Spyder Classics: The C-54 Calypso ( the big one)

[The Mastiff]

I don't know why I never got the original Caly. It must have not been around on the gun show circuit where I was buying most of my Spydercos. I did get an original Caly jr. with the steel grips and I believe VG10. I think it was the first VG 10 knife I had. It wasn't until the Super Blue line came that I bought the big Caly model but the Caly jr. I used to buy like bags of potato chips. I remember the Caly jr in ZDP being $62 where I bought mine. I ordered 5 I believe . The same as the Jess Horn in ZDP. Both were lightweight slicing monsters back when ZDP was still new and completely exotic.

I like the whole line of Caly's including all sizes and versions. My favorite so far is Super Blue.

[Bolster]

^ Why is the Super Blue Caly your favorite?

[JD Spydo]

At least I got mine.




The 50% increase in weight for the Sprint was disheartening, although I understand why it happened. The original is a lightweight powerhouse, a cutter way beyond its weight class. Maybe they didn't have the VG-10 heat treatment quite dialed in, though. My user SE is missing a few teeth. Even with them gone, it is still an awesome demolition tool.

Well Brother you sure know how to "RUB IT IN" :D Don't you :D But you know something if I still have all of mine I would do the same thing. :D

And you've got it right on the money that the serrated version of the C-54 is "AN AWESOME DEMOLITION TOOL :cool:

[JuPaul]

A pic I took a while back for comparison

I've seen these come up for sale occasionally and I'm always tempted. They definitely look like a Police 4, but in a size that's a bit more reasonable for me. I'd love one...preferably an updated model with screws.

[Ngati Pom]

I arrived late to the Spyderco party unfortunately and missed out on a lot of the classics. I can still remember seeing the C-54 for the first time and the disappointment in finding out they were no longer in production. It is a quintessential Spydie for me , in that I judge all other models by this one.
If the Calypso were to be offered again I would definitely get one.
Also thanks JD for doing the Spyder classics series. The time you spend on putting them together is very much appreciated.

[JD Spydo]

I arrived late to the Spyderco party unfortunately and missed out on a lot of the classics. I can still remember seeing the C-54 for the first time and the disappointment in finding out they were no longer in production. It is a quintessential Spydie for me , in that I judge all other models by this one.
If the Calypso were to be offered again I would definitely get one.
Also thanks JD for doing the Spyder classics series. The time you spend on putting them together is very much appreciated.

Well thank you for the kind words "Ngati Pom" :) And I'm here to tell all of you if you can ever find one of the original models in full SE get it if you can. Because to me that is one of the top 3 best serrated Spyderco folders ever made. The elegance of the C-54 is just something awesome to behold. I've always loved Sal's IN HOUSE designs and his Calypso series are among my very favorites.

If we can ever get Spyderco interested to do another Sprint Run of these C-54 Calypso models we must "INSIST" on them making the serrated version available again. That model along with the C-60 Ayoob SE model were two of my very favorite serrated Spyderco folders.

[The Mastiff]

Why is the Super Blue Caly your favorite?

I like the steels attributes and performance. It's super easy to sharpen and likes medium to super fine edges. I'm just never going to be a big stainless steel person though I do have a bunch of knives with stainless blades. I'm much more inclined to tool steels.

[Donut]

A pic I took a while back for comparison

You might be right, the Police Lightweight is what we've all been dreaming of. Well, at least me.

[JMM]

l've held one, and they are really nice, I like the overall shape and ergos of the knife, but they are usually going for 300 or a tad more. I'm not a big fan of pinned knives, and that much $ for a VG-10 bladed knife is just a tad much for how much I like the knife, I mean, it's not an Ayoob after all... :) If it were screw construction and S30V or better I'd be all over one (or two if SE was an option)

[JD Spydo]

l've held one, and they are really nice, I like the overall shape and ergos of the knife, but they are usually going for 300 or a tad more. I'm not a big fan of pinned knives, and that much $ for a VG-10 bladed knife is just a tad much for how much I like the knife, I mean, it's not an Ayoob after all... :) If it were screw construction and S30V or better I'd be all over one (or two if SE was an option)

The Screw Construction is something I could go for myself. But I would want a better blade steel than S30V. A knife of this caliber deserves a really special steel like M390, K390 or even 20CV. Or anything up in the league.

