I plan to get some pictures up here when I have time... although I'll forwarn everyone that my meager photography abilities aren't likely to impress.
Even though it’s only Tuesday, I’ve had quite an eventful week. New shotgun, finished my first album at the new recording studio where I’m working full time, was officially hired as a grant writing contractor for the first time, and… ran into none other than Sarah Palin (no political comments, please!).
However, the arrival of the Chokwe Folder easily eclipsed all of this excitement.
It’s difficult to express just how wonderful it is to see a traditional African design from my village in Zambia converted into a high-tech Spyderco cutting machine. In spite of the conversion from fixed blade to folder, and differences in materials, the look and feel of this knife is far closer to the original design that I would have thought possible. It looks and feels like a Chokwe knife from my village, all the way! The most prominent aesthetic difference is the lack of a bolster on the Spydie… which enhances grip security, in my opinion. (Maybe one of our creative Spydie-modifiers will experiment with replacing the stock G10 and adding a bolster? Potterma? )
Sal has done an amazing job of preserving the geometry and proportionality of the original design. The dramatic blade shape remains the same as on the original fixed blades. The holes are preserved in the scales, and, as I suspected after seeing the Amsterdam photos (which are far better than the photos I will post), function wonderful for indexing between different grips. The holes also allow the user to securely hold the Chokwe folder further from the blade (for a “Schempp Barong effect”
… or to sink the middle and ring fingers down securely for a tigher grip during more intense cutting tasks. The Spyderco Chokwe Folder adds the slightest bit of curvature to the trapezoidal handle…improving ergonomics drastically, while still maintaining the radical geometry of the original. That brings me to a very important point that I’d like to emphasize. Though this knife is based upon an older design from Africa, it is anything but “primitive.” It’s a highly sophisticated, refined design developed to function superbly at all EDC tasks the Chokwe tribe encounter… vegetable prep, farming, hunting, self defense, and even circumcision. This design is to the Chokwe what the Stretch is to Sal – the “perfect” EDC design, developed and refined over a very long period of time (hundreds of years, most likely). The blacksmith who created the original fixed blade produced this design, and no others, claiming it was the best possible… he had likely done so for his entire life. Think of the dramatic angularity not as “crude,” but rather as futuristic, forward-thinking, and a testament to artistic creativity.
Titanium, G10, and S30V combine with unique geometry to give this knife the quality of a modernist sculpture. It looks like something Brancusi might have created. I’m reminded of the first two Centofante+Spyderco collaborations. A few forumites have compared the design to the Smith. I think that once you have the knife in hand, and are able to closely consider the effect of the dramatic, elegant, smooth lines, you may agree that the Chokwe Folder feels closer to the Lum Chinese folder than to the Smith. I’m vaguely reminded a bit of the Yojimbo, as well.
In trying to consider the design as objectively as possible, removing myself from all personal emotions attached to this project, and what I know of the design’s history… I cannot help but think that this is up there with the Shabaria, Yojimbo and Captain as one of the craziest-looking Spyderco designs ever made. It’s just so different from everything else out there… and I LOVE that!!! I have a feeling that the uniqueness of this design is going to confuse some people… but at the same time, strongly attract others. As I hold the Chokwe, I cannot help but feel confident that this is a true Spyderco “classic” in every sense. It feels like it belongs in what J D Spydo calls “The Golden Age of Spyderco” – the era of the Lum Chinese, Ayoob, Smith, Big Dyad, Big Calypso. Looking at the incredible range of unique designs Spyderco is producing now (Barong, Kukhri, Chokwe, Smith Sprint Run, Police 3, FFG G10 E4 and D4), it seems like the true “Golden Age” is now!
The Chokwe is made in Taiwan. Holding the Chokwe in my hand, and scrutinizing it as critically as possible in comparison to my Seki Barong and Golden Paramilitary, I do not detect any “inferiority” whatsoever. If anything, the fit and finish of the Chokwe is the best of the three. If the end product is as well done as the prototype, this knife – along with the mighty Sage – will perhaps redefine your expectations.
