He pretty much sums of my view of the whole pricing issue. Next to my S90V Millie this is the most I’ve paid for a Spyderco to date. On to the review.
I’ve loved the Rock Lobster design ever since I first saw the custom version on another forum years ago. I think it’s one of the most visually appealing folder designs (both open and closed) out there. I also think Anso is a great forward thinking and progressive knife maker. The Spyderco version of his design does not disappoint. Handling the knife when closed is very comfortable and ergo friendly, it sort of reminds me of a banana…
The fit and finish is the same quality of the Superhawk and is on par with anything coming out of Golden, CO. I love the Golden made knives but one small thing that I like about the construction of the newer Seki knives is the actual hardware that is used. I’ve disassembled my Superhawk once I was surprised to find that the standoffs go through the SS liners. I can only assume that the Lobster has the same construction and this makes for a much more rigid knife as opposed to my Lil’ Temp which has standoffs that are only held in place by the small screws. The domed screws on the scale are also a little beefier than the normal flat head screws you would find on the Millies and Paras. It’s a very solid knife and it was a little heavier than I expected but don’t worry it’s not too heavy.
With regards to the blade being VG-10, I much prefer VG-10 to an S30V blade. There no issues for me since I think VG-10 is easier to maintain and it takes a nice edge. The lock bar is a little thicker than the Millie’s and it is very stiff (which I like) with a positive lock up.
Ergonomics, this is probably the one area that is still plaguing me after carrying the knife for two weeks. I think I have small to medium sized hands because I always thought Millie was too big for me (lately, my opinion has been changing on that). Someone else has mentioned that the Rock Lobster has a “super choil” which is fairly accurate. When I grip the knife for normal cutting my middle finger tends to feel lost. Unless I modify my grip or really bare down its feels like my middle finger is just sort of hanging there, not resting on anything. I sort of surprised me since it’s such a wide knife, about as wide as the Lil’ Temp. I’ve played around with some different grip styles; one was an attempt to choke up on the knife by squeezing all three fingers in the choil. Believe it or not, it actually works for me. Another more comfortable grip I tried was just hanging on to the back of the knife, sort of an extended fencing grip. This has actually been the most comfortable grip for me but blade control is reduced to some extent. I haven’t tried a regular grip with gloves yet but I think that it would feel really good in a gloved hand. I noticed that the “super choil” closely resembles the large cutout on the Lil’ Temp. Upon closer inspection I noticed that the Lil’ Temp is slightly smaller and ramps up gradually towards the back. This makes sense now because of all the knives I’ve owned the Lil’ Temp fits my hand perfectly, it sort of just melts into my hand. Unfortunately, without tampering with Anso’s original design I’m just going to have to spend more time finding a comfortable grip with the Lobster. Forgot to mention, opening and closing one handed is a breeze. Whatever Sal had to change on the placement of the hole works because it’s spot on.
I have a few comparison pics pointing out different things I’ve noticed. The Rock Lobster is actually thinner than the Millie (it’s hard to tell from the pic but side by side it’s very noticeable). It’s also about a good inch shorter than the Millie. The other two pics are just obligatory Spyder porn showing how my last three purchaces have all been green handled Spyders. Enjoy.
Overall, I’m very pleased with the Rock Lobster. I think this is one of those design intensive projects that will either be picked up and embraced by a hardcore minority of Spyderco fans or if it gets discontinued in a few years it will become a highly sought after and collectable piece. I’m much more of a knife user and abuser so I hope this one stays around for a while so I can get another one when I have to retire my first Rock Lobster.
. i am still up in the air on this one, that and my credit card is all paid off and i am busy finding old rare :spyder: s and those take first priority while the rock lobster is still in production.