Pingo
-
- Member
- Posts: 3852
- Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:23 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
Pingo
Got a Pingo for Christmas :
-edge is ~0.011
-wire clip
-inside of scales are chamfered
-typical Spyderco edge
-shaves well
-push cuts newsprint 1/16" from point of hold
Will be interesting to carry and use this with the Chicago and look at the difference in blade shapes and the influence of the utility of the lock vs slip joint.
-edge is ~0.011
-wire clip
-inside of scales are chamfered
-typical Spyderco edge
-shaves well
-push cuts newsprint 1/16" from point of hold
Will be interesting to carry and use this with the Chicago and look at the difference in blade shapes and the influence of the utility of the lock vs slip joint.
Last edited by Cliff Stamp on Tue Mar 03, 2015 12:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Surfingringo
- Member
- Posts: 5824
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 2:02 pm
- Location: Costa Rica
Re: Pingo
Nice Cliff! I never tried that one because usually like a sharp point but I sure like the looks of that continuous curve on the belly. Looks like it would make a good knife for slicing against a board or other surface. Didn't know that one was so thin behind the edge either.
- DutchBlades
- Member
- Posts: 1717
- Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2014 2:23 pm
- Location: Netherlands
Re: Pingo
Love the Pingo, still have to get one some day.
Enjoy your awesome Christmas gift! :)
Enjoy your awesome Christmas gift! :)
A tiger has claws.
A wolf has teeth.
An eagle has talons.
We, have Spyderco.
Grails: Abalone Mini Mariner, Ti ATR, WTC, Ti Lum Tanto
A wolf has teeth.
An eagle has talons.
We, have Spyderco.
Grails: Abalone Mini Mariner, Ti ATR, WTC, Ti Lum Tanto
-
- Member
- Posts: 3852
- Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:23 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
Re: Pingo
Yeah, almost exactly what I was thinking. The only real negative I would have is the all black handle. Now this might sound silly, but people (locally at least) react more poorly to black handles as weapons. If it has a bright handle for some reason people don't think to think it is a weapon.Surfingringo wrote:Nice Cliff! I never tried that one because usually like a sharp point but I sure like the looks of that continuous curve on the belly.
Ha, this looks to be a really nice knife, the chamfering on the inside of the scales was a nice find. That is one of the few consistent issues I have with Spyderco.wrdwrght wrote:I could be encouraged to get one, but will wait for your encouragement...
Re: Pingo
I really like mine, great for opening packages, cuts right through that Amazon.com cardboard and shipping tape! No point means I can't accidently stick the tip into my finger as I move to the other side of the box... Not, of course, that has ever happened to me. (Big lie.) The Pingo seems more reluctant to close at inopportune, finger-cutting moments than other slip joints I have used. Not, of course, that I have ever had a knife close on my right middle finger (BIG LIE!) on more than one occasion (REALLY BIG LIE!). Hmmmm. Well, the first time I didn't have to get stitches (true).
It seems robustly designed and executed, and I find myself using it more and more.
As DutchBlades said, enjoy your awesome Christmas gift, Cliff!
It seems robustly designed and executed, and I find myself using it more and more.
As DutchBlades said, enjoy your awesome Christmas gift, Cliff!
- phillipsted
- Member
- Posts: 3674
- Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2010 11:30 am
- Location: North Virginia
Re: Pingo
Nice gift, Cliff - congratulations! And Merry Christmas!
I'm a huge fan of the Maniago blades - the quality is outstanding. Squeak, Pingo, Roadie, and the upcoming FRN Urban. Good stuff.
TedP
I'm a huge fan of the Maniago blades - the quality is outstanding. Squeak, Pingo, Roadie, and the upcoming FRN Urban. Good stuff.
TedP
-
- Member
- Posts: 3852
- Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:23 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
Re: Pingo
I am very curious about this as it would not be something I would pick out directly for myself so it is always interesting to push the boundaries of what you think you know/like. It is one of the few blades my brother (who bought it) thought was really cool/interesting.phillipsted wrote:
I'm a huge fan of the Maniago blades - the quality is outstanding. Squeak, Pingo, Roadie, and the upcoming FRN Urban.
