Six years ago, I reviewed the Working Poney, also known as the Roadie. Mine had been reprofiled by Jan Dirk, and even on its tiny scale, it proved to be an outstanding performer. For six years, it quietly stowed away, accompanying me across the UK, Vietnam, and countless places where knives were frowned upon.

Then, in 2024, I noticed the announcement of an XL version — the C267BK — featuring a better steel and a clip. Right away, I saw the new pointed blade, replacing the classic sheepfoot-style blade, now ground from Böhler-Uddeholm N690Co. Even more exciting, the XL uses M398, an exotic steel reserved for flashbatches — a serious step up in terms of performance and collector appeal.

And so, here it is: Ladies and gentlemen, the Roadie XL !

They say an image is worth a thousand words, so here you have 4,000 words with no syntax or spelling errors.

Back to the Roadie XL: it is made in Maniago, Italy, just like my Nano and many other excellent knives these days. The Maniago plant remains one of the best worldwide in terms of quality and precision.

Specifications:

• Overall Length: 6.51″ (165mm)
• Blade Length: 2.74″ (70mm)
• Steel: M398
• Closed Length: 3.76″ (95mm)
• Edge Length: 2.31″ (59mm)
• Weight: 1.5oz (43g)
• Blade Thickness: 0.108″ (2.8mm)

Its shape and size make it extremely pocket-friendly, easily fitting into the watch pocket of a pair of denim jeans thanks to its deep-carry wire clip. You could remove the clip, but why? It keeps the knife perfectly on the pocket’s lip. The clip is also reversible, though that’s not mandatory for a two-handed opening folder.

With its thin profile and light weight, combined with the clip, the Roadie XL can even be carried in a shirt pocket like a pen. In short, it’s a knife meant to stay on your person almost unnoticed.

The action is smooth, with two stops/steps before the blade fully opens. In practice, it feels smoother than my Urban, which only requires a single hand to deploy.

With a slightly longer blade than the Urban, the Roadie XL remains legal to carry in countries such as Denmark, the UK, or Germany. Mine arrived razor sharp straight out of the box, so I’m in no particular hurry to convex the edge.

Mine came razor sharp right out of the box. So I’m not in a special hurry to convex its edge.

You can immediately recognize Sal Glesser’s signature design—a clear mark that it’s his invention. Sal is an inventor, and it’s always impressive to see how he manages to create clever, practical tools. Quoting him directly:

“When the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) briefly considered allowing the carry of knives on airplanes again, Spyderco designed the Roadie™ to fit their guidelines. We created an incredibly popular modern expression of the classic penknife. Since bigger can indeed be better, the Roadie now has a big brother: the Roadie XL. It faithfully offers all the defining features of its smaller counterpart—including a non-locking “notched-joint” mechanism, a textured index-finger choil, and contoured, injection-molded handle scales. Its full-flat-ground sheepfoot-style blade is crafted from M398 stainless steel and features our distinctive “Double Dent™”—a pair of symmetrical dimples in the blade that provide a solid purchase for a fingernail-free two-handed opening. In addition to its larger size, the Roadie XL also adds a deep-pocket wire clip for convenient top-of-the-pocket carry.”

Now, let’s talk about M398, one of Spyderco’s premium powder metallurgy steels, only available in limited flash batches, all made in Maniago, Italy.

From what I understand, M398 is closer to CPM-90V than to M390. Quoting Darrin Thomas’s analysis (which is worth reading in full):

“The original M390 has a reported carbide volume of 20.5%, and the new M398 has about 30%, so there has been an increase in carbide of almost 50%. We would expect this to lead to a significant reduction in toughness along with an increase in wear resistance. The datasheet shows that the toughness of M398 is only about a third of M390, though at somewhat higher hardness. So it is apparent that the design of M398 is all about wear resistance and essentially ignores toughness. M390 has only slightly lower toughness than K390 with similar carbide volume (though K390 was tested at 62 Rc). M398, on the other hand, has significantly less toughness than the similar carbide volume S290. However, M398 does have some positive traits, such as increased hardness and reduced retained austenite relative to M390. I’m personally not all that interested in yet another high edge-retention steel that sacrifices toughness, ease in sharpening, and workability. We had other options and this initial look doesn’t make M398 appear to be an improvement over the other available steels. M398 was a relatively simple modification of M390 and I can’t help but think that a more optimized version could be made. M390 did offer similar toughness to cold-work tool steels like K390 with a similar carbide volume, but M398 has significantly lower toughness than the similar carbide volume S290. So M398 doesn’t appear to be over-performing relative to its composition and carbide content. I wrote about some Bohler-patented high wear resistance steels using niobium instead that look very interesting but haven’t seen a commercial release. Those steels would be breaking new ground and potentially offering new property combinations not previously available. But if Bohler pushes out M398 more broadly it will be interesting to see how knifemakers utilize the steel for applications that benefit from high wear resistance and edge retention.”

