Tag Archives: Eric Glesser

Review

Deadpool’s choice: the C244GRDBK Spyderco Native Chief in CPM 4V.

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This is my second Native Chief and this is a Factory Second bought in a Mystery Box of 2023:
“This limited-edition Exclusive version of the Native Chief™ was specially manufactured for St. Nick’s Knife Factory (stnicksknives.com) and is only offered through their sales channels.…
…Our Red & Black Holiday Sale starts December 1st at 9:00AM MST! This online-only event will feature deep discounts on select factory-second knives, two different Mystery Boxes containing seconds of special high-value models, Sprint Runs, and Exclusives.“
Red and Black ? This one was made to go in that Box ! 🙂


Which means it has some cosmetic flaw I was not able to spot.
The action is rock solid. I mean it is much more solid than my previous Chief the Mighty Rex45 Orange Sprint Run: the Joker.

I have heard that CPM Magnacut could be a stainless CPM 4V.
What I have heard through the years is how CPM 4V was tough and strong. The tougher used in Spyderco was CPM 3V used in the Tuff by Ed Schempp.
4V is used in cutting competition with CPM M4. It is tougher than A2 or D2 and tougher than M4.
What is avantage in a folder like the Chief ?
Simply look at the blade shape:

The Chief’s blade is more pointy than the PM2.
To quote Spyderco:
“This advanced alloy was specifically developed for demanding industrial applications requiring high degrees of both toughness and wear resistance. The PlainEdge™ blade is full-flat ground for a superior balance of strength, edge geometry, and point utility and features a stealthy black Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating that also helps protect it from corrosion.”

Yes this is a good thing because with 5% of chromium, CPM 4V can rust.
DLC is really clearing one issue for this folder.
Actually there si some reminiscence of the Benchmade AFCK in M2HSS.
It was 25 years ago that this co-designed with Chris Caracci and Sal Glesser folder propose a rusting tool steel on a modern “tactical” folder.
And it also was protected under a black coating to prevent rust.

So ease in mind is a good point in a workhorse.
In the signature theme of St. Nick’s Exclusives, the linerless handle of this knife is constructed with vibrant red peel-ply-textured G-10 scales. To complement the blade’s low-profile DLC coating, the four-position pocket clip, lock bar, and all other handle hardware also have durable black coatings.


So what do we got with this Hellboy’s blade of choice ?
A long folder with no hump on its blade. Very slick !
A tough blade on a pointy design that you can use hard !
A very strong lock as Backlock are one of the stronger locks around.
Quoting Sal in my previous Chief review:
“Actually Eric and Tom went over this model with the engineers for quite a while before making the decision to make it liner-less. We’ve done a lot of experimenting lately and you can see a lot in the many different designs and options. It surprises me that some would think to make decisions on values without any experience. if we screwed it up, we’ll fix it, but we don’t screw up often considering the many envelopes we’re willing to push.”

Now that Spyderco is promoting a lightweight FRN version of the Chief in CPM Magnacut, this is good occasion to step back in time and enjoy this incredibly slick and tough piece of equipment of some years ago.

Now for my own adjustement, I have sand the G10 to a point my trouser will less suffer.


The edge is already deshouldered with diamond and now I will tune the edge to my suits as CPM 4V is not only tough it is also strong.

Also I have changed the classic clip for a deep carry cheap chinese clone.
And hope we go !

Edit: I’m back on the OEM black matte clip which gives me less knife into the pocket. Deep carry is not mandatory on this one.
The Chief needs to be proud to be red !

Review

The Amphibian Milestone in CPM Magnacut : the Paramillie 2 Salt has landed !

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The Amphibian Milestone in CPM Magnacut iq PARA MILITARY® 2 SALT® BLACK G-10 CPM MAGNACUT® BLACK BLADE – C81GMCBK2 which is much too long to fit in a title.

