Southard Positron (Ion) Status Check

[Firebat]

Thanks for the link to the video.

Liner looks sufficiently thick, was afraid it would be really thin. Looking forward to handling it in person in another couple of days.

[jimmyjohnjohn]

The lock bar is 0.045" thick.

Here it is next to a Spyderco Southard, Spyderco Terzuola Slip-it, Native 5, Manix 2 and Szabo. The picture quality is terrible because I had to use a flash indoors, but it will have to do.

[SpeedHoles]

Looks really nice!

Good comparison with the Native 5

[farnorthdan]

I cant decide if I like this one or not...I'll have to stew on it for a while, I gots so manys that aint gettin enough love as it is...

[xplorer42]

I picked mine up today and I love it. It has better flipping action than I anticipated. The fit and finish are just as great as I have come to expect from Taichung. This is going to be a nice light-weight addition to my collection. I can see paring this with my Bradley Bowie fixed blade as well as using it as a light EDC.




Nice work Brad and Spyderco!

[hoimin]

I am very attracted to this piece.

[Liquid Cobra]

Well...that's probably one of the nicest looking designs I've seen in a long time. I'm gonna have to move some stuff around to get one of these but it will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine. Okay I'm a dork lol.

[elena86]

So frustrated.I was expecting a little Southard. As much as I like the Southard I'll skip this one.Bummer !

[Spydesense]

Gorgeous CF...thanks for the pics guys!

[Liquid Cobra]

So frustrated.I was expecting a little Southard. As much as I like the Southard I'll skip this one.Bummer !

What's disappointing about it? I find it to be a smaller Southard with some tweaks to the design that I really like.

They removed the weird clip and put in a wire clip, one of my favourite clips. They made it ffg which will make it a much better slicer. The blade shape is more refined and less odd looking. Then they added beautiful Carbon fiber scales. I'm seriously stoked for this knife.

[gbelleh]

What's disappointing about it? I find it to be a smaller Southard with some tweaks to the design that I really like.

They removed the weird clip and out in a wire clip, one of my favourite clips. They made it ffg which will make it a much better slicer. The blade shaper is more refined and less odd looking. Then they added beautify Carbon fiber scales. I'm seriously stoked for this knife.

Yeah, me too. The Positron seems to fix everything I don't really like about the Southard. I'm looking forward it.

[SpyderNut]

Wow... That is really nice. This definitely gives me something to think about.

[elena86]

So frustrated.I was expecting a little Southard. As much as I like the Southard I'll skip this one.Bummer !

What's disappointing about it? I find it to be a smaller Southard with some tweaks to the design that I really like.

They removed the weird clip and put in a wire clip, one of my favourite clips. They made it ffg which will make it a much better slicer. The blade shape is more refined and less odd looking. Then they added beautiful Carbon fiber scales. I'm seriously stoked for this knife.

Blade shape more refined ...? I have to disagree on that.But that's me.In fact, long before the Positron I had a private discussion with Brad and I was expecting something very similar with his Tarsus model.THAT would have been my cup of tea.

[koenigsegg]

Mine just shipped. Specifically curious about two things: how thick is the lock bar/liner and how stabby is the butt end of the handle...looks pointy and hoping the points have been knocked off the corners.

According to the metal I could get a caliper on the liners are .05" thick.
The end of the handle does have a bit of a sharp point.

I just got mine today, this thing is so tiny I feel like I'm going to drop it when I try to flip it lol
Hopefully I'll get used to it more soon.
Everything else looks amazing although I did expect the carbon to be a bit darker, from what I've seen in pictures.

[swigert]

Mine just shipped. Specifically curious about two things: how thick is the lock bar/liner and how stabby is the butt end of the handle...looks pointy and hoping the points have been knocked off the corners.

According to the metal I could get a caliper on the liners are .05" thick.
The end of the handle does have a bit of a sharp point.

I just got mine today, this thing is so tiny I feel like I'm going to drop it when I try to flip it lol
Hopefully I'll get used to it more soon.
Everything else looks amazing although I did expect the carbon to be a bit darker, from what I've seen in pictures.

One of the hardest things for me when getting into Spyderco was trying to guess how a knife would feel and how big or small it would be....

[bearfacedkiller]

It seemed to me to be about the same size as a Delica but with a thicker handle.

[ABX2011]

I received mine and promptly sold it.
As I suspected, the handle ridge doesn't line up well on my medium hand. With two fingers on either side of the ridge, I'm gripping the handle further back than I'd like. The handle is long enough for me though.
It doesn't flip as well as my Southard or Domino.
I found it very difficult to access the lock.

[Firebat]

Got mine today.

Nice compact package. Nested liners give it a sturdy feeling despite the size and relatively light weight. Feels well made.

Flipping action is fine. Doesn't have a strong enough detent for an explosive action, but it is smooth and works more or less effortlessly.

The blade finish is really nicely done, very good looking stone wash, and the edge is ground even and very sharp. Much sharper than my CS XHP Para 2 out of the box.

Lock bar is a little difficult to access, but not too bad. Lock up seems solid, no detectable play.

The thing I don't like and was afraid of is the pointy corners on the end of the handle. To me, it's a big ergonomic oversight. Especially on this particular model. Let me explain:

-When I close the knife with one hand, I set the rear of the handle into the lower part of my palm to unlock the liner. My index finger supports the handle and keeps pressure on the knife as I release the lock. The pointy corners dig into my hand. Does it hurt? Am I in tears? Am I a giant baby? No, no and maybe. It just seems unnecessarily uncomfortable.

-Clipped into my right pocket, anytime my arm drops to me side and my hand happens to brush by my pocket, I get poked by the pointy corner sticking out. I was doing dishes this evening, just moving around the kitchen and must've felt that dang corner like a dozen times. Again, just seems unnecessarily uncomfortable.

-Perhaps most frustrating....if you look closely at the tip of the handle and follow that line on the handle towards the spine/back spacer to the corner nearest the clip....that corner is chamfered! No sharp points at those corners, but for some reason the back of the handle gets turned into a what, if left unaddressed, will become a constant annoyance to me. You can see the chamfer line get thinner and then disappear at the tip of the handle to a nice unbroken, sharp point. Pic below, apologies for cell phone macro quality. Blue circle is unbroken pointy bit, red line follows partial chamfer. Both sides are the same.

I want to like the knife, and this may seem like a minor quibble, but I kind of don't right this second. Might take something to the points and try to round them over a bit.

FWIW, anyway.

[hoimin]

I appreciate all the early-adopters' initial impressions, both good and bad. I look forward to hearing your feedback after a few weeks of use.

Does the design lend itself to more of a three-finger grip with pointer finger riding the spine vs. the hammer grip?

Is carbon fiber relatively easy to grind away (e.g. on the flats of the Sharpmaker brown stones) to mitigate some of the pointy handle concerns?

[SpeedHoles]

^ Always have to be very careful with containing carbon dust when grinding or sanding! Dangerous stuff.