Introduction to Spyderco

Early Knives

My Favorites

Tactical Knives

Photo Gallery

Chronological developments

Some excerpts from the Spyderco story are included in this section with the authorisation of Spyderco, thank you Sal.

In modern history, certain knives represented the solution to the cutting issue of their time.  Until the late 19th century the fixed-blade knife, perhaps epitomised in the United States by the bowie, was such a paradigm.  From then until the late 20th century, the folder gradually came into its own; the Swiss Army models may represent the height of  the folder's development in terms of mechanical refinement.  In the late 20th century, however, a significant paradigm shift took place wherein the one-hand-opening, serrated-edge folder with clothing clip became the solution.  It remains so today.

The first Clipit, the Worker Model, was introduced in prototype form at the 1981 SHOT Show in New Orleans and caused hardly a ripple of interest.  It was a prototype made for Sal by Jim Oddo.  Production models made by what would become Spyderco's largest Japanese supplier were first sold at the Texas State Fair, mostly to exhibitors.  (I saw this model picture in a knife newspaper a few years later and found it unremarkable, so I can take no credit for having recognised its worth and impending stardom from the first.)

Externally, this new knife looked different, with its hump on the blade punctuated by a hole and its spring clothing clip attached to one of the scales, for clipping to best or edge of pocket.  Some people called the knife ugly, but those who used it appreciated its innovations and soon put the question of looks aside as secondary.  In time, people came to love its friendly look because it represented a knife that fulfilled so many of their needs - needs they hadn't even known they had because no-one had ever addressed them.

Contents

WORKER

In one leap, the Worker solved key issues of accessibility, portability, deployment, and use.

The Original Clipit Patent: Key Features

Because the Worker was the vanguard of the entire Clipit line, we will focus as some length on its key features, many of which I define by quoting directly from the U.S. Patent (#4,347,665) issued on 7 September 1982 to Spyderco president, Sal Glesser.

Front Lock

"Blade-locking mechanism located so as to fall under the user's thumb when holding the knife for use, actuated by a leaf spring that bears against the lock to provide tension and also bias the blade closed...."

The front is hardly new.  The Boker knife company of Germany was using a front lock in about 1903, but its origin may be a century or more previous.  Its use was popularised in the current generation by the late customer marker Harvey McBurnette, but the concept was never patented.  McBurnette introduced the front lock to Oregon designed Al Mar, who began using it on his knives in the 1970s.  Sal obtained permission from Mar to use the lock design and to include it in his patent application.

There have been several types of blade locks.  The back lock has been very popular; representative samples include the Buck Model 110 Folding Hunter and Schrade Uncle Henry folders.  Back and front locks differ chiefly in the length of the locking bar and location on the handle where on presses to unlock the blade.  Here "front" means nearer the end of the handle where the blade pivots, while "back" means nearer the other end.  The back lock has two disadvantages:

1. Safety dictates the use of two hands to close it: one to hold the handle and operate the lock and one to close the blade under control.  Although it is possible to design this problem away, very few have bothered to do so.
2. The blade must never be pushed into the handle when closed, or allowed to fly closed under the returning force of the lock, because its edge is likely to contact the handle and be damaged.  This handicap is not a manufacturing defect; it is inherent in all current back-lock designs.  A custom maker told me he has seen back-lock folders costing several hundreds of dollars and more that have copper or ivory stops for the blade to hit - awkward gimmickry on other fine knives.

The McBurnette/Mar front lock completely solves both of these problems.  The kick (downward protrusion of the choil just before the edge begins) contacts the spring at or behind the lock pivot, preventing contact between the edge and any part of the knife.  Not only can the thumb easily disengage the lock, but the blade can even be allowed to snap closed into the handle under the force of the lock with no danger of harming the edge.  This simple, rapid, one-hand procedure, which can, with practice be executed without having to look at the knife, will be described in detail later in this section.

The front lock may be somewhat more resistant to unintentional unlocking because in use the rear part of the lock (which is pressed to unlock it) tends to fall in the gap between the thumb and forefinger.  No lock of this type, however - front or back in design - is immune to unintentional unlocking by the pressure of the user's hand, and no designer can predict how a user will grip his knife.  In addition, given sufficient force a piece of the locking lug or the blade tang could be broken off, defeating the lock.  Of course, manufacturers could use massive springs to keep the locks closed, or massive locking mechanisms - and compromise both portability and the advantage of having the lock in the first place!

The time of greater danger with any type of knife is when unusual force must be applied for cutting: at such times most of the user's concentration may be diverted away from safety.  Hence, the wise user will strive to be aware of the pressure his hand may be exerting on the lock and will develop habits that minimise the likelihood of accidents under pressure.  No matter how many "safeties" have been designed into a knife, however, its very purpose makes it inherently dangerous.  Thus the operator must be the ultimate source of safety.  As soon as one begins to believe the knife is safe of its own accord, the likelihood of injury exists.

