Tag Archives: CPM M4 High Speed Steel

Spyderco Mantra 2 – Pure Flipper Workhorse !

06/08/2016 nemosandman 7 Comments

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The Mantra 2 is Eric Glesser’s design and is one of a kind Spyderco as its blade’s hole is only here as a trademark. Your only way to flick the knife open is the flipper invented by Kit Carson at the end of the 90’s. There is no hump. It’s a very slick knife.

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There is a lot of edge on this blade/handle ratio as there is no choil too ! Not your typical Spydie huh ? (Apart from the autos destined for Militaries and LEO, you won’t find that in Spyderco Catalog.)
All of these makes the Mantra 2 a compact design with a deep wire pocket carry. A solid R.I.L. lock , an ergonomic handle and a full flat ground CPM M4 blade. This powder metalurgy super tool steel once introduced on Gayle Bradley’s designs has proven to be one of the best in strenght and edge retention.
So the Mantra 2 is a very powerful package which can withstand punishing and be easily washed under tap water thanks to its all open handle design (no back spacer).
Its strange nose seems here to strenghten the tip of the blade. Again with Spyderco, aesthetics come second in their knives.

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The lock is wearproof and reinforced with steel. All engineering details has been thought to get to the ELU a reliable heirloom tool.

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Dwarfed next to my K2, I use my M2 for mondaine chores including eating in a plate. M4 has no stain yet BTW.
It’s not the kind of knives which raise any eyebrows in the sheeple crowd which is good nowadays. It’s low profile apart from its flipping opening. There it could almost look like an auto. There is no way to open it in a softer way but to use both hands. It works also.

The deep carry clip doesn’t make it very fast to draw compared to the Wolfspyder for example. But it disappears in your pocket and is very stealthy, perfect for an EDC.

Edgewise I have found mine a little on the thick side. I will thin it even if CPM M4 can a bear on a stone. Nothing serious there.

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All in all the Mantra 2 is a very unique design. A compact tool with a lot of applications.
Again this is a gentleman knife with the power of a much bigger knife.
Eric Glesser has provided another very clever design with the best material available and a great attention to details. This is not a safe queen but a compact and slick workhorse.

And FYI a portion of sales of the Mantra is donated to The National Parkinson Foundation.

Folders, Uncategorized

Spyderco Air – Popping Sharp ! by JD

22/01/2013 dinkmaker 3 Comments

I had asked my Dutch friend JD to write a review of the Spyderco Air. He’s a big fan of small blades. From the classic slipoint to the most modern design, he’s always seeking for the best geometry in cutting. Through the years he has developped an wide encyclopedic knowledge in cutlery but also has proven to be the best free hand sharpener I have ever met, being able to enhance any edge to a very high level of pure performance. Here is his review of the Spyderco Air:

Spyderco Air by JD

I have had the Air in my possession for 4 months of which I have carried it for about two. When I first got it I liked the knife overall but thought it was too thick behind the edge and found blade finish a little rough. Since then I have thinned out the shoulder of the edge, so now the blade flows from the back to the edge in a slightly convex curve. The first halve centimeter from the edge is now just a little thicker than on an Opinel in the same area. I consider the blade grind on Opinels to be a benchmark of a thin, very well cutting, folder blade. I used an extra course DMT diamond stone for most of the shaping. It was then cleaned up with sandpaper. The edge was finished on an extra fine DMT stone. It how has a fine jet toothy edge that will easily cut phonebook paper, shave arm hair, as well as be grabby enough to bite into and cut plastic packaging material.
I tried sharpening it with the brown Spyderco ceramic hone. A hone that I have good experiences with sharpening other (Spyderco) knives. But found that for this knife it was not the right tool for the job. It polished more than it ground and so was right for the shaping part of sharpening. The M4 steel the blade is made of is quite wear resistant compared to, for instance, VG10, a steel Spyderco uses in many of its popular models. M4 is not stainless.
I use the Air to cut up an apple in the evening, to cut a piece of cheese or to get liverwurst from its plastic packaging. It also works well for opening up a kaiser roll and putting butter on it for lunch (butter with the back of the blade). It work great for the usual edc tasks of opening packages and cutting paper. With use, mostly thanks to the apples, it has developed a nice dark patina.

