Blade Show Report
- phillipsted
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Blade Show Report
The Blade Show is a real winner this year. Bigger and better than ever - after two days, my legs gave out and I had to retire for some liquid refreshment. As usual, the Spyderco Booth was hopping and the Prototype/Concept case against the wall was full of exciting stuff. I had to stand back a couple of feet because I was in danger of drooling on the case. Seriously though, the Spyder Crew was gracious and informative as always - and you could sense the pride and passion in their work. Thanks for a great show guys!
OK, here are a few tidbits from the Prototype/Concept case. There were perhaps fifty or sixty blades in the case, and I couldn't focus on them all. :rolleyes: Like always, they ask that no pictures be taken, but they said that I was free to take notes. Here we go:
GAYLE BRADLEY 2 – This is a stunner. Same basic idea as the original GB folder, but kicked up 5 notches. First off – titanium liners. Secondly – M4 steel. Third - the concept model had a nice grippy carbon fiber with titanium bolsters, but Eric said the production version would have no bolsters (sorry Deacon!). The design has been refined even further from the original. Everything seems a little rounder, thinner and tapered. Not as large as the original, but it fits my hand like a glove. Nicely done, Gayle and Spyderdo! I can’t wait for this one to hit the street!
ION – A new Brad Southard flipper. Looks a lot like a 2/3-size version of the original flipper – about 6 inches open. The concept version had very thin G-10 scales over titanium liners. Eric said the production version would have the titanium liners nested in the G-10 at about the same overall thickness. This is one smooth, sophisticated flipper.
OUROBOROS – a Paul Alexander design. About 6 inches open and a slipit. The whole spine of the knife forms a gentle continuous arc, and it has a sizeable choil - giving it a very sleek look.
ONE EYED JACK – This is a nice, unassuming little concept from A.T. Barr. It is a G10 liner lock about 5 inches open. The blade is a modified spear-point blade with a thumb ramp reminiscent of the Terzuola slipit. Nicely done – it will be on my buy list.
NIRVANA – A Peter Rassenti concept. This one is a beast. About 9 inches long open with a large clip-point blade. But the most interesting thing is that the handle is machined out of a single slab of titanium. It is a closed back design, so this knife feels incredibly sturdy in hand. The concept model also had a very interesting texture milled into Ti.
SWEDE – A Michael Henningsson design about 5 inches long open. It is a thin liner lock with G10 scales. The most distinguishing feature is that the G10 is cut away at the butt of the knife to expose the lanyard hole, and the entire liner has been milled with facets to give it a jewel-like appearance.
SPLITTER – Imagine, if you will, a beefed-up second generation ATR with titanium scales and an integral compression lock. The knife has been designed with a flat relatively broad butt, with the blade and scales forming a single axis up and down the knife. Hence the name, “the Splitter”. This one may never make it to production, but it is an intriguing piece…
STRETCH 3 – The prototype of Sal’s Stretch 3 was in the case and it is a beauty. A lot of subtle refinements to the design, including the talked-about larger choil. This version was in brown G10 and ZDP-189 steel. Sleek.
PIP – This Jamie Baily design is hard to describe. It is a small wharnie about 3.5 inches long open. When I first saw it, the thing I though of was “what if the Equilibrium and the Mouse had a Love Child”? This one also had Kirinite scales, which I bet wouldn’t make it to production – but looked cute on this thing.
SQUARE HEAD – This Darrell Coulton design bore some resemblance to the Dog Tag in that it is a single-scale slipit. But the blade is almost rectangular. Kind of odd, but I was intrigued.
OTHER INTERESTING STUFF:
- Titanium scaled Pingos
- Ti or Steel scaled Squeaks
- New Serge Panchenko Dog Tag colors. Looked like brown G10 or maybe brass…
- A couple of tomahawks in the case (!)
TedP
P.S. - Sorry if I made any mistakes in capturing details. For folks at the show, feel free to correct me...
OK, here are a few tidbits from the Prototype/Concept case. There were perhaps fifty or sixty blades in the case, and I couldn't focus on them all. :rolleyes: Like always, they ask that no pictures be taken, but they said that I was free to take notes. Here we go:
GAYLE BRADLEY 2 – This is a stunner. Same basic idea as the original GB folder, but kicked up 5 notches. First off – titanium liners. Secondly – M4 steel. Third - the concept model had a nice grippy carbon fiber with titanium bolsters, but Eric said the production version would have no bolsters (sorry Deacon!). The design has been refined even further from the original. Everything seems a little rounder, thinner and tapered. Not as large as the original, but it fits my hand like a glove. Nicely done, Gayle and Spyderdo! I can’t wait for this one to hit the street!
ION – A new Brad Southard flipper. Looks a lot like a 2/3-size version of the original flipper – about 6 inches open. The concept version had very thin G-10 scales over titanium liners. Eric said the production version would have the titanium liners nested in the G-10 at about the same overall thickness. This is one smooth, sophisticated flipper.
OUROBOROS – a Paul Alexander design. About 6 inches open and a slipit. The whole spine of the knife forms a gentle continuous arc, and it has a sizeable choil - giving it a very sleek look.
ONE EYED JACK – This is a nice, unassuming little concept from A.T. Barr. It is a G10 liner lock about 5 inches open. The blade is a modified spear-point blade with a thumb ramp reminiscent of the Terzuola slipit. Nicely done – it will be on my buy list.
