Oh to be in love again...

[Abyss_Fish]

Since I’ve bought the Watu, nothing else will do. It is the most exceptional “edc” oriented folding knife I’ve owned.

Is it a hard use knife? Well no, not really. It’s in a not made of a particularly tough steel and has a delicate tip, it won’t really hold up to extreme abuse well.
Is it rust proof? Could I bring it on a hike? again, no. Although the ceramic detent ball would help it continue to function I suppose.
It’s a combat knife then surely? Nah, it’s slicey but the handle has no jimping and there’s not much blade.
Well what’s it good for then? Just boxes and packages? Yep that’s it, but it does it better than anything else.

The watu is so gorgeously focused on what it’s built for. And nothing I’ve used so far has done it’s job so well. You could slap a few different locks and handle materials on it and I’d replace most of my collection with Watus. A backlock and bolstered burlwood for fancy occasions. A ball bearing lock and rex45 model for light bashing. An frn handled single bar comp lock lc200n model for salty occasions. An S90v full Ti framelock version for nerds like myself. The only discernible flaw with the design is the standard peel ply cf, which is an aesthetic concern that I fixed quickly.

My point is. I’m in love. I am excited for upcoming models like the smallfly 2, the maple chap, and the BBB colab. But there’s not a chance any of them will get more pocket time than my Watu.

Am I alone in feeling like this with a knife? What knife could you not live without?

[Sumdumguy]

Wish I knew! Ask my wife...

[pkennethv]

Since I’ve bought the Watu, nothing else will do. It is the most exceptional “edc” oriented folding knife I’ve owned.

Which were some of your previous favorite knives in the same category? Particularly interested in how you feel about the Watu vs PM2 or Para 3 (LW) if you've had/have them.

[kobold]

I am like that with my Chaparrals. It is sometimes my secondary, but mostly my primary when I leave home.

[brj]

I pretty much feel the same about the Watu.

It might be 'the' EDC. Not too small, not too big. Secure in hand even with the bare minimum of jimping due to the reversed-coffin shape of the handle. Works great for controlled draw-cutting (while on trail I've done some makeshift skewers to cook sausages over open fire, so I guess it worked for me even as a hike knife, come to think about it). Great steel for EDC purposes, like the entire family (have been using for years a M390 Millie as one of my regular EDCs). Thin blade with pointy tip, what's not to like. Open back and the lateral holes make cleaning a breeze.

Soo many words, it must be love. And it does feel a bit like cheating whenever I'm using it over one of my regular Millies :)

[bearfacedkiller]

You cannot bring it on a hike?

I regret not buying a Chockwe when they were readily available. I like the aesthetics quite a bit.

[Cl1ff]

The Watu has some of my favorite blade design qualities. :) It’s a knife that definitely calls for more variations, like those wood handles, or maybe even a “reunion” of sorts with it’s bigger sibling!
I don’t know how sales have been (it seems a little underrated), but the reviews are positive.
I also really want to see a fixed blade version that keeps the modern make and materials. :cool:

[Mushroom]

You cannot bring it on a hike?

I regret not buying a Chockwe when they were readily available. I like the aesthetics quite a bit.

I thought the same thing. In my experience, hiking is not very knife intensive

I handled the Watu at the SFO in November and definitely want one. Sal did a great job translating the design into a smaller package.

[Sharp Guy]

Watu is definitely on my radar. I was actually hoping to get one through the seconds sale but didn't see them come up.

[JuPaul]

It's definitely on my wish list. I'm sure I'll own one eventually.

[Abyss_Fish]

Since I’ve bought the Watu, nothing else will do. It is the most exceptional “edc” oriented folding knife I’ve owned.

Which were some of your previous favorite knives in the same category? Particularly interested in how you feel about the Watu vs PM2 or Para 3 (LW) if you've had/have them.

I’ve had a few favorites, carried a bm valet for a while, then a Griptilian, then a spydiechef, then a native, then a rhino, then a weird russian bali... Nothing (except maybe the rhino) cut as well though. And none were as comfortable to carry and hold. Also I’m not into the para series really. Knives with that extreme vertical thumb ramp just don’t fit my hands, mostly because my fingers are so long. That includes the most of the seki models, but I still try them occasionally.

[Abyss_Fish]

You cannot bring it on a hike?

Just because it won’t hold up to much outdoor abuse and it doesn’t have any particular rust resistant qualities. I always bring my waterway on hikes, nothing else.

[Sumdumguy]

You cannot bring it on a hike?

Just because it won’t hold up to much outdoor abuse and it doesn’t have any particular rust resistant qualities. I always bring my waterway on hikes, nothing else.

To be fair, 20cv is deep into the upper echelons of corrosion resistant knife steels.

Same league as M390 and S110V.

[jpm2]

I like it, but looks like the Pattadese is going to be everything the Watu is and more, for me.

[Abyss_Fish]

To be fair, 20cv is deep into the upper echelons of corrosion resistant knife steels.

Same league as M390 and S110V.

I understand where it sits. Regardless I’ve had 20cv rust on me before, and I wouldn’t want to introduce any unnecessary grime into Taichhng’s slightly more complex comp lock.

I like it, but looks like the Pattadese is going to be everything the Watu is and more, for me.

That one is going to be super interesting. I’m gonna wait for it to get into people’s hands though, the liner lock access looks a touch low to me.

[jpm2]

I like it, but looks like the Pattadese is going to be everything the Watu is and more, for me.

That one is going to be super interesting. I’m gonna wait for it to get into people’s hands though, the liner lock access looks a touch low to me.

Yes it looks like the area up close to the pivot will be more neutral. This is where a lot of control from my fingers or thumb is constantly manipulating the position of the knife in my hand as I am working. eg: rolling, angle adjustments, moving the hand up/down the handle, etc.
It might work better for me than the typical liner lock.

[Dazen]

I really enjoy the Watu, and even consider it to be the best EDC Spyderco makes. The only thing holding it back from greatness is the G10 laminate. It just needed to be 100% Smooth CF out of the gate.

[bearrowland]

I'd love to find that knife, that takes your breath away and causes your pulse to race

[Abyss_Fish]

I really enjoy the Watu, and even consider it to be the best EDC Spyderco makes. The only thing holding it back from greatness is the G10 laminate. It just needed to be 100% Smooth CF out of the gate.

Custom scales are everywhere at this point, I’ve got some natural g-10 on mine. Or you could make your own, it’s a fairly simple shape. Heck you could just sand down the stock scales to get smooth g-10. This model is well worth putting some extra work into imo.

[Ez556]

I just can't get over the fact you said you couldn't bring it on a hike because its not stainless enough, even to the point of suggesting it would cease to function for you if it weren't for a ceramic detent ball! :eek: Granted, its not LC200N, but 20CV is certainly towards the top of the list for stainless steels! I know you are a big fan of LC200N, but my goodness thats a high standard!