Spyderco Air by JD

The handle feels good in the hand. No sharp points and, thank goodness, no jimping! Only when you push hard on it does the open construction become a little uncomfortable.
The Air opens and closes smoothly. The linerlock on my example has moved a little past the middle of the locking ramp. Slightly further then when new.

The detent is strong enough to keep the knife savely closed in the pocket.
In the pocket you hardly notice it, it is so light and compact. I have not missed a pocket clip at all! I think on this knife a clip would compromise the ergonomics of the handle to much.
The more I carry this knife the more I enjoy it. Thinning behind the edge make all the difference! It has transformed the knife from okay to a great cutter.
JD

Folders

Gayle Bradley 2 years after – The Workhorse of outstanding performances.

11/03/2012 nemosandman 7 Comments

Two years ago in March 2012 I have ordered and received overseas within 5 working days my Spyderco Gayle Bradley.
I knew at first glance this knife was going to be a hit. You feel it in your hand and in the way it’s operate.
Back then, some people were “blocked” by the fact it was made in Taiwan and were nagging about the fact it was not made at 100% in the USA, simply forgetting that Seki was also importing knives into the USA and since Spyderco’s first success Sal Glesser have been able to build a plant in Golden Colorado to start a local production.
Also some forumites, like myself, have been wasted their time, throwing pearls to the swines, explaining Taiwan is NOT North Korea….
But despites those “retards”, everybody able to hold a GB were going “WOW !!!”
This knife is incredibly smooth and well finished. Oh the gorgeous liners… Some friends who are also in business with Taichung told me each parts of their knives are marked and numbered. We are almost in jewelry.

Two years ago, this is my favorite hard used folding knife: why ?
Answer: outstanding performances thanks to:
its hollow grind is thin and gently convexed. The steel is great. The GB is one the best push cutter in my collection (with the C22 ZDP Walker which is a true state of the art!).
Another great asset: the chunky heavy (I got the first batch more on that later) handle.
This square handle give you a great grip for turning/twisting the edge during the cutting to remove matter, the kind of abuse the Gayle Bradley blade can withstand easily thanks to that great CPM-M4 steel!

On hard materials, the GB is the King. You control the cuts. You feel the blade making constant thick chips of removed platic/wood…. The hidden choil give the control and the “feedback”/feel of the hardware during the hard cutting. Many times you think: it won’t do it but… it does, steady and smoothly separating matters. I have noticed how the edge near the choil is usefull and got a lot of applied force for hard matters cutting. This is the same bonus you got with the small Spydie Michael Walker design. Those “hidden” choil give you a lot of leverage near the axis. You can push with all your weight on that portion of the blade, it will separate matter smoothly.

So after two years of constant use: no rust or pitting on the non stainless steel blade. No blade play what so ever. And the lock is still at the same engagement as new.
I was not able to chip /damage the handle. I was taking care of it enough not to have the liners scratched (the blade is scratched though on its sides but it gives caracter to the knife)
My GB is one of the first batch, the liner of the first version are not skeletonized and it helps a lot to rinse and to clean under tap water. It makes it a little butt heavy but I like it that way… Also the clip was so tigh I was obliged to sand the carbon fiber to have it loose. But since that first adjustement, my GB did not change a bit.
I was even able to keep it sharp with only ceramic and stropping. The edge is thin and is easy to realigned. It’s especially forgiving, like a well tempered carbon steel and with the incredible perf of a high tech alloy. I have also used the handle liners to break glass and I was glad they were exposed that way.
This is the knife I put to the test each time I got something “hairy” to cut, something, I’m not certain I can do it with a knife. And each time the Spyderco Gayle Bradly was able to do it with ease and each time I have try another knife just to check if it was able to do it as “easily” but no. The only contender is the C22 and it’s not a workhorse but a gentleman knife.
Really you can be surprise has how the GB get through wooden knots and with a twist of the handle your break the branch with no damage. The edge goes deep and the blade is resilient. What a knife !

