Spyderco Waterway Impressions

[DSH007]

Great write-up Vivi! I absolutely agree with you about the sheath.. it is very well done, as is the knife. My Waterway has replaced my Junction as my "pack knife" for hiking/camping. I haven't had occasion to test it out much yet, but it seems like it will excel as an all-around user and I love the peace of mind that comes with LC200N in regard to corrosion resistance.. stick it in my pack and forget about it until I need to use it. Thanks for sharing your impressions.. much appreciated!

[vivi]

The video should be up in an hour or two. It's in the process of saving right now.

You forgot to mention something important... at least for me : thickness behind the edge !

I don't have the tools to measure it, I can only go by feel. Cutting performance is better than most factory edged knives I've used. No binding or splitting when I cut an apple, and it bites into wood aggressively when carving. Using it side by side with my (still factory edge) Perrin Bowie, it out performs it cutting wood and potatoes.

I'm going to sharpen the edge a bit today. I'm going to try 15DPS on the sharpmaker and see where that hits on the bevel. That should give us a good idea of the edge angle on mine at the least.

Won't be doing a full reprofile or anything, just gonna touch up the apex until it whittles hair.

[Surfingringo]

Hey Vivi, great observations and writeup as usual. First and foremost, thank you for buying a Waterway. I'd also like to thank you though for taking the time to use it and offer your thoughts. It has been a lot of fun the last week watching the forums and seeing people post their impressions. I love hearing everyone's thoughts but I am especially interested in threads like this where folks are giving their impressions after putting the design to some real use. Everything about the Waterway was designed in order to make it function well at tasks that are important to me (and hopefully many others). So, though I love reading how folks like the way if looks or feels, I appreciate even more when people are pleased with the way it works!

I initially designed the knife for myself as an all around fixed blade. I wanted the knife to be capable of handling about anything I did, but the top three uses I designed it for were 1. Fishing and hunting 2. Camping and bushcraft and 3. Emergency self defense. I have been excited to hear your thoughts on this knife for awhile and was hoping you would enjoy it. Honestly, we get to know each other's tastes here on the forum and I was relatively confident after reading so many of your posts that you would enjoy the design. I'm relieved to find that you do.

[Surfingringo]

What an excellent review! I can’t wait to get back to the states and pick mine up from the post office on Monday.

You spent considerable time writing about the handle texture, but it’s important to note that a quick pass with 220 or 400 grit sandpaper can tame that aggressiveness. It’s always best to start with too much texture because it’s easier to take away than put back. I actually hit coarse G10 with a 6 or 12k sandpaper which polishes/burnishes the finish. It basically takes the microscopic tops off of the texture, but leaves enough grip. It’s great for saving jeans pockets (with folders).

You nailed it buddy. We went that aggressive to make it function properly at its primary task. I think we struck a great balance between grip and comfort but I can see how some might find the texture slightly aggressive for prolonged woodworking or bushcraft. Like you said though, it is SUPER simple to knock the aggression down to one's taste with some very fine sandpaper. Absolutely nothing wrong with a simple mod like that but I would caution to go slow with very fine paper. The contact area of the texture is small and the aggression will change quickly, even with light sanding with 220. It's easy to take the points of the texture off but hard to put them back on so easy does it. :)

[TomAiello]

Taco sheath is a total win. :)

[vivi]

The video is up! https://youtu.be/gT_mmsW_jo8

Hey Vivi, great observations and writeup as usual. First and foremost, thank you for buying a Waterway. I'd also like to thank you though for taking the time to use it and offer your thoughts. It has been a lot of fun the last week watching the forums and seeing people post their impressions. I love hearing everyone's thoughts but I am especially interested in threads like this where folks are giving their impressions after putting the design to some real use. Everything about the Waterway was designed in order to make it function well at tasks that are important to me (and hopefully many others). So, though I love reading how folks like the way if looks or feels, I appreciate even more when people are pleased with the way it works!

I initially designed the knife for myself as an all around fixed blade. I wanted the knife to be capable of handling about anything I did, but the top three uses I designed it for were 1. Fishing and hunting 2. Camping and bushcraft and 3. Emergency self defense. I have been excited to hear your thoughts on this knife for awhile and was hoping you would enjoy it. Honestly, we get to know each other's tastes here on the forum and I was relatively confident after reading so many of your posts that you would enjoy the design. I'm relieved to find that you do.

