Chokwe vs. Military?

FissionMailed · #1

I'm looking into getting a new spyderco that's on the larger side so should I get a chokwe or a military? Thanks.

npueppke · #2

The Chokwe is quite a bit slimmer and more EDC-friendly than the military. It is also a bit smaller. The military is a much 'beefier' knife. It just kind of depends on what you like/what you want to use it for.

quattrokid73 · #3

Tell us a bit more about what you are looking for in the knife and how you will use it.

I've got both and they are both in my top three Spydercos ever. So lay it on me and I'll let you know what I think might suit your needs best.

FissionMailed · #4

Mainly just cutting boxes, food prep, and opening mail. I think Im gonna go for the Chokwe and pick up a para military with the black and digi camo when it comes out... Is the Taiwan G-10 good?

quattrokid73 · #5

Good choice. For those tasks I'd recommend the Chokwe as well.

The Chokwe is made just as well as the Sage series. The Taiwan G10 is great, not as grippy as Golden G10, but it's very even and deeply colored. It's blacker than G10 from Golden for sure. The indexing holes really help for grip and orientation as well. And the modified wharncliffe blade is a beast at opening boxes, mail, and slicing things into thin slivers.

I think out of all my knives, the Chokwe has been the most loved and talked about by friends and those who see me use it. I've even had a beautiful french girl say "Hey, cool knife!". I was pretty surprised she said that :-)

***I forgot to add that it's the smoothest opening knife I've ever used. Seriously.

jabba359 · #6

quattrokid73 wrote:I think out of all my knives, the Chokwe has been the most loved and talked about by friends and those who see me use it. I've even had a beautiful french girl say "Hey, cool knife!". I was pretty surprised she said that :-)

Well, I found a good deal on the Chokwe the other day and it's on the way. Now the only question remaining is: Where do I find this beautiful French girl that appreciates fine cutlery?

quattrokid73 · #7

jabba359 wrote:Well, I found a good deal on the Chokwe the other day and it's on the way. Now the only question remaining is: Where do I find this beautiful French girl that appreciates fine cutlery?

Haha, well you're in Woodland Hills and the sighting of the incident was in San Francisco!

:D

zvir · #8

for edc the chokwe is better
but military rules as "one life - one knife"

wsdavies · #9

Just ordered the Chokwe off of Amazon yesterday...they def. have the best price right now...that I could find. Too much knife to pass on for that price!

FissionMailed · #10

wsdavies wrote:Just ordered the Chokwe off of Amazon yesterday...they def. have the best price right now...that I could find. Too much knife to pass on for that price!

Yeah that's where I got mine, $92 shipped :cool:

wsdavies · #11

$86.67 Shipped :) Just checked, the price is back up to $116.49. Glad I seized the moment last night!

FissionMailed wrote:Yeah that's where I got mine, $92 shipped :cool:

gunnut35 · #12

I ordered it last night and got a tracking number today. With shiping it was $92 and today the price is $116.

wsdavies · #13

Usually anything over $25 is free Super Saver shipping if it's sold direct through Amazon.

gunnut35 wrote:I ordered it last night and got a tracking number today. With shiping it was $92 and today the price is $116.

yowzer · #14

I broke down and ordered one yesterday, so I lucked out with the price going back to normal today. :) Free 2nd-day shipping with an Amazon Prime trial, too. :) Should have it Wednesday and then I'll be able to actually contribute usefully to the original topic of the thread.

However, even without the Chokwe in hand... the Military's freaking huge! I can't believe the discussion in the current large folder thread from people who think it's not big enough. Wow.

yowzer · #15

Okay, now that I have the Chokwe...

Chokwe Chokwe Chokwe! Almost as much edge as the Military in a much smaller, easier to carry package. However... you mentioned food prep, and the Military has a lot more belly than the Chokwe's Wharncliffeish blade, which comes in handy on a cutting board. That aspect's going to be interesting to play with -- I love whancliffe blades, but I usually carry them in the form of a small traditional slipjoint that's an adjunct to a bigger knife with belly. When carrying this Chokwe, I'll be going the other way around. It'll be an interesting experiment.

In other ways, though, the Chokwe wins out for me. The G-10 isn't as rough and thus doesn't feel quite so much like I'm holding a chunk of concrete, and it has tip-up carry, which is a huge bonus. Relative negatives: I'm not a big frame lock fan, especially not when it leads to asymmetric handles. Really, though, you can't go wrong with either one.

Ankerson · #16

I would choose the Military in a heartbeat.

#17

The Chokwe deign is based on a design that has been used for the past 300 years in the Zambia / Zimbabwe area of Central Africa. Refined and evolved for a multitude of tasks from agriculture and food preparation to warfare.

sal

THG · #18

I've never owned the Chokwe, but I'm still going to give it the nod. I got rid of my Military because it was just too big. Maybe you like that, but I thought the handle was unnecessarily large. There was a huge amount of handle sticking out of my closed hand when gripping the knife, both toward the blade area and toward the butt. This made it strange to hold and awkward to carry. If there's ever a refinement for a Military 2, one thing I'd like to see is more blade packed into the handle.

Other than that, the Military is a tremendous knife. That blade has so much cutting power due to the 4mm, FFG, angled blade. By "angled blade," I mean the angle that it and the handle make together. I don't think I've ever had a better cutter.

wsdavies · #19

I think it's one of those knives it takes a while to warm up to (In terms of pure form), but once you do you wonder why you didn't buy/like it sooner.

sal wrote:The Chokwe deign is based on a design that has been used for the past 300 years in the Zambia / Zimbabwe area of Central Africa. Refined and evolved for a multitude of tasks from agriculture and food preparation to warfare.

sal

racer88 · #20

It's really strange... When I first saw the Chokwe, it did not appeal to me at all. But, after reading this thread (and the other current thread about the Chokwe), I am coming to appreciate it. Geez... I JUST got two other Spydies (Mini-Persian and Zulu). I guess I should complete the "Ethnic Trifecta," eh? :D