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Spyderco BushcraftUK G10 – The Revenge of the Bold and the Beautiful

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Santa has spoiled me and (scoop) Santa lives in Golden, Colorado.
I have been a huge fan of the Spyderco Bushcraft and really regretted to see such a great company with such great initiatives
obliged to sale that great knife as Second since the wood handles has cracked.
FYI I got some friends who had moved from San Francisco to Denver and all their furnitures had been ruined.
In beautiful Colorado, high altitude and continental weather can be destructive on wood furniture and wood handles.

BushcraftUK G10
Thea, as a Norvegian Skogkat is inspecting carefully that Scandinavian ground blade.

Anyway, Sal would never had given up such a  knife as the BushcraftUK and now he has spawned the Bushcraft with G10 handle:
the Revenge of the Bushcrafter !
G10 is a very strong material, it won’t crack. Some blades are even made with G10 as a composite layering the steel’s edge or as full G10 undetectable weapon.
G10 is epoxy mixed with fiberglass. It’s impervious to weather, choc, low tempetures, chemicals and is used in tactical knives for twenty years.

For a non conoisseur, the G10 slabs on the Bushcrafter would look almost like hard dark wood. They are absolutly gorgeous !

BushcraftUK G10
Leather stropping is Scandinavian Ground knives best friend !

The handle of that knife is a state of art in ergonomy. This a a splinter free design which turns any hard work in sheer pleasure.
The design of the Bushcrafter is really well thought, providing a extremely well balanced knife with an ultrasharp grind.
Chris Claycombe has made his homework as far as I have used my BuscraftUK Second all summer in France and Tuscany, the knife has always performed beyond my expectations.
(The thick square back of the blade is great to remove the bark of a walking stick for example)

BushcraftUK G10
Both of my Bushcrafters. Notice how the edge of the wooden one is polished by stropping.

The heat treatment, as always with Spyderco products, is simply top notch. The scandinavian ground knife stays sharps in various hard tasks and only needs some stropping to be kept razor sharp.
My first Bushcraft is almost mirror polished on its scandy edge now.

BushcraftUK G10
As confortable as it looks good.

I have noticed “Taiwan-Taichung” is now written on the blade.
Some American people were complaining about having “Taiwan” written on their blade. They got what they desserve ! 😉
I don’t understand how those people would never mind to have “Japan” stamps on their Spyderco Police for 25 years and worst
they are the ones who only swear by Maxpedition bags… all made in Taiwan !!
The Taiwanese craftmen chosen by Spyderco have proven to be some of the best knive artists and manufacturers in the world.
The G10 Bushcrafter screams pure quality, attention to detail and reliability in a compact and solid package !
And that knife is really international: designed in the UK, produced in Colorado and manufactured in Taiwan !

BushcraftUK G10
My EDC equipment: the C22 Sprint Run Michael Walker, the Casio GW2000 Gravity Defier and the G10 Bushcrafter.

The leather sheath is now black. I love that sheath which is really suiting my need toward that design.
Again a plastic foam encapsules the blade inside the leather. Under it “classic” look that ambidextrous sheath is really well thought and modern too.

All in all the G10 version was itching my wishlist since I was so in love with the previous wooden handle version.
Now this is going to be some kind of “elegant tank”, capable to withstand all hard used and batonning imaginable.
That kind of knife is really perfect from light chopping to precise whittling.
My friend Jur has added that beautiful lanyard with a micarta bead which is mandatory when chopping. (He also add some usefull red paracord for a dramatic Black & red effect.)
The knife is a very sensual too. Handling and holding it is something which is not found in many design but custom ones. (Like the Sean McWilliams Panama Fighters)
Again, attention to detail is extraordinary.
Eventually, my wooden handle version will soon be adopted by a friend of mine as it cannot desserve to be stuck as a safe queen. It needs to go out into the wild and cuts some wood for Xmas sake ! 🙂
But the G10 version is already hidden in my EDC Bag ready to carve some more turkey on the New Year Eve !
I’m impatient to go back in the woods and use this baby as hard as it desserves it. Timber !!! ;-D

Also as a writer of the “Richard Blade” adventures for Gérard de Villiers, I have equipped that MI6 Operator with a Military Ti but for his new adventures for issues #199 and #200, he has a G10 Bushcrafter as main survival tool. Lucky man.

