The Caly 3 and UKPK are two models that I instantly connected with after unboxing. Their ergonomics are exceptional, and I feel like every time the Caly line is brought up, it is praised pretty unanimously. While they may not sell as many units as other models, those who own them seem to love them.
You’re correct, the only thing is they are quite rarely brought up. Obviously that is due to their lack of production time and availability, but it has kinda created the illusion that they are not as popular and therefore just receiving less fans of the design from lack of exposure
The Caly 3 and UKPK are two models that I instantly connected with after unboxing. Their ergonomics are exceptional, and I feel like every time the Caly line is brought up, it is praised pretty unanimously. While they may not sell as many units as other models, those who own them seem to love them.
You’re correct, the only thing is they are quite rarely brought up. Obviously that is due to their lack of production time and availability, but it has kinda created the illusion that they are not as popular and therefore just receiving less fans of the design from lack of exposure
There are lots of large-handled, small-bladed players; Caly covers the other end of the field. It packs max blade into a svelte handle that, being relatively narrow, takes up less acreage in the pocket--so is a dream to carry. The curved butt end with its deep carry clip disappears into the pocket or the waist band. But open it up and there's a surprising lot of blade. The leaf shape with a relatively low tip makes the shape uber controllable and useful, IMO. Until recently, this thin goddess of a knife was available in 3" and 3.5" blades. As Tristan points out, the 3 is particularly carry-able, offering superior tip control in a knife so compact, you'll forget you're carrying. While I own and like several of the 3.5" Calys, for daily carry I tend toward the 3". If Spyderco made no other knife but the Caly, I'd be content. It's really the only knife I need.
Steel novice who self-identifies as a steel expert. Proud M.N.O.S.D. member 0003. Spydie Steels: 4V, 15V, 20CV, AEB-L, AUS6, Cru-Wear, HAP40, K294, K390, M4, Magnacut, S110V, S30V, S35VN, S45VN, SPY27, SRS13, T15, VG10, XHP, ZWear, ZDP189
You’re correct, the only thing is they are quite rarely brought up. Obviously that is due to their lack of production time and availability, but it has kinda created the illusion that they are not as popular and therefore just receiving less fans of the design from lack of exposure
I haven’t been in to folding knives all that long, and around 2016/2017 when I started to dip my toe in the rabbit hole, overbuilt titanium frame locks was all the rage. Probably not a market place where the Caly lineup would compete favorably, but it seems to me the market has corrected itself and smaller, pocket friendly knives with better cutting geometry is much more in vogue. If only the production capacity was there, I think the Calys would fare much better in the current market situation.
Tristan_david2001 wrote:
If a 2.5” is your personal preference, there is the kopa in case you weren’t aware. while not technically the same family in name, they share the same characteristics and spirit of design. While also not easy to access unless you go looking on the secondary market, all the old models are priced quite high but the latest sprint from 2018 would cost you significantly less.
Thanks for the advice.
I don’t really have a favorite blade length, it very much depends on the design and the use case, but in my experience I tend to prefer knives in the 2.75” to 3.25” range.
I’ve seen you advocate for the kopa before, so the model isn’t unknown to me.
I’m not sure it appeals as much to me as the regular Calys, but either way I’m not a big fan of hunting down models I’m not familiar with on the secondary market. It quickly becomes a very expensive and time consuming form of trial and error. As such, I’m awaiting the Magnacut UKPK to have my first taste of the Caly DNA. That will give me some experience with the design, and I’ll take it slowly from there as models and versions become available.
It seems like certain models often rotate through periods of renaissance on here. I’ve seen it happen with the Sage series, the Chaparral, the Native 5, the Caly series, and currently the forum is on a Manix 2 kick. Sooner or later, I’d expect another knife to take the spotlight from the Manix for a while.
I feel like the OP just missed the Caly love fest here on the forum by like a year or two. Feels like just a couple years ago, there was a decent stretch of time where the Caly series in general was getting constant praise and attention. There was a noticeable focus on that series, at least.
