Swick owners?

[JoviAl]

I use mine when rock climbing - the SE makes it a fantastic rope management tool for when you need to cut out a length of damaged rope, and the design is mega secure when deployed (plus as others have mentioned - you can tie knots with it still on your finger). It would make a handy emergency tool for tree climbing arborists doing SRS.

[JoviAl]

Working at height is also relevant, kind of. But any serious stuff require all tools to be tethered anyways, so while maybe practical the benefit isn't quite as obvious.

I tether all of my gear using a variety of those spiral coiled stretchy wire things. For light/small stuff I use those ones that look a bit like a coiled spring with split rings on the end (sorry, I’ve no idea what they’re called. They sell them in office supply shops for keys to be clipped to). For big stuff (like my rotary hammer and other new sport route bolting accoutrements) I use Reecoil brand chainsaw tethers which are excellent. I was wary when I first started using the lightweight ones as I had things spring back towards me when dropped, so now I only use the floppiest varieties I can find. The Swick clips to one of those real easy and just sort of dangles if you do manage to drop it without shooting back towards you.

[aicolainen]

I use mine when rock climbing - the SE makes it a fantastic rope management tool for when you need to cut out a length of damaged rope, and the design is mega secure when deployed (plus as others have mentioned - you can tie knots with it still on your finger). It would make a handy emergency tool for tree climbing arborists doing SRS.

My rock-/sports climbing days ended early and abruptly with wear damage in both of my big toes, but I can imagine the swick being a good tool for this use case.

I tether all of my gear using a variety of those spiral coiled stretchy wire things. For light/small stuff I use those ones that look a bit like a coiled spring with split rings on the end (sorry, I’ve no idea what they’re called. They sell them in office supply shops for keys to be clipped to). For big stuff (like my rotary hammer and other new sport route bolting accoutrements) I use Reecoil brand chainsaw tethers which are excellent. I was wary when I first started using the lightweight ones as I had things spring back towards me when dropped, so now I only use the floppiest varieties I can find. The Swick clips to one of those real easy and just sort of dangles if you do manage to drop it without shooting back towards you.

I can still climb masts and structures with ladders or otherwise good foot support, that doesn't put a lot of pressure on my toes, so I still get to do the occasional work related climb.
I have some very basic wire tethers in case nothing else is provided, but most clients have their specific rules, so I just use their stuff to ensure that I'm in compliance.
If I have to climb, it's likely to work with antennas - or teach someone else to work with antennas, which doesn't involve a very extensive toolset. I have a LM Surge with a finely tuned selection of T-shank accessories. One or two adjustable wrenches, or plier wrenches, or 1 + 1. That's it nowadays. Discovering the Surge was somewhat of a game changer for me. Before the surge I used to carry dedicated tools for 4-5 of the implements it provides. And while it can be a bit more finnicky to use than dedicated tools, the simplicity of carrying less tools, less clutter and less weight is well worth it.

[JoviAl]

I use mine when rock climbing - the SE makes it a fantastic rope management tool for when you need to cut out a length of damaged rope, and the design is mega secure when deployed (plus as others have mentioned - you can tie knots with it still on your finger). It would make a handy emergency tool for tree climbing arborists doing SRS.

My rock-/sports climbing days ended early and abruptly with wear damage in both of my big toes, but I can imagine the swick being a good tool for this use case.

I tether all of my gear using a variety of those spiral coiled stretchy wire things. For light/small stuff I use those ones that look a bit like a coiled spring with split rings on the end (sorry, I’ve no idea what they’re called. They sell them in office supply shops for keys to be clipped to). For big stuff (like my rotary hammer and other new sport route bolting accoutrements) I use Reecoil brand chainsaw tethers which are excellent. I was wary when I first started using the lightweight ones as I had things spring back towards me when dropped, so now I only use the floppiest varieties I can find. The Swick clips to one of those real easy and just sort of dangles if you do manage to drop it without shooting back towards you.

I can still climb masts and structures with ladders or otherwise good foot support, that doesn't put a lot of pressure on my toes, so I still get to do the occasional work related climb.
I have some very basic wire tethers in case nothing else is provided, but most clients have their specific rules, so I just use their stuff to ensure that I'm in compliance.
If I have to climb, it's likely to work with antennas - or teach someone else to work with antennas, which doesn't involve a very extensive toolset. I have a LM Surge with a finely tuned selection of T-shank accessories. One or two adjustable wrenches, or plier wrenches, or 1 + 1. That's it nowadays. Discovering the Surge was somewhat of a game changer for me. Before the surge I used to carry dedicated tools for 4-5 of the implements it provides. And while it can be a bit more finnicky to use than dedicated tools, the simplicity of carrying less tools, less clutter and less weight is well worth it.

