Spyderco Forums

I find myself extremely curious about the new Rhino folder. Where will it be made? Blade steel? It looks awesome!

I have the same questions. Also, how close Rhino to release. I think that it will be near perfect watch pocket knife for me.
I also really want bolsters and polished g10 scales.

bh49 wrote:I have the same questions. Also, how close Rhino to release. I think that it will be near perfect watch pocket knife for me.
I also really want bolsters and polished g10 scales.

That blade shape is WICKED. Ill take it as is but anything else would be icing on the cake. Wonderful small folder

Paging @Spydernut! :D

:)

This looks so good. It is a nice, small knife, similar in shape to one of my favorite BM's that is no longer made (but the BM was larger). It is nice and practical looking. I might not miss the Salsa after all. I can't wait for it to come out so I can check it out.

The Rhino piqued my interest as well. I think it looks like a great little-big folder for EDC. It's definitely on my list and I'm hoping we'll get some more info soon.

I would love to see a picture of this knife next to a Chapparal.

I'm in too!
I've prepared to do some minor fiddling with the scale, and I hope that the clip will be smaller. VG-10 as preferred choice.
pic next to a Delica would be even better :D

Hi guys,

Thank you for the interest and kind words on the Reinhold Rhino. I am pleased you like it! :)

If you are interested, I would like to share a little more about the origins of this design. Please feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to provide some answers.

First off, I would like to again thank Sal, Eric, Rebecca, and the Spyderco Crew for this opportunity of a lifetime. I am very blessed and humbled that Spyderco chose to pick up the Rhino for collaboration. I feel they did an excellent job recreating the Rhino to Spyderco’s specifications. I would also like to thank my beautiful wife, Lindsay, for all of her support and encouragement on this project. Without her help and feedback, the Rhino would not have become a reality.

As for the origins of the Rhino, I drew a lot of my inspiration from the discontinued Spyderco C69GP2 Lil' Temperance Trailing Point (a.k.a. “Rhino Horn”) model. I originally considered calling this design the “Reinhold Lil’ Rhino” due to the nature of its trailing-point style blade, but we ended up shortening it to simply “Reinhold Rhino” because the “Lil’ Rhino” name had already been taken.

As I have mentioned in the past, I have always been a big fan of Spyderco’s “little-big-knife” concept. In light of this, I am excited about this design because it challenged me to capture the trailing-point style blade within the confines of a smaller-framed folder—one that could either be carried clipped in a pocket or carried loosely in the bottom of the pocket like a traditional jackknife. Although I designed this knife to be used primarily as a lighter-duty skinning/field-dressing knife, I am hopeful it will be deemed useful as an everyday-carry knife as well.

To avoid any potential confusion, I will let Sal and Eric respond regarding your questions on the handle and blade materials and where it will be manufactured. The last I heard, they were considering steel options and I look forward to hearing their final decisions as well. I am also not certain when it will be available for purchase, but I am hopeful it will be soon. :)

My journey with knifemaking began when I was about 15 years old after seeing some pictures of handcrafted knives in an old copy of Knives magazine. I started tinkering with making very basic fixed-bladed knives in my basement, using old circular saw blades for my blade steel and scrap pieces of wood for my handle material. Since I didn't own a grinder at the time, I used a cold chisel and mini-sledge hammer to "rough cut" my blades into shape. I then smoothed out the rough edges by "grinding" them on my father's Sears whetstone. It was a crude system that often lead to bruises and sore knuckles, but I soon fell in love with making knives.

I am now a social worker by trade, so my knife designing and knifemaking is only a part-time endeavor. Each of my knives is designed and handcrafted solely by me using the best materials I can obtain. I sketch all of my designs by hand using basic drawing equipment. I strive for perfection with every knife I make--which is why it generally takes several months for me to create each piece. While I prefer the challenge of making folding knives, I enjoy making fixed-bladed knives as well.

Again, I greatly appreciate the interest in the Rhino design and I welcome any questions or suggestions you might have.

All the best,

Michael Reinhold

I am happy to hear about your design goals. I love knives I can drop in my pocket. I also prefer a nice clip point and a trailing point will do nicely. When did you come up with this design, in the first place?

SpyderNut wrote: Although I designed this knife to be used primarily as a lighter-duty skinning/field-dressing knife, I am hopeful it will be deemed useful as an everyday-carry knife as well.

I bet it will be awesome on both applications. We'll test them out when available :D

It must be great to have one's dreams come true, making something one truly likes as a hobby and passion (knives) and then to get a company like Spyderco to take interest, and then to get something actually to production. This goes to all of the knife designers and makers of course.

