Spyderco Zulu review (My first spydie...again)

[Macaulay]

Hey guys, just received my Spydie Zulu from CS!

It's every bit as good as I thought it would be.
Collection of pics heretaken by an iPhone 1. Best I got, sorry!

Anyway, on to the review of sorts.

The knife is definitely striking out of the box. The unique shape, the scalloped G10 scales, the smoke chrome clip... Everything is pleasing to the eye. When closed, there are no protruding "edges" (a la PPT pivot) which creates a very clean, exotic profile. The scales themselves have a sort of "Carbon Fiber" look to them, it's very cool. Of course, all G10 could be like that... this is my first knife of it's kind.

The blade is beautiful. The way the swedge is done, the way the high hollow grind catches the light... Need I say it came razor sharp? The Spyderco and Anzo logos on the blade are stamped with a cool almost holographic effect.

The screws and spacers looks to be of very high quality. The liners are milled out very well, resulting in a decent carry weight of 3.4 oz.

In terms of aesthetics, it doesn't get better than this for me. The only improvement I would make is to remove the tip down carry option. Because having that option requires a decent amount of scale to be flattened, it does detract a little. The blade retention is very strong, it's difficult to shake out of the handle.

The clip is strong, with no play and the knife itself plays much better with pants than I thought it would- It comes in and out of my jeans nicely. There is a substantial amount of handle showing, for those of you that are used to deeper carry clips.

The ergos of the knife are very good. The G10 helps the knife feel very substantial in hand, and it really locks the fingers in. There is no jimping on the knife- anywhere, but there is really no need.

The knife shape seems to encourage a "pistol" style grip, enhancing the negative angle blade, allowing you to get more cutting force. Reverse grip is normal, and feels very good. The butt gives your thumb a lot of purchase in reverse grip.

The lockup is fantastic. There is no blade play, and the lock is flush with the near side of the tang. The blade opens with a satisfying snap via fairly large spyderhole. Opening and closing the blade can be done ambidextrously with gloves. With the left hand, I can use my middle finger to open the lock. It's actually easier with gloves, as I find the lock edge cuts into my fingers.

As for the blade itself, it's 3" of Spyderco S30V, which I've only heard good things about. The tip seems functional, the belly is great. I've already treated myself to a bit of cutting, and I love the high hollow grind's slicing ability- maybe more than a full flat, in fact. The recurve looks to be good for skinning and dressing. We may find out soon enough!

Major kudos to Taichung!

I'm going to go enjoy my knife some more. If I missed anything, just shoot your questions at me!

Mac

[Donut]

That's a very nice review. I agree on 99% of what is said.

[Blerv]

Thanks for your thoughts. The Zulu certainly looks like a great one and is bound to be a classic.

[jabba359]

Thanks for the review. The Zulu is on my shortlist of Spydies I want to get in the near future.

[Orlando De Free]

You just about covered my feelings about the Zulu as well. Congratulations and good luck!

[BAL]

Great review Mac. The Zulu is one of those that doesn't get a great deal of attention, but looks like a great knife.

[Macaulay]

Thanks guys! Glad you liked it.

I'm really enjoying this knife!