BushcraftUK G10
The bead on the lanyard is a real genuine Fuzzyedge bead which adds a real touch of class to the whole package. Click here if you want to know more about the gorgeous creations of Fuzz’ via the USN Forums !

In concern of the design, Sal Glesser became interrested in Bushcraft at one of the three Spyderco meets he did in Sheffield, UK for his UK followers. Many of them were also interested in Bushcraft and questioned why Spyderco would not enter that specific arena ?
Sal and Jur met Chris there and he showed them his Bushcraft design, which were different from the Ray Mears (*) design, and Spyderco started talking knife with Chris. They developed the very special and ergonomic handle shape and decided to go on with all the “classic” Bushcraft features: a natural handle, scandi gring, tool steel and a leather sheath.
At that time Spyderco manufacturing was running on the top of its capacity and they could not produce the Bushcraft knife in the USA.
Japan was also (and is still) at the top of what they could handle for them. (Spyderco works with small family businesses in Japan).
Japan was also too expensive. Sal has already established contacts in Taiwan and went there with the Bushcraft project.
The quality of work they provide is, as noticed since, simply top notch.
It’s evident to state that currently, there is no other factory made Bushcraft knife on the market with an handle so specifically shaped for the hand, as the Spyderco FB26P.

(*) Another thing to remember is that Ray Mears is NOT a knife maker nor a knife designer. He is in fact a TV host and a business man who finds his customers through his televised adventures and stories. If you would like to collaborate with him to endorse any outdoor style products, you first deal with his agents and then with his marketing lady. As they have lot’s of success and they are asking high commitments, also in terms of money….

Folders

Ladybug Hawkbill Sprintrun – The Real Cat Claw !

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“Everybody wants to be a cat,
because a cat’s the only cat
who knows where it’s at…”

My friend Jur told me: “the older you’ll get the shorter the blades you will love.”
The first injection came from a baby Wayne Goddard, then the C22 Walker… now that little claw which is an amazing little tool !

Wolverine, Sabertooth are not the only one to produce some sharp claws in a blink of an eye ! You can do it too and with a very sheeple friendly (and invisible) Spyderco knife. There is a little Ladybug which got all the attribute of a feline “blade”: the “LBKS3HB”. Of course it’s a limited edition but soon it will be (re)release in a H1 and yellow handle version !

What I love about that little knife is its smoothness and the quality of construction. This is the shortest knife I can “Spyderdrop” and close by releasing the lock with a smooth flick of the wrist. So, it’s short, serrated, powerfull, handy, secured in the hand (thanks to the little fob provided by Jurphaas.)
This is the kind of knife I love to use in the city: removing labels on clothes, opening parcels, cutting plastic, strings, paper and even bread !
With a baguette this is a great knife to make the long incision for some ham !

Also, this little knife can be a real contender as a last ditch self defense tool aiming at the hands or the face !
The serrated edge can make painful and bleeding wounds with a swift caress of the blade.

Invisible, fast to put in service, performant… a real Cat Claw indeed !

Thea

Thea checking the knife.

Mini mini mini !

Confortable in various grip !

Closed, it’s almost got a grin !

This is VG10, baby !

Thea approves it !

 

 

And this is the H1 version of a Ladybug !

Folders

Spyderco C22 Walker : Sky The Limit !

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Thea and the C22CF
Thank to Jurphaas from Spyderco, I got the chance to own one little wonder of that limited production ! Thea loves it too and she’s in charge of the technical review…
The Michael Walker C22CF is not a new pattern in the Spyderco line.
The first C22 were produced in Switzerland 18 years ago. They were the first industrial folders with Carbon Fiber handles !
This Sprint Run got a gorgeous thin blade made of Hitachi Super Steel ZDP189.
The 67 mm long blade is wide and 2,5mm thick offering incredible performance in pushcuts.
The Hollow grind is so well executed by Seki City craftmen, you know by holding it between your thumb, it’s so thin, it could be almost transparent.