It's been a lot of fun using your design, Lance! Even though we use our blades for different purposes, it seems we like a lot of the same design characteristics. I'm excited to finally put LC200N through some use and see how it performs. I've been hearing ou and others say good things about it for a long time now, I'd just been holding out for it to be used in a design that spoke to me. The Waterway ended up being that knife :D

[vivi]

No rust after an overnight soak in vinegar. Edge is just as sharp as it was yesterday.

I touched it up on the white sharpmaker rods. Using the 15 degree slots hit the edge on the back side and the shoulder of the bevel on the presentation side. 20 degree slots hit the apex on each side. The edge seems somewhere in the ballpark of 33-35 degrees inclusive based on messing around with the sharpmaker.

The sharpening response was nice. I could tell a difference after a handful of strokes on the fine stones. Feels like it shouldn't take terribly long to reprofile down the road.

Whenever I decide to reprofile it, I'm going to make another video with it. I'll show the full sharpening process.

[Enactive]

Right on! Thanks for the real world and 'lab' testing as well as your insights. Looking forward to the sharpening vid.

No rust after an overnight soak in vinegar. Edge is just as sharp as it was yesterday.

I touched it up on the white sharpmaker rods. Using the 15 degree slots hit the edge on the back side and the shoulder of the bevel on the presentation side. 20 degree slots hit the apex on each side. The edge seems somewhere in the ballpark of 33-35 degrees inclusive based on messing around with the sharpmaker.

The sharpening response was nice. I could tell a difference after a handful of strokes on the fine stones. Feels like it shouldn't take terribly long to reprofile down the road.

Whenever I decide to reprofile it, I'm going to make another video with it. I'll show the full sharpening process.

[wrdwrght]

Superb video, Vivi. It confirms (confirmation bias, notwithstanding) all the uses mine will be put to. :)

[Zatx]

No rust after an overnight soak in vinegar. Edge is just as sharp as it was yesterday.

I touched it up on the white sharpmaker rods. Using the 15 degree slots hit the edge on the back side and the shoulder of the bevel on the presentation side. 20 degree slots hit the apex on each side. The edge seems somewhere in the ballpark of 33-35 degrees inclusive based on messing around with the sharpmaker.

The sharpening response was nice. I could tell a difference after a handful of strokes on the fine stones. Feels like it shouldn't take terribly long to reprofile down the road.

Whenever I decide to reprofile it, I'm going to make another video with it. I'll show the full sharpening process.

LC200N is easily the most enjoyable steel I have sharpened.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Last night I went to cut a sandwich with the knife. Previously I had only sliced some celery with it and gave it a better review than it deserved as far as the factory fresh edge is concerned.

I had to break out my Hundred pacer to cut the sandwich. Looks like I will be re-beveling this knife and honing it sooner than I thought. Oh well it's all good glad the factory leaves more steel on it than less, I can handle the rest.

Placing my factory fresh edge in the dull camp.

[vivi]

I wonder why so many of these are shipping like that. My example seems like an anomaly being shaving sharp out of the box.

[bigboned]

I initially designed the knife for myself as an all around fixed blade. I wanted the knife to be capable of handling about anything I did, but the top three uses I designed it for were 1. Fishing and hunting 2. Camping and bushcraft and 3. Emergency self defense. I have been excited to hear your thoughts on this knife for awhile and was hoping you would enjoy it. Honestly, we get to know each other's tastes here on the forum and I was relatively confident after reading so many of your posts that you would enjoy the design. I'm relieved to find that you do.

Hi Lance, Do you have a favourite folder that you use alongside a fixed blade - or instead of a fixed that fulfills your design brief aswell - i appreciate yours get alot of use on the kayak etc but am wondering what your preference is on the occasions ( if there is any) when you cant take a fixed blade?
cheers

[Surfingringo]

I initially designed the knife for myself as an all around fixed blade. I wanted the knife to be capable of handling about anything I did, but the top three uses I designed it for were 1. Fishing and hunting 2. Camping and bushcraft and 3. Emergency self defense. I have been excited to hear your thoughts on this knife for awhile and was hoping you would enjoy it. Honestly, we get to know each other's tastes here on the forum and I was relatively confident after reading so many of your posts that you would enjoy the design. I'm relieved to find that you do.