...I feel like the OP just missed the Caly love fest here on the forum by like a year or two. Feels like just a couple years ago, there was a decent stretch of time where the Caly series in general was getting constant praise and attention. There was a noticeable focus on that series, at least.
What's unusual about "Caly love" (compared to Manix, Sage, Chap, Native love) is that it remains vibrant, even though most of the Caly line has been discontinued. The forum tends to concentrate its love on current production, but for whatever reasons, some knives remain popular even when out of production, and the Caly is one. I have even gotten sideways snipes on this forum for posting Caly photos, of the sort: "Why are you posting that? They're not available anymore." Answer: Because I think the Caly line is a pinnacle of classic Spyderco design. Not saying it's the only one, but it is definitely one.
Sal has commented a few times over the years that the Caly line wasn't a best-seller with the general population. The only way I can wrap my head around that, is to recognize that most knife buyers are not as experimental, or as deep into knife design, as Caly fans are. I remember shortly after the Caly was introduced on this forum, one of the most vocal and respected members dissed it as a "chicken neck knife." He soon changed his mind and praised the model after he'd used it for awhile, but his initial reaction was a visual one....the knife didn't look traditional, it had a skinny, crooked chicken neck on it. Visually it's no Slysz Bowie or Schempp Persian. I confess I also had visual reservations when I ordered my first Caly. But quickly discovered it is a champ in use. My opinion? It's classic Sal Glesser design at its finest...the Caly is all about packing maximum performance into a minimalistic, super ergonomic, pocket friendly package.
Size comparisons:
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I have told the story many times, so I'll give the short version. The Caly3 was so good it is the knife that brought me back to Spyderco.
What I'd like to see is a model with the blade the thickness of the UKPK and thin behind the edge.
I have a great love for the Caly3 and sadly don't carry mine any more because if something happened to it I couldn't replace it.
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Visually it's no Slysz Bowie or Schempp Persian. I confess I also had visual reservations when I ordered my first Caly. But quickly discovered it is a champ in use.
I must be some sort of weirdo, because so many of the designs I have heard people were originally turned off by the look, are the ones that captured my attention because of the look! The Caly is one that really struck my fancy, so I have wanted something similar that was more available/cheaper ever since I saw it. I have considered the UKP pretty hard, but it is just a bit small for me and I have a very hard time justifying non-locking knives if I have locking options available.
The Caly 3 is what turned me around on choils. My boys got the basic (G10, VG10 steel) version for me for Father's Day several years back. They knew I liked Spyderco knives & for some random reason picked it. As any good Father, I expressed my gratitude & carried the knife even though I didn't like choils. Over the course of actually using it I was surprised how good it felt in my hand. The fit & finish on it were also top notch. It's now become one of my treasured knives that I'll never get rid of. Last month my oldest son graduated college & my Caly 3 was in my pocket during the ceremony.
These are yet more knives I’m eagerly looking forward to. I bought a UKPK LC200N Salt to have an extremely lightweight knife that I felt would still be capable.
It ended up being beyond my expectations and is one of my favorites right now.
I have always admired the look of these knives and think some of the past versions had some of the more pleasing profiles, textures, and color schemes. They’re very elegant!
I still prefer no choils and taller handles for the most part, but the UKPK is working surprisingly well for me. I forgot that I tend to adapt to different handles quickly. In the case of these knives, I think the choil and thin neck compliment each other for the kinds of cutting that either characteristic is proficient for.
The blade shape, weight, the rest of the design all work together so well that it is hard to not appreciate what the knife offers beyond my typical preferences.
I carried it while I was out today.
I’m most looking forward to larger versions, just to have a little more room in the handle behind the choil and all the edge one could need. Particularly the 3.5in CPK, Caly 4.0, and the Caly lightweights.
Hopefully, down the line, the newer knives can see greater-than-past success and open up interest in the possibility of an expanding variety of variations for all of these designs. Maybe even some callbacks to those aforementioned past versions?
