The ARK is probably the most high performance SE knife ever made

[Evil D]

David,

Are you planning to get the Swick?

It looks to have all of the pros and none of the cons comparing it to the Ark, and you'll have your wish of a longer wharnie blade.

I tried really hard to like the Ark. I wanted a good rust proof EDC fixed blade, but the Ark didn't work for me in the end.

The spydiehole ruined the ergos for me, and like you I felt the deep belly made it difficult to cut things without having them slip off the blade, so I modded mine:



This improved the ergos a ton, and made it easier to control in cuts, but it was still just too small for me to want to carry it as my only knife, and I always had retention issues with my sheath.

I think the LC200N Ark is going to be a home run. It has much better ergonomics for me, the wider blade stock gives the thumb a more comfortable spot, full four finger grip, longer blade is more versatile, and its still compact, lightweight and rust proof like the Ark.

I'm definitely watching the Swick. I've never held one so I'll have to try it out. The thumb hole on the ARK, it does have me kinda cramped when I'm behind the hole but sometimes I extend my thumb out on the other side on the back of the blade spine, and when doing cuts where I don't need the whole blade to pass through the material (like with this cardboard) this is super comfortable and adds a lot of power and control to the cut. Still I think I would be all for a similar design that somehow deletes the thumb ramp.

Overall I think neck knives are an area that Spyderco needs to explore more. This knife is already such a strong performer, but I just know there's more potential behind it (and credit to John Shirley and Sam Owens for the original design). Spyderco are the kings of "little big knives" and I think they could corner the neck knife market if they chose to.

[SpyderCuse]

David,

Are you planning to get the Swick?

It looks to have all of the pros and none of the cons comparing it to the Ark, and you'll have your wish of a longer wharnie blade.

I tried really hard to like the Ark. I wanted a good rust proof EDC fixed blade, but the Ark didn't work for me in the end.

The spydiehole ruined the ergos for me, and like you I felt the deep belly made it difficult to cut things without having them slip off the blade, so I modded mine:



This improved the ergos a ton, and made it easier to control in cuts, but it was still just too small for me to want to carry it as my only knife, and I always had retention issues with my sheath.

I think the LC200N Ark is going to be a home run. It has much better ergonomics for me, the wider blade stock gives the thumb a more comfortable spot, full four finger grip, longer blade is more versatile, and its still compact, lightweight and rust proof like the Ark.

Vivi, will you get the SE or PE version of the Swick?

[vivi]

David,

Are you planning to get the Swick?

It looks to have all of the pros and none of the cons comparing it to the Ark, and you'll have your wish of a longer wharnie blade.

I tried really hard to like the Ark. I wanted a good rust proof EDC fixed blade, but the Ark didn't work for me in the end.

The spydiehole ruined the ergos for me, and like you I felt the deep belly made it difficult to cut things without having them slip off the blade, so I modded mine:



This improved the ergos a ton, and made it easier to control in cuts, but it was still just too small for me to want to carry it as my only knife, and I always had retention issues with my sheath.

I think the LC200N Ark is going to be a home run. It has much better ergonomics for me, the wider blade stock gives the thumb a more comfortable spot, full four finger grip, longer blade is more versatile, and its still compact, lightweight and rust proof like the Ark.

Vivi, will you get the SE or PE version of the Swick?

No, the question you should be asking is how many of each I'll be getting :D

I'm gonna make a Swick thread so this one can stay focused on the Ark.

[tactikool]

SE version is back in stock on Spyderco.com

[Evil D]

SE version is back in stock on Spyderco.com

That's a surprise. I wonder if these just turned up or if they put them back into production?

[BLUETYPEII]

I recently bought the PE version, it’s been with me every day since I bought it about a month ago.

I won’t ware a neck knife though. I simply tied a piece of paracord on the sheath. It works nicely and can be mounted normally or for cross draw like I have it.

The main reason I bought this knife is that I wanted something that was not intimidating to use at work It fills the role perfectly.

[on_the_edge]

I know the last post in this thread is 6 mos old now, but wanted to say that I am pretty happy that I have a new ARK SE heading my way. I can't wait!!!

[PeaceInOurTime]

I know the last post in this thread is 6 mos old now, but wanted to say that I am pretty happy that I have a new ARK SE heading my way. I can't wait!!!

Congrats! Hope it serves your needs as well as mine has. Easily my most carried and used blade since getting it two years ago.

[olywa]

I know the last post in this thread is 6 mos old now, but wanted to say that I am pretty happy that I have a new ARK SE heading my way. I can't wait!!!

