Heron by Chad Kelly ... collab?

[JSumm]

Yes! EDC fixed blade sign me up. I like the "Coop"

[Xplorer]

Yes! EDC fixed blade sign me up. I like the "Coop"

Thank you! I like the Coop too. It was designed and named in honor of my beloved dog that passed away last year. He (like the knife named after him) was an awesome trail companion. Everyone in my immediate family has a Coop and we use them all of the time.

Here's my family's set of Coops. The design originally had flat sides (pictured here).


But, with Coop #005 I changed the design to include gently rounded sides.



Best,
CK

[Cl1ff]

Xplorer, while I think my words hold comparatively little merit next to BBB/Sal/or someone who owns your knives, the designs and pieces I’ve seen shared in this thread and elsewhere are certainly among the relative few that get me to think to myself “Yeah, that’s a great design, great knife, great maker, etc.
I’d want use their knives.”

[Xplorer]

Xplorer, while I think my words hold comparatively little merit next to BBB/Sal/or someone who owns your knives, the designs and pieces I’ve seen shared in this thread and elsewhere are certainly among the relative few that get me to think to myself “Yeah, that’s a great design, great knife, great maker, etc.
I’d want use their knives.”

Hi Cl1ff, your words are truly appreciated! Thank you very much for taking the time to say that. Cheers!

[TkoK83Spy]

For sure would carry one of those! What's the overall length?

[bjz]

Oh! I could probably be in for a Coop or kestrel if the handles/scales were nice and simple (for some reason metal bolsters don’t speak to me).

Xplorer, your custom scales are gorgeous though! There have been very few fixed blades out there that really jumped out at me and these are two of them…as well as those puukko’s! Those handles are crazy!

[Xplorer]

For sure would carry one of those! What's the overall length?

Thank you!

The Coop has a small "3 finger" handle. It's 5 7/8" OAL. You can distinguish the size a little better with my hand in the picture.

[resonanzmacher]

For sure would carry one of those! What's the overall length?

Thank you!

The Coop has a small "3 finger" handle. It's 5 7/8" OAL. You can distinguish the size a little better with my hand in the picture.

I covet that.

With the lanyard hole there even a guy with fat mitts like me can tie a stout lanyard on the end and voila, the rest of the hand has something to wrap around.

[TomAiello]

I believe that Coop 005 (pictured in Chad's post) is the one that I own.

The only other small fixed blade contender for time on my belt at this point is the Bradford guardian 3 (wharncliffe, Vanadis 4 Extra). But the Coop has definitely displaced it as my go-to. My Coop is Vanax (which is not an option for a collaboration, apparently).

This is my all time favorite small fixed blade (and I own _many_ small fixed blades). I have been EDCing it for a couple months now. Some thoughts:

I like the handle/blade ratio better than the Enuf (probably the closest Spyderco competitor in terms of size and general use for me).

I'm extremely fond of the relatively tall blade, which gives the Coop excellent slicing geometry.

I'd love to see a version in Magnacut. If Spyderco does a collaboration, I'll definitely buy it in any steel, but Magnacut would be my first choice because of the 'new, shiny' factor. I'd prefer stainless (the initial impetus for my interest in the Coop was the Vanax), but v4e/4v is probably my favorite all around steel at this point, and Magnacut seems poised to take over as a 'stainless 4v' option. I'm actually not a giant fan of CruWear (I prefer 4v), but I'll definitely buy any Chad Kelly collaboration, in whatever steel it runs in.

Chad's sheath is masterful. It holds the blade at exactly the right angle for me, in horizontal (ish) carry. I don't think it's really feasible to replicate it for a production blade, but I think that the sheath is a very important (and often overlooked) component of any small EDC fixed blade. Without a good sheath for easy carry, a small fixed blade is almost impossible to EDC.

The grip is very comfortable, but probably 3 fingers for most users. I'm surprised at how well it locks into my hand. I've long preferred a forward finger choil (like the Guardian) but the Coop is making me re-think this. The gentle 'hook' at the end really helps lock this in despite the relatively short handle.

This is a small knife. I've attached a photo next to an LT Wright Patriot for size comparison. I'm not sure how well the market would receive it. It's definitely a very useful EDC (or day hike) size, but I think most people would hesitate to bring it as an 'only' knife on a longer outdoor trip. I actually think it would excel for multi day backpacking (it's very light) but I'm not sure how the sales would be.

I'll try to get a few more size comparison photos and post them (maybe tomorrow evening?).





Sorry for my poor image quality. I'm just sitting in my kitchen trying to get photos, and the lighting isn't ideal.

[TomAiello]

I covet that.

Me too.

[TomAiello]

For sure would carry one of those! What's the overall length?

[Xplorer]

Oh! I could probably be in for a Coop or kestrel if the handles/scales were nice and simple (for some reason metal bolsters don’t speak to me).

Xplorer, your custom scales are gorgeous though! There have been very few fixed blades out there that really jumped out at me and these are two of them…as well as those puukko’s! Those handles are crazy!

Thank you!! Those Puukkos were a fun little learning adventure. I was able to test a total of 15 variables (questions I had in my mind about construction details mostly) within those 3 knives. I went into that "test" build thinking I'd just do some basic leather stacked handles...but I struggle with leaving handles basic.. So, I had fun swapping out the leather for other materials and made some more colorful variations instead.


Thank you as well for mentioning the Kestrel! It's small like the Coop but this one is more of a gents EDC with a full height hollow grind, bolsters and a tapered tang.

[TomAiello]

Chad, do you have a Heron/Coop size comparison photo?

