Spyderco Forums

sal wrote:I've refined the design on Swicks over the years to nail down shape (Pattern) of the handle. designing a handle attached to a Perrin finger hole is more challenging than it might appear. Getting the ergos right for "most" hands for serious use without "hot spots". I've designed them with 3mm thickness and 4mm thickness. The argument for 4mm is handle comfort, especially when your thumb is on top of the blade. Also provides a thicker (stronger) blade when full flat ground.

The downside is obvious extra weight.

Thoughts?

sal

I much prefer 3mm to 4mm for weight savings, superior cutting and a slightly easier to carry package. 4mm thick is definitely more comfortable of a thumb ramp, but aside from that it offers no benefits for me. The extra strength it provides never comes into play with how I use knives that small, so it'd just make it more likely to bind in cardboard etc.

The Swick handle definitely seems challenging to design with multiple hand sizes in mind. The index hole feels a little on the small side for me, otherwise its always been a good fit for my larger than average hands.

Sal,
I would love the thicker, heavier blade. To me its worth the weight for the added strength.I would use this in my kayak, and if i took a spill and my kayak went down river, this would likely be all I had. With that being said, I may or may not have to use this blade other than as directed. I would likely have to do things with it that it was never designed for, so the strength and added leverage and weight would be ideal for me. Thanks for always listening Sal!

I would prefer 3mm. Weight also matters with neck knives -- the lighter the better. Also, I find that a rounded spine does more for "thumb comfort" than a thick spine does.

I’m a big fan of the Swick design! They really are highly functional. I can definitely see a run of 500 selling; EDC fixed knives just don’t have the broad appeal EDC folders have with the masses though.

—A wharncliffe or subtle hawkbill would be a nice blade shape. LC200N might be my first choice for steel.

Perhaps this is a silly statement, but I’d like to see Keanu Reeves use one in the next John Wick movie; that’d draw the masses attention!

I believe a reverse s or wharncliffe would make a highly functional but very specialized tool. A Swick with more of a “PM3” Blade with a slightly higher tip than the swick 4 would make a far more versatile blade. If I had to choose, I would go for the versatility.

I liked the look of the swick series, and if they made one in H1 or some other rust resistant metal, I would definitely get one. Been looking for a neck knife for a bit.

The family.

I'd be down for a Caspian Salt with a more conventional blade. The design always caught my eye as a Swick fan, but the spear ground blade and line cutter kind of conflict with how I use knives.

Given that choice, I'd go 3mm. I'd choose 2mm if it were up to me. I don't really do much, if any, heavy cutting with a neck knife. For a cut or two, comfort isn't a big deal. I've got a 2.5", 2mm thick, flat-ground necker from Jason Wilder that cuts like a laser. It's capable of far more than I want to do with a knife that small. I suspect that much of the work done with these knives will cutting cardboard. Thin spines rule for that. That said, there's certainly a perception with the knife-buying public that thicker is somehow better and I could see 4mm selling better than the others. You've got to make what sells.