time: the World Wide Web! What a venture… and eventually, what a success!
That was before Amazon, and Howard remains one of the true pioneers in spreading cutlery culture worldwide. Hence the excellent videos now produced in-house.
Once again, it was a smooth transaction from the USA to France thanks to great customer service for a fantastic exclusive. I may be biased, but after nearly 30 years of dealing with KnifeCenter, my experience has always been flawless and inspiring.

Eventually, I found out that I may have bought one of the very last examples of this Native Exclusive because 10 days after my order (June 2024), they were already out of stock.

So what do we have here?

I have written a lot about CPM CruWear!
But this tough and well-balanced alloy, capable of taking a crisp razor edge, is perfect on both small and large folders.
This is a true workhorse steel and one of the greatest high-tech alloys available in modern cutlery. I have even demonstrated how difficult it is to force a patina onto it. This time, with the DLC coating, neither patina nor rust should be a concern.
BTW, DLC (Diamond-Like Coating) is even used for medical implants. It is not toxic.

This all-black version of the Native is ready to be used in all weather conditions.

So here we have a very low-profile package with a non-threatening design, because black knives matter when confronted with sheeple who might otherwise label you a mall ninja carrying a dark saber.

These days, I am reluctant to carry long blades or large folders in the city, and my search for shorter, socially accepted knives — locking or non-locking — has become obvious.
I have previously written about knives suited for city use, and the Native is definitely one of them. The idea is maximum versatility in a tool that should not raise eyebrows: a friendly, non-threatening package. The kind of knife my grandfathers and father used to carry without a second thought — except on airplanes. 😉
When heading into the countryside, I do not restrict myself in terms of blade length, but in big cities I play a very low-profile game and most of the time strictly follow the law, even if I am not particularly worried about police checks.
Hence the Native: the same cockpit ergonomics as Hellboy, which gets a lot of kitchen use now that the Chief has turned into a Chef, but in a shorter format.

There is also a swedge on the blade spine of the Native that is not present on the Chief.

The action is smooth with zero blade play, and a true guillotine drop can be achieved simply by releasing the lock. I have already written about how top notch these Golden-made Natives are in terms of fit and finish, having used them since 2011.

This linerless version is, to me, the best Native design ever produced, and this Exclusive represents the best of the best. In these years dominated by titanium frame locks and Axis-style locks, the opportunity to own a truly great lockback feels precious.
And this one, for me, is the Last of the Mohicans!

Folders, Review

Spyderco Native Chief: HELLBOY 2 – The Kitchen Army

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Since the reception of my Chief Native I have found that he was a sole survivor from a Xmas Mystery Box bought in Spyderco’s plant in Golden in December.
In that box were different items and a rare Sprint Run Second Factory which was destined to end in my pocket and considered by myself IMHO as the perfect realisation of Sal and Eric ideas about pocket knives. In fact I think it is my favorite Spyderco ever.
I have written a first review here.
And now it is time for a second approach of Hellboy which has succeeded in kicking other knives from my pocket and quench my thirst for novelty.

So why ?

First the Native family feature an absence of hump on the blade making them very slick and beautiful.

Even the Shaman benefits from that.

The Chief is on the left and the Shaman on the right.

As you can notice the design of the Native Chief is really close to one of my favorite design: the AFCK.
Sal Glesser was no stranger in the Benchmade BM800 AFCK back in the 90’s. He helped Les De Asis founder of Benchmade on it. They had both learned how to make Michael Walker’s linerlocks at Bob Terzuola shop.
Both company were accelerating on the tactical lane in close formation.

As you can notice, my AFCKs (Advanced Folding Combat Knife) which was also designed by Chris Caracci a former Navy SEaL have been used a lot. The first version got a Spydiehole and the second version got an oval hole and an axislock.
This design was one of my favorite for a big folding knife as EDC.
And back then I was really in love with concept of tool highspeed steel on a modern plateform.

The same happend with that special Native Chief which got a very special alloy for its blade: CPM-4V.
With that steel, the edge is strong and the thin blade is very solid.
It gives a lot of confidence when cutting on a plate made of ceramic of glass. No chipping can happen.
Hellboy has been used a lot for cutting pies and cake on glass plates and the edge behavior was not disappointing. When I have noticed a little shiny spot, some white ceramic was able to put everything back on line but it was really minor.

Now CPM4V is not stainless. It will form a patina or, worst, rust very quick and easily when used in acidic matters like cutting lemons and being used on a salad with vinegar.
DLC coating is really welcome for that kind of behavior. Back in the 90’s Benchmade was offering only PVD coating which is really inferior to Diamond Like Coating. So far the blade of my Chief is not marked and scar by it various cutting tasks even when cutting.
My previous Chief was a naked Rex45 blade and it was another story told here.

Even strawberries can darken the edge of CPM 4V.

But cheese is a great way to notice how DLC is making the surface of the blade less sticky but more stinky.