Hi Lance, Do you have a favourite folder that you use alongside a fixed blade - or instead of a fixed that fulfills your design brief aswell - i appreciate yours get alot of use on the kayak etc but am wondering what your preference is on the occasions ( if there is any) when you cant take a fixed blade?
cheers

Hey Bigboned, I have carried a Pacific Salt for years and it probably suits my saltwater and fishing uses as well as any folder Spyderco (or any company) currently makes. I’d love to have a folding knife with most of the features of the Waterway but that’s a lot more complicated than just breaking a fixed blade in half and sticking a pivot in it.

[Zatx]

So I just wanted to share that I picked up my Waterway today from UPS, and got to handle it for a few moments, but here's the thing... my Waterway wasn't my Waterway. I bought this knife for a coworker and friend after searching for just the right knife for him for the last eight or nine years. He's an avid fisherman who does lots of outdoor activities, and he had been using a filet knife that someone else had gifted him twenty years previous. I could never identify the steel; it was some type of stainless variety that I have never seen. It was terribly frustrating to sharpen because, well, it would never get sharp (and I'm an excellent knife sharpener)!

As I said, I picked up the knife this morning and immediately came back to work and presented it to my friend. He was super excited by Lance's design, everything about the knife, and also the perfectly executed sheath. He leaves for Canada in a few weeks on his annual fishing trip, and he left my office with a big smile on his face, anticipating putting the knife to good use on salmon, walleye, and perch and around the campsite.

Thanks, Lance for your work developing this knife. And, thank you Spyderco for producing it and selling it to me with the OPFOCUS discount.

[bigboned]

I initially designed the knife for myself as an all around fixed blade. I wanted the knife to be capable of handling about anything I did, but the top three uses I designed it for were 1. Fishing and hunting 2. Camping and bushcraft and 3. Emergency self defense. I have been excited to hear your thoughts on this knife for awhile and was hoping you would enjoy it. Honestly, we get to know each other's tastes here on the forum and I was relatively confident after reading so many of your posts that you would enjoy the design. I'm relieved to find that you do.

Hi Lance, Do you have a favourite folder that you use alongside a fixed blade - or instead of a fixed that fulfills your design brief aswell - i appreciate yours get alot of use on the kayak etc but am wondering what your preference is on the occasions ( if there is any) when you cant take a fixed blade?
cheers

Hey Bigboned, I have carried a Pacific Salt for years and it probably suits my saltwater and fishing uses as well as any folder Spyderco (or any company) currently makes. I’d love to have a folding knife with most of the features of the Waterway but that’s a lot more complicated than just breaking a fixed blade in half and sticking a pivot in it.

Thanks Lance, I ask as in a smaller way, my main uses are similar to yours ( but in a lot more of a part time basis) so wondered on your take, am trying lots of things for when i cant take a fixed blade - but such is the quest i guess - thanks for your nudge on the pacific tho
cheers

[JohnAPA]

Got mine today. What a great knife! It's so versatile.

Now I just need an FRN Police 4 in LC200N to go with it.

[sal]

Hi Vivi,

Very nice review. Thanx much.

Also like to thank Lance for his participation. Spyderco afi's are really design conscious and love communicating with designers on the purpose and features of their designs.

I'd also like to put n a good word for Christina at SheathPro. She really labored with this design for a while. She really likes to add a TPO (Thumb Push Off) which is really a useful feature for a sheath, but very difficult on a "taco" sheath.

sal

[JohnAPA]

Hi Vivi,

Very nice review. Thanx much.

Also like to thank Lance for his participation. Spyderco afi's are really design conscious and love communicating with designers on the purpose and features of their designs.

I'd also like to put n a good word for Christina at SheathPro. She really labored with this design for a while. She really likes to add a TPO (Thumb Push Off) which is really a useful feature for a sheath, but very difficult on a "taco" sheath.

sal

Awesome stuff Sal.

How is everyone carrying their Waterway?

[Zatx]

The sheath really is part of the magic with this knife, I've never seen one more perfectly executed!