As a fellow knifelover and a Spyderholic, I concratulate you Michael, and all the others, and I'm proud of you guys!

Doc Dan wrote:I am happy to hear about your design goals. I love knives I can drop in my pocket. I also prefer a nice clip point and a trailing point will do nicely. When did you come up with this design, in the first place?

I agree, Dan. I tend to carry a lot of my knives loosely in my pocket too, even though I still love pocket clips. I also agree on your preference for both clip and trailing-point style blades. There is something nostalgic about these blade profiles in particular that really strikes a chord with me.

I originally came up with the idea for a little-big-knife featuring a trailing-point (or "rhino horn") style blade about two years ago. It was an exciting time because I actually had a chance to show Sal and Eric my original sketches for the Rhino while visiting the BLADE Show. Sal and Eric were very kind to set aside some time to look over the design and offer some helpful feedback. At that point in time, I would never have imagined that the Rhino would eventually be considered for a Spyderco Collaboration. :)

JT wrote:

SpyderNut wrote: Although I designed this knife to be used primarily as a lighter-duty skinning/field-dressing knife, I am hopeful it will be deemed useful as an everyday-carry knife as well.

I bet it will be awesome on both applications. We'll test them out when available :D

It must be great to have one's dreams come true, making something one truly likes as a hobby and passion (knives) and then to get a company like Spyderco to take interest, and then to get something actually to production. This goes to all of the knife designers and makers of course.

As a fellow knifelover and a Spyderholic, I concratulate you Michael, and all the others, and I'm proud of you guys!

Thank you very much, JT. I am really excited too! :) Having the opportunity to work with Spyderco on a collaboration was one of my life's greatest ambitions. (My other two ambitions were to marry my wife and to graduate from college). I can now die a happy man.

I am very eager to hear what others think about the design after they get time to put the Rhino through some real-life applications (perhaps even with hunting/field-dressing type tasks). I hope it will strike a chord with the ELU's for EDC carry as well. I haven't seen the final version in person yet, but I am really looking forward to it. Patience has never been a virtue of mine, but I will try do my best... :D

Thanks again,

Michael

I'm excited too :D. Just wish it was a tad longer; more Delica sized than Dragonfly. Oh well, I'll get one either way.

SpyderNut wrote:

Doc Dan wrote:I am happy to hear about your design goals. I love knives I can drop in my pocket. I also prefer a nice clip point and a trailing point will do nicely. When did you come up with this design, in the first place?

I agree, Dan. I tend to carry a lot of my knives loosely in my pocket too, even though I still love pocket clips. I also agree on your preference for both clip and trailing-point style blades. There is something nostalgic about these blade profiles in particular that really strikes a chord with me.

I originally came up with the idea for a little-big-knife featuring a trailing-point (or "rhino horn") style blade about two years ago. It was an exciting time because I actually had a chance to show Sal and Eric my original sketches for the Rhino while visiting the BLADE Show. Sal and Eric were very kind to set aside some time to look over the design and offer some helpful feedback. At that point in time, I would never have imagined that the Rhino would eventually be considered for a Spyderco Collaboration. :)

Thanks again,

Michael

On the left side of the scale is raised and has one of those finger choils. Why did you not simply lower that area to match more closely the right side and thus give access to the hole for lefties? (I am not left handed). It would seem that the pile side scale lowered and smoothed as the CAT and some other Spydies would be a helpful feature. But I have not handled the knife so I can only wonder.

Doc Dan wrote:

SpyderNut wrote:

Doc Dan wrote:I am happy to hear about your design goals. I love knives I can drop in my pocket. I also prefer a nice clip point and a trailing point will do nicely. When did you come up with this design, in the first place?

I agree, Dan. I tend to carry a lot of my knives loosely in my pocket too, even though I still love pocket clips. I also agree on your preference for both clip and trailing-point style blades. There is something nostalgic about these blade profiles in particular that really strikes a chord with me.

I originally came up with the idea for a little-big-knife featuring a trailing-point (or "rhino horn") style blade about two years ago. It was an exciting time because I actually had a chance to show Sal and Eric my original sketches for the Rhino while visiting the BLADE Show. Sal and Eric were very kind to set aside some time to look over the design and offer some helpful feedback. At that point in time, I would never have imagined that the Rhino would eventually be considered for a Spyderco Collaboration. :)

Thanks again,

Michael

On the left side of the scale is raised and has one of those finger choils. Why did you not simply lower that area to match more closely the right side and thus give access to the hole for lefties? (I am not left handed). It would seem that the pile side scale lowered and smoothed as the CAT and some other Spydies would be a helpful feature. But I have not handled the knife so I can only wonder.