Black and Wlaker

Opening the C22 is not as smooth as a Sage (for example) but the positive force used to deploy the blade give a feeling of tough tool to this gentleman blade.
The knife is so light but feels so solid, it screams to be used ! And then, it’s like piloting a small racing car. The cuts are accurate and outstanding in their power.
My Plastic Butt’s test was passed with flying colors in one push cut. The C22 was even better than my reliable Gayle Bradley in that matter which is really remarquable !
The ergonomy on that little knife is so great, the strenght is directly transmit to the edge. And hidden choil give also a big sentiment ot security as you can keep your fore finger next to the edge for delicate/strong cutting.

The liner lock is also very “manly”: you need to push hard to disengaged it. The spring is very strong.
The carbon fibers handle is ultra smooth and you trousers will thank you for that.
Using the knife with greasy hands is not an issue as it anchors well in your palm.
So what do we got here ?

A light little big knife ! Carried like a breeze. Sharper and harder than many bigger knives. Pure efficiency in a small package.
It’s like driving a Lotus Seven on steroids. This little tool is really representing well the brandname “Spyder”co !
It cuts cuts cuts… and super powder steel ZDP189 if strop often enough is a great steel to use in EDC situations.
The C22cf is really a knife which make you smile once you have used it as you are amazed by the power of this pocket lightsaber.

C22CF

More to come as I will complete this review later. I’m now carrying that little blade every day with a gorgeous borrowed Rockstead Higo (I will review on a longer run), together they are forming a great daishō of ZDP189. Two examples of ultra high perfomance of modern cutlery.
Rockstead Higo J + Michael Walker C22CF

A little example of the raw cutting power of that incredible beast:

The plastic of that 1,5 liter Coke bottle is almost as thick as its blade and it passes through in one push cut (no sawing necessary!)
It was like in butter !!! Incredible !!!

Here is Valter reviw of this knife used as a skinner.

Here is a link of the Walker 6 years after skinning used.

Folders

Spyderco Sage II – The Wise Choice

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Sage II and Tie Millie

And if the alternative of the a Tie Millie was not a Tie Paramilitary (which is not yet born) but the SC123TIP: the Spyderco Sage II ?

The Sage line is a collection made in Taiwan (now a high quality of execution guarantee). and “represents Spyderco’s 30-year pledge to knife crafting and learning to make better knives at every available opportunity. The plan is to offer an ongoing series of Sage Folders with many of the different and ingenious locking devices and mechanisms the knife industry has to offer.” (sic)

The Sage I was a carbon fiber handle linerlock, an hommage to Michael Walker. The Sage II is a titanium handle integral lock, an hommage to Chris Reeve.

Let’s give a quick look at the design of that folder: not to big, flat, beautiful lines, taking in consideration a lot of Spyderco unique improvements — the wire clip, the choil, the full falt ground leaf blade… The C123 is standing on the shoulders of many great spyderknives, taking the best.

Tie Millie and Sage II closed

Comparing the Sage II (up) and the Tie Military there is an obvious family ressemblance. Full flat ground blade, integral lock and choil. The “cockpits” on both knives are very similar. The construction is rock solid, the titanium handles are offering enough grip for a smooth surface which is very “gentle” with your trouser pockets (where you gonna clip those knives eventually). The Sage could be a civilian version of the Tie Millie as the fact to go in the city with a long gorgeous knife like a C36 is not the best way to be “reasonnable” in regard of the laws, the sage while offering many of the great features of his big cousin but it will be more pratical to go with it “under the radar”.

Clipped Sage II
The silver wire clip on a black trouser. This is the max visibility you will have from the Sage II once clipped.

The wire clip, for example, with its deep carrying positing is almost invisible and got no flashing names on it telling to every one: this is a knife !!!
Similar to pen clips and with almost no handle to tell tale, your Sage is following you and he’s easy forgettable.
The Millie is a very compact package and car easily find a place on your person, but the Sage looks like a wise choice to go light.