When M398 was used in a previous flash batch for the SpyMyto, I wasn’t particularly excited—it felt like overkill for a folder that seemed built for hard use. The Myto is essentially the big brother of my Nano made in CPM Magnacut, and a SpyNano in M398 is also on the bench. In comparison, Magnacut is far tougher than M398, making it more suitable for wide, workhorse blades.

On the Roadie XL, though, this is a different story. Like with my Heinie Urban in S90V, these small blades are not intended for bushcraft—but some highly skilled bushcrafters can make miracles with even a 2-inch slipjoint, as shown in an inspiring video I recently saw.

Slip-joints are gentle companions for both ladies and gentlemen. For those with long nails, the Roadie XL is equipped with its distinctive “Double Dent™”—a pair of symmetrical dimples in the blade that provide a solid purchase for a fingernail-free, two-handed opening.

Its high wear resistance comes in handy, as these small blades often encounter cardboard, which can be surprisingly abrasive. I also recall Roger, my father-in-law, wielding his old Pradel slip-joint like a crowbar or flat screwdriver, without a second thought. Old-timers often treated knives mercilessly, using them until the blade was as thin as a needle.

I’m confident the Roadie XL with its M398 blade would make an excellent hare skinner—the fur is full of sand that can destroy an edge almost instantly. Tuscan hare hunters would likely appreciate its durability. Its high wear-resistant alloy makes perfect sense here. Additionally, the blade is relatively thick at 2.8 mm, which would otherwise be prone to breakage.

Ergonomically, the Roadie works beautifully for a slip-joint because you can hold the blade by its choil—a feature rarely found on traditional slip-joints. Even most Swiss Army Knives lack that level of security, and with M398’s toughness, the blade cannot close on your fingers. As Spyderco notes:

“Unlike traditional penknives, the Roadie also features a subtle index-finger choil that increases control of the knife during use and acts as a safeguard against unintentional closure.”

There’s no undue pressure on the pivot, often the most delicate part of many folding knives. If you are careful not to twist the point in wood, the Roadie XL can withstand applied force directly to the blade. This makes it another “Lil Big Blade”—small but versatile.

It can serve as a steak knife, whittler, label remover, balloon popper, nail cleaner, or cardboard cutter. Brown cardboard is notorious for edge damage, but not for an alloy like M398, packed with carbides.

And in today’s world, one more practical advantage: it is extremely sheeple-friendly. The Roadie XL looks like a pocket knife, not a tactical or soldier’s tool, making it socially unobtrusive yet highly capable.

Roadie, K390 Pingo, S90V G10-Urban and Roadie XL (all green letters mean they are linked to their reviews)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but to me, this blade—shaped almost like a scaled-down cutlass—is pure eye candy.

Interestingly, I’ve discovered that I can open it one-handed in two distinct ways:

1. A fast wrist flick while holding the blade itself.
2. By gripping the blade with thumb and index finger and gently pushing the handle away with the middle and ring fingers.

So, even though it wasn’t designed as a one-hand opener, the Roadie XL can function surprisingly well as a one-handed knife in either technique.

Compared to a traditional sheepfoot slipjoint, the Roadie XL is incredibly light yet sports a premium alloy blade (Since August 2025 another slipjoint with M398 is available: The Metropolitan.).
And at under 100 euros, the Roadie XL is an exceptional bargain for what it offers.

This is one of Sal Glesser’s finest EDC designs—a true Every Day Carry folder that balances elegance, utility, and performance. And for once, size really matters with a Roadie. No wonder it’s already sold out on the Golden site!
There is part II here.