LeafJumper

[TheGiant80]

Also working on a bigger one.

sal

If/when this happens, I'm buying 3x. This could end up being my favourite Spydie!

[aicolainen]

I understand there are a fair share of XL paws around here, and it's great news that Spyderco is willing to serve that part of their audience. With that said, I very humbly hope that Spyderco don't forget about us small paws.
My world view might be skewed by my bias, but as far as I can tell, there seems like most of the focus is directed towards large and XL models / hand size.
The fact of the matter is, in most applications I prefer Spyderco's approach to knife design, but the ergonomic design doesn't fully pay off when the knife is too large for my hand. Things just doesn't line up, and the grip feels awkward.
I also understand there's a limit to how many models and variations there could practically be, but judging by the rate of which Benchmade is rolling out small's, there is money to be made there.
This was quite far off topic, although fairly in line with the tangent this thread was already on, so I'll end this by pulling things slightly back in the right direction;
If there by any chance was a small leaf jumper salt, I would probably quit whining about a small Caribbean

Maybe we're looking at different catalogs, there sure are a lot of "Lil ______" models and very few "______ XL" models. Spyderco practically invented the little big knife concept.

I feel bad about derailing this discussion even more, but this kind of took an unexpected turn.
Like I said, maybe I'm not seeing this objectively.
And it's by no means a complaint, there's just not a lot of Spyderco's that fit my hand well, and it's OK. No hands are the same and some will fit better than others. I still have more Spyderco's than any other brand, because their design philosophy fits me much better than their sizes. Most of the time.
The ones that are spot on for me, or very close, are knives like the Salt 2 (delica), Chaparral and probably the Spydiechef. They are not what I would call little big knives, just good working knives on the small end of "regular" that fit my hand very well lengthwise and my fingers lines up with whatever grooves are there.
The Lil'native fits my hand well too, but it's not one that fits my needs particularly well.
And maybe all of this is why I'm a little obsessed with blade to handle ratios. As much as I like the Dragonfly, which is absolutely a masterpiece of a little big knife, I sometimes want more cutting edge without giving up on grip comfort.
Although I haven't tried the regular Caribbean, I believe a smaller Caribbean would be a very interesting approach to achieving that kind of good working knife with decent cutting edge, that could be well optimized to fit a smaller hand.
This doesn't mean I have anything against big knives, I very much appreciate their existence, but I rarely need one and they almost never fit me well, so when I get one, it's usually for a special purpose / application.

Same.

What do the Military, Manix XL, Police 3 AND 4, Chinook 1-4 and K2 all have in common?

Combined, these models have had less sprints in the past five years than the Para 3 alone has had in the past two years.

That said, I commend Spyderco for offering the wide variety of sizes they do. Plenty to choose from regardless of which size you prefer.

The models you mention makes me think I might be doing the mistake of thinking every knife over a certain size is XL, to me they are, but obviously there are variation in hand size even at the large end of the spectrum. I have no problem seeing how that could make it pretty hard for any maker to please everyone, and I absolutely agree Spyderco is trying very hard at that. To me, the Shaman, Native chief and even the regular Manix seem to accommodate quite large hands. It might not actually be that simple

The Para 3 though is a weird knife. To me it seems like a small sized blade with a large sized grip, that is more aimed at people with large sized hands and undersized (3") legal restrictions. I don't really know what to make of it, but it isn't obvious to me that they made to be an alternative to the PM2 for those with smaller hands.

[MFlovejp]

I’m willing to bet that most Spydercos are designed to fit medium-sized American (US) hands since that is most of their target demographic. This is just plain business sense. Then, you get the people who exist at either end of the bell curve, small or large. Spyderco does a good job catering to that crowd too in my opinion.

With so many models (like, dozens and dozens), there really is something for everyone, but probably a lot more options for people with those mid-sized mitts. This of course means fewer models for those with either large or smaller hands.

[Sumdumguy]

Hi Kennethsime,

We will see a Leaf-Jumper as well. It's on the works. We're doing a lot more gambling in that we're making FRN tooling without the slab scale test version. The costs have gotten too high on the slab scaled pilots and it doesn't tell us what we need to know as a test if we don't sell enough of them.

Also working on a bigger one.

sal

Great news! And the bigger one... could finally be kind of a backlock Caribbean!

Holy moly! That's sure to be a contender.

[kennethsime]

I think what I appreciate about the classic Spyderco designs is how they do more with less.

