Today’s review is a bit special.
Every now and then, I like to invite other reviewers and true knife enthusiasts to share their perspective.
This one comes from Guillaume Gx, moderator of the Spyderco Fan Club on Facebook — and a man who definitely knows his way around an edge.
Also all photography featured in this review is the work of Guillaume Gx.

Let’s get straight to the point — much like its sibling, the Nand, the Cobol doesn’t carry a knifemaker’s DNA.
This is not a blade born from the forge, but rather a stylistic exercise, a conceptual piece with a distinctly “Japan-inspired” design. And that’s where any comparison to the Ikuchi ends.

Mechanically, this slipjoint shares the same traits as the Nand: soft tension, little to no sense of security. A light press on the spine will start the blade folding, which instantly rules out anything beyond light, food-related tasks.

But perhaps that’s the idea. The dining table seems to be the natural battlefield for this miniature katana.
Unfortunately, the sweeping arc drawn by the handle and blade demands contortionist wrist angles, while the tanto-style tip hardly helps when it comes to cleanly separating food. In this arena, the Ikuchi—or even the Nand, with its almost twice thinner blade—will fare gracefully where the Cobol clearly struggles to hide its discomfort.

Gone is the Nand’s M398 steel. The Cobol features an M390 blade—beautiful to admire, but challenging to sharpen. Guided systems will have trouble catching such a low-profile edge. Seasoned sharpeners will need to rely on freehand skill to bring out a proper cutting edge (the factory edge being nothing to brag about).

So, is reason telling us this is a flop?
Not quite. Let’s remember that, like the Nand, the Cobol wasn’t crafted by a bladesmith but by designer Paul Alexander. This knife should be viewed as a concept piece, a non-knifemaker’s take on knife design, a genuine exercise in style.

You can’t help but salute the intent—and the audacity. Spyderco showed real boldness in releasing two designs that stand as true UFOs in the eight-legged universe.

And so, I look to the sky, hoping to see another one someday.

(The Nand and the Cobol)