Got my new Poliwog yesterday (from NGK). Overall, I was very impressed. Fit and finish on this knife are as good as on any production knife I've ever owned. The tolerances on this knife are so close that it's almost superfluous to state that the blade is perfectly centered when closed because if the blade wasn’t centered, it would rub – it is barely possible to slide a thin piece of paper between the blade and the frame on either side.
Blade grinds, including the swedge, are centered on the blade and even, at least to the eye. The closest I can come to criticizing the grinds would be an observation that one side of the swedge makes a slightly straighter line to the point than the other. The knife came Spydie sharp, as expected.
Lock-up is, of course, rock solid. This is really my first experience with the ball bearing lock and I was somewhat surprised at how quietly the lock operates. The ball bearing also holds the blade closed quite nicely, although it doesn’t “suck” the blade back in if opened slightly; this may improve with use, given that the knife is currently not quite as smooth on closing as it is on opening.
All the edges on the handle are rounded and I find the Poliwog very comfortable my hand; however, this is definitely a YMMV situation, since the Native just doesn’t fit my hand right and most people seem to like the Native. One of the things that’s really nice about this knife is that you get a full-handed grip on a small knife, without the handle/blade ratio appearing disproportionate. At just over 4 ounces, it’s heavy for a small knife and my first thought was that Spyderco needed to make this knife in titanium to cut the weight. However, doing so would change the balance of the knife. Currently, the balance point is behind the pivot at the middle finger groove and it’s not a bad thing for a small knife to be a bit handle heavy (as Rob Simonich pointed out, this way it tends to stay in your hand).
All in all, I'd say that Spyderco has produced a winner here.
Polliwog mini-review/first impressions
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Michael Cook
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Dr. Snubnose
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I would say that the Poliwog would be very, very difficult to flip open. But then, I would have said the same thing about the Calypso Jr. lightweight and, from what I understand, Canadian customs has managed to confiscate at least one of them on the basis that it's a "gravity knife."Nicky wrote:Is the poliwog easy to flip open? I need to know since customs borders haven't harass me for more then a month and I'm expecting a big come back.
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Stevie Ray
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Hi Nicky. Mine just came in today and I can flip it open. Not a problem. It is a neat little knife and whoever said the tolerences are close sure called that one right. It's put together like a Swiss watch. Nice .. :)Nicky wrote:Is the poliwog easy to flip open? I need to know since customs borders haven't harass me for more then a month and I'm expecting a big come back.
Thx for the review!
Steve
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testmonket
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I have to say, the poliwog sure is an interesting knife. With the Dodo being one of my favorites, I'm excited about the chance to get to handle one of them.
My only real concern is that it is really broad at the pivot end when closed and the indentations are so exposed. I can see a keyring catching in the notches if I were trying to pull my keys out of my pocket.
Has anything like this been a problem? Does the broad end seem to take up a lot of pocket space? I guess the knife is really pretty small, but it's hard to judge on the web.
My only real concern is that it is really broad at the pivot end when closed and the indentations are so exposed. I can see a keyring catching in the notches if I were trying to pull my keys out of my pocket.
Has anything like this been a problem? Does the broad end seem to take up a lot of pocket space? I guess the knife is really pretty small, but it's hard to judge on the web.