Okay… now how about performance? I admit, I’ve only had it for two days… still, plenty of time to form some initial impressions.
The tip of this knife is extremely fine, and reminds me of the tip on a brand new military, or a Jess Horn. Like the original Chokwe fixed blade, the Chokwe Folder is a piercing machine! The slim, full flat grind makes this knife a great slicer, as well. Fans of the wharncliffe blade shape will likely delight in the long, straight edge of the blade (think 95% wharncliffe… ). The edge on the Chokwe, out of the box, was so sharp, it was almost absurd. It was so sharp that I actually had difficulty cutting the plastic wrapping off a cheap box of tea… the knife kept accidentally gliding through the box as if it wasn’t there. SHAVING the box. “Too sharp” – just imagine!!!!! It also shaved text off of paper – something only my 51200 mule team and ZDP caly jr. have been able to do, out of the box… though the Chokwe shaved text off of paper much more easily.
In the land of cardboard boxes, this knife is like a giant straight razor on steroids. Like the original, the Chokwe is a truly excellent vegetable and food prep knife; you will be tempted to waste ungodly amounts of time shaving tomatoes. The tip is extremely fine, which means I’d proceed with a bit of caution in a number of EDC tasks… don’t twist the knife, or you’ll end up with a slightly shortened Chokwe (like many of the women in my village). Not as delicate as the civi or matriarch tip, though. This knife doesn’t feel like a “beater” or a “work horse,” though is probably as resilient as the military… it feels more like an elegant EDC knife, or a gentlemanly folder for the gentleman that uses a knife often, and carefully, for a wide range of tasks. Blade is nice and slim, especially as you get out towards the tip… but not exceedingly slim, as the Centofante 3 may feel to some. Thanks to the straight, wharncliffe-like blade, the knife excels at cutting rope, line, and fiberous materials.
The Reeve Integral Lock is as awesome as you’d expect… especially in titanium. I confess that this knife has gotten me very psyched for the RIL Sage. It certainly feels great to have a Ti Spydie in your pocket! Carried tip up (as many knife knuts prefer), you have a gorgeous, masculine-looking chunk of Ti peeking out of the top of your pocket. Carried tip down (as I prefer in a knife this size… love those spyderdrops!), the effect of the knife in the pocket is more subtle. It draws extremely quickly into a spyderdrop. It’s an easy open, easy close piece. Action is smooooooth… yet not smooth enough to get you nervous.
As a conversation piece, this knife is pretty hard to beat. The story of its creation, the geometry, the materials, the cultural information… when the knives come out, and the knife-talk between collectors begins, you’ve got a distinct conversational advantage. :D Even if someone is carrying their finest William Henry, they’re going to have trouble diverting attention from the Chokwe. :D
The clip is perhaps the best-looking clip I’ve seen on a spydie to date. It’s a very dark grey (perhaps titanium, as well??), with a silver-grey spyderbug on it. The look is in- between the “classic” Spyderco clip of yesteryear, and the new “hourglass” shape.
One of my concerns with choil-less knives is always “oh no… no choil. Better watch my hand. Better not use too much force cutting…” …especially if the transition from handle to blade is smooth, as it is on the Chokwe. The Chokwe gets around slippage problems in a couple ways…
1) G10, and added security benefits of the holes (described above)
2) The subtle swelling in width near the transition from handle to blade gives you surprising increased security
3) a little bit of jimping
4) If your hand is like mine, you can sink your pinky down into the last hole on the scales
With the Chokwe folder, as with the original, grip options abound. You get a great thumb ramp, if you care to use it. Choking up on the blade is easy, and feels safe for the reasons mentioned above. “Choking back” on the knife is easy, too… to get extended reach, or a “Schempp Barong” sort of feel. The holes in the scales are surprisingly functional. Reverse grips feel especially good.