NIRVANA – A Peter Rassenti concept. This one is a beast. About 9 inches long open with a large clip-point blade. But the most interesting thing is that the handle is machined out of a single slab of titanium. It is a closed back design, so this knife feels incredibly sturdy in hand. The concept model also had a very interesting texture milled into Ti.
SWEDE – A Michael Henningsson design about 5 inches long open. It is a thin liner lock with G10 scales. The most distinguishing feature is that the G10 is cut away at the butt of the knife to expose the lanyard hole, and the entire liner has been milled with facets to give it a jewel-like appearance.
SPLITTER – Imagine, if you will, a beefed-up second generation ATR with titanium scales and an integral compression lock. The knife has been designed with a flat relatively broad butt, with the blade and scales forming a single axis up and down the knife. Hence the name, “the Splitter”. This one may never make it to production, but it is an intriguing piece…
STRETCH 3 – The prototype of Sal’s Stretch 3 was in the case and it is a beauty. A lot of subtle refinements to the design, including the talked-about larger choil. This version was in brown G10 and ZDP-189 steel. Sleek.
PIP – This Jamie Baily design is hard to describe. It is a small wharnie about 3.5 inches long open. When I first saw it, the thing I though of was “what if the Equilibrium and the Mouse had a Love Child”? This one also had Kirinite scales, which I bet wouldn’t make it to production – but looked cute on this thing.
SQUARE HEAD – This Darrell Coulton design bore some resemblance to the Dog Tag in that it is a single-scale slipit. But the blade is almost rectangular. Kind of odd, but I was intrigued.
OTHER INTERESTING STUFF:
- Titanium scaled Pingos
- Ti or Steel scaled Squeaks
- New Serge Panchenko Dog Tag colors. Looked like brown G10 or maybe brass…
- A couple of tomahawks in the case (!)
TedP
P.S. - Sorry if I made any mistakes in capturing details. For folks at the show, feel free to correct me...
- captnvegtble
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- Surfingringo
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Hey ted, nice report! Thanks for taking the time to pass along all the info. The GB sounds really nice! Man, I wish that knife had a bit finer tip on it. It would be one of my favorites for sure! I loved just about everything about the one that I owned, but the relative lack of a sharp point made it not so useful for too many of my tasks. I actually considered regrinding the spine on mine but couldn't envision a way to do it on that model without seriously marring the aesthetics. :-(. Absolutely superb knife in all other respects though and the next iteration sounds awfully nice too!
- Liquid Cobra
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Really great info! Any news on sprints? I guess specifically I'm wondering if there is any ATR news to report.
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Grail Paramilitary 2 M390 X 2! ACHIEVED!!
For more of my pictures see my Instagram account.
@liquid_cobra
- phillipsted
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- xceptnl
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This makes me very happy.phillipsted wrote:....NIRVANA – A Peter Rassenti concept. This one is a beast. About 9 inches long open with a large clip-point blade. But the most interesting thing is that the handle is machined out of a single slab of titanium. It is a closed back design, so this knife feels incredibly sturdy in hand. The concept model also had a very interesting texture milled into Ti.
*Landon*sal wrote: .... even today, we design a knife from the edge out!
- Pinetreebbs
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Thank You Ted. That was a great summary of what was there and he did it while the AC was marginal at best. :)
The Spyderco crew was busy as could be and as gracious as ever. I spoke with Eric about the Polywog and his clip tools. In the course of the conversation I told him preferred using FRN knives but liked the looks of G10. For example the Super Blue Endura I was carrying. You should have seen his face light up when he noticed the use on the blade. It's one thing to hear people talk about actually using their knives, but his expression really made it clear.
While we at the Spyderco display Jim Howe and his wife stopped by, they too are great folks.
The Spyderco crew was busy as could be and as gracious as ever. I spoke with Eric about the Polywog and his clip tools. In the course of the conversation I told him preferred using FRN knives but liked the looks of G10. For example the Super Blue Endura I was carrying. You should have seen his face light up when he noticed the use on the blade. It's one thing to hear people talk about actually using their knives, but his expression really made it clear.
While we at the Spyderco display Jim Howe and his wife stopped by, they too are great folks.
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- Bladewacked
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Hi phillipsted!
And THX Much for your report. :) I've been following the Nirvana for some time since I first saw the earlier 3.125" blade versions. Guess this one should be an upscaled K2 like. That makes a huge Ti monoblock even more awesome. :cool:
The One Eyed Jack has always looked to me like a refined version of a mix between some Byrd models. Nice little folder.
The Southard Ion is really nice. I like it way more than the current Southard flipper.
And about that Ti scaled Pingo well, guess I'll take 2 in a blink. :D
And THX Much for your report. :) I've been following the Nirvana for some time since I first saw the earlier 3.125" blade versions. Guess this one should be an upscaled K2 like. That makes a huge Ti monoblock even more awesome. :cool:
The One Eyed Jack has always looked to me like a refined version of a mix between some Byrd models. Nice little folder.
The Southard Ion is really nice. I like it way more than the current Southard flipper.
And about that Ti scaled Pingo well, guess I'll take 2 in a blink. :D
Stay Sharp!
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Great report Ted, thank you. My wife and I were able to make the show a couple years ago, got to meet Sal, Eric, Ed, and Brad Southard. Remember seeing his knife in the case. Also got to meet Mrs. Bradley but Gayle wasn't around. Many of the crew from Knifeworks were there and was able to pick up a couple discontinued models from them at the show. Definitely have the new Bradley on the list. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts and excellent descriptions. Take care.