This is not my first Paramillie 2, I usually wear the 52100 carbon fiber version but I have used many many version in S90V, CPM Cruwear and S30V. The 52100 is actually the exact opposite of this new version.
Announced at the 2023 Amsterdam Minimeet, a Paramillie impervious to the element. Better: a nautical version ready to stand tall in frond of the salty waves of the ocean’s breakers.
Then the wait began.

And here it is, in all its glory !
Delivered with Larrin Thomas dreamlike alloy: the CPM Magnacut !
A steel which hits a lot of sweet spots. Like some sort of totally rustfree CPM M4: strong, resilient and able to withstand thin edges without chipping.
So why adding a DLC on that alloy ? Overkill can be fun, can’t it be ?

Here are 3 versions. The 52100, the CPM Cruwear and CPM Magnacut from right to left. Three excellences in their own way all designed by Sal and Eric Glesser.
CPM Magnacut is a story of love.
Quoting his metallurgist of designer:
“The carbide structure of MagnaCut is much finer than the common powder metallurgy stainless steels such as CPM-154, M390, Elmax, S35VN, etc. The only stainless PM steel I have imaged which is competitive in terms of carbide/nitride size is Vanax. MagnaCut is even somewhat finer than CPM-4V and Vanadis 4 Extra, the non-stainless steels that MagnaCut was modeled after. This is an excellent result and should lead to excellent properties.”

Quoting Spyderco:
“This tour-de-force expression of the Para Military 2 showcases a full-flat-ground blade crafted from CPM MagnaCut—a state-of-the-art particle metallurgy steel that offers an exceptional balance of edge retention, toughness, and superior corrosion resistance. Cloaked in a non-reflective Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating, the PlainEdge blade is housed in a handle featuring peel-ply-textured black G-10 scales machined with the signature Caribbean Bi-Directional Texture pattern of Spyderco’s US-made Salt Series knives. To complement its blade steel and finish, the knife’s nested stainless steel liners, four-position pocket clip, and all other hardware are also made from ultra- corrosion-resistant materials and black coated.”

That new Salty Paramillie is destined to be an amphibian workhorse, an hippocampus !!
All hardware is black coated but the stop pin which is silver and made of “fearlessly corrosion-resistant marine-grade materials“.
The handle (as efficient it is to be non slippery) is destined to be a pocket shredder as it is carved to be used with wet oily hands. Your trousers will suffer !!
Unless, like myself you are a compulsive user of sandpaper. And even then, it will be hard on pocket’s lips.

The Diamond Like Coating is not only protecting a blade which doesn’t need any protection, it gives a strong Mall Ninja vibe also.
Usually coating brings some king of lubrification to the matter separation. I’m not impressed so far, even on sausages.
The geometry is perfect on my PM Salty. Thin as a razor though.

One thing I had to change was the clip. It was replaced by a Flytanium Universal Titanium Clip which is short and deep carry.
Also I have moved the clip for a Tip Up carry which suit the Paramillie better in my book.

Of course de-shouldering the edge is the first step to convex that I do on new knives. Especially I have read that Magnacut loves leather stropping.

And this is true ! The edge turned quick into a über razor state.

It zipped through meat like a lightsaber into banta meat.

So now the game is on. The Salty Magnacut Paramillie is ready to kick all other knives from my pockets and be used on the long run.
Let see what this cutlery apogee era knife has to propose on the long run !

Advice, Folders, Review

Maxamet defiled and born again.

As far as I know I have always noticed how blunt and scratched were my father, grandfather and father in law EDC folders. The old timers were using their knives hard and their blades were tools to be reliable in all situations. They were not expensive and used as screwdrivers and skinners and staples removers and whittlers and they were in contact with plates while eating with them…

Swapping the Maxamet blade on the Lightweight plateform was done for “Mule” testing  on a steel I had always babied since Eric told me it was 70HRC and since I have been waiting 9 months for getting the Para3 Maxamet.