One-Hand Opening

"...an enlarged portion of the blade providing a depression that can be engaged by the user's thumb to open the blade one-handedly...."

The wording of the patent is meant to include any type of depression in the blade designed to engage the fleshy part of the thumb, a hole merely being a special case of depressions on each side of the blade that meet in the middle.  Whether implemented as a hold or merely depressions, this feature's great advantage is in providing one-handed operation of the blade (which we will elaborate on shortly).  Blades with holes are not new, but prior to the Clipit, none of those holes were ever used to lever the knife open with one hand.  The holes have traditionally been used as wrenches and specialised keys, for decoration, and to reduce weight.  The current U.S. Army M9 bayonet's wire-cutter involves a hole in the blade.

False Edge

"...a second, shortened cutting edge on the top of the blade...."

The secondary edge is also called a "false edge" because designers sometimes remove metal from the back of the blade near the tip to lighten the blade and alter the balance of the knife and to enhance penetration.  In this case, the Worker's edge is actually sharpened, albeit with a somewhat wider bevel than that of the main edge.  When the Worker is closed, this edge drops below the scales, protecting the hands; the user must lift the blade slightly to bring it into use.  Sal explains:

I gave it a sharp false edge because that allowed you to open the knife just a little bit and use the sharpened false edge to cut something like a piece of string or a piece of tape.  Again, I was trying to produce a very efficient high performance or what we call high speed low drag folder that you could carry anywhere.

The Police, Renegade and Native Models, plus others, have a similar treatment on the backs of their blades, but this is called a swedge rather than a false edge.  (See Appendix A for a glossary of these and other terms.)  With regard to the length of this blade, Sal says:

I was really concerned about legalities, even at that time, and after much thought I came to the conclusion that knife under 3 inches would not be intimidating.  And (it) would allow a person to carry a knife legally even though it had certain features, such as opening the knife with one hand or the easy access of the clip.

Clothing Clip

"...a clip mounted on the handle which can be used to support the knife from the edge of a pocket opening, or a belt...."

The clothing clip, explains Sal, is an idea he adapted from another product:

The clip idea came from a key ring I had, that had a little frog and a chain attached to it. The frog would sit up on the edge of your pocket, with the head and two feet dangling out of the pocket.  The key chain would be attached to the frog.  It was a great idea because it allowed you to pull the keys out of your pocket without having to reach down into the pocket.

I carried that frog for some time and was always impressed with the ease of accessibility.  I finally put two and two together and decided to put a clip on the side of a pocket knife to provide the same access.

The clip was mounted so as to carry the knife with its blade pointing down, or tip down.  The springiness of the clip held the knife securely, ready for deployment with one hand.

An additional advantage of the clip, which is only obvious once one has used the knife, is to provide an extra gripping surface for the hand, both when opening the knife (preventing rotation of the handle in the hand) and when using it.

Solving Real Problems

As stated in the patent, the Clipit design solved the following problems:

1. knife creating wear/holes in pocket, with ultimate loss of contents, leading to carrying smaller, lighter knives to minimise or delay the onset
2. need to use two hands to bring knife into use, and the attendant need to visually inspect the knife in order to operate the blade
3. need to use two hands to close the knife and return it to its predeployment position having only one cutting edge on the blade
4. having only one cutting edge on the blade

The first knives Spyderco produced changed the knife industry as we know it today!  The knives with their opening holes clothing clips and balance between fit and finish made other long established manufacturers take a long hard look at their own products.  It wasn't long before other knife makers were adoption Sal's ideas.

As the first knife produced by Spyderco the Worker will always be a very special knife to me personally  for two reasons, it was the first ever Spydie I owned and it was the knife that started my interest in Spyderco knives.

One of the most important qualities of this knife is the one handed opening.  The situations where I found this facility useful are too numerous to list but being able to deploy the blade with one hand whilst holding a rod, reel and terminal tackle in the other was something special.

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MARINER

Mariner and Rescue Knives

These were the first knives to use the Spyderedge!

Rescue Knives

This is a set of FRN Rescue's.  I think I have the full set of handle colours.  Anyone who knows of any others please let me know.

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HUNTER

The C01 - Worker and C02 - Mariner Clipits had specialised blades.  The five models described in this section are considered general-service designs, although some have names that suggest hunting and are, in fact, for hunting tasks such as skinning, field-dressing game, and preparing meals.  As Sal notes:

We were getting customer requests for a Worker knife but without a fragile tip.  So we created the Hunter and Executive Models.  Originally the Executive was called the Clipette, a confusing name that was dropped.

At this point, we had four fairly revoluntionary models (C01-C04) which nevertheless had some primitive features.  Some of the customers complained about the  sharp corners on the handles.  Chamfering the handles was an expensive tooling job, and we had to do them one at a time.