-
- Member
- Posts: 3852
- Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:23 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
Re: Pingo
The edge is ~0.011", while it could be much thinner given its size and likely use, I carry at least one knife that I lend people and that knife has to be much more durable than the knives I tend to use because most people view knives the same way they view forks, they are not in any way protective of them. If I was to thin the edge down to full zero and someone zipped it through a box without checking and ran it into a heavy stable, or they were prying with the edge the primary grind would be compromised. The edge angle ideally would be <10 dps, but I will likely leave it where it is for much the same reason, plus it lets me practice on sharpening higher angles than I normally use.Jazz wrote:I assume you'll thin the edge.
- ChrisinHove
- Member
- Posts: 4075
- Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 8:12 am
- Location: 27.2046° N, 77.4977° E
Re: Pingo
I've been considering a Pingo for some while, but as I use a Chicago a lot, I've wondered about whether they're a bit too similar in use for me to have both.
Of course the Pingo is entirely legal in the UK, whereas the locking Chicago is not, as it is obviously capable of toppling western society as we know it...
I am very interested in hearing how they compare, and whether the longer blade and better steel trumps the lock and OHO.
Of course the Pingo is entirely legal in the UK, whereas the locking Chicago is not, as it is obviously capable of toppling western society as we know it...
I am very interested in hearing how they compare, and whether the longer blade and better steel trumps the lock and OHO.
-
- Member
- Posts: 96
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2014 3:09 pm
Re: Pingo
I reground an old, hollow grind AUS-8 browning, initially to zero and then cut off the edge and put on a 10 or so degree microbevel after the edge warped shaving a 2x4. It had no problems carving wood after that, but then my dad decided to "test" the sharpness by cutting up and prying apart a very stiff pill bottle. Now it has big, quarter inch deep warps along the edge and I learned not to hand a knife with a thin edge to anyone.Cliff Stamp wrote: If I was to thin the edge down to full zero and someone zipped it through a box without checking and ran it into a heavy stable, or they were prying with the edge the primary grind would be compromised.
I have handled the Pingo's older, smaller sister and am glad the Squeak has a rather stout edge. My mom's not as dumb as my dad, but she's not exactly an experienced knife user. I was also really impressed by the solid build and soft contours.
I carry a serrated Robin2 at work, a Cara Cara Rescue 2 in the glove box, and a ZDP Dragonfly or Junior everywhere else. My PM2 sits on a shelf with a small assortment of Kershaws.
Waiting patiently for the Native 5 lightweight and the Lil' Temperance 2.
Waiting patiently for the Native 5 lightweight and the Lil' Temperance 2.
-
- Member
- Posts: 3852
- Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:23 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
Re: Pingo
Yes, exactly. My general carry knives tend to be zero ground but I usually carry at least one knife for both rougher work and general lending for exactly that purpose. We just have to be careful to realize that not everyone is as hard core geeked out about knives as we are. I also carry pens for the exact same reason. I have a very nice pen with a nib I had custom ground to give it flex. It would be trivial to break the nib off if you applied even moderate force in writing, hence I don't loan that to anyone either.sdedalus83 wrote: It had no problems carving wood after that, but then my dad decided to "test" the sharpness by cutting up and prying apart a very stiff pill bottle.
Re: Pingo
I like N690Co, it seems to hold the edge pretty nice. I'm interested in hearing your opinions.
I would almost rather hand someone a slipjoint as a loaner just for the "this knife doesn't lock, so if you pry with it, it's going to close on you" warning.
I would almost rather hand someone a slipjoint as a loaner just for the "this knife doesn't lock, so if you pry with it, it's going to close on you" warning.
-Brian
A distinguished lurker.
Waiting on a Squeak and Pingo with a Split Spring!
A distinguished lurker.
Waiting on a Squeak and Pingo with a Split Spring!
