Sprint Yojimbo vs Mini Yojimbo

[ozspyder]

Hi all,

With the announcement of the legendary Michael Janich rejoining Spyderco in future collaborative works it is certainly very exciting times indeed.

Just got me thinking about all these requests for a sprint Yojimbo by everyone (including myself :D ).

What colours would a nice Yo be paired with if it should ever happen. I'd like to see them in G10 of course. Black and Blue have been done, so maybe FG, purple ? tan/ brown ?

Then it got me to thinking - I think I'd like a Mini Yojimbo/ Yojimbo Jr. Th wharncliffe blade shape has taken me a bit lately and having Chad's gift in his new Boker Plus design got me to ponder the virtues of a Yo Jr folder :D :cool:

I think it'd be a very nice and useful creature to have. The tactical Yo in a smaller more concentrated package would certainly aid in carriage and concealability without too much loss of useful cutting power. The only drawback would be (probably) the loss of the centrifugal opening currently able to deploy the Yojimbo quite easily.

What say everyone ? Sprint Yo and/or Yo Jr :p Mr Janich, if you see this I'd be interested in your comments of feasibility of this project (Yo Jr) as I think it has some merits. I'm sure the Yo Jr would be EDC'd by more people than the standard Yo.

[VashHash]

I think a nice CF Yo sprint would be in order but then again that would put it out of most peoples price range. Still S90V CF Yojimbo would be the ULTIMATE WHARNECLIFFE I don't really like the FG that much but i could live with it i say SILVER G-10 that stuff looks wicked

[Jay_Ev]

It doesn't necessarily say whether or not he was brought on board to design knives:

As Special Projects Coordinator, Janich will help drive Spyderco’s support of the law enforcement and military communities, providing specialized consultation, product selection and training recommendations to fit unique unit policies and mission requirements. He will also assume a leading role in product education and training, ensuring that all Spyderco products are supported by the most thorough, professionally produced reference and educational materials possible.

Although I would certainly welcome one if he did :D

[spoonrobot]

I generally dislike mini-knives so I'd prefer a full-size Sprint. The original handle was a little angular so I'd like to see some of the prototype Terotuff used or Micarta. Steel; would be nice to see some S90V. A redesigned pocket clip would be nice as well.

[stonyman]

I think the Yo is mini enough. Although I am 6'3 and 250 pounds. It only has a 2.5 inch blade. I just do not see this folder any smaller. Proportionally larger....Quite possible. I am quite excited to see what comes down the pike. Take care all and God Bless.

[StangBang]

Orange and Toxic Green
I could do a purple and FG too tho :)

I know I'm dreaming pretty heavily there but hey this is Spyderco anythings possible :D

+1 on the different pocket clip, maybe a military clip? Maybe rounding some of its features on the handle would be nice as well.

[clovisc]

wow -- YES to a sprint of the original!!!

[Halfneck]

Yojimbo is not a big knife to begin with, I vote to keep it the same size.

[sarguy]

I would prefer a sprint of the original Yo. What the heck, how about a sprint of the Ronin? We can dream, right?

I think my "must purchase instantly, even before talking to the wife" knife would be a marriage of the Yo and a knife similar in dimensions to a certain other company's wharncliffe folder titled with a play on words. I hate to say it but I like the lines and such of this other company's knife better. Both were Janich designs and perhaps he would have further design tweaks.

...it could be called the Yo 2, or the YoYo, or the YO ADRIAN, or the Yo MAMMA!, or the Yo-(Lord, I need sleep and caffeine...)

[RJNC]

I'd like a mini-yojimbo, no pocket clip. I'm 6 foot 1 220 lbs and I find small knives fine.

[demtek9]

I think a nice CF Yo sprint would be in order but then again that would put it out of most peoples price range. Still S90V CF Yojimbo would be the ULTIMATE WHARNECLIFFE I don't really like the FG that much but i could live with it i say SILVER G-10 that stuff looks wicked

Me too....Silver twill G10 and a already good FB design!!!

[markg]

Not sure the "design mission" would be met with a mini.

I am so down with a Sprint however.... Coyote brown G-10.

[gehrm]

+1 on the full-size Yo with carbon fiber. That would rock!!!

[Michael Janich]

Thank you all for a great thread and for your enthusiasm regarding a Yojimbo revival.

I designed the original Yojimbo to purposely have a disproportionate handle-to-blade ratio. The idea was to 1) accomodate users with large hands, and 2) provide plenty of "pokey parts" to use the knife as an impact weapon. Since the original design, I have become much less concerned with the latter goal and more fond of something that is easier to carry.

