Catcherman Sprint

[vivi]

Who else is interested in a Catcherman sprint run? What materials and colors would you like to see used?

I missed out in the USN sprint run. Hearing JD Spydos enthusiasm for the model I've looked up the specs and what I found piqued my interest. It offers more cutting edge than the Military or Police, in a package weighing less than 3 ounces. As a fan of both big knives and lightweight knives, that sounds amazing.

I'd be interested in seeing PE LC200N or SE H1, with FRN scales. For the color I figure something bright matches the design intents of the knife, so maybe a shade of orange?

This is a design I've slept on, but after taking a fresh look at the specs, I could easily see this becoming a work horse of my EDC rotation. Much like my SE Pacific Salt that I value for its weight to blade ratio, the Catcherman seems like it would prove itself as a versatile cutting tool.

[NoFair]

PE LC200N would be sweet. I have a CE MBS-26 one that I really like. Very thin and slicey

[xceptnl]

I traded my last one away because I never seemed to carry it, but it was as thin and slicey as they come. I would love to see a sprint in any configuration Sal comes up with. Just like a Spyderhawk sprint

[brj]

**** yeah, I'd be in for at least one regardless of blade steel and handle color (would prefer full SE though)

[sailhand]

An lc200n catcherman would be a fantastic knife. The catchermen would be a natural for lc200n and i would definitely grab one.

[KnickKnackCity]

Yes please. Have always had an eye on this model but never wanted it bad enough to shell out asking prices on the secondary market. PE DLC LC200N , neon orange frn, and all black hardware would make me extra happy.

[Tdog]

I don't really need this, but if the LC200N appeared, I'd pick up a couple. Would make great gifts. I still don't have any LC200N, was gonna get the Mule but trying (with not much success) :o to limit my purchases. This would definitely open my wallet.

[sal]

Catcherman variations have not done well in the past. I question whether LC would make a difference.

sal

[xceptnl]

Catcherman variations have not done well in the past. I question whether LC would make a difference.

sal

Do you have feedback or data to reinforce why it hasn't Sal?

[vivi]

Catcherman variations have not done well in the past. I question whether LC would make a difference.

sal

Thanks for the honest input Sal, even if its not what I was hoping to hear.

[Tdog]

I wonder how long it took the USN Catcherman to sell out? Seems like they weren't around for long.

[NoFair]

Catcherman variations have not done well in the past. I question whether LC would make a difference.

sal

It is a pretty specialized design so I understand why sales are low. Happy I have one at least, considering how well the MBS has held up it will probably last me more fish than I'll spearfish as a freediver Just have to remember to clean it after saltwater use.

[PaleMoon]

I wonder how long it took the USN Catcherman to sell out? Seems like they weren't around for long.

I think it took a good while, actually. I remember putting it in my cart on several occasions, but ultimately two things made me decide against buying it, namely the combo edge and the integrated clip. I'd be all over a Catcherman sprint with an Endura 3 or 4 style clip, and full PE or SE blade (but especially full PE).

I'm confident they'd sell at least a little better in that configuration, but I'm guessing it would be quite risky on Spyderco's part to re-do the FRN molds just to change the clip on a somewhat unpopular model.

[Tdog]

I wonder how long it took the USN Catcherman to sell out? Seems like they weren't around for long.

I think it took a good while, actually. I remember putting it in my cart on several occasions, but ultimately two things made me decide against buying it, namely the combo edge and the integrated clip. I'd be all over a Catcherman sprint with an Endura 3 or 4 style clip, and full PE or SE blade (but especially full PE).

I'm confident they'd sell at least a little better in that configuration, but I'm guessing it would be quite risky on Spyderco's part to re-do the FRN molds just to change the clip on a somewhat unpopular model.

Funny, I agree with you on both shortcomings on the USN Catcherman. I'm not a fan of the integrated clip or the combo edge. I still picked one up. Perhaps CQI upgrades would make this model cost prohibitive, particularly if it wasn't a good seller. I know on the bay the USN's have sold for big bucks, so there must be some demand. Maybe we'll see a dedicated fillet knife? :spyder:

[JD Spydo]

An lc200n catcherman would be a fantastic knife. The catchermen would be a natural for lc200n and i would definitely grab one.

Yeah I was thinking the other day that LC200N would be ideal for a Sprint Run of the CATCHERMAN. However there is one big condition to all of this>> and I deeply feel as serious fans we've been cheated when Spyderco quit making the CATCHERMEN in full Spyderedge. It was all the way back to the AUS-8 era when you could still get one. I have one of the AUS-8 full SE units that is a serious user and there isn't a week that goes by that I don't use it at least 3 to 5 times in a week.

But I would also want the exact same SE pattern that the AUS-8 model has in full SE. Now don't get me wrong because I own several of the Catcherman model in combo edge too>> as far as I know there never was a Catcherman in full plain edge>>> so maybe on the Sprint Run there should be a full Spyderedge, Combo Edge and Plain edge. If Spyderco made 600 to 1000 of each of those variants in LC200N I do believe there would be a "revival" in that model.

I want to seriously thank Brother VIVI for starting this thread. Because the CATCHERMAN model should never be forgotten. Now I would be open to new handle materials or even listen to suggestions of other blade steels. But as of now I think the LC200N in all three edge types would just be right in time for the holidays. The Catcherman is so useful and practical that it would make a perfect Christmas gift IMO.

