abbazaba wrote:Initial impressions are good. The texture has the "bi directional" slope away from the center. The handle thickness is the same as the CF and Nobel as far as I can tell visually and in hand. Lock bar isn't quite as stiff as my Noble, but not as easy as the CF. Quick pic for color and texture comparo:
I like that the outline of the FRN is less bold than the other FRN models; the pattern on the Chap looks like it goes all the way to the edge on the handle. Gives it a classier look in my eyes.
When we think of FRN, we don't necessarily think of very light weight. We think of lowering cost due to less labor. when we think of "make it light weight", we think linerless, or extra skeletonizing (if strength is needed) cavities (like the Salt 2 or Moran). We call them "light weights" in general conversation becuase most are more familiar with "Lite wt" as FRN, than FRN, if that makes sense?
sal
I figured as much. Imo Spyderco FRN as a handle material, ranks up there with any other material used for that purpose. Really love the color and the looks of the new machine pattern.
I really like the pattern on the FRN - it looks a bit like an homage to the old fish scale pattern on the Caly Jr, but more modern. Gonna have to get one of these for sure.
Ruudr wrote:Looks really good. Regret that I just ordered the Chaparral in carbon fiber....
Don't be sad! The CF version still holds the throne of pocket perfection IMO. I'm liking the FRN, but only because it's different. If I could only have one Chaparral it would still be the CF version by a considerable margin.
Good to hear! I've been sooo tempted to purchase the frn model just because. :p Although I own two CF models,one in the Spydie pac the other for edc.
I just received my FRN Chaparral. It's every bit as good as I hoped and then some. I like that the handle is even thinner than the CF version and the grippy texture is great. I've already put it to use cutting some rubber shelf liner for my work bench. Now I have to figure out which knife I have to kick out of my knife box so it can have a spot next to it's carbon fiber sibling.
Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most!
I have a KC gift certificate (a side-effect of the end of season sale) that is at the ready for when this guy drops over there. Excited about the combination of thin XHP in a lightweight FRN platform!
Got mine today. It’s very thin overall, and that’s fine by me! The nested liners are interesting, they are only maybe 50% the width of the handle. I like it a lot, well done Spyderco.
clovisc wrote:This seems like the knife that can perhaps fill the psychological void left by the grey FRN Caly Jr.
Nope.Not for me at least :eek: A 2.75 inch blade lenght Dfly would ...
Marius
" A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it "
( Rabindranath Tagore ) Proud member of the old school spyderedge nation
Received mine yesterday. I really do like it and it will definitely kick the CF Chaparral out of my pocket on most occasions.
I like the extra thinness on this FRN version vs the already thin unit of the CF Chaparral. If there's one thing I would have liked to see done differently, it would be the screws holding the scales/lockbar.
I really would have liked to see the FRN milled, so those screws could have been countersunk into the scales. Other than that, I can't think of anything I would have done differently.
Great job Sal and Spyderco. This is THE one and only knife I've been looking forward to since its inception.
hooahmonster wrote:Is the lightweight/FRN Chaparral some kind of dealer only model?
ie it hasn't made it to the Spyderco website yet.
It's a regular production model. Sometimes it take a little time for new models to show on the website. If you're looking to buy directly from Spyderco you could probably call the SFO and they'll likely have it in stock.
Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most!
My Black Friday spending has gone a bit overboard, so I'll be delaying my Chaparral LW for a few weeks. The thinness of the handle is something of an irresistible feature.
JohnyKwst wrote:My CF Chaparral that I purchased a few years ago has a stiff lock bar. Are the newer CF or FRN chaparrals still stiff?
The lock bar on my CF Chap was really stiff when I first got it. Deployment also felt a little gritty so I ended up taking it apart for a good cleaning. When I put it back together it was much smoother and for whatever reason the lock bar was also much easier to depress. Now the lock bar in my new FRN Chap feels really hard to depress. Maybe not as bad as my CF model was originally but stiffer than I want. So I'm considering taking both knives apart and comparing to see if I can make the FRN knife as easy to unlock as the CF knife.
Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most!
I'd not consider mine stiff at all. I like the amount of pressure required to disengage. As far as opening, my CF Chaparral is the smoothest opening knife I've ever owned.