But the serrated version deserves just as much attention as the plain edge. Because this is one of those rare models that both edge types were just terrific performers.

[samdasnake]

This is one of my favorite Spyderco designs and I've always been confused why it didn't sell better.

I ended up parting ways with my brown G10 sprint due to the pinned construction. I'll deal with pins on a slipjoint or a salt, but not on a modern folder with full steel liners that will eventually rust.

Other than that one nitpick I adore the full sized Calypso. The entire line is very ergonomic with a wonderful blade shape, but the C54 is a clear favorite for my hand size.

I would love for them to run these as FRN lightweights with screw construction. It would be so light and compact folded up for the amount of cutting power it packs.

I never had one but am 100% with you (except that I probably would not really mind pinned construction since I essentially can´t rust folders... :o )

This thing in FRN must be amazing, and it really SHOULD sell well: First and foremost since it´d be very much an Endura that solves the "Endura issues" SOME people (not me though) seem to have:
- It would have about the same size (just a tad longer)
- but offer a choil
- and a handle without the finger grooves...

I´d certainly get one in FRN (and actually also in G10 for a reasonable price): In that size I don´t mind or even like a choil and 3mm more edge than an Endura can never hurt, and it is just still short enough for a convenient carry

Agreed - I’d love to get a Calypso in FRN. That would be an amazing knife!

[JD Spydo]

This is one of my favorite Spyderco designs and I've always been confused why it didn't sell better.

I ended up parting ways with my brown G10 sprint due to the pinned construction. I'll deal with pins on a slipjoint or a salt, but not on a modern folder with full steel liners that will eventually rust.

Other than that one nitpick I adore the full sized Calypso. The entire line is very ergonomic with a wonderful blade shape, but the C54 is a clear favorite for my hand size.

I would love for them to run these as FRN lightweights with screw construction. It would be so light and compact folded up for the amount of cutting power it packs.

I never had one but am 100% with you (except that I probably would not really mind pinned construction since I essentially can´t rust folders... :o )

This thing in FRN must be amazing, and it really SHOULD sell well: First and foremost since it´d be very much an Endura that solves the "Endura issues" SOME people (not me though) seem to have:
- It would have about the same size (just a tad longer)
- but offer a choil
- and a handle without the finger grooves...

I´d certainly get one in FRN (and actually also in G10 for a reasonable price): In that size I don´t mind or even like a choil and 3mm more edge than an Endura can never hurt, and it is just still short enough for a convenient carry

Agreed - I’d love to get a Calypso in FRN. That would be an amazing knife!

Why might I ask would you like to see this model in FRN :confused: ?? It's not that I have anything against FRN per se but I just like a more rigid handle for a knife of this size>> and of this caliber. For instance I liked the Endura twice as good in G-10 as I did in the original FRN handle.

Sure FRN has it's place in the scheme of things and it's ideal on some models but to me this model is in a completely different league than many of the more common models. If anything this is one model that I feel deserves another run in Micarta. That's my take on it anyway.

[p_atrick]

Why might I ask would you like to see this model in FRN :confused: ?? It's not that I have anything against FRN per se but I just like a more rigid handle for a knife of this size>> and of this caliber. For instance I liked the Endura twice as good in G-10 as I did in the original FRN handle.

Sure FRN has it's place in the scheme of things and it's ideal on some models but to me this model is in a completely different league than many of the more common models. If anything this is one model that I feel deserves another run in Micarta. That's my take on it anyway.

Given the upfront cost for FRN, it really only makes sense if you think the market can bear several iterations over time. Can the Calypso do this? I'm inclined to say no. I would bet that the Calypso would only make its way to market as a small run. Now, what's the price difference between G10 and micarta scales? Can the market support this price difference? Lots of questions about the hypothetical return of the Calypso, but I think we can rule out FRN.

[bearfacedkiller]

It is Spydercos classiest big knife. A large gents knife in a way. It carries very slim in the pocket. I love mine and would welcome a sprint run.

[vivi]

This is one of my favorite Spyderco designs and I've always been confused why it didn't sell better.

