There’s a quiet irony in taking a knife designed for confrontation…
and teaching it patience.
I’ve written more than once about Jade, my 8 years old Spyderco Yojimbo 2 Sprint Run—a blade that was never meant for the forest.
It was conceived for speed, control, and intent in a very different kind of environment.
But strip away the narrative, and what remains is geometry.
And geometry doesn’t lie.
Somewhere along the way, it became clear that I wasn’t alone in that realization.
At the last Minimeet, I had the chance to handle a design by Michael Janich—a fixed-blade prototype unmistakably rooted in the Yojimbo 2’s DNA, yet openly aimed at bushcraft.
That moment changed the perspective.
Because it confirmed something simple: using a Yojimbo 2 in the woods isn’t a vue de l’esprit.
It’s not a conceptual stretch, nor a contrarian experiment.
It’s a natural evolution.
I wasn’t alone in seeing it as a whittler, a wood cutter, a tool for controlled work rather than confrontation.
It’s my reinterpretation—since 2018—of what a reliable forest knife could be against the grain: hollow grind and very pointy wharncliffe.
- Steel: CPM M4 — aggressive, unforgiving, alive… and tough.
Tougher than S30V, which matters when your Yojimbo carries a fine, precise tip. - Edge: Convexed — reshaped for efficiency, and just as importantly, easy maintenance on leather.
A working edge, not a showroom finish. - Spine: Rounded — softened for control, especially in push cuts driven by the thumb of my left hand.
These aren’t cosmetic tweaks.
They are functional decisions that shift the knife’s center of gravity—from tactical response to wood interaction.
Because using a knife gently on a piece of wood is not just a task.
It’s a sensation. And that sensation—quiet, controlled, almost meditative—is where the real value lies.
Cutting wood is not only about efficiency.
It’s about pleasure.
And pleasure is an essential part of the cutting experience with a CPM M4 thin edge. That straight edge doesn’t fight the material—it applies a constant, controlled pressure through the cut.
It enters, separates, and exits with a continuity rarely found in production folders. Michael Janich has been advocate of that design for 25 years. And it seems he has taken his own Yo2 in the wild too.
Because that’s where the Wharncliffe reveals its truth.
Its straight edge isn’t a limitation—it’s an advantage for whittling.
Precision cuts become natural. Predictable. Repeatable.
And then the thin, convexed edge takes over.
Suddenly, even hard, dry wood yields with ease:
- cuts deepen without resistance
- fibers part cleanly—almost polished under the thumb
- the blade tracks perfectly straight, as if guided on rails
What is often misunderstood as a “tactical” profile becomes something else entirely: a controlled cutting line—precise, deliberate, uncompromising.
Even feathersticks are no longer a technique.
They become a rhythm. A mantra.
Notches become intention.
Every movement feels deliberate. In total control.
Then comes the detail most people ignore: I have rounded spine on my Yo2. This is where the knife becomes an extension of my hand.
No more sharp edges digging into the thumb.
No hesitation when applying pressure.
Just a direct transfer of force, guided and stable.
In extended carving, this changes everything.
You don’t adjust your grip to the knife.
The knife adapts to your movement.
But CPM-M4 is not a forgiving companion.
It stains.
It reacts.
It asks for care. This is not Magnacut. 😉
But in return, it offers something rare: a lasting, aggressive bite into the material. In wood, that translates directly to efficiency.
Less effort. More control. Longer sessions without compromise.
It does raise a question, though—one worth exploring.
How would a Magnamax Yojimbo 2 perform in that domain?
Magnamax sits close, in spirit, to a stainless K390—high wear resistance, a keen, persistent edge in a rustproof package.
That could change the balance for a wooden Yojimbo 2.
Either way, it would be an interesting evolution of a SD tool into a wood knife.
But back in 2018, when Jade took shape as a sprint run, CPM M4 was the undisputed king of the hill.
Let’s be clear: Jade is not my traditional bushcraft knife.
- It won’t baton logs
- It won’t split kindling with brute force
- It doesn’t pretend to be indestructible
But that’s precisely the point. This knife exists in its own different space:
Where cutting is not about survival theater,
but about precision, control, and understanding the material.
Calm and enjoyment.
It remains a folding knife and its tip is fine, by design.
But within its intended envelope, Jade performs with a clarity few knives achieve.
Because some knives are defined by their makers and others are polished by their users.
Jade belongs to the latter.
What began as a tactical tool has become something quieter, more refined:
a modern woodcraft instrument, shaped not by doctrine, but by experience. Convex at the edge, softened at the spine—
this is not a knife that was designed for the woods.
It’s a knife that learned them.
Jade the quiet warrior…
It has all started when I wanted to review the Spyderco Gayle Bradley Junction. It’s a great design for an EDC fixed blade which can be used for everything. Easy to carry in its pancake constructed bolteron sheath. But the edge was just too thick for my own use. 
To my knowledge, SPF27 is some kind of CPM D2 steel. A lot of carbon 1.5% and not a lot of chromium around 12%. Not the easiest on the stone as a semi stainless. It was not very soft under the diamonds compared to another blade in N690 HRC59 I got with me. And it was not really easy to remove the shoulder to create a gentle convex edge. Patience… In sharpening is important. And I often lack of it but I was able to improve it. 
Next some black stone mostly to remove the scratches. 
And then the white ceramic to get a better finish and a razor steel. 
You can notice the chamfered signature hole on the Junction. A première. The cuts were deeper. It was better! Much more enjoyable. 
But the spine was too sharp for my thumb and diamonds came handy to rounded the angles. It would never be a Sebenza spine…. 
Again the control during whittling was much much better. One should never be scared to round the edges for suiting your own needs. 
The handle is very flat on that knife. It’s an attention for people who wish to stash their knife in a pocket or a backpack without leaving a print. 
But a flat knife is not the most comfortable in the palm of your hand… Especially when cutting hard things for a long time. 
I decided to make a quick comparison with the Spyderco Sprig which is a pleasure to use. 
You can notice how the Phil Wilson’s Sprig got a thicker handle. And it change everything when cutting hard things. Also Phil Wilson’s is all about performances. Its geometry is stellar. 
It immediately cuts deep in wood without any real improvement needed…. 
But diamonds were there to be usef. 🙂 
I was able to get thin regular cuts into the wood. So I have decided to try the diamonds on the Gayle Bradley Bowie I have brought with me. This one got a thicker geometry and is made if the same pulverized alloy as the Junction 
You can always improve an edge. 
Used as a light chopper it worked just fine. 
Gayle Bradley has provided a great compact Bowie which can be used as a light camp knife. 
You can see: it’s not a lot bigger compared to my Ed Chempp Bowie. 
And the edge once thinned is honorable. 
Of course it is not as thin as my Pekka Tuominen Urban II for example. And not as aggressive as the Sprig… 
I got…. too much knives on my table… 
An Francesca knows how to prepare the pasta with pomodori. 
Crostini a la Toscane. Poultry liver, oignons, red wine, bread and a Bowie. 
Back in the outside I was thinking of a simple way to see the “impact” of good geometry on whittling. On the right, a single cut if the thin Delica and, on the left, a single cut of the thicker 
Also the Delica was able to cut from the ricasso to the point without any hard pressure. In the end, I had noticed that the Junction was less good than the Sprig and the Delica was still the best whittler in the batch. No matter the steel, for wood cutting, geometry is queen. So I have taken my Bowie back to the diamonds and put a keener edge. Tomorrow it will be hunting day. 
NemoKnivesReview 