Still the best pocket knife Spyderco ever made

[Wartstein]

In this modern society we all live in if it is in the US or the EU carrying a knife publicly is never a thing you should do noticeable no matter the local laws. Carrying and using a knife in public needs to be thought over for every use these days. Like Chris reeves moto think twice , cut ones…

I am fortunate enough to live in an area where carrying a 4.5 inch fixed blade conspicuously on my hip in the grocery store is totally fine and doesn't raise any eyebrows. It is sad that it can't be like that everywhere.

I am very glad for you. But know this it only takes a 1 rotten apple to ruin a perfect basket. I hope i am wrong but if i was you i would enjoy it as much as possible before some “smart” guy comes along and ruin’s it for you just to lower some crime rates or whatever.

There is this viewtopic.php?f=5&t=94262 discussion in the off topic section right now, you guys might be interested in or want to contribute...

[bearfacedkiller]

In this modern society we all live in if it is in the US or the EU carrying a knife publicly is never a thing you should do noticeable no matter the local laws. Carrying and using a knife in public needs to be thought over for every use these days. Like Chris reeves moto think twice , cut ones…

Thank goodness I don’t live in modern society. I put zero thought into carrying or using knives in public.

The divide here in the US is rural vs urban.

[elena86]

Funny how "best" is such a wide word?

As a designer trying to create functional products/tools for an ever elusive market, we (designers) shoot our best shot to take an idea (mere muscle twitches and gland secretions) and turn it into a working tool, is a guess at best.

Not only do we guess about who will appreciate the design, but also, are there enough of that type to support the production of the model.

When I first began designing modern slip joints, about 20 years ago, Most of my staff thought I was nuts. I had the help of the British knife guys on the British forums. We "designed to a law". Then I expanded the concept to different sizes. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect something like the Urban would be called the "best" by anyone.

Just some thoughts to share.

sal

Thank you for your thoughts sir. Once again you prooved yourself as a “outside the time” genius designer when you imagined and designed these awesome little slipits. I hope the (spinning) pivot issue will be solved for the Metropolitan and the blade will be ground as thin behind the edge as my beloved K390 Urban blade. I don’t care much for the steel as long as it’s a decent stainless steel.

[Matus]

Urban is a fantastic design, I agree 100%. In fact - I have the 'basic' one in BD1N in my pocket right now (together with a black wire clip it is basically invisible and I carry it in office ). I also have the k390 which I really like. I would like to swap the blade to a black handle - or at least upgrade the backspring from a different Urban as the one in my k390 model is on the weak side. But I have not been able to take it apart because of the rotating nuts and I did not want to butcher it.

And yes - the slightly longer blade of the k390 is visually much more appealing (even though the practical difference when cutting is not really noticeable).

And yes, I am going to say it - I would LOVE to see a back lock urban (or even a compression lock). I know, I know - there is that Lil' Native LW stuck somewhere in the process, but IMO Urban has better ergos.

[aicolainen]

And yes, I am going to say it - I would LOVE to see a back lock urban (or even a compression lock). I know, I know - there is that Lil' Native LW stuck somewhere in the process, but IMO Urban has better ergos.

This is like reading my own thoughts before I've had the chance to think them.
I really agree with this. Now there was some talk about a Caly 2.5 in another thread, and while I have no prior experience, Sal revealed a close lineage with the Urban. So if that comes to fruition, I guess that will be our back lock Urban, or as close as we'll ever get.

I don't have either knife in front of me right now, but if I remember correctly, the Urban has both better ergos and a more efficient design than the Lil'Native. For pretty much similar handle length, the Urban gives me a slightly longer cutting edge. That's even though the blade on the Lil' pretty much fills the handle, while my HH exclusive S90V/G10 Urban sadly has generous amounts of unused space in the handle.

One thing (at least) that has my somewhat excited for the Lil'LW is that it's supposed to be thinner. At least the blade stock, but I hope even the total width goes down a little. I find the thickness of the regular Lil'Native compared to its closed footprint make it a little pocket brick, and I gravitate to slimmer Seki models instead.
I also expect the Lil'LW to be further down the pipeline than a possible Caly 2.5, so there's that too.

[Matus]

And yes, I am going to say it - I would LOVE to see a back lock urban (or even a compression lock). I know, I know - there is that Lil' Native LW stuck somewhere in the process, but IMO Urban has better ergos.

This is like reading my own thoughts before I've had the chance to think them.
I really agree with this. Now there was some talk about a Caly 2.5 in another thread, and while I have no prior experience, Sal revealed a close lineage with the Urban. So if that comes to fruition, I guess that will be our back lock Urban, or as close as we'll ever get.