-
- Member
- Posts: 3852
- Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:23 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
Re: Pingo
As an update, I ran the Pingo on 1/2" hemp with the factory edge and finally got around to updating the running total graph I started just a short time ago. It was simple in the case because I could not make a cut with the Pingo with the factory edge. It was the first Spyderco I have seen with a very low slicing aggression initially :
Again it shaves arm hair fine, but a Carter style check for sharpness shows it very low. I am going to run that check on all new blades I get. Of course it will be a long time before any information comes out of it, if any ever does. At most what it is likely to show for a long time is that there is so much influence on edge retention due to edge angle, grit finish, sharpening method - that the influence of the steel itself is not at all easy to separate out. It will be curious to see when, if ever, general patterns emerge.
Again it shaves arm hair fine, but a Carter style check for sharpness shows it very low. I am going to run that check on all new blades I get. Of course it will be a long time before any information comes out of it, if any ever does. At most what it is likely to show for a long time is that there is so much influence on edge retention due to edge angle, grit finish, sharpening method - that the influence of the steel itself is not at all easy to separate out. It will be curious to see when, if ever, general patterns emerge.
-
- Member
- Posts: 3852
- Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:23 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
Re: Pingo
One of the nice things about really small knives is that you always have them on you and while there are certainly better knives than the Pingo for cooking, it never fails to surprise me how well a decent knife can do compared to one which is designed more optimally but it not well cared for/sharpened.
The Pingo is nice and short, fits easy in the hand and while it is a little broad for an ideal peeler, if you don't mind a bit of wastage it does well. As I carry this everywhere, and no one minds at all if you ask them if you can peel some potatoes for them, I started to realize just how important sharpness is for that. The Pingo was only outperformed once when used for it at friends/family and it was because I recently sharpened their knives.
Now anyone who is Irish might likely call Shenanigans here because those are white potatoes which are very soft and easy to cut compared to blue or red, and if you are really into potatoes you can even tell from the peels that they are a bit old and are soft. But still, the main issue I had was one of size of the blade. The Pingo was a bit short for anything but the smallest potatoes but still at most that made me have to do two cuts instead of one.
Now if you break out an actual optimal paring knife, that one is from Robert Herder and is fully grind optimized.
Or you use a more sensible design such as that Henckels which was custom reground - well in those cases the Pingo can be awkward in comparison. But still if you are only doing a couple of dozen, and you are not looking for precise shapes but just to get the vegetables into smaller pieces, well frankly the difference is very small. It would be similar to walking to the store with work boots on vs sneakers.
The only thing which jumps out at me is that the edge angle is a bit high for this small knife, but with the angle where it is, it is a bit less likely to be notched when used by a friend/family to cut something rough like cardboard full of staples or a piece of tyvek layed across a concrete floor.
The Pingo is nice and short, fits easy in the hand and while it is a little broad for an ideal peeler, if you don't mind a bit of wastage it does well. As I carry this everywhere, and no one minds at all if you ask them if you can peel some potatoes for them, I started to realize just how important sharpness is for that. The Pingo was only outperformed once when used for it at friends/family and it was because I recently sharpened their knives.
Now anyone who is Irish might likely call Shenanigans here because those are white potatoes which are very soft and easy to cut compared to blue or red, and if you are really into potatoes you can even tell from the peels that they are a bit old and are soft. But still, the main issue I had was one of size of the blade. The Pingo was a bit short for anything but the smallest potatoes but still at most that made me have to do two cuts instead of one.
Now if you break out an actual optimal paring knife, that one is from Robert Herder and is fully grind optimized.
Or you use a more sensible design such as that Henckels which was custom reground - well in those cases the Pingo can be awkward in comparison. But still if you are only doing a couple of dozen, and you are not looking for precise shapes but just to get the vegetables into smaller pieces, well frankly the difference is very small. It would be similar to walking to the store with work boots on vs sneakers.
The only thing which jumps out at me is that the edge angle is a bit high for this small knife, but with the angle where it is, it is a bit less likely to be notched when used by a friend/family to cut something rough like cardboard full of staples or a piece of tyvek layed across a concrete floor.
Last edited by Cliff Stamp on Tue Mar 03, 2015 9:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.