That’s cool man, I didn’t realise you did rope access stuff Respect to you going up masts and the like - I’m fine on solid rock or up a nice strong tree, but for some reason ascending human made structures gives me the heebies

[zuludelta]

I have gotten more interested in the Swick as super a compact defense knife but I am curious how well they might also work in a less specialized capacity. It actually seems like the positive blade angle might make the super short blade pretty ergonomic for some utility type tasks. Are there any Swick owners here that find it useful for day to day tasks?

I use my Swick 6 mostly as a compact utility fixed-blade when doing forest/trail maintenance. It's been supplanted recently by the PM2 Salt (more pocket friendly when folded, much more cutting edge, more edge retention, pretty impervious to water and mud for a folder), but if push came to shove, I'd still probably pick the Swick 6 over the PM2 Salt if I could only carry one compact utility cutter for outdoors activities for the rest of my life. Great ergos and stupid simple to maintain.

I've considered carrying it as a dedicated compact SD tool (it certainly feels like it could be very effective in that use case), but without a dedicated trainer compatible with the sheath so that one can practice effectively deploying the Swick under simulated duress or in a grappling context, I am not 100% confident that I can be as effective with it as the SOCP dagger that has been my primary compact/concealable SD fixed-blade for almost a decade at this point.

[jwbnyc]

The Swick makes a great pocket fixed blade. It carries very small and flat even with a G-Clip attached. Same for belt carry. It’s out of the way until you need it and disappears again when you don’t. It rivals the Aqua Salt as my favorite Spyderco fixed blade. Maybe it is my favorite. It’s that close.

The Swick 6 fits my medium hands perfectly. The only time I’d want a 5 is for use with heavy gloves which I don’t generally wear.

[ladybug93]

i've wanted one of these for a while, but all fixed blades, regardless of size, are considered weapons in florida. it's a dumb law, but it's law. of course, that doesn't mean i'm not allowed to carry it, but i don't want to carry a "weapon" when i can just carry a standard pocket knife that doesn't have the same stigma. so the 4" military 2 salt in my pocket is not considered a weapon, but that tiny 2.5" swick is. if the laws were different, i'd have one, my wife would definitely have one, and i'd get one for each of my kids to carry as they get older too.

[sal]

It is interesting how the laws regarding knives can affect our behavior.

The Swick project was a 20+ year development. It is somewhat unique, though there are now many variations of Fred Perrin's "Finger Ring" blades.

sal

[SolidState]

I love the Swick models a lot, and have all of the knives in the family. I even have some of the off-brand Perrin ones like the one Ed Schempp did with Fred Perrin. If you were wondering, moving the blade down to the middle finger is not ideal as far as I am concerned.
Like others here, I am a climber, and love being able to actually hold my knife and hold a hold with the same hand. It's also great for cut crafting and whittling. In my folding version, I punch a hole in the flipper and it makes a rope-cutting V when you push it down on the carabiner.

I also spent a great deal of time with Filipino knife work. These are excellent FMA knives, and very hard to disarm. Your arm musculature can be severely damaged by using your arm for blocking, and even with a great deal of your finger/forearm flexors damaged, you can hold the thing because it doesn't really require you to have your fingers tightly closed. A thumb and your palm can secure it well enough to issue significant cuts. Due to the location of the thumb flexors, they're really hard to hit in a bladed exchange with knives.

They're my favorite all-around knife Spyderco makes.

A few years back, I worked at a university and they were terrible about knives being carried by faculty in their classrooms. I ended up designing a folding Swick for Spyderco called the Introvert. They made one run of it, but it wasn't visually appealing. The ergos were good enough, as it is almost a perfect overlay for a Glock 43 in how it fits in the hand. Anyway, sometimes people still contact me to try to buy one.

The most common attempted Introvert buyers are EMT workers. They're popular knives among EMT workers because the blade angle allows them to get inbetween car accident victims and seatbelts without cutting the patient, and without torquing their hands and arms around horrifically.

FWIW, I don't have any more in stock.

Cheers Forumites. RIP Deacon.

[ladybug93]

It is interesting how the laws regarding knives can affect our behavior.

sal

indeed. and it's especially a bummer when the law is nonsense.

i should probably also add that my workplace defaults to florida law when it comes to what we're allowed to carry on premises. standard pocket knives are allowed, but "weapons" are not. so, my workplace enforcing florida's nonsense law is also a big part of the reason i don't own and carry a swick.

[vivi]

weird for florida of all places. .45 cals are more common there than anywhere else I've been!