I ended up parting ways with my brown G10 sprint due to the pinned construction. I'll deal with pins on a slipjoint or a salt, but not on a modern folder with full steel liners that will eventually rust.

Other than that one nitpick I adore the full sized Calypso. The entire line is very ergonomic with a wonderful blade shape, but the C54 is a clear favorite for my hand size.

I would love for them to run these as FRN lightweights with screw construction. It would be so light and compact folded up for the amount of cutting power it packs.

I never had one but am 100% with you (except that I probably would not really mind pinned construction since I essentially can´t rust folders... :o )

This thing in FRN must be amazing, and it really SHOULD sell well: First and foremost since it´d be very much an Endura that solves the "Endura issues" SOME people (not me though) seem to have:
- It would have about the same size (just a tad longer)
- but offer a choil
- and a handle without the finger grooves...

I´d certainly get one in FRN (and actually also in G10 for a reasonable price): In that size I don´t mind or even like a choil and 3mm more edge than an Endura can never hurt, and it is just still short enough for a convenient carry

Agreed - I’d love to get a Calypso in FRN. That would be an amazing knife!

Why might I ask would you like to see this model in FRN :confused: ?? It's not that I have anything against FRN per se but I just like a more rigid handle for a knife of this size>> and of this caliber. For instance I liked the Endura twice as good in G-10 as I did in the original FRN handle.

Sure FRN has it's place in the scheme of things and it's ideal on some models but to me this model is in a completely different league than many of the more common models. If anything this is one model that I feel deserves another run in Micarta. That's my take on it anyway.

Low weight and cost, and the contoured edges of FRN handles like the Endura feel really nice.

[p_atrick]

Look at the differences in the thumb ramps. The full size Calypso looks (to me anyways) to be the most comfortable. I really like the thumb ramp on my Sage 2, which is not all that pronounced.

[bearfacedkiller]

Look at the differences in the thumb ramps. The full size Calypso looks (to me anyways) to be the most comfortable. I really like the thumb ramp on my Sage 2, which is not all that pronounced.

The c54 never got updated so the ramp lacks jimping which I like. The Dragonfly has a similar thumb ramp and I believe the SS dragonfly still lacks the jimping as well.

[Wartstein]

I never had one but am 100% with you (except that I probably would not really mind pinned construction since I essentially can´t rust folders... :o )

This thing in FRN must be amazing, and it really SHOULD sell well: First and foremost since it´d be very much an Endura that solves the "Endura issues" SOME people (not me though) seem to have:
- It would have about the same size (just a tad longer)
- but offer a choil
- and a handle without the finger grooves...

I´d certainly get one in FRN (and actually also in G10 for a reasonable price): In that size I don´t mind or even like a choil and 3mm more edge than an Endura can never hurt, and it is just still short enough for a convenient carry

Agreed - I’d love to get a Calypso in FRN. That would be an amazing knife!

Why might I ask would you like to see this model in FRN :confused: ?? It's not that I have anything against FRN per se but I just like a more rigid handle for a knife of this size>> and of this caliber. For instance I liked the Endura twice as good in G-10 as I did in the original FRN handle.

Sure FRN has it's place in the scheme of things and it's ideal on some models but to me this model is in a completely different league than many of the more common models. If anything this is one model that I feel deserves another run in Micarta. That's my take on it anyway.

In my experience FRN with liners feels as rigid and sturdy as G10 with liners (and I think FRN can take even a bit more than G10 in theory without chipping) - and I guess the C-54 would come in lined FRN if at all.

Furthermore the way Spyderco does it, it is lighter, grppier, and still more comfortable due to the chamfering than G10.

The original FRN Endura you´re talking about had no liners, right (not sure)?
And the C-54 is just a tad larger than an Endura/Pac Salt, the latter (at least the Pac Salt 1 I have) is sturdy enough even without liners

[DutchBlades]

Great model and I've always been a sucker for micarta!
Glad to have picked one up some years ago (despite the hefty import tax) :)



The Calypso Jr. sees quite a lot of carry as well; just like the Delica in relation to the Endura.
Would've placed those in this pic as well if it were not for the fact that it's in my other Spydie case.
That case is currently behind a wall of boxes since we'll be moving into our new home soon :p