Is There Any Chance

[thombrogan]

Spyderco might entertain the idea of making a folding pocketknife with all of the few following features?

• Thin blade stock (1.5mm or less at spine) in a blade shape with a non-recurved/non-inwardly-curved edge (Delica or Stretch profile would be awesome).
• Low-carbide steel such as 12C27, AUS-6, or 1070 hardened to its strongest/most stable levels (i.e. RC58-60 for the two stainless steels mentioned and higher for the simple carbon)
• Blade finish applied in manner that maintains that heat-treatment at the expense of cosmetics
• Ambidextrous locking system (mid-lock, nested or integral Compression Lock, Ball-Bearing Lock or similar)
• Ambidextrous pocket clip for tip-up/tip-down/left/right positioning

I'd rather see a knife made with those sorts of specifications than one with the hottest steel for die-making or other properties that mean nothing to how hand-held knives cut.

Any chance?

Would really love having a knife that outshines the initial joy I felt using a Delica 3 versus an anything with S90V, S30V, ZDP-189, or CPM-M4.

[FCM415]

Byrd Meadowlark?

[thombrogan]

Byrd Meadowlark?

Thinner stock, higher hardness, and leaving the factory with no buffing or worn abrasive belt anywhere near the edge and that'd be a yes.

[The Deacon]

Welcome back!!!!! It's been ages.

Closest thing right now would be the Chaparral. 2mm CTS-XHP blade stock, mid-lock, L/R clip mounting, but T/U only. Great little knife, IMHO. I'd love to see a Stretch built to your specs and, while VG-10 works fine for me, I'd be ok with AUS-6.

[thombrogan]

Thanks, Deacon Paul.

CTS-XHP has way too much carbon and chromium to do what I'm asking, but I like most of the other features you mentioned. I'm used to writing off chef knives with 10" blades as fatty-boombalatties is they're over 2mm at spine (and, thankfully, some folks in Germany and Japan feel my pain and oblige), so I'd rather have thinner stock in a folding pocketknife.

[kbuzbee]

I'd rather have thinner stock in a folding pocketknife.

You are not alone.

Ken

[Nate]

In case you missed it, Cliff proposed something similar here:

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... ring-knife

If it came to pass and was well received, it could open the door to other knives.

[thombrogan]

In case you missed it, Cliff proposed something similar here

:o Sorry, Dr. Stamp, for missing your thread. Guess I'm beating a dead horse; but I would like to use S1-modified to cleave its bones when that time comes.

Thanks, Apophis, for the heads-up.

@kbuzbee,

Very glad to hear/read that.

[bearfacedkiller]

I have been wanting something very similar. Preferably with a blade over 3 inches and closer to 4. I believe most companies are afraid to offer a larger knife with thin stock and high hardness due to durability. We unfortunately have to build for the masses. It has been mentioned by many on here that folding knives are often overbuilt to compensate for people who use them incorrectly in order to preserve the reputation of quality. Spyderco releases this dream knife for us who get its intended use as a delicate precision tool but then gets hammered with warranty claims due to use outside its intended purpose and has to take the hit to their reputation that comes with that.

People complained about the fragility of the tips of some models enough that the unfortunate endura/delica tip happened. If that happens to the para2 (which i broke the tip off of once) I will be disappointed and probably cry myself to sleep. It was my fault that the tip broke, not spyderco. I dropped it on concrete.

Nilakka all over again? Knife came with a warning and look what happened! I wish the world didn't have to cater to the lowest common denominator but it is what it is.

This knife needs to happen. The current "large folding food prep knife" thread is one of many threads that have asked for something like this. In that thread I ask for a Police3 Super Blue 2mm which is going to be one very dead horse when I am done beating it. I know that exact knife won't happen but the concept is going to keep getting pushed. :-)

I agree, with all the exotic steels out we can't forget that there is a place for the simple steels that take great edges easily. Sandvik steel that is used by another company has made me happy with its easy high performance ways.

Whoa!! I guess I have an opinion on this. Sorry for the rant.

[NoFair]

The Catcherman was thin, had a thin tip, was MBS26 and slices better than most folders out there. Best folding kitchen knife ever :D

[Cliff Stamp]

The unfortunate thing is that low carbide steels (high edge stability) are looked at as inferior and thus Spyderco would be putting money into maximizing the ability of what a large group of the consumers would think is inferior and not realize that this steel is actually superior to the high carbide steels in many respects. I would like to see a knife like that as well - but the reality is that how much of the customer base would be interested and could there be a back lash in general on the secondary market/perception with people thinking that Spyderco is using "cheap" materials.

This may be avoided by doing something a little less than ideal which would be used for example forged 1084 bar stock. Now yes all steel is mill forged, but hammer forged bar stock from a smith might be able to compensate somewhat from the cheap label/perception and even though it doesn't offer any functional value - it might deal with the market perception problem. Who for example picks up a knife from Cashen and puts it down and exclaims they have no interest in knives with poor performance as they use cheap and low performance steels?

[Stuart Ackerman]

The OP's request is something that I agree with wholeheartedly...
12C27 or AEB-L...bring it on....