Anyway encouraged by the Cliptools great results on opening oysters…

 

Well the maxamet lost its blade tip at the first attempt. I was able to open 4 oysters but the blade was already a mess.
On the other side the Clipitool was able to open 32 oysters with almost no damage but light scratches and edge bending. This is the kind of knife my family fathers would have chosen: thin and strong blade was always their favorite.
So really kuddos to Eric for designing the clipitoolas a reliable workhorse.

So now time to fix the Maxamet blade. And with no pity !
It means using diamonds DC4 and Double Stuff 2 to repair that edge.

Actually when you got nothing to lose, you go hard on the fixing.
Also doing that by hand will repair any factory burnt edge syndrome…

It a matter of minutes it was already going back to part serrated to plain edge.
The tip is going to take a little more time but it will be reshaped slowly.
Anyway, it is back to razor and ready to be used harder than before.

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Photos

Para 3 blades swapping on New Year’s Eve

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I got two Para3: a M390 Lightweight and I got a Maxamet Copper handled.
The Lightweight is so good,  I wanted to use the 70 HRC blade on that plateform.
Nothing wrong with M390 which is just a great EDC steel with stellar performances but staining steels are part of DNA.
After watching Nick Shabazz having the same idea and filming it, once the novelty of the M390 faded away, I have decided to step ahead. It was really easy to do it but for the stoppong pin of the lightweight (Torx 6) which was dismounted with two tools as it was turning inside the handle.

Easily disassembled copper scales.

Now mounted on the lightweight handle.
For more about disassembling a Para3 lightweight here is Eric Glesser’s Video.

Here we go: two excellent knives. As you can notice they are users.

I have been able to thin the edge of the M390 when the Maxamet refused to give away any particules…

The Spyder logo is golden on the M390 and black on the Maxamet.

Perfectly centered blades on both and smooth action with no lateral play.
Here my Little Red Hoodie ready for tonight 24 oysters opening.

Happy Saint Sly everyone !

Maxamet being more denser it has add 3 grams on the scales.

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Folders, Review

Spyderco C208G – Clipitool Standart -The Three Eyes Alien.

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Someone I used to know has posted this review on our Facebook group about that Alien kind of knife and his post is a gem:

“Whilst rather drunk it seems that I bought a Spyderco ClipiTool (TM) Standard.
Because it was cheap in the Black Friday Sale. And I was drunk.
Well, it has arrived and after a day of playing with it and using it I don’t really know what to make of it.
In the past looking at it online I had assumed it was quite small, bigger than a Dragonfly but smaller than a Delica. But it isn’t small, it’s quite large, with a 3.50″ (89mm) liner locking full-flat ground blade in 8Cr13MoV. Which is……a steel. It’s adequate. G10 handles with a central steel liner which functions as the linerlock. It also weighs a substantial 4.2.oz (119g) which in context is really quite heavy for what this is.
The blade is thin and nicely slicy, which is good.
The tin can opener with screwdriver tool blade and opposing bottle cap opener with screwdriver tool blade are marvels of design, in that they look cool and work, but they don’t work any better than those on an SAK.
It has a classic Spyderco three screw pocket clip. Obviously, as it’s a ClipiTool (TM).
So in conclusion I don’t understand this knife. Or knife/tool combo. It’s quite large, quite heavy, doesn’t do anything differently to a host of other knives and multitools and has a steel that to us Knifeknuts is barely adequate.
And when not on sale this is not a cheap knife, it costs around USD80. That’s a lot of money.
What is this for? Who is it aimed at? Aside from drunk Spyderco collectors like me?“

This is not an hommage to Victorinox but a parody.
Pardon his French: “Seulement un hommage? Je comprends cela mais c’est plutôt une parodie.”
“”Let’s put a couple of fancy design SAK style tools on a fairly crap Spyderco and try and sell it. Oh yeah, idiots will buy it when they are drunk.”  was his conclusion.

Could he be right ? Could he be wrong ? Or at least could I disagree or agree with him ?