The "certain other company's wharncliffe folder titled with a play on words" (wonderfully subtle, Sarguy--thanks) was actually designed to provide the exact same closed length as my other favorite EDC--the Delica. At the same time, I tweaked it to squeeze an extra half inch of blade length into it to achieve the 3.5-inch max allowed here in Colorado (being selfish is a designer's prerogative). That knife (the "Be-Wharned," for those of you who may not have caught the inference) turned out very well--but is still not perfect. The thumb stud is not nearly as user friendly as a hole (what is?) and the liner lock limited the contours available on the slot side of the handle.

With all that said, I carried a Be-Wharned for a number of months as my primary defensive blade and came to like the smaller handle better than the Yojimbo. As such, given the opportunity, I'd prefer to go in that direction and focus on something that fits anywhere, yet still offers the cutting power of the original Yo.

As for handle materials, my original "dream" was G-10 or Micarta in a denim-like color to blend in with blue jeans. Since that time, there has been an explosion of colors and handle materials that provides many more options than there were 10 years ago. I'll have to give that more thought, but certainly welcome your input and suggestions.

Keep the great ideas coming and thanks again for your enthusiasm for my designs.

Stay safe,

Mike

[demtek9]

Good to see you "home" Mike. My vote is for Silver Twill G10. That stuff looks awesome and no one is using it on production knives (except for one bolster design). I've had my fill of carbon fiber for a while.

[sarguy]

Mr. Janich,

Thanks for the insight as to the design of the Be-Wharned. I really would love to see something like it with the Spydie hole and/or Emerson wave. (I'm torn as to its usefullness. Your thoughts?)
Would it be too much to ask for an accompanying trainer?

/waiting with 'bated breath for the "uber-jimbo".

[ozspyder]

Thanks for the reply Mike,

That is the reason why I was asking about a smaller Yo (mini Yo or Yo Jr or YoYo or whatever :p ). I seem to also be gravitating toward something that is easier to carry whilst still packing enough 'oomph' in it. I think the wharncliff blade is ideal for this as it lacks a belly and thus cutting power is maximised over the full blade length.

Also with blade length limits being the go-to solution for many countries and states it seems almost logical to go toward some sort of size compression IMHO.

I don't currently carry my Yojimbo (oops... that's because stupid me sold it to some friends - well they are good mates and they like the blade for their collection). If I did have my Yojimbos I wouldn't carry them for their larger size. I think a more user friendly size would certainly make them more accessible to more people - once again in my unfounded guesstimations.

I think that whilst a sprint Yojimbo run would be welcome by a helluva lot of people (memememe !!!! :D ). A Mini Yojimbo would be something a bit fresher whilst not departing too far from its original concept.

As for scale materials I am a sucker for micarta. And I have seen some fantastic blue jean micarta (dencarta/ denim micarta) made by some forumites here (Butch ?) and others. I think that would suit the Yojimbo and Ronin very much :p If G10 I think a nice dark brown would go very nicely indeed with this SD folder.

[FastEddie]

I have Spyderco Yojimbos and 1 of the "other ones". For carry, I like the size, shape and scale pattern of the other one. I think the Spyderco is higher quality, but the other one is more useful for my daily tasks. Personally, I'm getting tired of orange, brown and green G-10 and would like to see one in medium, to dark blue, as Michael mentioned, and FRN with a nice, simple scale pattern.

best,
fe

[butch]

i would love to se and be able to buy denim "rag" micarta in sheet form
what i make is in blocks and would not work well to in mass production (also since i dont use phenolic resin its not a true micarta)
i make blocks in 6x10x3 inch most the time then saw it to the size i need
im not sure how the old westing house rag micarta was made or if anyone could be found to make new batches (i have not looked into it yet)

i likede the YO but the handle for me was not a good fit and was not pocket friendly

[Blerv]

As for handle materials, my original "dream" was G-10 or Micarta in a denim-like color to blend in with blue jeans. Since that time, there has been an explosion of colors and handle materials that provides many more options than there were 10 years ago. I'll have to give that more thought, but certainly welcome your input and suggestions.

Keep the great ideas coming and thanks again for your enthusiasm for my designs.

Stay safe,

Mike

I like the idea of a subtle color for a defense blade. Orange may be a "safety" color but Id rather not explain to everyone what's in my pocket and why it kinda looks like a box cutter.

I had a quick question Mike if you had the time:

Was there any grind preference on the aforementioned blade from the other company? From the pics it looks like a high-hollow grind compared to the Ronin/Yojimbo's FFG treatement. Was this done for aesthetic sake or have you found hollow-grinds with that blade profile to perform better than full-flat ground.

Thanks in advance sir.