The Black Blade sports impecible fit and finish. The construction is as exquisite as it is solid. The G10 scale grips nicely, but not so aggressively as to be difficult to pocket. The blacked-out clip holds very tightly to the Ti side, making it a bit difficult to clip on my pocket, but there's no fear of losing it! The beefy Reeve Integral Lock solidly holds the blade open, with positive lockup. It takes significant effort to release the lock. The frame has an open back design, which makes it easy to clean and also saves some weight, to which the drilled Ti frame on the G-10 side also contributes.
The about 3.5 inch CTS-204P blade came scary sharp and centered perfectly in the frame. The blade carries the trademark Spydie hole, and its shape provides a slick continuity to the Southard's shape.
Titanium carbonitride coats the hollow-ground blade, Ti handle scales, clip, etc. The coating seems perfectly uniform and looks great. It presents a flat black finish that goes beautifully with the G-10 scale and the G-10 insert at the pivot. The silvery images and writing on the blade provide an attractive and understated contrast to the flat black blade and hardware. Though the black Southard sports a beefy construction, the Ti frame keeps the weight down to 4.1 ounces.
A tiny ball bearing "holds" the black blade closed in the frame to prevent accidental opening. The knife's balance is such that the flipper deploys the blade much more naturally than the Spydie hole, although both work. Using the Spydie hole requires me to use the clip as an anchor for my last three fingers to gain leverage for overcoming the ball bearing detent. The flipper itself doesn't interfere with inserting the Black Blade into the knife pocket of tactical pants, yet readily falls under the index finger when holding the Southard. The flipper also protects your fingers when initially releasing the blade lock. The pivot spacers have tiny ball bearings embedded to smooth the opening and closing, and succeed well. Although the blade pivot came tight, but unlike with standard spacers, the tightness does not inhibit the blade deployment. I detected no blade play of any kind. Very nice setup!
I took a shot comparing the the Southard Black Blade with a few other of my black blades plus a Stretch. From top to bottom, the Stretch CF, Southard Black Blade, Endura Black Blade, and Military Black Blade.
At a recent local knife-oriented gathering, I had a chance to extensively handle some very nice knives - Striders, Hinderers, CRK Sebenzas, etc. With that recent experience in mind, I believe that the Spyderco Southard Black Blade stands in that same league of quality. We live in an age where the tolerances of CNC and laser manufacturing can, if properly done, provide end products indistinguishable from custom handiwork - or in some cases better. The folks in Taichung, Taiwan, continue to outdo their own high quality standards, turning the talented design team's concept into a stunning reality. I've been EDCing the Southard since it hit my doorstep.
