Spyderco Amsterdam Meet 2023 Report

[apollo]

Mooi !

The Spyderco Native Chief Lightweight was another large folder that was shown at the 2023 Amsterdam Meet. The first thing I noticed when handling it, was the weight. Or rather the lack of weight. There are no liners in the handle of the Native Chief Lightweight. Combined with such a large blade, the lightweight effect in the hand is striking.

I immediately thought of you when i held this production sample…

So, guys, since you actually held that prototype... are you sure there isn't a typo in the 54g specification ? Did it really feel that light ?!

I am not the best guy to ask ( and offcoarse i am not a human scale )
But it is indeed extremely light for its size.
It feels pure like blade weight to me personally.

[Araignee]

I am not the best guy to ask ( and offcoarse i am not a human scale )
But it is indeed extremely light for its size.
It feels pure like blade weight to me personally.

Well that sounds promising then

This could become a pretty popular knife in the Spyderco lineup, especially if the price has also undergone a fair drop.

[apollo]

I am not the best guy to ask ( and offcoarse i am not a human scale )
But it is indeed extremely light for its size.
It feels pure like blade weight to me personally.

Well that sounds promising then

This could become a pretty popular knife in the Spyderco lineup, especially if the price has also undergone a fair drop.

Frn molds are not cheap to make i fear. So its hard to tell if the price will drop allot or not.

[Wartstein]

I am not the best guy to ask ( and offcoarse i am not a human scale )
But it is indeed extremely light for its size.
It feels pure like blade weight to me personally.

Well that sounds promising then

This could become a pretty popular knife in the Spyderco lineup, especially if the price has also undergone a fair drop.

Folks, I commit myself: 1 9 oz for that knife can't be true.
I know the Salt 2 ffg (that one comes in at 1.9), the Stretch XL (2.7) and there is no way they could make such a large knife THAT light, but not too flimsy

Actually I' d be glad should I be wrong, but I can't imagine that I am...

[Wartstein]

...

...

Frn molds are not cheap to make i fear. So its hard to tell if the price will drop allot or not.

I think the FRN version will cost less than the G10 - partly couse of the steel (I assume BD1N instead of S30V?).
But I also figure Spyderco only "goes FRN" when they anticipate high enough sales to ammortize the cost of the molds - and as soon as those have "paid themselves off", FRN handles are more cost efficient than G10, as far as I know

[aicolainen]

Agreed, Wartstein. The blade alone probably exceeds 1.9oz, so that simply can't be the real weight. I have no doubt it's still light for its size though.

[Araignee]

If it's above the magical 54g but still feels incredibly feather light, it would remain a very interesting novelty.

If Wouter could provide a clarification as to how the weight measurement was taken, it'd be nice
Perhaps he used a portable scale, which malfunctioned ?

[apollo]

...

...

Frn molds are not cheap to make i fear. So its hard to tell if the price will drop allot or not.

I think the FRN version will cost less than the G10 - partly couse of the steel (I assume BD1N instead of S30V?).
But I also figure Spyderco only "goes FRN" when they anticipate high enough sales to ammortize the cost of the molds - and as soon as those have "paid themselves off", FRN handles are more cost efficient than G10, as far as I know

Totally agree. And it will be cheaper then the g10. Only thing i fear is the days of large differences between frn and g10 maybe are gone atleast for now. I remember days that the difference were 100$ but i do not believe such things are still possible.
Since Spyderco like others in the steel industrie are having a rough time at the moment.

[Brock O Lee]

I'm curious about the handle on the Military 2. Reviews I've seen on the current Military indicate the handle is more chamfered than that of the PM2, but in the pictures of the Military 2 the handle edges look similar to the PM2. Any thoughts?

This was my first thought too when I saw the pictures of the M2 here. It would make sense too, given the price will be lower than the M1. Cost savings have to come from somewhere...

We'll have to wait and see. This is probably just a prototype, it may still turn out differently, I hope.

[V1.5]

The Native Chief lightweight is a feat of design, engineering and manufacturing. A 4"+ blade and 1.9 oz weight. Amazing.

[Mr Blonde]

Regards the LW Native Chief:

Blade: 4.08 inch / 104 mm
Weight: 1.9 oz / 54 g

Outstanding! My next backpacking knife! Light enough to carry, big enough to make a difference! Wow!

EDIT, just did the calculations on my "ratio" spreadsheet, and this new LW Native positively blows other knives out of the water with its extreme ratio of blade length to weight, as well as edge length to weight. No other ratios even come close. The LW Chief is certain to become a preferred backpacking knife! Thank you Spyderco!!