Nemo Sandman Gayle Bradley

Edit of 20th of may 2012:
I have found those words of Gayle Bradley on the Bladeforums some times ago and I really think this is something to read:

“First of all, thank you for your interest in my Spyderco collaboration. I thought I would address some questions I have read on the forums.

I chose a hollow grind because it gives you a thinner edge with less resistance to the material being cut. The blade material (CPM M4) is so tough and strong it will allow for a very thin edge and still have ample strength for a rough use knife. (My competition knives have an edge thickness of about .014 before the sharpening bevel is ground.) The blade has belly from tip to ricasso for better cutting ability in most cases. The tip is slightly thicker for additional strength. The handle is large enough to accomodate any hand size and most types of grips. Some dimensions not covered in the spec sheet are: liners are .068; blade is .120; thickness is .517. Because of the size of the knife and thickness of the liner material, I chose carbon fiber to reduce weight and add furher strength. One last thing about CMP M4, it is not stainless, but I have found that applying silicone to the blade will prevent most corrosion and stains.

Thank you for your interest in my work-horse design and your trust in Spyderco knives.

Stay sharp, Gayle Bradley”
Nemo Sandman Gayle Bradley

Uncategorized

Spyderco C134 Gayle Bradley: the Beauty + the Beast

23/03/2010 nemosandman 13 Comments

The Beauty:
“The “hump” in the blade is there to house the opening hole. If Gayle submerged the hole, you couldn’t access it without a large cut-out, and Gayle designed it with no cut-out.” (Sal Glesser)

Spyderco C134 Gayle Bradley

Last week, I ordered the C134 from a Canadian seller on eBay (great service from The Great Knife Shop BTW — 7 days door-to-door from Canada to France!). I had been enamored with the knife ever since I first saw it in the Spyderco catalog.

It was love at first sight.

Three Amigos:

AFCK M2 STARMATE GAYLE BRADLEY

On top is a BM800HS, the infamous AFCK in M2. It was the first “tactical knife” with a non-stainless steel blade to catch my eye 12 years ago… It looked like a space-age design fitted with a grandfather’s blade steel!

And also my good old Starmate (#776), which has been through hell and back and is still as solid as ever (thanks to its eccentric pivot adjustment)…

The GB is simply the smoothest knife I have ever handled straight out of the box. My previous experiences with Spyder-smoothness came from my C123 Captain, followed by my Paramilitary…

The fit and finish are top notch. This is a true custom knife experience: elegant and high-tech. The Taiwanese craftsmen behind such a jewel are true gems themselves, honoring Spyderco through their attention to detail and quality of production. They are jewelers!

Spyderco C134 Gayle Bradley

Sal stated that this liner lock would be as solid as a Reeve Integral Lock. (quote: “The lock is .072 thick at the interface. I would guess it’s at least as strong as any Reeve Integral Lock (frame-lock) we’ve tested, and probably stronger.“) I believe him!

The thin blade, gentle belly, and deep hollow grind create a unique “pocket lightsaber” experience. You can whittle hairs with it!!! And that incredible CPM M4 High Speed Steel at RC 65! This is going to be fun!!!

Gayle Bradley is to knifemaking what Ferrari is to Formula One: performance-oriented. The beautifully grippy carbon fiber handle gives a real motorsport feeling. Mr. Bradley is truly welcome in Sal’s Scuderia, as we all know how much Mr. Glesser loves high-performance cars! (Even the “Spyder” in Spyderco comes from that love of racing and performance!)

The handle is square and heavy, but I love heavy-butt knives and square handles. My everlasting love for the Sharpfinger pattern has always reflected that.

The balance is perfectly centered under the middle finger. The knife feels very alive and agile in the hand. It screams to be used hard!

Spyderco C134 Gayle Bradley

I also love how the choil is integrated into the handle. It’s almost invisible. The grip is extremely secure, and I never feel concerned about the blade closing on my finger or my hand slipping onto the edge, even with wet hands.

