Tactical Box-Cutter: A Long-Term Review of the Yojimbo 2 as a Warehouse Knife

[Cscottsss]

Great review! I found this thread while searching the Yojimbo "strong" detent as I just received my factory second.

Thanks to this post I learned quite a bit about what I think is going to be an awesome knife. I never really yearned for one but for what I paid at the seconds sale I couldn't pass it up!

[benben]

Great write up zuludelta, thank you! I have a plain Jane S30V Yojimbo 2, of the roughly 30 Spyderco's I own, I feel it's the best example of the perfect Spyderco put out by Golden, at least to me!

The build construction, fit & finish, the lockup, the grind, and the action.....man the action on my Yo2 is ridiculous! But it really helps that it fits my hand like it was made for me!

This Yojimbo and my Shun Santoku are THE two knives that I said would cause me to get stitches one day, that was my first reaction to both of them the day I opened their boxes!

[zuludelta]

Great review! I found this thread while searching the Yojimbo "strong" detent as I just received my factory second.

Thanks to this post I learned quite a bit about what I think is going to be an awesome knife. I never really yearned for one but for what I paid at the seconds sale I couldn't pass it up!

Glad you liked the review. Thanks for taking the time to read & comment, and I hope your new Yo2 serves you well :)

Great write up zuludelta, thank you! I have a plain Jane S30V Yojimbo 2, of the roughly 30 Spyderco's I own, I feel it's the best example of the perfect Spyderco put out by Golden, at least to me!

The build construction, fit & finish, the lockup, the grind, and the action.....man the action on my Yo2 is ridiculous! But it really helps that it fits my hand like it was made for me!

Thanks for reading!

What I really like about the Yojimbo 2 is how it is very much a thoughtful, purpose-driven SD design, yet somehow that singularity of design intent does not hinder its usefulness for more general, utilitarian tasks—if anything, it makes the Yo2 even more capable at them.

[zuludelta]

A long-term update for my already long-term review: Six years on from when I first acquired it, and having changed jobs twice since, and the Yojimbo 2 is still my favourite work knife, for all the reasons (and more) I outlined in my original post. One knife did come close to unseating it, though, & that was the Lil' Temperance 3 LW in K390 (in fact, I probably consider them as the 1a & 1b, respectively, in my list of favourite work folders... I love the ergos of the LT3LW & K390 is a great work blade steel, but I rate the Yo2's ergos the same and its blade shape is just better suited for the types of cutting I do at work).

Also, the tip is still intact despite the occasional mishap, for anyone worried about tip fragility:

[JackRussell]

Still waiting for one with a left-handed compression lock.

[sal]

Hi Zuludelta,

Thanx much for the excellent review. Frankly, it's what I've come to expect from you. Well thought out.

sal

[James Y]

Zuludelta, you and Mr. Janich sure do make a fella who is not buying any knives in the foreseeable future, really WANT a Yo2.

Maybe someday...



Jim

[zuludelta]

Hi Zuludelta,

Thanx much for the excellent review. Frankly, it's what I've come to expect from you. Well thought out.

sal

Glad you liked the review & thanks!

Zuludelta, you and Mr. Janich sure do make a fella who is not buying any knives in the foreseeable future, really WANT a Yo2.

Maybe someday...

Ah, my apologies Have you had the opportunity to handle one in-person? As much as I like my Yo2, what I've read online over the years seems to indicate that the handle shape seems to be one of the more divisive aspects of the design: those for whom it fits really like it, and for those whom it doesn't, it feels somewhat uncomfortable. Fortunately, the Yojumbo & MicroJimbo allow people whose hands are either too large or too small for the standard Yo2 to experience the design.

Still waiting for one with a left-handed compression lock.

Hopefully, as Spyderco expands its manuacturing facilities in Golden they will eventually be able to produce left-handed variants of all their production Compression Lock models.

[ZrowsN1s]

How would you rate the pocket comfort/carry between the Yo2 and Lil Temp? And the binding experienced while cutting through thick materials that grab the sides of the blade?

Other than a thin tip on a self defense knife (comon on a lot of Spyderco's I love), the two other minuses for me with the Yo2 were pocket carry, and slight binding cutting thick cardboard (compared to a full flat grind).

The Yo2 was never a comfortable knife to carry for me, the opposite of 'disappears in the pocket'. And the very functional pointy end of the handle was always digging into me. Clip placement and carry was something I thought could be improved on, but again, such improvements would defeat the SD purpose of the design. It's supposed to stick out so you can grab it easier. The butt is pointy so you can hit things with it. It's got all that 'meat' on the top of the blade for weight to make inertial openings easier. Etc.

