Tag Archives: Spydiechef

A Spydiechef in Tuscany – Spyderco’s Polish Folding Office Knife

02/01/2019 nemosandman 6 Comments

In the ease of maintenance department few knives are easy to live with, the Spydiechef is part of that very small club. You can pocket it while it is still wet. For a travelling knife this is a must and the reason I have taken it for that Xmas Journey.

Reuniting with an old friend: the 110V CF Native.

When used in the kitchen or on the dining table, knives get dirty and the food is dried and hard to detached. Avoid the use of the green back of sponges or you could scratch the blade’s finish badly.

Hot cheese from that Napolitan Pizza is part of that dirty equation but the plate is also not the edge best friend as ceramic is harder than knives and will ruin any razor sharp knife. You should cut with an angle of 45° on the plate to avoid any real damage.

The Spydiechef is a actually whittling friendly. LC200N is not losing its edge as fast as H1 and I was able to work on wooden rods with ease.

Of course mine has been enhanced with some gentle convexed edge.

But really that knife is really happy in the wood. It has not the most ergonomic handle for hard wood cutting but the gentle belly helps a lot in push cuts.

LC200N is really easy to keep fresh on ceramic. no need of diamonds like on other Hyper Steels.

Folders, Review

Back to the Tusk!

15/10/2018 nemosandman Leave a comment

Before the Spydiechef, the Tusk has been the first Spyderco with LC200N blade.
This one needs to get back to sharp after being used by Pascal since his first review.

From Spyderco:
“The original concept of the Tusk was conceived by Sal Glesser in the early 1980’s. More than 25 years later, his son Eric picked up the project and made it a reality, creating a truly extraordinary multi-function mariner’s tool. The Tusk’s handle is precision machined from two slabs of solid titanium. One end houses a Plain Edged blade ground from LC 200 N steel—a nitrogen-alloyed tool steel that offers extreme toughness and superior corrosion resistance—and locks open via a sturdy Reeve Integral Lock (R.I.L.) mechanism.

At the other end of the Tusk’s handle is a 300-series stainless steel marlinspike, which features a unique round-to-square cross section for increased leverage when loosening knots. A milled slot in the marlinspike’s body and the gap between it and the handle also serve as shackle keys for unscrewing and tightening threaded shackles. To allow the marlinspike and its shackle key to withstand extreme leverage during use, it locks securely in place with Spyderco’s patented Ball Bearing Lock™ mechanism containing a special ceramic ball. Constructed entirely of highly rust-resistant, state-of-the-art materials, the Tusk literally began as a tool that was ahead of its time, but whose time has now come.”
This is something of a “heritage” knife for Spyderco (i.e., the father’s idea, and the son’s design)…

The blade’s saber grind is not on the thin side but it can get a little better with diamonds. The Tusk is like a Ferrari hence its high price. I do believe it was also some tests for the Taichung factory. Some kind of high prized yachtman tool.

On the Amazon.com dumb side of their site: because of the ceramic ball lock they have add a message:
“WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD — Toy contains a marble. Not for children under 3 yrs.”

The shackle key is a little on the small size and did not work with all the shackles Pascal had on his boat. Also we were able to force close the marlinspike with our bare hands. The ceramic ball lock-up for the marlin spike is free floating and, therefore will not form any wear spot while in use and, is very smooth in operation. It also seems I cannot reproduced that lock failure now…Perhaps it was dirty or something ? Anyway…

It does not make the Tusk spike dangerous for hard use (the spike got a choil) and it can get a lot of utility from board to starboard… And yes, it’s almost addictive to untie an dry salty knot with it hence the handy clip to keep the Tusk close.

The tusk is a handy tool to loosen knots without having to cut the rope or cordage and forget about any corrosion in salty environment.
It’s also a crew knife that would deploy its blade with ease, and remain locked open under any aggressive uses while under way.

Photos

Titanium Handles Sanding ? Why not !

01/09/2018 nemosandman 1 Comment

I always believe in personalizing your own tools. I also love how titanium can turn sweet under the fingers. So here I am on this afternoon testing different sandpapers on handles.
Eventually I have found that 800 grid is more than enough to make the frame and edges standing out. This is what I was looking for, this feel of old denim.
Of course I can always go back to it and by using scotchbrit refining the finish but I wanted something rough.
The Spydiechef was the first to be sanded. The idea is to keep always the same direction.

On the Spyderco Tuff the effect can be more dramatic for a much more steampunk look.

I’m quite happy with final results.
So let’s try that on the Falcon !

Folders, Review

SPYDERCO C192TIP – My Knife In Law.

25/01/2018 nemosandman 2 Comments

Following the arrival of the PITS, the daily testing has come quite quickly as it hasn’t left my pocket still so there have been a bunch of opportunities to put it in play.
The first thing I noticed was the action required to open the folder which is much harder than for any compression locks. This is something to keep in mind as you won’t be opening it quicky; the Urban for example is faster to open.
This resistance is also a proof of how sturdy the spring and the design are.
The second thing I had noticed was how quickly the blue handle was subjet to getting scratched.
So, I was obliged to put my mind at rest by simply sanding the handle…

I just used a 600 grind sandpaper and the result kept the blue inside the holes and inside the mechanism, like a well worn denim jacket… The scratches are easy to keep at bay and the blue aura and reflections are beautiful.

