Will the Pingo become one of those underappreciated models??

[mikerestivo]

The Pingo is aesthetically pleasing to me, and it's inexepensive so I bought one. Functionally, I don't care for it, but if I lived in a land with restrictive knife laws, I would have to adapt. I have grown accustomed to one-handed opening and locks. The Pingo feels awkward in my hand compared to most of my other knives as well.

[sal]

Hi Charlie,

Much of appreciation is the depth of understanding about the model. The Pingo was and is an interesting project, at least for me. Meeting legal restrictions for a country or local area is just as important to me as meeting lock strength requirements, quick deployment requirements, or size requirements. Just a different sets of parameters.

Also, the Pingo, as with the UK Pen Knife development, gave me the opportunity to work closely with a group of people in that country. I failed in my first attempt to meet DK requirements. The second attempt was with two skilled Danish custom makers, which proved to be a wise choice. We also have a third design in-the-works as a result of that close discussion. It will also be Denmark legal, but different in many ways from then Pingo.

As with the UK project, think of the model as more than just a a knife. Think of it as the Denmark knife afi experience. You get to share the experience of a high performance cutter through the restrictions of the Danish government, or in the case of the UK, their government....yet still be able to have the advantage of modern materials.

Laws are changing daily (in both directions) and we must be aware of the changes. We all share a common interest in the "edge", a timeless and unique creation. Geometry, blade materials, shapes, control and carry methods all add to make the "packaging" of the edge unlimited. To some, the Pingo is "just a knife". to others, "not my kind of knife", but the Pingo is also a solution.

sal

[dbcad]

Hi Charlie,

Much of appreciation is the depth of understanding about the model. The Pingo was and is an interesting project, at least for me. Meeting legal restrictions for a country or local area is just as important to me as meeting lock strength requirements, quick deployment requirements, or size requirements. Just a different sets of parameters.

Also, the Pingo, as with the UK Pen Knife development, gave me the opportunity to work closely with a group of people in that country. I failed in my first attempt to meet DK requirements. The second attempt was with two skilled Danish custom makers, which proved to be a wise choice. We also have a third design in-the-works as a result of that close discussion. It will also be Denmark legal, but different in many ways from then Pingo.

As with the UK project, think of the model as more than just a a knife. Think of it as the Denmark knife afi experience. You get to share the experience of a high performance cutter through the restrictions of the Danish government, or in the case of the UK, their government....yet still be able to have the advantage of modern materials.

Laws are changing daily (in both directions) and we must be aware of the changes. We all share a common interest in the "edge", a timeless and unique creation. Geometry, blade materials, shapes, control and carry methods all add to make the "packaging" of the edge unlimited. To some, the Pingo is "just a knife". to others, "not my kind of knife", but the Pingo is also a solution.

sal

The packaging of the Pingo's edge is quite nicely done in a very affordable way :D For me at least the solution that satisfies the constraints under which the Pingo was concieved is satisfying and appealing :) The NKP friendliness of the Pingo serves me well :) Having followed it's development through the forum most likely increases my appreciation of the model :)

The N690Co seems to hold an edge as well as VG-10 and touches up easily on the SM :D After cutting some tomatoes and whittling some wood the very sharp edge returned effortlessly with a 40° microbevel :D This long, slow edge begs for sharpness

Everyone has their own preferences, none are better or worse, right or wrong For me the Pingo is a fantastic edge delivery system that'a legal just about everywhere. Just sharing my personal appreciation of such

[jabba359]

Today I sharpened my Pingo for the first time, as I discovered right before going to bed last night that it was no longer shaving sharp. I've never sharpened N690Co before, but am a big fan of VG-10, to which it has been compared. The grind seems to be pretty good, as a couple passes on the 30° setting completely removed my sharpie (I ran it at 30° just to test the angle of the primary bevel). I then ran 80 passes (20 passes each side on corners then flats of the medium then fine stones) on the 40° setting to set my secondary bevel. After only a couple minutes on the sharpmaker, my Pingo was back to shaving sharp. So my sentiments pretty much echo what dbcad said.

I picked up my Pingo for the primary purpose of modding it since it is cheap. I haven't gotten around to modding it yet, but in the meantime have used it quite a bit. For my trip to visit family for a couple weeks during Christmas, I packed my Pingo as my travel knife since I figured that if TSA stole it out of my checked luggage, it wouldn't be too expensive to replace. It held it's edge quite well during those two weeks and did everything I needed it to, though I wouldn't complain if the spring were a little stronger. The two handed opening isn't nearly as convenient as the normal Spyderhole, but isn't a deal breaker for me either. I just wish they had kept the "ears" that were on the prototype, as I liked the character it added to the knife. Overall, I'm pleased with the Pingo and would certainly purchase one again if this one were to vanish.

[Enkidude]

From what I've seen, its a popular model. I see it talked about on the forums often.

For me it satisfied many things in one fell swoop. I've been wanting to get a slip-joint, a Spydie made in Italy, and I've always wanted the Rock Lobster but been deterred because of its price. I like smaller knives anyways, so the Pingo was perfect. If you try hard anough you can open it with one hand but its by no means "fast". I think if they left the ears on it could be opened with one hand easier.

