Four Gentleman's knives (only two Spyderco)

[jldc]

Below is a photo for comparison purposes of four knives that I would call gentleman's knives. I'm a fan of small knives and thought I would give my thoughts.

Top to bottom:
Benchmade Shoki
Chris Reeve Mnandi
Spyderco Bradley Air
Spydero Dragonfly 2 (clip removed, lanyard added)
Sorry the pic is too dark, especially of the Shoki. It's a very pretty knife - there are ton's of pics online if you want to see it.



Appearance: For gentleman's knives, I'm a sucker for wood. The glass fiber handle on the Air is also attractive, but the FRN of the Dragonfly, although practical, is not elegant. Other than the DF2, which is utilitarian, these are all attractive knives, but the Mnandi stands out. Mnandi>Shoki>Air>DF2

Ease of Opening: The Spydie hole really shines. and the thumb stud on the Shoki isn't as good as you would think. It's too close to the scales and the geometry is wrong. The Mnandi can be opened one-handed by pinching the blade, but it takes practice. Air>DF2>>Shoki>Mnandi

Blade: For light duty tasks the blade shape makes relatively little difference. The Mnandi and Shoki have fairly standard drop-point blades, the DF2 is a classic Spyderco leaf blade, and the Wharncliff of the Air is different and rather cool. Four way tie.

Lock: Obviously all work and work well. I'm a fan of the Chris Reeve style lock, so I would give a nod to the Mnandi. I think the Nak-lok on the Shoki is a little odd, but it seems to work. The Air has a liner lock and the DF2 has a back lock, both tried and true. Dealer's choice. Mnandi>the rest.

Value: Here's the biggie: The DF2 costs in the range of 10% of the cost of the Mnandi and 33% of the other two. It's the bargain and the Mnandi is the luxury model. DF2>Air,Shoki>Mnandi

Overall, all the knives are quality examples of the gentleman's style knife (except maybe the DF2, but that's a matter of opinion). The DF2 is a steal and comes with a reversible/removable clip. The Mnandi is gorgeous and very classic and it may be my favorite, but I carry the Air the most. It's tiny, fits in a coin pocket and light as a feather. My least favorite is the Shoki. It's pretty, but it just doesn't have the appeal - hard to say why. It might be the too small lanyard hole on the end (550 cord won't fit), or the lack of any jimping, or just too hard to open one-handed.

Anyway, that's one man's unsolicited opinion.

[jackthedog]

Nice write up.

I've got the Air and the G-10 DF. After seeing the size comparison of the Air and the Mnandi, I may need to give that one a second look. I've always written it off as too small but given how well proportioned the Air is, I may need to spend more money.

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

Very nice. I was wanted the CF Noki for a long while...now they are getting hard to find, but I am still searching.
It`s not as nice as the Air...but I like it a lot.

[Knifewing]

The other knife I always think of in this class is the Al Mar Hawk Ultralight. But once I got my Air my desire for the Hawk kind of glided away...

[flash900]

Very nice writeup!

For size, workmanship and sheer beauty -- the Techno.

[BD583]

I would order the Benchmade Shoki today if it did not have that ugly lanyard ring sticking out. Otherwise it has a nice balance of modern (S30V, G10, blue anodized titanium liners) and classic (wine wood handle). While I love the Spyderco Hole, I just don't think it leads to the perfect look for a gentleman's knife.

[Skywarp]

I love my Spydies for what they are: practical, innovative, well designed developed and engineered. They are to me perfect EDC knives.

Gentleman's folders however need an element of unnecessary but artistic design and style. For this reason, my number one Gentleman's or dress knife is the Lonewolf / Benchmade Paul Presto. Now discontinued, I'd love to see a Spyderco version of this classic...

[xceptnl]

Anyway, that's one man's unsolicited opinion.

Where did you get the lanyard bead for the DF2?

[Splice]

Mmmmmmmmmnandi ::drool::

[jldc]

Where did you get the lanyard bead for the DF2?

It's a brass Peter Atwood lanslide. You can get them directly from him if you are very lucky, or on eBay.

[Holland]

very nice write up! all this talk about the air makes me want one. just not sure how i feel about the wharencliffe blade

[INFRNL]

Thanks for the photo and info. I did not realize how small the air is. I definitely need to pick one up.
I have the winewood shoki with m390 blade (made that way from benchmade) and it is my favorit gent knife. I do not really like the cf shoki, prefer wood.
The nak loc is different but functional. I find it easy to open one handed.

I love the dragonfly as well, great knife. I have the g10 version, I hate frn.

Thanks again