Another thing which I had noticed: there is one very hot spot…. The horn on the talon of the blade can bite you ! It happen once when I was sanding; a sharp and neat cut!

After some convexing of the blade’s bevel, I was able to improve the geometry and cut really easily through plastic bottles which are everyday processed before recycling.

This is also a knife I wanted to compare with my faithful Urban.

My Urban has got a hightech tool steel blade and a customized Cuscadi carbon fiber handle. I can carry it in my watch pocket. The PITS cannot go there but it provides a much stronger mechanism and a longer blade which makes it a real all terrain folder when the Urban is really limited to the city sleakers.
So far, and that’s not surprising, the N190co steel blade has been kept as a razor using some white ceramic and leather stropping. The PITS unique mechanism makes it great to strop on leather as the blade cannot easily fold on your fingers when the Urban softer mechanism asks for a lot more attention.

The PITS is really easy to live with. The steel keeps an excellent edge with no chipping or rolling and is easy to touch up. The bad weather these days makes it outside wet and cold but the titanium handle conveys a warm touch and the grip is secure. Currently I make it team up with the big bad Real Steel D2 bushcraft folder and both seems to go very well together.
Those are the two extreme among the folding cutlery bow.

Oh and just for the pleasure, you can also play the comparaison game with the Spydiechef !

lasted edited by Pascal Jaffré on 25 jan 2018

Folders, Review

Spyderco C211TIP Marcin Slysz SpydieChef — Folding Utilitarian Cooking Knife.

11/11/2017 nemosandman 9 Comments

OK , I do love acronyms, pardon my French but when I have received the Spydiechef I was very excited to test a design made for chefs: a folding tool cooks could keep in their pocket.
Knowing my needs to turn SD design into tools, this time the grass was cut under my feed. Marcin Slysz purpose was very clear even in the material choice.
But first the design.

Why using a Sebenza like handle ? Because Titanium is stainless and the opening construction is easy to clean. It’s also a relatively thin design, easy to pocket. No jimping, no need for and again easier to rince under water.
Because a cooking tool do get dirty. Here for example are the remain of Mozzarella di Buffala…

The choice of the blade steel is also interesting. LC200N is a state-of-the-art high nitrogen alloyed tool steel that is specifically formulated to offer superior corrosion resistance and extreme toughness, even at high levels of hardness. I have used carbon steel with patina on it and no smell or taste has been noticed during their use with food, but here with that kind of steel you are certain to show a clean knife to inspection before starting your recipes…

So the whole knife is very much completely impervious to rust. That means it could also been used near the sea and even on a boat where the possibility to open and close a rust free knife with one hand can be really safe and useful. There is no steel insert to prevent excessive wear on the lock, like many new RIL locks nowadays. I don’t know if the titanium has been heated to be harder, or perhaps the nitrogen alloy is not abrasive ?
One thing which can be noticed is that this alloy can be ground flat when H1 could not. All H1 steel were hollow ground blade.

Back to the kitchen. Once closed it needs a bottle to stand up right. Chose your poison !

The detent is quite strong and is the main brake to the opening and closing of the blade. The more it will be in use the better it will become. unlock, the blade falls free and there is no blade lateral or vertical. Taichung has done a great work again.

But what is especially great with that Marcin’s design is the possibility to cut on board.
It’s much easier than to use a flipper knife for example as here all the edge can get in contact with the cutting board with nothing on the way even no choil. Practical to do all those moves for vegetable preparations for example. This is very very practical in my book.

The factory edge was so sharp and toothy, it was a breeze to cut into tomatoes. Tomatoes are a good test for sharpness as those fruits can have a resilient skin on very soft flesh.
The Spydiechef was a razor right out of the box and the geometry is thin enough for its main battlefield: the kitchen.

The broad blade goes easily with a lot of control. And the lenght makes it handy in polyvalence. You would need a longer blade too, but the Spydiechef can do 90% of the work with precision and ease. It is also a beautiful tool to use and feel under the hand.

And out of the kitchen ? Is the Spydiechef a knife to go ?
Yes it is. With it’s belly, this knife can be a nice tool to bring with you during hunting season. You can hold it by the broad blade and you got a very efficient skinner. I still don’t know how the edge will last on dirty rabbit hairs but so far it was easy to keep the edge razor sharp with a light touch up.
On wood, the knife goes steady and deep as the edge is thin and the belly helps a lot. The lock is also very sturdy. I was able to get big chips of wood. The blade is not fragile either especially the tip which won’t break easily. So yes, the cook can go camping ! There is even a lanyard hole, so the knife was thought with outdoor safety in mind.
Overall this is a lovely knife, which can be a great EDC. At least it’s not a free ticket to jail.
It works great in the kitchen and I’m looking forward using it on bigger chores.