[ZrowsN1s]

LC200N, MAP under $100, I would be interested.

[JD Spydo]

LC200N, MAP under $100, I would be interested.

I'm sure if they kept the FRN handle it would go for less than $100 because it was always intended to be one of their "hard use" knives like the ones in their Salt Series>> you just don't see too many collector pieces from the Salt Series>> the original H-1 Spyderhawk being one of the rare exceptions. I know a lot of guys insist on a fixed blade fillet knife and I won't argue with them because I have a couple of fixed blade fillet knives I use for different jobs. But for filleting fish and other kitchen/food chores I don't have many other knives that I prefer to use as much as I do my Catcherman models >> especially my full Spyderedged AUS-8 model>> sure wish I would have kept the yellow handled AUS-8 SE Catcherman I had. Oh yes a nuclear colored handle on a Catcherman model is great. The nuclear green, H-1, USN Sprint was a masterpiece.

But regardless what they do with a Sprint Run I know that many of us are very anxious to have a full Spyderedged Catcherman again. It's just that good of a tool>> I use my full SE Catcherman at least 3 times as much as I do any of my others.

OK the nitrogen based steels seem to be what most people would like to see in a Sprint Run of the Catcherman>> but I'm really thinking which blade steel would really do that model justice. Yeah a Catcherman with a supersteel. I bet chefs all over the country would love something like that.

[ZrowsN1s]

You know what might help sell a sprint of this? Use one of the new "rust proof" steels spyderco is testing besides LC and H1.

[sailhand]

If the catcherman was not such a good seller it may have been due to two main reasons. Firstly a fillet knife tends to mainly see use around water in fishing based activities and rust is a major factor, the early catchermen were not corrosion proof and to me at least that is a complete waste of time. Secondly when the usn h1 variety came out we finally had a truly rust free folding fillet knife for the first time ever, however the edge retention in h1 plain edge is below par compared to other good steels that we knife junkies perceive as being acceptible. An lc200n version would actually be the first completely corrosion free folding fillet knife ever produced with , what I would consider, acceptable edge retention . I love se h1 but i prefer a plain edge for filleting as do all the other fishermen I know. Don't recall seeing a se fillet knife ever although there are probably many out there. It's like a fishing reel, drag may be good, gear ratio good, but line capacity too low and it won't sell. The combination of properties has to be right to achieve maximum sales and i personally don't feel the catchermen concept has ever really had the chance to fly, it's always come up short in one property or another for me. I think that most people would consider edge retention and corrosion resistance two very important properties of a folding fillet knife, and in fact I don't think these two properties have ever been combined in a folder. I must admit I prefer the wire clip idea but otherwise the catcherman concept just needs corrosion resistance and edge retention in the one package to really let it fly. This combination has never existed to my knowledge and is somewhat of a holy grail for me personally, in fact even a fixed blade with those two main criteria does not exist and i think the first to bring this combination to the market at a reasonable price point as a fillet knife will be blown away by the sales strength. There is a huge demand for something like this and I really can't fathom why no one has attempted to bring a corrosion proof fillet knife with great edge retention to the marketplace. I am never going to buy a folding fillet knife that might corrode to use for filleting fish in a saltwater environment , I may as well buy an f40 ferrari to do the Paris to Dakar and see how far I get. And I won't buy a knife with low edge retention for a fillet knife again. I already have three h1 plain edge knives and find the edge retention worse than my cheap frosts or rapala fillet knives that i can buy for 12 dollars. I was lucky enough to score a never summer in lc200n and it is the best knife I have ever owned for two very simple basic tenets. It stays sharp and won't corrode and those are fundamental properties of any good knife for me, leave out one or the other and you've got nothing in my opinion, but that's just me. Now the shortfalls of the native as a fillet knife are many, the main one is probably length, however it was never meant to be a fillet knife, but it is the best one I own and I've got a lot. The reason I think it is the best is its the only knife I own that stays sharp and won't corrode in the one package. Personally I find that my hand is more suited to the caly 3.5 type ergonomics than the native but i love my never summer like no other knife I have ever owned. Ironically I bought the never summer on a run out sale through spyderco, so obviously sales where not that strong. I think that may have been due to the fact that lc200n was relatively new and its potential not fully appreciated, I believe that to no longer be the case. I don't think a 300 dollar fillet knife will sell well as fillet knives tend to be consigned to the depths on a regular basis, but a simple knife with low development costs, ie a sprint run of an existing knife, would hit the target market perfectly and still be a profitable excercise. Spyderco have essentially one folding fillet knife and that is the catcherman, it is crying out for an lc200n sprint run.

[sailhand]

The usn catcherman was unavailable in australia when it was released due to some archaic legislation dreamed up by some bureaucrat that outlawed the importation of single handed opening knives with a blade longer than I think 3 inches, can't remember the exact length. Anyway I would definitely have bought one if I could have. Thankfully those idiotic laws have been repealed so I will most definitely buy probably several catcherman lc200n sprint runs. It would be a fantastic knife for my life on the sea, a folder that could get salt and blood etc in every nook and cranny and just laugh at it. A perfect solution for many fisherman I would imagine.