Can you share where you found that ARK SE? It's not showing up on the Spyderco product page. I found a scam site that said it was the Spyderco Store and tried unsuccessfully to steal my PayPal info. Price on the scam site was $64.

[on_the_edge]

I know the last post in this thread is 6 mos old now, but wanted to say that I am pretty happy that I have a new ARK SE heading my way. I can't wait!!!

Can you share where you found that ARK SE? It's not showing up on the Spyderco product page. I found a scam site that said it was the Spyderco Store and tried unsuccessfully to steal my PayPal info. Price on the scam site was $64.

Private seller on Bladeforums.

[olywa]

Thanks, I'll keep searching. Fingers crossed.

[on_the_edge]

It finally arrived!!! I can see why this thing is considered an exceptional cutter. I can't wait to try her out!

[PeaceInOurTime]

It finally arrived!!! I can see why this thing is considered an exceptional cutter. I can't wait to try her out!

20220823_120015 copy.jpg

How's it been working for you so far?

[on_the_edge]

It finally arrived!!! I can see why this thing is considered an exceptional cutter. I can't wait to try her out!

20220823_120015 copy.jpg

How's it been working for you so far?

Long story short, after I received it, I became aware of some things that led me to believe that mine could be a fake (longish story not worth worrying about here though). I decided to submerge it in saltwater for a week and let the results speak for themselves. Not a trace of patina or surface rust anywhere, so that is a huge win, thank goodness.

I've used it once or twice to cut things and am loving it so far. Super slicey!!! I'm heading to Vegas tomorrow for a week and she'll be with me, probably residing in a pocket vs around my neck. I expect I won't even know it's there most of the time.

Not sure if this is already posted here in this thread, but how do you prefer to carry yours?

[PeaceInOurTime]

Long story short, after I received it, I became aware of some things that led me to believe that mine could be a fake (longish story not worth worrying about here though). I decided to submerge it in saltwater for a week and let the results speak for themselves. Not a trace of patina or surface rust anywhere, so that is a huge win, thank goodness.

I've used it once or twice to cut things and am loving it so far. Super slicey!!! I'm heading to Vegas tomorrow for a week and she'll be with me, probably residing in a pocket vs around my neck. I expect I won't even know it's there most of the time.

Not sure if this is already posted here in this thread, but how do you prefer to carry yours?

Glad it's not likely fake.
99% of the time, I carry it around my neck. On rare occasions, I'll attach an UltiClip and clip it to my front right pocket, but it's overall less convenient. I've really grown to like neck carry.

[cabfrank]

Which UltiClip do you use? Neck carry has to be outside of the shirt here in CA, so I usually only use mine at home.

[PeaceInOurTime]

Which UltiClip do you use? Neck carry has to be outside of the shirt here in CA, so I usually only use mine at home.

I use the "Slim 3.3", and it's a perfect fit.

[on_the_edge]

Long story short, after I received it, I became aware of some things that led me to believe that mine could be a fake (longish story not worth worrying about here though). I decided to submerge it in saltwater for a week and let the results speak for themselves. Not a trace of patina or surface rust anywhere, so that is a huge win, thank goodness.

I've used it once or twice to cut things and am loving it so far. Super slicey!!! I'm heading to Vegas tomorrow for a week and she'll be with me, probably residing in a pocket vs around my neck. I expect I won't even know it's there most of the time.

Not sure if this is already posted here in this thread, but how do you prefer to carry yours?

Glad it's not likely fake.
99% of the time, I carry it around my neck. On rare occasions, I'll attach an UltiClip and clip it to my front right pocket, but it's overall less convenient. I've really grown to like neck carry.

Any concern of loss? Handle down, correct? I know the sheath has that push tab. I just want to make sure the knife doesn't somehow slip past it. Also, how long did it take for you to become accustomed to neck carry?

[vivi]

are you guys able to pull out your ark without pushing the sheaths tab? I could on mine si I never tried neck carry.

[PeaceInOurTime]

Any concern of loss? Handle down, correct? I know the sheath has that push tab. I just want to make sure the knife doesn't somehow slip past it. Also, how long did it take for you to become accustomed to neck carry?

I've had no issues. Mine has been very secure in the sheath. Yes, handle down.

If I remember correctly, Vivi reported being able to easily pull it from the sheath without disengaging the lock tab, but that hasn't been my experience. ***Oops, Vivi already commented***

It may have taken a couple weeks for me to really get accustomed to neck carry, but I've never been one to wear something around my neck. Thankfully, the ARK weighs next to nothing and is barely noticeable. Also, I've only used paracord as the lanyard, never the chain. Those chains pull my hair too much.