Sukhoi27 comparaison

Most Spydies have an angle at the pivot that creates an arc, like the Military, the UKPK, or the Benchmade AFCK…

Others are straighter, like the Starmate or the Police…

The heart of the Gayle Bradley — where you hold it between thumb and index finger — has a very pronounced change of direction that breaks the general line of the knife. (The Marlin and the Harpy also have this, but in their case it’s an angle necessary to start the sickle-shaped blade.)

The GB is the first Spyderco to feature that “crank” line, which can also be seen in the beautiful Sukhoi 27 profile.

This may explain the fantastic ergonomics of the knife.

Also, as with the Starmate concept, the straight design of Gayle Bradley’s knife offers a very comfortable reverse grip or “edge-up” grip. I’m also a big fan of drop-point blades on folders. This one would make a great hunting knife.

Spyderco C134 Gayle Bradley

The Ti Millie may be my SpyderGrail, but the Gayle Bradley is my dream EDC!

The C134 is a beast of a workhorse dressed like a gentleman’s slipjoint. Another little big knife by Spyderco, combining elegance and reliability.

Oh, and I can open and close this knife easily with both my right and left hand. There is a reason you can change the clip position after all!

cheers
Nemo

Now a quote from the designer:

First of all, thank you for your interest in my Spyderco collaboration. I thought I would address some questions I have read on the forums.

I chose a hollow grind because it gives you a thinner edge with less resistance while cutting.
The blade material (CPM M4) is so tough and strong that it allows for a very thin edge while still providing ample strength for a hard-use knife. (My competition knives have an edge thickness of about .014 before the sharpening bevel is ground.)
The blade has belly from tip to ricasso for better cutting ability in most situations.
The tip is slightly thicker for additional strength.
The handle is large enough to accommodate any hand size and most types of grips.
Some dimensions not covered in the spec sheet are: liners are .068; blade is .120; thickness is .517.
Because of the size of the knife and the thickness of the liner material, I chose carbon fiber to reduce weight and add further strength.
One last thing about CPM M4: it is not stainless, but I have found that applying silicone to the blade will prevent most corrosion and staining.

Thank you for your interest in my workhorse design and your trust in Spyderco knives.

Stay sharp,
Gayle Bradley

Here is all the information about the C134 in the Spyderco catalog

Gayle designed it to be a monster cutter, but it also has subtle refinements that appeal to everyone. (Joyce Laituri — Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Spyderco Inc.)

For Gayle Bradley’s BladeSports site, click here

Quote:

Speaking of Gayle Bradley, congratulations on his new collaboration with Spyderco. We’ve been using CPM M4 for our cutting competition knives, and here is a chance to experience that steel in an everyday-use knife. We’d like to thank Spyderco for their generous support of our organization.

UPDATE — 18 months later:

The GB is one of those knives that never left my EDC rotation.

After one year, I can confidently state that:

– This is one of the easiest knives to open and close quickly. Access to the lock has never been an issue for me, and I can close it fast and confidently.

– I was never able to get any rust or real patina on it despite using it in the kitchen and near the sea. I got a light grey patina, but nothing more.

– The not-so-pronounced choil has never been an issue, and my hand has always remained securely anchored to the handle, even when wet. The hump around the Spyderhole prevents slipping.

– CPM M4 is a wonderful steel. I even managed to eliminate a nasty edge burr on a bidet!!! 🙂 (An Italian bathroom contains plenty of ceramic!!!!)

– My first-batch GB is heavier than the newer ones, but this heft proved useful when I was probing a wall.

– I was not able to scratch anything except the blade while cleaning it with dry Scotch-Brite. No big deal.

– CPM M4 responds wonderfully to stropping. Some compounds can work magic. Mine is kept razor sharp…

The GB goes into my pocket whenever I need a hardcore workhorse I can trust for any chore. The thin hollow-ground blade has proven extremely useful, even for some bushcraft duties where full flat grinds usually reign supreme.

This is truly one of the fastest folders to open (Spyder-drop in my case — smooth and controlled) and close, even with gloves. I still do not understand all the ranting and raving about recessed liner accessibility…

Those were my two euro cents. Your mileage may vary, but this has been my experience.

Cheers
Nemo

Pictures taken in June 2011:

Gayle Bradley, Shabaria, Le Pointu, carbon fiber

CPM M4 blade and sausage