Hi Doc Dan,
You make a good point. :) I had actually contemplated that issue prior to making the Rhino because I knew it would likely affect left-handed users. However, as I mentioned in a previous post:

SpyderNut wrote:

SpeedHoles wrote:

SpyderNut wrote:That is awesome news, Michael!
So glad for you, and seems it is creating some buzz!!

Any chance you tried any protos without the little middle ridge covering the Spyderhole?
I could see how it might allow your index finger to slide back though... but just wondering for those lefties out there, or right-hand middle finger openers who may want to mod it...

Thank you, sir. :) I am eager to hear what people think about the Rhino and welcome any feedback they would like to share.

As for the middle "ridge" (or hump) on the handle, I originally considered making it without the hump. In the end, however, the lack of the hump essentially disturbed the ergonomics--because, as you mentioned, the lack of the hump allowed the index finger to slide back into the recessed area. Although the Round Hole is fairly occluded from the left side, I am still able to open the blade using my left thumb with a little practice. The Rhino is a compact design that actually feels pretty comfortable in-hand.

One of the more challenging aspects in creating the Rhino was figuring out the placement for the finger grooves--thanks in part to its smaller size and also due to its upswept blade profile. As Wouter noted in the Amsterdam thread, the left scale (featuring the "sub-hilt" or "hump") actually helps to lock the handle into the users' hand, which is exactly what I discovered as well:

Mr Blonde wrote:The Reinhold Rhino is a compact little folder with a wicked cool bowie-style blade. I could (just) get a full four-finger grip on the compact handle. The ergos were great though. The G-10 grip was finished rather smooth, it appeared sanded down but the surface still offered some grip. The handle scale that also holds the clip, features a type of ‘subhilt’ feature. It really helps to lock the knife in your hand, but at the same time I kept reaching for a linerlock that wasn’t there when I wanted to close this knife. Still, I liked the Reinhold Rhino a lot.

In summary, I decided to keep the "hump" on the left side of the scale on the final Rhino prototype because I felt that it greatly improved the overall ergonomic function of the design. I think one would really need to hold the Rhino in hand in order to fully appreciate the grip design. Even with large hands (I wear a size XL in men's gloves), the Rhino fits very well in my hand.

Thank you for the feedback!

-Michael

Blerv wrote:I'm excited too :D. Just wish it was a tad longer; more Delica sized than Dragonfly. Oh well, I'll get one either way.

I am glade to hear that, Blake. I hope you will like it. Just for fun, I compared my original Rhino specifications with Wouter's specifications from the Meet. (Granted, I realize these are only rough estimates and are likely to change). For what it's worth, I noticed the Spyderco Rhino version appears to be about 3mm longer than mine in overall length (149 mm over 146 mm). For the sake of comparison, the Dragonfly2's overall length is 5.563" (141 mm) and the Delica's overall length is 7.125" (181 mm). So the Rhino is really only about 32 mm shorter than the Delica. :D

bearfacedkiller wrote:I would love to see a picture of this knife next to a Chapparal.

That's what I will be waiting for too

Definitely an interesting little knife :D

Thanks Michael. Out of all the new designs that were shown and that I am aware of, the Rhino is the one I am most excited about.

I think this thread needs some pics, but I am too lazy to do it. :D

Holland wrote:

bearfacedkiller wrote:I would love to see a picture of this knife next to a Chapparal.

That's what I will be waiting for too

Definitely an interesting little knife :D

Thanks Spencer and Darby. I'll have to see if I can get permission to post some comparison pictures. :)

Doc Dan wrote:Thanks Michael. Out of all the new designs that were shown and that I am aware of, the Rhino is the one I am most excited about.

I think this thread needs some pics, but I am too lazy to do it. :D

Thank you, sir. I am very pleased to hear that. :)

Here are Wouter's pictures from the Amsterdam Meet thread:

Mr Blonde wrote:The Reinhold Rhino is a compact little folder with a wicked cool bowie-style blade. I could (just) get a full four-finger grip on the compact handle. The ergos were great though. The G-10 grip was finished rather smooth, it appeared sanded down but the surface still offered some grip. The handle scale that also holds the clip, features a type of ‘subhilt’ feature. It really helps to lock the knife in your hand, but at the same time I kept reaching for a linerlock that wasn’t there when I wanted to close this knife. Still, I liked the Reinhold Rhino a lot.



































Specifications
Overall Length: 15cm / 5.90 inches
Blade Length: 6 cm / 2.36 inches
Blade Thickness: 3 mm / 0.11 inches
Weight: 68 grams / 2.39 ounces