The Chief was not always used on gentle medium like wood.

It was also used on plate with vinegar salsa. Here it is basamic vinegar from Modena.

In the kitchen the knife is really behaving like an paring knife. It is really handy on fruits and vegetables. Its very pointy blade is great to carve.
.The mechanism has never suffered from being wet and rinsed under water. The knife was smooth through and through its various wet works.

Now I like to have chamfered and smooth handles and blade spine. The Chief is known to be very square everywhere. The G10 has been easy to smooth with sandpaper used wet to avoid toxical dust.
Now the blade spine is DLC coated and it was my esthetic choice to remove the coating on all the length of its spine.

I love the result.

It has been done with some diamond rods.
Now the spine is much more confortable for my thumb in case of push cuts.

CPM 4V on that Native Chief platform is really the bread and butter for a strong thin folder. I’m not afraid to use hard on wood and plastic.
And it is a must in the kitchen various missions.
It has been also test on different hard wood and compared (geometry speaking) with many other knives I got.
One of my champion is the Swayback in term of smooth pushcuts.
But also the Wolfspyder and the Yojimbo.

My Chief needed more convexing and thinning to go to the level I was expecting. Again diamonds has been used handfree to remove the shoulder of the edge.
CPM 4V keeps a very very crispy edge and bites in the wood very aggressively.

CPM M4 is a stunning alloy which is prefered on fixed blade but it is a gem on a long and thin folder. It makes it super solid with a very permissive edge.

Quoting Larrin Thomas Phd:

Some will argue that toughness is not important in folders or fine slicing knives and feel that only edge retention matters in that case because they don’t use their knives in aggressive ways which are likely to lead to chipping. However, broken tips are still common on small knives and kitchen knives. And with higher toughness, the knives are better able to handle thin, low angle edges without chipping. And they can be heat treated to higher hardness to help prevent edge rolling and deformation, while still maintaining good toughness. This means that, indirectly, higher toughness can lead to better cutting performance because of the possibility of thinner edges.

The good news is that CPM Magnacut has been copied on CPM 4V behavior.

Folders, Review

Delica K390 with Lynch Titanium Scales – A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing !

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I got the chance to get that customized Delica through Henri Ramsey, a Spydiefriend from the Facebook French Spyderco Fan Club.

The K390 Delica has always been a monster of pocket knife (click on the name to go to my old review of the Delica with buffed sprint alloy). The thin blade mixed with the super tool steel allow (K390) alloy has proven to be amazing for hardchore.
From their Seki Japan plant, Spyderco is producing many different K390 model, folders and fixed blades. The Stretch 2 being highly regarded as one of their best design.

The Blue Pingo has been made in Golden though.

So here you got an incredibly tough, strong and wear resistant blade on scales produced by Lynch. A typical Sal Glesser design: performance first !

But Lynchnw has taken that game to another league with their scale:

“A few years ago Casey put out a very limited run of the LynchNW MOD 1 Delica 4 and some scale sets. This is our newest Delica MOD 2 Titanium Scale Kit, modifying your choice of Delica 4 Knife with a set of Custom Titanium scales, featuring a forward finger choil, blade profiled scale holes, smooth bellied profile, a custom titanium back-spacer, enlarged lanyard hole, and a custom designed deep carry titanium clip. ” To quote Lynchnw.com site.”

What bring these new scales apart of adding titanium for the pure neo industrial look of it ?
It bring many things:

A finger choil. A real one.


A longer handle and your pinkie will thank you for that.


A slim package which is soft on your pocket trousers.


Seven holes which are showing the edge of your knife when it’s closed.

See how cute is it ?

So here we got a very friendly city pocket knife which is not screaming “I’m a sword from Hell !!” like my new beloved Hellboy Chief or this AFCK in M2.


It looks like a lady and gentleman knife.
But beware of the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

This one share the same core engine as a Police 4: K390 at 65HRC in a thin geometry ! It is a Metropolice knife.





Folders, Review

QSP PENGUIN PLUS – Titanium and 20CV blade. Revenge of the Emperor penguin ?

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My first Penguin’s encounter occurred thanks to Massdrop which offered the QSP Penguin for 26 dollars.
This was a bargain for a lovely well made lil’ folder (review linked)

As I was looking for a big not threatening folder, I was studying different wharncliff designs or sheepfoot blades for that matter.
Ending my quest with that little Spyderco wonder in the previous review: the Dragonfly.
But back to the QSP birdy pictured here with a Spydiechef:

But my need for a more longer blade (especially in the kitchen) was still on and then I have found that QS130XL-B – QSP Penguin Plus Titane.
Same specs as my beloved D2 Blue Denim Micarta QSP but everything is different 😉 because this is the Penguin PLUS with:
A longer blade. Blade length 8,6 cm.Blade thickness 3,5 mm.
A flipper.
A titanium handle
A 20CV DLC longer blade.
Length closed 11,4 cm.
Ceramic ball bearing..
Lockbar insert.
Titanium clip.