Handles
A close look at the handle of the Sage II (left) and  Tie Millie (right)

How the Sage II will handle “hard use” in the country side ? There is a lot of way to qualify what “hard use” means. Folders knives are not prybars or even fixed blade knives. The folder which are designed to be used as prybar often offers bad performance in the cutting departement. The grind here is flat and the blade relatively thin and I have noticed the Taiwanese edge grind is not flat but already gently convexed. This is amazing as your Sage II only needs some pass of gently stropping on a leather belt to get absolutely vorpal ! The cutting power has been already demonstrated in some video. They are some French videos torturing a “La Redoute catalog” with Bast2a, and American one with BLUNTRUTH4U reviewing a Sage 1 (same blade diffrent handles and locks) and they are very impressive. Cutting wood the Sage 2, the blade goes deep.
Now I like to do pushcuts with my thumb on the back of the blade and the Sage got almost sharp edge there: great for obtaining sparks from a fire rod but eventually painful without gloves. I have used some diamonds rods to blunt mine and really you can notice the difference in confort when you start to work by hand on that CPM S30V blade how much that steel is damn hard ! I would love to have a ruonded back and perharps will try to round it more a little bit. But here, without a backstand, you can notice how hard the steel is…
Anyway, you got a 3mm thin high flat ground blade with a convexed edge: all the condition for a great slicer and ideal folding friendly tool for bushcrafters. The belly of the blade improves the cuts in hard matter, working like a guillotine. (My best wood cutter is still the incredible Spyderco Dodo with its S edge which cant be compare to none as a “wood eater” !)

Sage II Nemo cutting test
My favorite cutting test: going through the butt of a cola plastic bottle. you will be surprised how many great designs cant do it… The Sage passed it with flying colors !
Many so called “hard used” folders with really thick blade cannot pass that test at all.

Esee 3 and Sage II
The  ESEE 3 and the Sage II make a great high performance compact combo for going in the woods BTW.
Also the open construction on the Sage II and the simple reliable mechanism improved by Chris Reeve on his Sebenza Line is a breeze to get clean.

As the handle is not straight but gently curved to spouse the palm of your hand, there is no need for an abbrasive matter (like G10) to get and conserve a positive grip even with wet and slippy hands. There is a lot of intuitive security in that design. The choil and the jimping for example are so great to communicat direct force to the blade without to stress the pivot. This is a great feature which was first developped on the C36 Military and which is now used in the Slipjoint line of Spyderco: even with no lock your hand and fingers are safe.

For a reason unknown, when I have received my Sage II it was not smooth and the lock was sticky. No blade play in any direction though. This problem was easily worked around by adjusting the pivot and gently bend the lock beyond the handle to rub some pencil on the locking surface. Now the knife is as smooth as my Gayle Bradley and the “galling” (sticky lock) absolutly disappeared. The cute Sage II got something of a jewell and I have noticed many owner who first decided to baby it and use it only on weekend then eventually happilly use them very hard everyday.

There is a lot of wisdom behind the design of  the Sage collection. The choice to get a worker knives collection all performance oriented in the legal non threatning package is the wisest.  And the first designs so far are really workhorse. The carbon fibers on the Sage I for example can take a beating without to get marked or scratched and the frame lock on the second give a you a lot of confidence in your tool just by squizing the handle you know the blade won’t fold.  Eventually the Sage II got everything I love in a knife: reliability, beauty, efficiency and sheeple friendship. And my trousers love them too. The Sage II is simply a great knife to EDC.

Balanced Sage II

Tha handle gives to four fingers a very confortable grip. The open ended construction while easy to clean would get painful for long hard cut. Gloves can help.

One sage said: “Think twice and cut once…”

Later, I was tempted to slightly convex the blade of my Sage II. The improvement in pure performance worse the time passed with sandpaper.
The discussion is located here on the Bladeforums
Sage COnvexed
Sage Convexed

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Spyderco C134 Gayle Bradley: the Beauty + the Beast

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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
Gayle Bradley, Shabaria, Le Pointu, carbon fiber
Gayle Bradley, Shabaria, Le Pointu, carbon fiber
Gayle Bradley, Shabaria, Le Pointu, carbon fiber
CPM M4 blade and sausage