[bjz]

I suppose it’s time to start saving…here I thought a watu+scales was going to be my only real purchase next year

[Xplorer]

I covet that.

With the lanyard hole there even a guy with fat mitts like me can tie a stout lanyard on the end and voila, the rest of the hand has something to wrap around.

I'm especially appreciative to hear you put it that way. I believe that if a person is going to spend the money for a custom knife they should covet it. A full custom knife like the one you referred to is a tool designed to perform first, but there's no denying it's an indulgence as well. IMO when you "invest" in a custom knife it should bring you joy whether you're using it or just looking at it. This is one of the reasons I think it's worthwhile to spend a lot of time trying to make every knife handle visually interesting. Not saying I always succeed there.. just saying I always think it's worth a try .

[Xplorer]

I believe that Coop 005 (pictured in Chad's post) is the one that I own.

The only other small fixed blade contender for time on my belt at this point is the Bradford guardian 3 (wharncliffe, Vanadis 4 Extra). But the Coop has definitely displaced it as my go-to. My Coop is Vanax (which is not an option for a collaboration, apparently).

This is my all time favorite small fixed blade (and I own _many_ small fixed blades). I have been EDCing it for a couple months now. Some thoughts:

I like the handle/blade ratio better than the Enuf (probably the closest Spyderco competitor in terms of size and general use for me).

I'm extremely fond of the relatively tall blade, which gives the Coop excellent slicing geometry.

I'd love to see a version in Magnacut. If Spyderco does a collaboration, I'll definitely buy it in any steel, but Magnacut would be my first choice because of the 'new, shiny' factor. I'd prefer stainless (the initial impetus for my interest in the Coop was the Vanax), but v4e/4v is probably my favorite all around steel at this point, and Magnacut seems poised to take over as a 'stainless 4v' option. I'm actually not a giant fan of CruWear (I prefer 4v), but I'll definitely buy any Chad Kelly collaboration, in whatever steel it runs in.

Chad's sheath is masterful. It holds the blade at exactly the right angle for me, in horizontal (ish) carry. I don't think it's really feasible to replicate it for a production blade, but I think that the sheath is a very important (and often overlooked) component of any small EDC fixed blade. Without a good sheath for easy carry, a small fixed blade is almost impossible to EDC.

The grip is very comfortable, but probably 3 fingers for most users. I'm surprised at how well it locks into my hand. I've long preferred a forward finger choil (like the Guardian) but the Coop is making me re-think this. The gentle 'hook' at the end really helps lock this in despite the relatively short handle.

This is a small knife. I've attached a photo next to an LT Wright Patriot for size comparison. I'm not sure how well the market would receive it. It's definitely a very useful EDC (or day hike) size, but I think most people would hesitate to bring it as an 'only' knife on a longer outdoor trip. I actually think it would excel for multi day backpacking (it's very light) but I'm not sure how the sales would be.

I'll try to get a few more size comparison photos and post them (maybe tomorrow evening?).





Sorry for my poor image quality. I'm just sitting in my kitchen trying to get photos, and the lighting isn't ideal.

Wow! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about your Coop Tom! And, yes...that was your Coop #005 in my post.

I'm flattered and humbled to see you say it's your all time favorite small fixed blade. Thank you!

I'm glad to hear the sheath configuration is working out for you. I too think the sheath and how it's carried are critical design aspects for a small fixed blade.

I hope to see more pics of your Coop in the future as well.

[Xplorer]

Chad, do you have a Heron/Coop size comparison photo?

The two knives (Heron and Coop) are similar in shape but quite different in size. The Coop is a small 3-finger EDC meant to be light and easy to carry and ready to handle the common cutting tasks that the day may bring. The Heron is a full hand grip sized handle with a blade that is just large enough to be a useful bait knife and a reliable fisherman's companion while compact enough to carry every day. These attributes also happen to translate very well to general EDC use.

I don't have a photo of one of of the final Herons next to a Coop but I do have the size comparison you're looking for. These knives tend to sell as soon as they're finished so I don't usually have two finished knives in the same room at the same time unless I'm keeping them for myself. Here's a picture of the first prototype for the Heron (same size but missing multiple refinements) next to a first generation Coop. Both knife designs are more refined now than what is pictured here but the size comparison is accurate.


Here's a coop in the hand..



Here's a heron in the hand..

[elena86]

This fixie was custom made for me by Chad Kelly. Mark my words, the man is a true master . Once again, thank you Chad ! I treasure this beauty. Looking forward to a collab with Spyderco.

[TomAiello]

Now I definitely want a Heron. :)

Selfishly, I think I'd rather see the Heron as a collaboration, because that way I could get my hands on one.

The Heron does seem like a size with a larger market appeal to me. It seems like the EDC market is dominated by folders, and most people would put the Coop in the EDC role, rather than an outdoors role. Most people buying fixed blades seem to want larger fixed blades. I could be wrong though. I know several people on this forum who EDC fixed blades (myself included). It's just much rarer to see that in the general public, even where I live out here in the provinces (where seeing people carrying fixed blades--or handguns--doesn't really cause any surprise). On the other hand, the average member of the public is unlikely to buy a knife in the Spyderco collaboration price range for any reason, so maybe that's not an important consideration.

[standy99]

I’m in for anything Spyderco does in collaboration

But any chance to show this beauty….


The Osprey is a larger offering. This was my 50th present to myself. I gave Chad free range with the design and now enjoy the spoils.
Don’t let the prettiest knife I own fool you. This will be used like every knife I own in Northern Australia and it’s been made for it. It came with a swag of sheaths as I think Chad covered all my wishes for carry.

















My preferred carry