Weight 127g.

The price was 7 times the price of my first Penguin on thebestknives.eu in Vesoul, France. Great bargain and great service.

And here it is:

It is razor sharp right out of the box. Well balanced and all the contour are chanfered. It is a very nice tool knife.
There is a serious heft in this blade.
The action is not stellar because of the detent on the coating but the knife fires with ease thanks to a great detent and an heavy blade.
The integral lock is a little on the sticky side but nothing dramatic.
The whole package is a flat easy to carry medium folder.



But that thumb stumb as to go.
Why ?
Because there is no choil and if you miss your thumstud firing (instead of using the flipper) chance are high to get your thumb encountering the razor edge of the blade.
So it has to go.

It was easily done with two torxes.
Now I got a little hole but it suits me.
I have done the same treatment 23 years ago with Benchmade BM710 this kind of treatment assures you to get a little longer working blade eventually as the studs loves to get in the way.

The tip looks like a sailor or electrician knife and seems strong enough for many knife tasks. In the wharncliffe blade design the point is in contact with cutting board or the plate and gthis one is pointy enough to draw my blood while writing that review…
Well well now it is time for the real testing which will bring another review soon enough.
This is a beautiful knife with a strong straight long blade which disappears in the pocket with its deep carry wired clip. That titanium clip retention is very good BTW.
The handle is made of gorgeous bronze titanium which gives a nice patina look to it and eventually a very vintage toolish low profile look. This is destined to be a hard used folder used in middle of brass and copper. Its flipper is even providing a security guard preventing the hand to slip forward. Instinctively they are many grips and many usages to be considered for a solid folder.
And in terms of edge retention, CPM-20CV is one of the best stainless steel to be found nowadays linked here. Not the strongest (like CPM-3V) but certainly one of the best balanced.

So this is really a nice knife to EDC to put to its paces.

Pictured here with a Ed Schempp Bowie.

And a Swayback.

And for the next step a de shouldering of the edge is mandatory.
Diamonds work great.

Folders, Review

SC60GPGY Spyderco Massad Ayoob Sprint Run — The Pistol Folder is back but for who ?

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This Spyderco folder, designed by Massad Ayoob, the well-known firearms instructor, was conceived as a self-defense folding knife. A concept I struggle with. In my view, almost any tool with an edge—or even a screwdriver—can be used similarly. The rest is largely marketing, especially in a country with a deeply rooted personal weapons culture.

Not for me.
But what if I’m wrong?

Massad Ayoob is a respected authority, LEO (law enforcement officer), firearms instructor, and writer on defensive use of force, including edged weapons. For over four decades, he has taught defensive firearms and knife programs and has frequently served as an expert witness in court cases involving such tools.

(Adapted from his bio: Backwoods Home Magazine)

He directed the Lethal Force Institute (LFI) in Concord, New Hampshire from 1981 to 2009, and now leads the Massad Ayoob Group (MAG).

So should I even be reviewing a self-defense knife when I’ve already stated elsewhere that, in my humble opinion, knife self-defense is the worst possible use of a blade?

This is less of an issue for professionals—law enforcement or military personnel—who may be forced to face knife attacks. But for civilians? Learning to defend oneself with a blade should remain an absolute last resort in a situation that likely could have been avoided through awareness and mobility.

As a design, I’ve always liked the C60, especially its ergonomics—not as a weapon, but as a cutting tool. It works exceptionally well for kitchen and general use. In fact, it was once one of my favorite “baguette openers” in the folding knife world, particularly in its serrated version.

Even knowing it was marketed with a design intent focused on deep penetration between ribs and vital organs, I’ve never been impressed by such narratives. Many everyday tools—chisels, screwdrivers, crowbars—can be used for harm. Intent matters more than geometry.

Spyderco, of course, is no stranger to this “self-defense niche”: Canis, Matriarch, Carahawk, P’Kal, Chinook, Civilian, Yojimbo…

Blast from the past.

In the 1990s, I had the opportunity to be among the first European reviewers of Master of Defense knives. Jim Watson, James Keating, Massad Ayoob, Graciela Casillas, and Michael Keating were all involved in the project.

Ayoob contributed the MoD Razorback, a fixed blade designed primarily for rapid deployment in reverse grip from a kydex sheath. He even timed his draws to demonstrate speed. I liked the concept, but it was clearly optimized for thrusting rather than cutting.

The same philosophy can be found in the C60: more oriented toward penetration than slicing, especially compared to something like the Yojimbo 2, which balances both.

The Razorback prototype is in the center, while Michael Janich’s Tempest appears at bottom right, featuring his Filipino grip concept.

On the C60 Sprint Run, Michael Janich wrote:

“From a utilitarian standpoint, the negative blade angle increases cutting power and leverage… I also strongly encourage you to consider a Schempp Bowie…”