Centofante 4

[Clay Kesting]

I've given the Centofante 4 a big thumbs up before but now I'm going to stick my neck out and say that it is one of the best, if not the best, :spyder: 's for EDC.

I've just returned from a 2 week road trip in far North Queensland with my family. Usually on a trip like this I will pack my Santuko in its custom sheath or my GSakai Camp Cooking knife as the knives where we stay are usually to blunt to cut butter. However, this time I packed in a bit of a hurry and when we arrived I realised that I only had my Cento 4. I needn't have worried the Cento did everything I asked of it with a great deal of finesse and then some. I had recently sharpened it to 30 degrees on the ultra-fine stones and it was still hair-popping sharp. Most lunchtimes we made salad rolls and the tomatoes and cucumbers would just fall into slices as soon as I took the knife out of my pocket. Slicing and dicing for the evening meal was no different although I sometimes found I needed to drag the point along the cutting board to complete the cut. The thin blade is perfect for food prep and the Wharncliffe shape ensures that all the cutting edge can be utilised. In the past I have travelled with a Calypso Jr but I find the blade is a little too short for many food preparation tasks, not so with the Centofante. The Wharnie is not great for spreading, no problem just turn the blade over and use the rounded back near the tip. Of course the knife excelled in all the normal EDC tasks like removing splinters and cutting rope. There is nothing quite like the efficiency of a thin ultra sharp blade. I would prefer that it was flat ground of course but the hollow grind doesn't seem to effect the way the Cento 4 cuts because it is so thin. I've never been a big fan of FRN knives but I was wearing draw-string shorts all the time and really appreciated how light this knife is for its size.

This is one of the only EDC knives I own where I'm really tempted to buy a spare, it's that good. Next trip it may just be the only knife I take.

cheers,
clay

[Bolster]

Clay, are you OK with the slippery-slope grip and no choil? How about the hollow grind, does that cause you any difficulty?

[Michael Cook]

:spyder: I've always found it pretty secure in the hand, especially if a modified Filipino sabre grip is used with the thumb flat against the spine and thumb ramp. The lack of choil usually bugs me when I close it one-handed and almost cut myself. I haven't yet but I've come close. :spyder:

[Clay Kesting]

I don't have any problems with the grip. The handle fits my hand as though it was made for it and the increase in width towards the blade along with the thumb ramp make for a secure grip (of course my other all time favourite knife is the Chinese Folder so perhaps I just like living dangerously :D ) . I also don't miss a choil. I don't need it as an extension of the handle the way I do with, say, a Calypso Jr and I like the fact that the knife utilises the maximum length of the blade as cutting edge.

As I mentioned I usual prefer flat grinds but the hollow grind works particulalrly well on the Centofante. As Cliff Stamp said in the Flat Grind Fans thread a hollow grind can give an extremely thin edge. Since the blade of the Cento is only 2mm thick to start with the resulting edge is exceptionally thin and is the secret to the fantastic cutting ability. Also, because the blade is so thin the shoulder of the hollow does not catch on deeper cuts the way it might on a thicker blade. Hence its effectiveness as a food preparation knife.

Finally, what's not to like about a Wharncliffe blade .

Try one you'll like it.

clay

[Agent Starling]

Finally, what's not to like about a Wharncliffe blade .

Try one you'll like it.

clay

This knife looks sweet...glad I read this thread, this is one knife I haven't considered before.

Agent Starling

[Axlis]

Howdy Clay!

The Cento IV is my FAVORITE Spyderco, it's just a great knife! I too need to get a back up, just in case they get disco'd. One of these days I'm going to get the Cento III (how many times have I said that now :rolleyes: ), but until then, the Cento IV rules supreme.

<img src=http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6 ... Yt27Jy0Ztw>


<img src=http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6 ... Yt27Jy0Ztw>


<img src=http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6 ... Yt27Jy0Ztw>

[A.P.F.]

Thanks for the excellent pics, Axlis. I think that I must now add a Cento IV to the collection.

[Clay Kesting]

Yes thanks for the fine pictures Axlis. I forgot to mention that I really like the appearance of this knife. The grooves and the silver :spyder: give just the right look for a "gentleman's folder."

FWIW I don't have a Centofante III but I do have a Vesuvius (Forum model) which has the same shape blade. I like the Wharnie of the Centofante 4 much better.

cheers,
clay

[DelicaDarling]

I received my Centofante 3 in the mail a few days ago :D .
And I must say, its really awesome and by far one of my favorites. At first I was concerned about it not having a choil, but it really isnt a problem at all. I most definitely recommend this knife! :)

[araneae]

I have a 3 & 4 and I like them both a lot. They are lightweight, slim and cut like crazy. I have found no real problems with the handles, the thumb ramp really helps in terms of grip. The lack of a kick does mean you have to be careful one hand closing the Centofantes. If there is a Cento 5 in the works I would like to see a bit more of a guard in the handle similar to the D4. Even though I've not had a problem with the handles, it would be psychologically reassuring. Overall I think the Centofantes are a real steal for their price.

[Capt. Carl]

Great knife. Can't get over the jutting extra handle space though. Maybe another day I will give it a try again. I really liked the blade.

[Agent Starling]

Dang! that knife looks even better to me today than it did yesterday! I've gotta get me one of those...see how the Spyderaddiction is fed? LOL.... :D

Agent Starling

[WVMark]

I was able to check out the Centofante 3 and 4 (Thanks to a great Spyderco team at the conference). They really are great knives. The grip, to me, fit well in my hand. And I like the nice lightweight feel. I didn't have any problems with closing the knife, but that's me. Of course, I couldn't actually cut anything with it. No one wanted to let me test the blade sharpness on them. :)

I liked both versions. It'd be a hard choice to pick one.