I finally started carrying my K390 G-10 Dragonfly swap (after a long battle with re-installing the lock bar), and what I love about that knife is how my XL hands feel right at home on a 2.25" handle, and how much control I have over that little 2.25" blade. Same with the Para 3, Native, and Caly 3 - small knives, excellent control.

[sal]

Hi Aicolainen,

We have a pretty broad spread of size from the Bug on up to very large folders. Many models in many variations is a way to serve a larger number of small markets, but closer to their desires/needs.

As far as small Salts, almost anything is possible. We watch suggestions and thoughts shared by our customers.

sal

[James Y]

IMO, more than any other specialty knife company, Spyderco probably produces the most models that cover the entire spectrum of hand sizes. Including many models suitable for smaller-sized hands.

My hands are only medium-sized (not large-sized); yet I’m extremely comfortable handling models from the Police and its variations, the Military, Endura; down to the Manix 2, PM2, Endela; down to the Delica, Para 3; down to the Dragonfly, and even the Ladybug.

I understand that we’re all different, but I really can’t see how the Para 3’s handle is too big, or designed specifically for people with large hands in mind. Even when I’m choking up on it and using the choil, the butt end of the handle doesn’t reach the edge of my palm.

Jim

[Salty Dog]

Hi Kennethsime,

We will see a Leaf-Jumper as well. It's on the works. We're doing a lot more gambling in that we're making FRN tooling without the slab scale test version. The costs have gotten too high on the slab scaled pilots and it doesn't tell us what we need to know as a test if we don't sell enough of them.

Also working on a bigger one.

sal

Great news! And the bigger one... could finally be kind of a backlock Caribbean!

A lockback XL Caribbean would be outstanding, a XL Caribbean with any type of lock would be great.
Count me in for sure.
Such a fantastic knife the Caribbean.

Hello. How did this “bigger one” shift from a Leaf Jumper to a Caribbean? Not that there is anything wrong with an imminent Caribbean XL.

I want one, one with extra attention paid to the compression lock’s currently weak detent (needs serious stiffness and durability).

I think the compression lock—NOT a backlock—is a must for the purpose-built Caribbean’s need for easy cleaning after entering the challenging environments to which Sal has invited it.

Bigger Leaf-Jumper? Sure, why not? But we don’t have the Leaf Jumper yet, let alone an RJXL.

Hi Marc, sorry mate, my excitement for the bigger Caribbean that Sal has hinted at previously has spilled over into this thread

[wrdwrght]

Hi Marc, sorry mate, my excitement for the bigger Caribbean that Sal has hinted at previously has spilled over into this thread

[PSquared]

I carried my PITS earlier in the week and at the time thought to myself that I really liked the handle, the swell and the fact that there were no pointy indexing points anywhere. I pulled out my D'Allara as well to compare the very similar handles. I really wanted to like the D'Allara but the lock disengagement killed it for me ...



The Rock Jumper handle again looks very similar and something that I would like, and slightly smaller than a D'Allara that would suit me as well.

I'd like to see that blade shape on a Rock Jumper variant - I'm hesitant to call it a Sheep Jumper, particularly for the New Zealand market

[Wartstein]

......I really wanted to like the D'Allara but the lock disengagement killed it for me .../
/
...... I'm hesitant to call it a Sheep Jumper, particularly for the New Zealand market

Did you see th paracord mod Peaceinourtime did? Should help with operating the lock!!

/

And:

[PSquared]

Did you see th paracord mod Peaceinourtime did? Should help with operating the lock!!

I don't want to derail this thread so I'll leave it at no and I don't intend to.

[aicolainen]

Hi Aicolainen,

We have a pretty broad spread of size from the Bug on up to very large folders. Many models in many variations is a way to serve a larger number of small markets, but closer to their desires/needs.

As far as small Salts, almost anything is possible. We watch suggestions and thoughts shared by our customers.

sal

Thank’s for chiming in, Sal!
I definitely agree with you, I can hardly fathom how you manage to bring so many models and variations to market, and make it a sustainable business. I’ve been working with R&D in production companies for the last 20 years, although a very different industry, so I know some of the things that go into developing a product, manufacturing and supporting it through its lifecycle, so I’m truly impressed and honest in my appreciation of what you and your company is doing, even if it doesn’t always come through in my posts.
The flip side of bringing forward so many great designs is of course the increased chance of finding that one knife that would be perfect, if it only was in a slightly different size