[Mallus]

I'd be interested in one! Nilakka would an excellent candidate with the original, very thin grind. A forged blade doesn't do it for me, but what about using some exotic sounding European steel? Nitrobe 77 is perhaps difficult to obtain (or so I've let myself believe), but I wonder if Lohmann Niolox would do? It should go to atleast Rc 60 (http://www.lohmann-stahl.de/en/werkstof ... eranalysen the last row 4153.03) and one could even marked it with very hard Niobium carbides.

I understand the marketing quandary with 12C27 and AUS 6, but AEB-L / 13C16 might be a bit easier case especially if run at rather high hardness, as it's been marketed in rather expensive kitchen knives (eg. Devin Thomases work: http://www.devinthomas.com/products.html) and to a smaller extent in rather interesting folders and fixed blades.

I'd sure like to buy Mike Gavko's EDC in AEB-L, be it fixed or folder, and if it were mass produced, I might even be able to afford to. 14C28N (http://www.smt.sandvik.com/en/products/ ... ik-14c28n/) might also be good canditate as Nitrogen steels seem to be selling well.

[Holland]

You are not alone.

Ken

+1

[bearfacedkiller]

We are asking for spyderco to make a knife that performs like an opinel slimline but with the quality and style of a spyderco.

Opinel is very thin 12c27n. Give me that performance in a spydie and I would be happy.

Kershaw/ZT has a decent rep and they use sandvik. Spyderco could too. Marketing the knife correctly would be key.

[Surfingringo]

I LOVE this idea. Maybe do a small run geared towards the forumites. I'm not sure how that idea helps spyderco, I just want one! Hehehe

I don't own any 1070 but I hear good things!

[Stuart Ackerman]

A standard Delica FRN handle with thicker bushings for the thinner blade, and Voila!

[thombrogan]

The unfortunate thing is that low carbide steels (high edge stability) are looked at as inferior and thus Spyderco would be putting money into maximizing the ability of what a large group of the consumers would think is inferior and not realize that this steel is actually superior to the high carbide steels

Value is a subjective judgement. There was no purpose-driven reason for consumers to be all goo-goo for ATS-34, RWL-34, and 154CM - Bob Loveless started using and a fad was born. He also suggested S2 would be a good knife steel (looks good as a fool-resistant steel for outlandish entertainment knives to me), but that didn't catch on.

Spyderco's recently done some sprint runs in Hitachi/YSS Blue Paper "Super" steel that have loud praise on the internets. Why not other highly desireable cold work tool steels with tungsten alloying? DIN 1.2552 wouldn't have the stigma of "cheapness" and neither does F2 and O7.

I'd be interested in one! Nilakka would an excellent candidate with the original, very thin grind. A forged blade doesn't do it for me, but what about using some exotic sounding European steel? Nitrobe 77 is perhaps difficult to obtain (or so I've let myself believe), but I wonder if Lohmann Niolox would do? It should go to atleast Rc 60 (http://www.lohmann-stahl.de/en/werkstof ... eranalysen the last row 4153.03) and one could even marked it with very hard Niobium carbides.

Niolox is popular with a lot of foodies that want a stainless that acts like high hardness Blue #2. I tried it in a yo-gyuto and liked it, but the knife was made by Tilman Leder so I'd attribute it to his skills as a knifemaker more than the steel per se.

I'd sure like to buy Mike Gavko's EDC in AEB-L, be it fixed or folder, and if it were mass produced, I might even be able to afford to. 14C28N (http://www.smt.sandvik.com/en/products/ ... ik-14c28n/) might also be good canditate as Nitrogen steels seem to be selling well.

Having crawled out from under a rock, I don't know this Gavko person. I'll break out a search engine and find out your draw to his knives.

We are asking for spyderco to make a knife that performs like an opinel slimline but with the quality and style of a spyderco.

Yep. With a steel appropriate for blowing the Opinel out of the water even if it's same steel just ran harder.

[Cliff Stamp]

Why not other highly desireable cold work tool steels with tungsten alloying?

Good question, I have asked it since about 98', Alvin asked it before me (I just repeated his question outside of rec.knives) .

... but what about using some exotic sounding European steel? Nitrobe 77 is perhaps difficult to obtain (or so I've let myself believe), but I wonder if Lohmann Niolox would do? It should go to atleast Rc 60

Excellent suggestions. Nitrobe 77 yes, great steel (on paper, never used it) but very expensive and how is it better performance wise than AEB-L. But I grant you, for those that get excited by PM and similar buzz, this is certainly a lot more exotic. Des Horn uses this, lots of praise - but you are talking about very high end customs for which criticism is rare in general. Not saying it isn't deserved - just that entire data pool tends to be heavily biased.

Niolox got a lot of press a few years back. Basically take AEB-L, increase the carbon content -but- use very strong carbide formers to prevent coarse chromium carbides (and lowering of free chromium) and thus increase wear without leading to a lower edge stability as would be achieved with say 19C27 or compromising corrosion resistance. Again, great win on paper.

[All-R-Crazy]

I would buY this supposed knife so
+1