If I had one to spare I'd send you a Wharncliffe PM2 to carry for a while to compare. (Similar stock thickness, lock type, g-10). I still have my Yo2's but stopped carrying them. Not what I'm currently looking for in an SD knife, and for EDC the Wharncliffe Delica, and Wharncliffe Endura (especially in K390) just out perform it as slicers. I also like a more pronounced negative blade angle for edc, yo2 is straight with the handle for thrusting. Not sure if the blade stock on a Wharncliffe Endura would be too thin for your uses ZD?

Anyways as you've obviously carried and used the Yo2 more than me (though I owned 4 variants and carried them quite a bit back in the day), I was curious what you thought of my critique of it.

[James Y]

Ah, my apologies Have you had the opportunity to handle one in-person? As much as I like my Yo2, what I've read online over the years seems to indicate that the handle shape seems to be one of the more divisive aspects of the design: those for whom it fits really like it, and for those whom it doesn't, it feels somewhat uncomfortable. Fortunately, the Yojumbo & MicroJimbo allow people whose hands are either too large or too small for the standard Yo2 to experience the design.

No need to apologize, sir! I haven't handled one, but I have very medium-sized hands that feel perfectly at home with anything from Delica-sized up to Military-sized, so they would probably all be comfy in my hand. The Yo2 would probably be the Goldilocks size for me.

I have heard that the Yojumbo's G10 texture is extra-rough, which probably means it's a pocket shredder(?).

The Micro Jimbo sounds great for places with more restrictive laws, or just in places where you want to be more discreet when using a knife.

Jim

[James Y]

*Oops, double post.

Jim

[zuludelta]

How would you rate the pocket comfort/carry between the Yo2 and Lil Temp? And the binding experienced while cutting through thick materials that grab the sides of the blade?

I normally carry my folder by itself in a dedicated pocket, either right-side back pocket (in regular work pants/jeans) or right side magazine pocket (in Vertx or 5.11 Tactical pants/jeans), so the Yo2's somewhat outsized folded form factor is a bit of a non-issue for me, and carrying it in a rear-facing pocket means the protruding butt-end doesn't jab into me (and yes, I prefer a bit of handle poking out of the pocket for me work folder... makes it so much easier to grab, especially when wearing gloves). The LT3LW definitely carries better in the pocket, though.

As for binding, I can't say I've experienced much of it with the Yo2, or at least, not more than I do with Spyderco's FFG models. That said, I do most of my cutting at work with the forward inch-and-half of the blade. The Yo2's blade has a relatively extreme distal taper, so at least in that first inch-and-a-half, it slices as effectively for me as a Delica 4.

I also like a more pronounced negative blade angle for edc, yo2 is straight with the handle for thrusting. Not sure if the blade stock on a Wharncliffe Endura would be too thin for your uses ZD?

It's very interesting that you mention blade angles, as the pronounced negative blade angle of the Delica 4 Wharncliffe & Endura 4 Wharncliffe is the primary reason I reverted to using a regular Delica 4 and Endura 4 as part of my work knife rotation. With the way I grip a knife, the tip of the Yo2 projects at generally the same angle as the tips of the regular Delica 4 & Endura 4, so switching between the 3 models through the workweek feels largely seamless, at least as far as blade tip orientation. When I was using the Wharncliffe versions of the Delica 4 & Endura 4, I found I always had to sort of consciously re-orient myself to where their tips were so I wouldn't accidentally poke holes below where I actually wanted to make them. Your observation about the comparative blade angles of the models means I wasn't just imagining things & validates my own experience.

Anyways as you've obviously carried and used the Yo2 more than me (though I owned 4 variants and carried them quite a bit back in the day), I was curious what you thought of my critique of it.

I think your observations & critique of the Yo2 are valid and well-considered, and just goes to show that what works best for one person may not necessarily be the same for another, especially in such a wide-ranging context as work knife use.

[zuludelta]

I have heard that the Yojumbo's G10 texture is extra-rough, which probably means it's a pocket shredder(?).

It is a bit of a pocket shredder for sure. Not on the level of a Cold Steel Recon 1, but if you're going to carry it clipped to a pants pocket, you'd be best served wearing work jeans or work pants made from heavier weight fabrics, and not lightweight slacks.

[ZrowsN1s]

@zuludelta thanks for the response. Good points. And definitely not your imagination on the tips sitting lower on the Wharncliffe Delica/Endura. I could see it throwing you off if you're used to it being higher. I like the negative blade angle, not so much for tip placement, but because I don't have to angle my wrist as much while slicing. Like you do with a leaf shape Delica, or the straight aligned Yo2.

[outdoorman vojto]

Thank you Mr. Janich.
First photo - my Spyderco knives.

[outdoorman vojto]

IWA 2023