The UKPK seems to be doing rather well, already! The Salts in LC200N and MagnaCut, a variety of blade steels and colors, some exclusives, Spy27 on the way, and hopefully a damasteel sprint eventually.
Spyderco is definitely busy.
Last edited by Cl1ff on Sun Jun 11, 2023 8:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
rex121 is the king of steel, but nature’s teeth have been cutting for hundreds of millions of years and counting :cool:
The Caly 3 is what turned me around on choils. My boys got the basic (G10, VG10 steel) version for me for Father's Day several years back. They knew I liked Spyderco knives & for some random reason picked it. As any good Father, I expressed my gratitude & carried the knife even though I didn't like choils. Over the course of actually using it I was surprised how good it felt in my hand. The fit & finish on it were also top notch. It's now become one of my treasured knives that I'll never get rid of. Last month my oldest son graduated college & my Caly 3 was in my pocket during the ceremony.
I'm hopeful for a Caly 3 LW
That’s awesome to hear, your boys got good taste!! Thank you for sharing that
What's unusual about "Caly love" (compared to Manix, Sage, Chap, Native love) is that it remains vibrant, even though most of the Caly line has been discontinued. The forum tends to concentrate its love on current production, but for whatever reasons, some knives remain popular even when out of production, and the Caly is one. I have even gotten sideways snipes on this forum for posting Caly photos, of the sort: "Why are you posting that? They're not available anymore." Answer: Because I think the Caly line is a pinnacle of classic Spyderco design. Not saying it's the only one, but it is definitely one.
Sal has commented a few times over the years that the Caly line wasn't a best-seller with the general population. The only way I can wrap my head around that, is to recognize that most knife buyers are not as experimental, or as deep into knife design, as Caly fans are. I remember shortly after the Caly was introduced on this forum, one of the most vocal and respected members dissed it as a "chicken neck knife." He soon changed his mind and praised the model after he'd used it for awhile, but his initial reaction was a visual one....the knife didn't look traditional, it had a skinny, crooked chicken neck on it. Visually it's no Slysz Bowie or Schempp Persian. I confess I also had visual reservations when I ordered my first Caly. But quickly discovered it is a champ in use. My opinion? It's classic Sal Glesser design at its finest...the Caly is all about packing maximum performance into a minimalistic, super ergonomic, pocket friendly package.
Size comparisons:
I think you put it quite perfectly. The Caly love is quite mysterious it’s out there just never in plain sight
I was gonna say that I'm only waiting on a screw construction to buy a Caly.
But then I remember that I'm also after a Caly Jr.
And that thread just made me realize I own a UKPK S110V which is basically a non-locking Caly. I never put 2 and 2 together before that !
In the collection : Lots of different steels, in lots of different (and same) Spydercos.
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If I understand correctly the original UKPK slip joint was introduced pre-2006, before the Caly. The Caly was an offshoot with a back lock. I’m not quite sure where the Caly Jnr fits in the picture.
Eventually the UKPK was discontinued, and later reintroduced as a lightweight FRN model with a split spring and thinner 2.5 mm blade stock that we have today.
In my view that are both far superior to the Delica.
I cut several of my Spyder-Loving Teeth on some of the Calypso models. The very first Calypso model I ever owned and used was the C-54 ( the big one, first Caly model) Calypso. But I also took a fancy to at least 8 of the Caly Jr. models. Especially the very first Spyderco model made with ZDP-189 which was the Burgundy Caly Jr ( 2005 model).
I've had an affinity for several of Spyderco's "In House" designs and the Calypso models have always ranked high on my list of all time favs of In House designs by Sal & Eric. I especially loved the serrated, Micarta version of the C-54 and would love to see a Sprint Run of that masterpiece. Actually I would love to see a full SE and full PE of the C-54 for a Sprint Run.
The Answer to your title/question???? is a resounding YES!!!! But let's look at possible Sprint Runs for some of the super classic Calypso models that I just mentioned and we'll begin the conversation with the original C-54 and C-52 Caly Jr models.