The C13 was an attempt to upgrade the C03.  I learned more again about the blades and their effects.  I felt that it was time for us to come up with a blade that was designed more for the hunter but still would be effective for almost any situation.  I like the idea of experimenting with Kraton in the handle because it worked well on the C12.  It turned out to be an excellent knife.

The C33 Pro-Grip was an attempt to make a lighter and less expensive version of the Pro-Venator.  The C13 was very popular at the time, the price hadn't gone up yet, and everybody liked the Kraton feel.  It does everything well, a lightweight performance version of a very successful blade shape.

Each of these models was designed to provide a robust, lightweight folding knife that could also be used as an alternative to the traditional heavier and bulkier sheath hunting knife.  Such a knife woudl also appeal to the serious backpacker.  The shapes of the knives are similar, they differ chiefly in handle style.  The Hunter and Executive Models were introduced in 1983.  The other three models were introduced between 1991 and 1995.  In 1991, the Pro-Venator received Blade magazine's Imported Knife of the Year Award. 

My first Clipit was an Executive Model.  Sal had a few that he had had engraved "New York Knife Show 1987".  I believe I paid $45 for it.  At that time, there were only five Clipit models.  I carried it every day for eight years until I moved to a larger model.  The scales and blade are scratched, but a little polishing would put it back in new condition.  Thanks to the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker kit, which I bought the same day I bought the knife, its edge has always been sharp.

Blade

The tasks of skinning and caping both call for a curved blade, one with some "belly" (deep convex curve) to allow that part of the blade to cut first.  A sharply pointed tip would be a disadvantage on such a knife; instead a drop point style is used.  For highest performance, serrations were placed on the half of the blade nearest to the handle, creating Spyderco's first PlainEdge/SpyderEdge combination blade.  The plain half of the blade would handle the more delicate or controlled work.  Some blades have had slighted different combinations such as 60/40 and 40/60.  All blades have been of G-2 (GIN-1) stainless. 

All models feature the trademarked Clipit opening hole.  On later models the area behind the hump was made concave, to locate the thumb when downward pressure is required.

Handle

Various handle materials have been used.  The C03 - Hunter and C04 - Executive had all-stainless handles; the C13 - Pro-Venator and C32 - Spur have stainless handles inlaid with Kraton interframe to enhance grip.  The C33 - Pro-Grip has an FRN handle with Kraton interframe.  All models provide a lanyard hole.

Clip

The clips on these models are typical of their respective handles.  Clips on stainless handles are stainless and carry the knife with the blade tip down; fourth-generation FRN clips are used on the FRN-handle model, and they carry the blade tip-up.  The Kraton-interframe models feature Kraton pads on the clips to enhance grip.  Some users feel the Kraton pads do too good a job and have replaced them with standard clips.

The FRN Pro-Grip features an unusual separately moulded clip (those on other FRN handles are moulded as a part of the handle).

Gary Blanchard engraved on-lays

The Lone Wolf and Screaming Eagle are beautiful embellishments. 

Lock

The Mar-McBurnette front lock is used on all models.

Variations

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EXECUTIVE

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ECONOMY / STANDARD

MILITARY

CIVILIAN

POLICE

Let's get Tactical

Spyderco have made some knives intended more for military or tactical use.  The knives that spring to mind are the Military, Para Military, the Police and the Civilian.

Some stunning Military graphics by Simona Vondrackova!

MILITARY

This model was designed as a tool that combined fairly heavy-duty cutting ability with light weight.  The knife's chief venue was seen as the outdoors, and it provides for gloved use.  The impetus to develop the Military Model was the result of a shadowy request from somewhere in the federal government.  Explains Sal,

This model had an interesting beginning.  A guy called and said he was with some secret combat dive unit.  He wanted some Police Models with a liner lock, G-10 handle, and a blackened blade.  He would only give us his first name and, whenever he called, he refused to let us put the call on the speaker phone at our end, so we figured he was a spook.  I didn't think the C07 was the right knife for his unit because the police and the military have different needs.  So I didn't want him designing the knife.

As the months went by, we started working on a design that would be right, but we lost touch with him.  None of our military contacts could locate his mysterious unit.  In the meanwhile, Benchmade came out with their A.F.C.K. Model and I figured our caller had bought some of them instead.  He never did call back, and I now think this guy wasn't what he claimed to be.  But he did get us working on what became the Military.

I decided it would be an interesting challenge, to create the all-around military cutting tool.  I approached the design of this knife as though it would be the one my own son would use if he entered the military and went under extreme conditions where the toughness and performance of your knife could make the difference between living and dying.