Fist I was wrong assuming it was Sal Glesser design with Eric huge signature on the blade. I remember Sal looking at SAKs with admiration. Sal is an inventor and so is Eric.


My first impression when opening the blade of that Standart Clipitool was WOW.
It is a long thin blade with a very nice geometry: it was razor factory sharpen.
There is a generous choil and the hump of the next tool is creating some kind of sub-guard ! The ergos are quite good actually.
But let’s compare that knife with other classic backpackers option: a Böker Plus Tech-Tool Carbon 4 and a good old SAK from the 70’s.

The Spyderco is less in the blocky side, which also means it offers less tools.
In fact it offers 3 blade/tools.

That’s all. But to quote Spyderco:
“The star attraction of this design is a full-flat-ground leaf-shaped blade crafted from 8Cr13MoV stainless steel. It locks securely open via a stout LinerLock mechanism

 

and is complemented by a folding can opener/small screwdriver and a bottle opener/large screwdriver with a wire-stripping notch. 


Both screwdriver heads are hollow ground to ensure a secure fit in slotted screws. Although they do not lock, they are supported by sturdy slipjoint spring mechanisms to keep them open during use.

Like the primary blade, both tools are precision machined from 8Cr13MoV stainless steel and feature generously sized Trademark Round Holes.”

I would add that both tools also got a generous choil which lacks on the SAKs.
The screwdriver is hold and secure by your grasp and cannot close on your fingers.
That choil is the same which can be founded on boots daggers as quillons and which was featured on the good old C36 Military. It is a clever way to avoid any forcing on the handle and the pivot.

Opening a jar with the screwdriver, waiting for the “Pop” to happen.

The main idea behind the Clipitool was to provide a One Handed Tool. When you are climbing a ladder or holding something with your other hand, opening your SAK with your teeth can be a problem. Here you can get access to your tools very easily.

This is also something which has been explored on Leatherman’s for two decades but Spyderco’s blade is really generous.

 

I have convexed the edge as the steel is not as hard as many other super steel. It was also a breeze to polish. It won’t have the same edge retention as many of my usual EDC but I know I can use it hard and easily bring it to sharp. After all the SAKs steel works the same. I can scratch the edge on rocks when gold digging (long story) and bring it back to sharpness after without diamonds.

“The handle of the ClipiTool Standard is built on a framework of nested stainless steel liners, textured black G-10 scales, and solid stainless steel backspacers and springs. Its screw-together construction ensures the precise alignment of all parts, and a two-position hourglass clip provides a choice of right-side tip-up or tip-down carry.” Spyderco’s card again.

So what do we got ? An honest tool which does not swear you to be the ultimate all around multitool but an easy partner which won’t be scared of dirty jobs. A proud blue collar’s solid companion, easy on budget and easy on the ride.

I really enjoy the fact to be able to get a screwdriver out of my pocket with one hand. I will use as a mini prybar, a scratching tool, a probe, a good reason to justify the fact I’m carrying a knife after all and keeping its generous blade sharp and pointy for more mondaine task.
All in all that pragmatic Clipitool can be escorted by my Para 3 and my Shaman with zero shame.
So thank you Eric !

Folders, Review

Crucarta’s Family — The Spyderco Shaman reveals its power.

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Since its arrival my Crucarta has been used hard, fallen twice on rocks and pavement and been immerged in dirty water.
Well this Shaman is made for that.
In fact I have notice how well it could inserted between my CPM M4 Millie and my CPM 3V Tuff.  Theyu both could be his parents.
Knowing the Tuff is Ed Schempp design for a “Built As A Tank” folder and the Millie “Built As A Tool” Sal’s Glesser design, the Shaman got the best of both world:
A tank knife built as a tool: a solid folder which is really sharp.


