Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

Discuss Spyderco's products and history.
JohnAPA
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#181

Post by JohnAPA »

My Watu makes for a great partner to my Ikuchi and and CF Yojimbo 2.
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TkoK83Spy
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#182

Post by TkoK83Spy »

This thread is going to end up costing me $182 by the end of the weekend...one of these nights, a couple ipa's, into the cart it will go!
15 :bug-red 's in 10 different steels
1 - Bradford Guardian 3 / Vanadis 4E Wharnie
1 - Monterey Bay Knives Slayback Flipper / ZDP 189
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31/Macassar Ebony Inlays
1 - CRK Large Inkosi Insingo/ Black Micarta Inlays
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31 Insingo/Magnacut

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ugaarguy
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#183

Post by ugaarguy »

I got mine a couple days ago too, and I really like it. It's a testament to Spyderco and the Taichung factory, that I can't really say it's exceeded my expectations. Between the Dice and Domino that I have, I more or less knew what to expect from the CF G10 laminate. My Sage 5 LW had me expecting a really nice pivot and comp lock action. The Chaparral I owned several years ago set high expectations for a thin, FFG blade. All of those knives, plus my Sage 2, gave me high expectations of the build quality I expect in a Taichung Spyderco. The specs gave me a good idea of the size. The Watu has thus far met my high expectations because my other Taichung Spydies set the bar so high.

Size wise, the official Spyderco specs say that the Watu is 106 mm closed, 83 mm blade, and 73 mm edge length. In comparison, the Delica is 108 mm, 73 mm, and 65 mm, respectively. The Native 5 is 102 mm, 75 mm, 61 mm. The only downside to all of that, is that the Watu is a quarter inch over the legal blade length in places that have a 3" limit. The upside is that it packs a lot of blade into a small handle for those of us who aren't as restricted.

bbturbotad's excellent picture comparing the Watu to the S curve blade Delica (AKA Lil' Matriarch) bring up an interesting question, though: Does the Watu have a finger choil, or does it have a ricasso with jimping?
SG89
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#184

Post by SG89 »

It's a rhoil... Half ricasso half choil
Spydergirl88
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HammerHill
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#185

Post by HammerHill »

I just received mine. I loved the Chokwe so picking this up was a no-brainer. Already finding excuses to use it; always a good sign. I can hardly believe how thin the tip is - I'll need to get out the calipers to confirm but it looks thinner than any other Spyderco in my collection, including the Lil' Nilakka. I'll try to post some comparison pics this weekend if anyone is interested.
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#186

Post by SG89 »

I really love this knife. The Chaparral Killer.
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Wartstein
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#187

Post by Wartstein »

Spydergirl88 wrote:
Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:35 pm
I really love this knife. The Chaparral Killer.
At first I thought too thatvthe Watu could be competing with the Chap, but isn't it rsther a "Sage 5 and Para 3 killer" (or to put it better competing with thosr two)?

Watu, Para 3 ,and Sage 5 all have comp. locks and practically the same closed length, but the Watu offers more cutting edge, a thinner blade than even the Sage (let alone the Para 3) and probably a thinner overall package.

On the other hand the Watu is around 20 % longer in most dimensions than the Chap, does not have the Chaps great backlock and first and foremost still a 30 % thicker blade.

Not saying that the one or the other is better, but they are in a different category imho.
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#188

Post by SG89 »

IMO they are both in the same category of "light duty office carry/gentleman's knife" Line up all the wire clip Taichung knives past and present and this one really stands out design wise for me. I have tried to like the Chaparral but at the end of the day it's just a weird in between sized knife for me. Would rather carry a lil native or something bigger than the chap. The 2020 Spyderco knives so far really have me looking forward to even more great designs in the rest of the reveals. They just keep getting better at what they do.
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ugaarguy
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#189

Post by ugaarguy »

Spydergirl88 wrote:
Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:34 pm
IMO they are both in the same category of "light duty office carry/gentleman's knife" Line up all the wire clip Taichung knives past and present and this one really stands out design wise for me. I have tried to like the Chaparral but at the end of the day it's just a weird in between sized knife for me. Would rather carry a lil native or something bigger than the chap. The 2020 Spyderco knives so far really have me looking forward to even more great designs in the rest of the reveals. They just keep getting better at what they do.
I'm with you on the Watu, but I don't know about all of them being light duty. The Sage 5 LW is arguably a heavier duty knife than the Para 3 LW, and the Sage series have stronger tips than the Para 2 and 3. Likewise, the Sage 2 was a pretty rugged medium sized knife. I think the Spydiechef is a rather strong folder as well.
SG89
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#190

Post by SG89 »

ugaarguy wrote:
Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:15 am
Spydergirl88 wrote:
Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:34 pm
IMO they are both in the same category of "light duty office carry/gentleman's knife" Line up all the wire clip Taichung knives past and present and this one really stands out design wise for me. I have tried to like the Chaparral but at the end of the day it's just a weird in between sized knife for me. Would rather carry a lil native or something bigger than the chap. The 2020 Spyderco knives so far really have me looking forward to even more great designs in the rest of the reveals. They just keep getting better at what they do.
I'm with you on the Watu, but I don't know about all of them being light duty. The Sage 5 LW is arguably a heavier duty knife than the Para 3 LW, and the Sage series have stronger tips than the Para 2 and 3. Likewise, the Sage 2 was a pretty rugged medium sized knife. I think the Spydiechef is a rather strong folder as well.
I only said the chap and Watu were in the light duty category...
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Wartstein
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#191

Post by Wartstein »

Spydergirl88 wrote:
Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:34 pm
IMO they are both in the same category of "light duty office carry/gentleman's knife" Line up all the wire clip Taichung knives past and present and this one really stands out design wise for me. I have tried to like the Chaparral but at the end of the day it's just a weird in between sized knife for me. Would rather carry a lil native or something bigger than the chap. The 2020 Spyderco knives so far really have me looking forward to even more great designs in the rest of the reveals. They just keep getting better at what they do.