It turned out I misread the notes and made an error with the Native Chief Lightweight’s weight. It is -or rather is more likely to be- 2.96 oz / 84 g. I’m sure Spyderco will note the ultimately correct weight for this knife. I’m sorry for any confusion. I already corrected it in my post. Still, I cannot emphasize enough how incredibly light this knife is, considering that large blade.

[Mr Blonde]

If it's above the magical 54g but still feels incredibly feather light, it would remain a very interesting novelty.

If Wouter could provide a clarification as to how the weight measurement was taken, it'd be nice
Perhaps he used a portable scale, which malfunctioned ?

I used a portable digital scale, with all its inherent inaccuracies, but it turned out I misread the notes. My apologies. It is -or rather is more likely to be- 2.96 oz / 84 g. I’m sure Spyderco will note the ultimately correct weight for this knife. I’m sorry for any confusion. I already corrected it in my post. Still, I cannot emphasize enough how incredibly light this knife is, considering that large blade.

[Evil D]

Don't sweat it man, most of us knew it couldn't be true, though I do admit I had my hopes up lol.

[Mr Blonde]

The Spyderco Salt series will be expanded with a Para Military 2. There truly will be a Para Military 2 for any occasion I guess, with all the variants we’ve seen so far, and now one for maritime use. This production sample featured black peel-ply G-10 handle scales, finished with a design of bidirectional grooves. According to Eric, the overall plan is to make a Salt version of every knife, made in the US factory. And although it’s hard to make out in these photos, I had a hard time getting a good shot of the engraving, the blade will be made of MagnaCut. The liners and all other hardware were coated black.































Specifications
Closed: 4.82 inch / 122 mm
Overall: 8.24 inch / 209 mm
Blade: 3.42 inch / 87 mm
Edge: 3.04 inch / 77 mm
Thickness: 0.145 inch / 3.7 mm
Steel: CPM MagnaCut
Weight: 3.77 oz / 107 g
Grind: Full-flat
Lock: Compression
Handle: G-10
Carry: Ambi
Clip: 4-position
Origin: USA


I have no information on pricing or release dates.

[Mushroom]

Very cool to finally see a PM2 Salt! I’m not at all surprised that it will feature Magnacut but I am surprised it’s using G10 scales. Also surprised to see it still has nested liners and I love that it’s listed as a “production sample.” Would be great if it was featured in the next reveal catalog.

Lastly, I love the milling pattern on the G10! It’s very “Carribean-esque” but with the perpendicular ridge it reminds me of an abstract fish bone pattern and I’m probably going to buy one for that reason alone!

[Manixguy@1994]

PM2 Salt ? I’m all in ! Whoopee ! MG2

[Mr Blonde]

The SpyOpera Sprint Run has already been revealed in … Reveal 11 in 2022. Seeing it ‘in the flesh’, or rather ‘in the steel and carbon fiber’ is something else. It is a stunning piece, a great collectible and/or gent’s folder. The SpyOpera will be made in a Sprint Run of about 1500 pieces. The carbon fiber is of impressive quality. The machining of the 3D handles shows no voids or holes, just a tight and clean pattern of carbon fibers. It also has titanium liners and a crowned spine. The lanyard hole is another impressive feat of engineering and machining from the Italian maker of this sprint run SpyOpera.





























Specifications
Closed: 4.03 inch / 102 mm
Overall: 6.90 inch / 175 mm
Blade: 2.90 inch / 74 mm
Edge: 2.72 inch / 69 mm
Thickness: 0.118 inch / 3.0 mm
Steel: Damasteel DS93X
Weight: 2.7 oz / 77g
Grind: Full-flat
Lock: Back Lock
Handle: Carbon Fiber
Carry: Ambi
Clip: Tip-up
Origin: Italy

I have no information on pricing or release dates.

[ladybug93]

dang. that's a cool pm2. i like what they've done with the scales a lot. now, i wonder where my manix salt is...


eta: that pm2 definitely needs a coated blade.

[Freediver]

PM 2 Magnacut and “salt version of every US knife”?! Fantastic news. I look forward to your thread every year. Thank you so much for your efforts.

[Mr Blonde]

PM 2 Magnacut and “salt version of every US knife”?! Fantastic news. I look forward to your thread every year. Thank you so much for your efforts.

The operative term would be 'overall plan', not a short term promise...