This is not the easiest design to achieve. The result is a very powerful folder: solid in term of lateral strength and razor sharp for deep push cutting.
So yes, the Shaman is outstanding bring the slicing power of a Millie with the toughness of a Tuff.
CPM Cruwear is the right choice as it is really standing between CPM M4 and CPM 3V.
It is tougher than CPM M4 and less tough than CPM 3V and in term of pur edge retention it is also in between both.

Being clumsy and getting clumsier, my Shaman has fallen on tiles and rocks twice.
No damage after a very close inspection. Nothing on Micarta or on the blade. The recess steel spacer is immaculate too. The blade is not Stonewashed on the Crucarta sprint run, it it gets some scratches from use but nothing really bad so far.
It has been used on wood, dirty roots, plastic and kitchen duty.

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For those who know how tricky a coke bottle butt push cutting can be… The Shaman  is “that” powerful.

I had notice some hot spots to my delicate hands.
The were easy to erase on the micarta handle.

A gentle filing is eliminating them and the rounded handle does marvel in terms of confort.


I have used the same diamond file, and it was a longer task, to file the teeth of the blade’s spine as I use my thumb for my push cuts. Also you can notice there is a flat place for the hand before the lock as I mentioned it in my previous review about the Para3 Lightweight which lack of that “flat bed”. It changes every thing in terms of confort when cutting in repetition hard thing without gloves.

Eventually IMHO the real son of the Shaman is designed by Sal’s own son: Eric.
TheLil’Native is really playing in the same league in term of strong workhorse folder but at a lesser scale. Like its father it conserves a thick spine for a very strong tip.
The Native and the Chief on one side with their thinner blade and lockbacks and the Shaman and the Lil’Native and the other.

Like father, like son. Les chiens ne font pas des chats as we say in French.

Folders, Review

Para 3 Lightweight DLT Trading Exclusive – C223PRD – My Little Red Riding Hood !

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It is light, it is red and it is cute and can skin a wolf or granny’s apple ?
DLT Exclusive M390 steel blade on the Para 3 Light plateforme has hit the old continent after NOT taking any shortcut… It was stuck in Paris airport for a week !Action is perfect. The blade is centered. Drop chute works perfectly. This DLT Trading Exclusive is clicking all the right buttons as I was not really excited to test this knife without some spicy exclusive steel.
Bringing the compression lock to the FRN is a Tour de Force Eric and Sal can be proud of.
At 69 grammes it bring a very strong little big knife into the “pocket and forget” realm.
This is going to be a very Sheeple friendly knife thanks to its red scale and deep carry clip.
I love high performance blade on FRN. My Manix Lightweight is a CPM 110V version and my favorite holiday knife as it is easy to put in a luggage and keep its sharpness for weeks.
This is Little Red Riding Hood is destined to de-throne it. Less moving parts, easier to clean. Very impressive quality !
And M390 heat treated by Spyderco is a sure value since 2012 ! :-)More to come soon as right in the pocket it goes ! Riding !“But Grandmother! What big teeth you have,” said Little Red Riding Hood her voice quivering slightly.My own copper Maxamet Version is just a really heavy weight.SO LIGHT…
“The better to eat you with, my dear,” roared the wolf and he leapt out of the bed…Deep carry clip and excellent lanyard hole placement.

Folders, Review

Spyderco Kapara C241CFP, Alistair Phillips Life Saver.

4 Comments

“On a knife edge razor day
If you listen long enough they’ve got nothing to say
It’s a time warp place don’t change
The rhythm of the night, the beating rain…” Midnight Oil.

After so much hesitation I was able to get a Kapara thanks to Tom (and Howard) at the Knifecenter. My “fear” was real since I had held the Kapara prototype at the Amsterdam Minimeet, worse it was a love at first sight when Alistair was showing is original design: the “Red Back” to the forums and Facebook… I was also hooked when Alistair came to Europe for working on the Australian museum bout WWI in the East of France.
(This should not be Forgotten Years, and if you can try to see Peter Jackson, the director of Lord of the Rings, “They Shall Not Grow Old” and see how he has used technology to render the footage from that area in colors and with sound: amazing!).
Also since the early 80’s I’m a big fan of the Oil, the Finn brothers (OK they are from New Zealand too), and even bands like Eden, Little Heroes, Ice House and Iva Davies.