Thanks for the clarification, now I get what you mean when weighing Watu and Chap against each other!
Valid points, but still we have to agree to disagree ;)

In my actual use the Chap is not just light duty, it feels pretty sturdy and solid and its thin blade holds up well even in harder tasks, same would be true for the Watu I guess (but you are right that both probably were meant to be more or less light duty office knives" and a Lil Native (blade) could certainly take more if the knives got pushed to the very limits)

I know you love your metal scaled Lil Native (and I love the pics of it ;) ), but as for the Chap being an "in between sized knife": Not for me: Lets compare Lil Native (comp lock), Chap and Watu: The Chap is a lot closer in size to the Lil Native (just 3mm / 0.13" longer in closed length) than to the Watu (Chap closed being 15mm / 0.57 " shorter), Chap is significantly lighter than the Lil Native and probably a slimmer carry (while still offering clearly more cutting edge in a much thinner, slicier blade: Chap 2.35, Lil Native 2.05 (for comparison Watu: 2.88 of edge, which is great I think).

Just my 2 c of course! No "wrong or right" here. (In this case I even don´t apologize for maybe derailing the thread a bit, cause I think the comparison of the Watu to other models might be convinient for some..)
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
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Wartstein
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#192

Post by Wartstein »

ugaarguy wrote:
Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:15 am
Spydergirl88 wrote:
Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:34 pm
IMO they are both in the same category of "light duty office carry/gentleman's knife" Line up all the wire clip Taichung knives past and present and this one really stands out design wise for me. I have tried to like the Chaparral but at the end of the day it's just a weird in between sized knife for me. Would rather carry a lil native or something bigger than the chap. The 2020 Spyderco knives so far really have me looking forward to even more great designs in the rest of the reveals. They just keep getting better at what they do.
I'm with you on the Watu, but I don't know about all of them being light duty. The Sage 5 LW is arguably a heavier duty knife than the Para 3 LW, and the Sage series have stronger tips than the Para 2 and 3. Likewise, the Sage 2 was a pretty rugged medium sized knife. I think the Spydiechef is a rather strong folder as well.

The Sage 5 LW was the only smaller comp. lock knife I was somewhat interested in... right till the Watu came along... :rolleyes:
If I had to decide right now which of the two to get: Hard decision. But probably it would be the Watu for its thinner blade and longer edge.
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
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Wartstein
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#193

Post by Wartstein »

Two questions for happy new Watu-owners: ;)

- How is the detent of the knife? I am NOT one of those concerned that a comp.lock knife could open in the pocket (my PM2 or Kapara never, ever did) but still it would be interesting to know

- Could anyone post a comparison pic of the Watu and a Manix 2 LW? Going by the specs on the Spyderco page the two should have the exact same cutting edge length, I´d like to see if that is true.
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
Sumdumguy
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#194

Post by Sumdumguy »

This is a very hard knife to resist...

I know you're all probably tired of hearing it, but this would be great as a Salt in full LC200N. This model, as a Salt, would decimate the competition in it's class. I know I would buy one!


I'm tempted to buy one now, but I must be strong...
"If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so."

-Thomas Jefferson
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curlyhairedboy
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#195

Post by curlyhairedboy »

The detent on mine seems just fine.
EDC Rotation: PITS, Damasteel Urban, Shaman, Ikuchi, Amalgam, CruCarta Shaman, Sage 5 LW, Serrated Caribbean Sheepsfoot CQI, XHP Shaman, M4/Micarta Shaman, 15v Shaman
Fixed Blades: Proficient, Magnacut Mule
Special and Sentimental: Southard, Squarehead LW, Ouroboros, Calendar Para 3 LW, 40th Anniversary Native, Ti Native, Calendar Watu, Tanto PM2
Would like to own again: CQI Caribbean Sheepsfoot PE, Watu
Wishlist: Magnacut, Shaman Sprints!
SG89
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#196

Post by SG89 »

Detent is strong, I cannot shake it open
Spydergirl88
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Wartstein
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#197

Post by Wartstein »

Spydergirl88 wrote:
Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:51 pm
Detent is strong, I cannot shake it open
curlyhairedboy wrote:The detent on mine seems just fine.
Thanks! :)
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
JohnAPA
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#198

Post by JohnAPA »

Wartstein wrote:
Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:55 am
Two questions for happy new Watu-owners: ;)

- How is the detent of the knife? I am NOT one of those concerned that a comp.lock knife could open in the pocket (my PM2 or Kapara never, ever did) but still it would be interesting to know

- Could anyone post a comparison pic of the Watu and a Manix 2 LW? Going by the specs on the Spyderco page the two should have the exact same cutting edge length, I´d like to see if that is true.
You don't want it to simply flop open. My Yojimbo 1 did that and put a nice slice in my Lay-Z-Boy.
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sal
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#199

Post by sal »

Spydergirl88 wrote:
Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:51 pm
Detent is strong, I cannot shake it open
Hi Spydergirl

That's also because the blade is light.

Some thoughts to share: :o When I'm carrying an "Ethnic series" model, I think about the years of development and the geography, terrain and culture that birthed and molded the concept, and here I am using a modern version of a 300 year old design. born and raised in Africa.

sal
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Re: Watu...AKA Lil Chokwe

#200

Post by Molle Ninja »

I received mine Friday. I like it a lot ... hopefully I can address the “poppy” comp lock on the one I received. Everything else is great.
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