I completely forgot about the (probably in a more distant future) planned Caly 2.5. Indeed - that could get really close to a lock back Urban.

I don't have either knife in front of me right now, but if I remember correctly, the Urban has both better ergos and a more efficient design than the Lil'Native. For pretty much similar handle length, the Urban gives me a slightly longer cutting edge. That's even though the blade on the Lil' pretty much fills the handle, while my HH exclusive S90V/G10 Urban sadly has generous amounts of unused space in the handle.

One thing (at least) that has my somewhat excited for the Lil'LW is that it's supposed to be thinner. At least the blade stock, but I hope even the total width goes down a little. I find the thickness of the regular Lil'Native compared to its closed footprint make it a little pocket brick, and I gravitate to slimmer Seki models instead.
I also expect the Lil'LW to be further down the pipeline than a possible Caly 2.5, so there's that too.

Yes, it is the thinner stock of Lil' Native LW that makes it so interesting, the 3.2mm of the standard model ist just way too much for me personally.

[aicolainen]

@Matus
Two coffees later, I realize how bad my writing was in my previous post. Sorry about that :)
Seems you still managed to extract my main points from it, so it served its purpose someow.

[Bemo]

If you're looking for a locking Urban, then the CAT fulfills this. Granted it's a liner lock but it's the exact same handle profile. https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/C129G/669

[Mushroom]

If you're looking for a locking Urban, then the CAT fulfills this. Granted it's a liner lock but it's the exact same handle profile. https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/C129G/669

That’s a good comparison. Those two knives are very similar but not the exact same. The Cat’s handle is slightly taller. As already mentioned in this thread though, Sal recently said he would develop a prototype for a locking Urban, in the form of a Caly 2.5.

[Josh Crutchley]

If you're looking for a locking Urban, then the CAT fulfills this. Granted it's a liner lock but it's the exact same handle profile. https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/C129G/669

That’s a good comparison. Those two knives are very similar but not the exact same. The Cat’s handle is slightly taller. As already mentioned in this thread though, Sal recently said he would develop a prototype for a locking Urban, in the form of a Caly 2.5.

There's some slight differences but there very close. Definitely looking forward any variants, locking or not.

viewtopic.php?t=89522

[GarageBoy]

To me, the Urban and it's siblings came out as "comprise" designs (to fit around laws) - but the urban in particular is everything I wanted the dragonfly to be me. I don't love that it got shorted a little, but the handle is perfect for it's size and it's nice and slicey

[Fireman]

Love the ergos, but sadly I got in too late and have the dwarfed blade. It’s OK for when a slip joint is required, but the bulk to edge ratio sadly keeps it from seeping much regular carry.

What is the idea with the Metropolitan? Larger/smaller?

Larger as in 2,75 inch blade to fill the gap between the(sadly dwarfed) Urban and the UKPK. Sal said they are waiting for a proto allready....

Can we put a lock on the UKPK and call it the “Utopian”

[Sharp Guy]

In this modern society we all live in if it is in the US or the EU carrying a knife publicly is never a thing you should do noticeable no matter the local laws. Carrying and using a knife in public needs to be thought over for every use these days. Like Chris reeves moto think twice , cut ones…

Thank goodness I don’t live in modern society. I put zero thought into carrying or using knives in public.

The divide here in the US is rural vs urban.

I though that apollo must be joking but I guess not?

I live in a suburban area but wide open area is only a few minutes drive away. Even in urban area it's pretty normal to see a knife clipped to someone's pocket. I have one on me everyday even when I go into the office and I don't think anything of it

[Mushroom]

If you're looking for a locking Urban, then the CAT fulfills this. Granted it's a liner lock but it's the exact same handle profile. https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/C129G/669

That’s a good comparison. Those two knives are very similar but not the exact same. The Cat’s handle is slightly taller. As already mentioned in this thread though, Sal recently said he would develop a prototype for a locking Urban, in the form of a Caly 2.5.

There's some slight differences but there very close. Definitely looking forward any variants, locking or not.
https://i.ibb.co/hXBjKty/20210426-114443-3.jpg
viewtopic.php?t=89522

Correct, they are similar but not the exact same.

[Bemo]

Out of curiosity for those of you that have both, and not disputing the subjective feel factor, do you really notice the 1 - 2mm difference between them? I have small/medium hands and I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.

Edit: just to be clear I'm referring to the Urban an the CAT.

[Mushroom]

Personally, I can noticeably feel a distinct difference between the two.