[Jazz]

Can't wait to see the NEW design Sal spoke of. Anyway, I just got my Pingo. What an awesome knife. Easy to open one handed, if you use your body, like in an emergency when one hand is all you have. Nice, strong spring, nice size, shape. Really - what's not to like? My only complaint is that whoever sharpened mine put a seriously shallow bevel on it. It's sharp, but what a ridiculous bevel - I'm not cutting sheet rock with it. When I thin it out later it'll be sweet. Funny - I like locks and opening holes, but I love this knife, and actually plan to use it a lot.

[Donut]

Anyway, I just got my Pingo. What an awesome knife. Easy to open one handed, if you use your body, like in an emergency when one hand is all you have.

Do you mean with your teeth? :)


I placed an order for one, I really want to try this thing out. I'll let everyone know what I think about it once I get it.

I am somewhat confused about the slipjoint without the choil. I always figured making sure your finger is in the choil is the backup safety measure.

[DeltaWhiskey]

I got it because of the price and looks....carried it a couple weeks and enjoyed it... BUT got tired of having to use two hands to open it. If I was somewhere that I could not have a one-handed opening knife...this would be the cats meow.

[SpyderScout]

it says: "you are only allowed to carry a knife in a public place if you have a valid reason".
thats it.
the law doesn't differentiate between a dragonfly and a ka-bar.

so what is a valid reason? self defence or it-might-come-in-handy are not.
going to or from work, going hiking, camping, etc, are examples of valid reasons.
i have never heard of anybody been fined for a sak or a leatherman, but carrying a ZT to a nightclub will earn you a fine and one knife less in your collection(if the police should discover it).
in rural towns no one would lift an eyebrow when carrying fixed blades on your belt in the store, cafe, etc.

so you never really knows if it legal to carry a certain knife.
so yes, i envy countries who has a very clear and definate knife law like, Denmark, UK and Germany.
though i would prefer the German one.

Although that doesnt sound too good, you guys are still not as bad off as Denmark though, as it sounds like you are allowed to own a much wider range of knives, though the law is vague on what is a valid reason to carry a knife.

[Blerv]

I would be curious to see the reception on the other side of the pond. For certain people this would seem a blessing from above. Cute, legal, and very cheap. :D

[jabba359]

I figure it must be fairly popular since Spyderco deemed it worthwhile to add an orange variant to the lineup.

[Jazz]

Do you mean with your teeth? :)


I placed an order for one, I really want to try this thing out. I'll let everyone know what I think about it once I get it.

I am somewhat confused about the slipjoint without the choil. I always figured making sure your finger is in the choil is the backup safety measure.

I mean, pinch the blade between thumb and finger, and use your body or any solid object to rest the back of the handle against, then open it up. So easy. Let me know if you need a vid of it.

[krislacy]

I really like using the pingo but wish I could open it one handed. I know that it is designed for two handed opening but Spyderco has spoiled me and I like one handed opening knives. I purchased a thumb stud for it but it is a little too small for it. Does anyone know where I can purchase a thumb stud for the pingo (If this is not allowed to be asked on the forum please let me know or delete this post).

[mikerestivo]

I mean, pinch the blade between thumb and finger, and use your body or any solid object to rest the back of the handle against, then open it up. So easy. Let me know if you need a vid of it.

I'd like to see a vid of this - if you could post one, I would be thankful - Mike

[Jazz]

Here you go...

[video=youtube;Om3uvKAS_HM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om3uvKAS_HM[/video]

[Donut]

Thanks for the video Jazz.


I got mine yesterday, I'm liking the size and everything. It is a nice model.

It is a 3 finger grip, if I squeeze 4 fingers onto the handle, my forefinger is about 1mm away from the edge. That's too close for comfort for me. There is no choil, but your first two fingers fit in the space of the handle and act as a stop.

One nice thing is putting my middle finger and ring finger in the space of the handle and my forefinger on the spine of the blade.

Opening
One handed opening is not easy with this thing. I am less than 50% successful with pinching the spine and getting it to the half way stop point. From the half way stop point you can use the friction of your thumb on the side of the blade to get it open, but it isn't easy.

I am going to work on my inertial openings, they are not easy with this model. Yesterday I was about 1 in 10 tries successful on opening with inertia. Today I got it to open a few times. I will practice and see if I can't improve the muscles I need to do it.

One way of one hand opening I've found works reasonably well is pinching the spine and doing a sort of "spyder drop". That seems semi-reliable and easy.

[gijoe945]

To let some young whippersnappers in on a little old man's secret. You can turn a slip joint into a one hander by closing a blade with part of the lining of your front pocket. That way it is partially opened and ready to grasp with the thumb and index finger to flip open.

[BDNX]

For me, the Pingo is like a mix of modern Spyderco knives and classic Case knives....I love this because I have always been a huge Case knife fan...and the Pingo/Squeak are like the best of both worlds to me...

[Jazz]

To let some young whippersnappers in on a little old man's secret. You can turn a slip joint into a one hander by closing a blade with part of the lining of your front pocket. That way it is partially opened and ready to grasp with the thumb and index finger to flip open.

I don't understand that, but I'm picturing getting a good cut out of the deal. :confused:

[xceptnl]

Thanks for the video Jazz. I perform a similar maneuver by pinching the exposed portion of the blade between my thumb and index finger, then using my middle finger to push down against the side of the wire clip until I can reach my last two fingers around and grasp the handle.