....I don't think of the Military Model as a fighting knife: to me fighting knives have to be much larger.  I think of the C36 as a cutting tool that the military person carries to use for whatever the applications of a knife may be.  If you're involved in combat with somebody, your gun is a whole lot more effective than your knife.  So, using it as a combat weapon wasn't part of the plan or I would have built a much larger knife.

At this point, I think this model is probably one of my better designs.

Students of Spyderco designs may see in the C36 a considerably refined Police Model, plus a blade of materials, size, and shape appropriate for field and survival use.  I decided to use CPM 440V because it was the toughest, most high-tech, durable steel around.  I chose G-10 for the handle because of the same reasons - it was just tough and durable and again high-tech and would put up with saltwater or anything else.  A liner lock was a good solution, especially for those wearing gloves.  My plan was that this knife could be used by someone who wore gloves all the time, without (his or her) having to take the gloves off.  The hole was enlarged to 14mm again for that glove size. 

Though I used the length of the Police Model, I added about 25% more width.  I created a quillion between the hump behind the hole and the beginning of the choil - I actually created a quillion that's an inch wide - probably about as wide as a quillion you would find on most boot daggers, and yet it's still a folding knife.  Then I added expansion at the back like the Civilian so that if it did happen to get caught in something, like if you stabbed a metal tank and you wanted to pull out the knife and the metal tank was trying to hold the blade, then the knife wouldn't fall out of your hand because the expansion in the back would give you something to grab onto.

The Military's overall usefulness and willingness to work quickly earned it the additional role of test bed at Spyderco, where its design is used to try out experimental materials and blades.

Blade

Other than its large, friendly shape (in profile the blade almost seems to smile like a porpoise), the first refinement one notices about the C36's blade is its flat grind: from the spine down to the beginning of the edge bevel, anywhere along the length of the blade, there is one flat surface.  Even when made from other than CPM 440V steel, this is a strong blade, and a 5/32 inch it's the thickest ever to come from Spyderco.  "We used a flat grind for strength," explains Sal, "and the belly of the blade is moved forward so that you can start a cut with the cutting edge."

A 14mm opening hold, minimally chamfered to enhance traction, allows opening by even a gloved hand.

The Military became the first Clipit to offer a blade made from CPM 440V steel and is the first production knife in the world to feature particle-metallurgy steel.  CPM 440V is described in the "Technological Frontiers" section under "Some Useful Types of Knife Steel," so we will only highlight its importance here.

Both plain and SpyderEdge versions are available.  Black-Ti titanium carbonitride coating was offered initially but discontinued.  Spyderco regularly tests other coatings with the promise of protection from wear and corrosion.

Handle

G-10, with its friendly feel and ideal weight/size ratio, was an obvious choice for the handle material on this fairly large knife.  The handle itself is designed to resist the tendency of the hand to slife off in either a forward or backward direction.  In the rear the handle is expanded (but not thickened); in the front a number of devices provide traction:

The back-spacer of the handle was reduced in length to allow for easy cleaning and drying of the blade slot.  A lanyard hole with stepped metal sleeve is provided at the rear of the handle.  Sal says,

We went through numerous wooden and plastic prototypes before I was satisfied with a shape that worked well.  The spacer in the back was made as small as was possible so that you could rinse the knife out.  Part of the requirement was that you could easily rinse out saltwater or anything else that happened to get caught in the knife, and using very small back spacer was a way to do that.  The other end that keeps the knife rigid is the lanyard hold, and rather than just using a tube like most companies, we have a stepped lanyard hole.  It helps keep the back end of the knife rigid by preventing the scales from being squeezed toward one another.

That "stepped lanyard hole" is a good example of the little things that make a big difference in Spyderco knives.  Much more complex and expensive than straight steel tubing, it will probably be noticed by few customers as it does its job, yet this Military Model's anticipated use called for extra rigidity, so Spyderco included it.

Clip

The very effective standard Clipit clothing clip is used.  The large attaching screws go through the G-10 handle and anchor into the steel liner.  On the current model no provision is made for changing the position of the clip, which provides tip-down carry for right-handers.

Lock

A Walker Linerlock is used.  The liner adds no extra width to the knife, since it is recessed into the handle.  Machining the handle to provide a cavity for the liner lock is expensive but further strengthens the knife.  Sal explains,

I nested the lock into the handle so that we could make the knife thinner.  I believe that a folding knife, carried close to the body, or in a pocket, in some way clipped to you, should be as thin as is possible and still maintain control.  Otherwise they become bulky on your body and hard to get out of your pocket.

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Civilian

The Civilian was developed to be used by people with very little if any MBC (martial blade craft) training.

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Police

The C07 Police model was introduced in 1984 and was designed to provide officers with a knife with a blade that could be rapidly deployed and was hefty enough to be used as a utility tool as well as a defensive weapon.  This model soon became a collector’s item!  It has seen more variations than any other Spyderco knife and is still one of the best sellers in the Spyderco line up.

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