Many description and test of the Kapara has been done last year but this very one here is the Version 2.0 as it has return to the bench for some adjustments as Eric Glesser has announced at the Minimeet 2019. So this is a new version.

So what do we get with that knife ? First you got a very strong flavour from the Big Southern Land: some pragmatism and commun sense for the tools you bring with you in the bush. OK the Kapara was first design as a kitchen knife for making Alistair Sandwich but this perfectionist of a designer as provided something incredible:
– beautiful line,
– smooth action of a “free dropping smooth as glass powerhouse”
– excellent blade ratio
– great ergos…
And a very very sharp factory edge. So sharp, I don’t want to convex it yet. Go figure!

So, from what I was afraid of ? I was afraid of near perfection EDC knife: the one knife which create distance with all the other designs you love.
I was right to be afraid.

No need to ask, he’s a smooth operator…

As you can see the blade ratio is excellent bringing a maximum edge for than handle, the hidden choil helps a lot.

The carbon fibers rounded handed is so nice to watch and use.
A word about Taichung manufacturing again: I was not able to find a single hotspot on the V2. The blade is centered. The blade drops with a release of the lock. The red spacer and the liners are soft and perfectly adjusted. This is really something to experiment to understand: it is like if Des Horn has been on the quality control for this one. Very very impressive !

Alistair has designed a very utilitarian high performance blade. There is not jimping.
The blade of the Kapara has been enhanced with a subtle hidden choil for the more precise cutting tasks. With this choil you will have a lot of control over the knife which is practical when peeling fruit.

The wire clip is set for deep carry and this is simply the best Spyderco configuration. The one which is missing on the Shaman design for example. I cannot imagine you would wear a pocket with that smooth handle and deep wire clip. It carries so easy like the marvelous Ed Schempp Bowie.

People call it “fancy pocket knife” but it is a Miss Australia in a Terminator design. The smooth and precise action, the long sharp edge, the wonderful ergo which can be used to cut on a board like the Spydiechef of the PPT.
It is a practical EDC knife with as a main function in mind: the cutting and peeling of different types of fruit and vegetables: the 9.1 cm blade is measured exactly to be long enough to cut most types of fruit in half. This is a fruit knife with an open back design: very easy to clean. And yes: tomatoes are fruits.
This is a tool with a healthy purpose as quoted on Spyderco site.
“Phillips originally created the Kapara as a personal carry knife to help him prepare healthy, vegetable-based meals.” Fruits and vegetables are good for your health. This knife could be a life saver but for now it is a “Coup de Maitre” !
Bonza Mate !!
On the Knifecenter description:
“According to Phillips, he originally designed the Redback/Kapara as a personal carry knife that he could use for food preparation in an office environment. After gaining a bit of weight, he was committed to eating healthier and trimming down, so he decided to create a cutting tool that would help him achieve that goal. He began by measuring a variety of fruits and vegetables to determine an appropriate blade length. He then tried using several of his existing designs, which happened to be flipper openers, to prepare food on a cutting board. Realizing that the flipper tab got in the way of using the entire length of the edge, he envisioned a knife with a long cutting edge, a Spyderco Round Hole for easy opening and a Compression Lock to keep food from getting into the lock mechanism.”

From the spyderco forums:
“We’re working on a 3.0″ Slippie for the UK market. I’ll keep a 3.25 compression lock model in mind as we watch the model in the future.
Sal”

A Kapara Slippie ? WOW !!

Convexing the edge!

Folders, Review

SPYDERCO C81GPCW2 PARAMILLIE CPM CRUWEAR KNIFECENTER EXCLUSIVE — ONE YEAR LATER

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One year ago I had ordering a Para2 in CPM Cruwear, an exclusive run made for the Knife center.  Since them It has been used as one of my reference knife toward other purchases which sometimes has not reached the blog review as I’m avoiding bad reviews unless there is something to learn from.

20190909_151658-012836386720377641815.jpegAfter some acid work on the blade and titanium scales, eventually I am back to the smooth G10 scales and a deep carry clip. So why ?
First thing, even if the titanium scales were gorgeous, they add some weight and a very slippery feel under the finger, especially during wet works. Also it shifted the balance of the millie in a strange way making it “dead” in the end. I really enjoy the heavy handle of my PPT for example or on my Copper scaled Para but on the Para2 it was not working for me. back on smooth G10, it is more grippy than titanium and the balance point is shifter near the pivot again.

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Despite my love for “Spyderdropping” I have decided to carry it “tip up” with a cheap titanium clip made in Malaysia and sold in Hong Kong. It works great and it is really low profile when I forget to pull it out of the pocket while going urban. (I carry a Lil’Native, a Roady or a Urban when going in the city those days, too much controls and metal detectors to go with a longer blade…)

CPM Cruwear as heat treated by Spyderco is a steel which loves his owner. It is not tricky to get sharp like Maxamet. In fact it asks to get sharp. Of course it is not as easy as 52100 or AEL-B but it is very tough in every task when you twist your blade like a good tool steel. Not easily stained too, my tests and zests are the proof on that and once stained it won’t go off. My edge is polished and smooth as a razor and it got zero major damage in a year of random tasks, no chipping (nothing which can not be cure with ceramic) or anything like on my thinned hard ZDP189 experiences. In fact my home convexed edge is as thin as my 52100 Para2 and it does real wonder on wood or hard plastic. In the kitchen that polish edge needs sometimes more “teeth” (S90V provides that for example) and some passes on a  brown ceramic or on a “butcher’s steel” do the trick for a coarser edge (tomato’s skin are tricky…) !

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The PM2 transfer a lot of power in the cuts. The first inch from the ricasso can go deep in push cuts helps with a thumb’s push. You got as much power as a good old Millie and this is why the Para2 is so loved. The strong tip (strong because of the alloy used in this sprint run) is not convexed (to keep some steel and relative thickness) and I was able to drill hole in hard material with no bending or damage. This is a workhorse like I love them.
It’s a medium knife I can use hard with no immediate discomfort or “palm soar”.
The flat clip I have mounted on it is part of my need for a confortable grip.
I soon going to review a Kapara which is suppose to be better with its rounded handle but at least I had done my best to round the Para2 handle to my taste and eliminate any hot spot including the blade’s spine.

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So, in my book, CPM Cruwear is an excellent choice for a EDC high performance folder.
For your information, the Knifecenter got now a new Sprint Run: a Native 5 with CPM Cruwear. I’m very tempted but the Kapara comes first. Anyway this combinaison of CPM Cruwear and smooth G-10 is just a winning hand. Spyderco (Eric) has also announced at the last Amsterdam Minimeet a Shaman in cruwear and micarta as a sprint run too. So CPM cruwear is here to stay.

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Folders, Review

Lil’ Native seasoned by JD – Lil’ Pocket Big Knife !

2 Comments

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This is a follow up review from last year LUCKY MEETING THE SPYDERCO LIL’NATIVE BY JD

I got the opportunity to carry JD Native avter he has used it for months (since october).

Now the Lil’Native is smooth and easy to open it and close it but more interesting, JD as refined the edge to some sort of pseudo scandi grind !

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And this knife is cutting so well…

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Push cutting through bottle’s bottom is made easy with that new geometry.

 

JD has made a beautiful regular thin edge from the choil to the tip.

 

The very solid construction, glass smooth action and thin edge turned the Lil’ Native into a very impressive knife. Again this is SPyderco specialty to bring short powerful matter separators. The lock is strong, the blade is strong, it is a very capable tool in a compact size. The belly also helps for push cuts.

Really impressive EDC knife.

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