Spyderco Forums

Since I started an interest in Spyderco knives about a year ago I have been on the hunt for a Cat CF. Missed out on a few on Blades and outbid on ebay. This time I Finally got one! Anybody know what the 120 is?

Nice find!

The 120 is a Spyderco Collector Program number.

Pinetreebbs wrote:Nice find!

The 120 is a Spyderco Collector Program number.

Thanks for the info!
Adam

Congratulations! I've got the CF Chicago and really love its compact shape. Enjoy!

My only criticism is that it isn't very light for its size and handle material, with the steel liners. I feels almost like a dressed up Ambitious... For the size, I'd much rather grab my ZDP Dragonfly 2 or my CF Walker Sprint. Both are substantially lighter with better steel. So... my Chicago doesn't get as much use as I originally thought it would get...

TedP

great looking knife! congrats on the purchase!

Holland wrote:great looking knife! congrats on the purchase!

thank you! It's been a happy cat in my pocket!

With the collectors series added into the scales that came out well, not seconds, how many knives passes quality control? Any idea of the collectablity of pristine cf Cats and Chicagos?

Toast wrote:With the collectors series added into the scales that came out well, not seconds, how many knives passes quality control? Any idea of the collectablity of pristine cf Cats and Chicagos?

I think the market settled a little bit with the g10 release(with a lesser quality steel I might add).

I believe the collectible aspects of the Carbon Fiber(non factory second's) will only increase in value years down the road.

Toast wrote:With the collectors series added into the scales that came out well, not seconds, how many knives passes quality control? Any idea of the collectablity of pristine cf Cats and Chicagos?

I've purchased a factory second and an alleged QC Cat. Both were poor. The CF scales seems to be the bid hold up, BUT, the etches on both blades were crooked. Specifically the "Spyderco" and "Taiwan" etches were crooked. I don't think there is a passable QC version. Here are a couple pics.

Top (440C version), bottom (CF S30V).




I saw the crooked etch and the notch in the factory second and decided to hunt a QC version. The notch was gone, but the etch was still crooked. I'd love to see a true QC CF Cat. I don't think they exist.

Oh, one other thing that P's me O, the lanyard hole is open on the CF version. It has a bushing with the newer G10 model. With the exception of the 440C (which isn't the the worst steel), the G10 version is a million times better.

All that said, Spyderco has done a wonderful job with the latest iteration of the Cat. The wire clip is improved and the 440C has jimping! Thank you Spyderco for putting in the extra effort.

So, you are saying that you don't think there are any that should have passed inspection. Have you compared any CC releases?

So, you are saying that you don't think there are any that should have passed inspection. Have you compared any CC releases?

I don't know what a CC release is. In my experience, neither should have passed inspection. Both the factory second and the QC one had etching issues. The factory second CF scales were 1000x worse than the QC one though. The crooked etch might not be a big deal to people, but seeing it compared to the 440C version and it was pretty obvious.

I talked to a guy who had a safe queen CF Cat. He said his scales were pristine, but he had the same crooked etch problem.

For me, the CF scales were not a factor. I'm not a fan of CF and only wanted the jimping from the S30V. If they had of had jimping on the original 440C version, I wouldn't have looked for a CF Cat.

I don't want to take away from the OP. It's a decent knife. The CF scales are likely good on QC versions. The S30V still cuts like a champ regardless of the etch. If you got one for the original price even better. Seeing the ones on eBay going for over $100 is crazy though. Keep that money and buy a Sage 1 or Chaparral. The CF on the Sage 1 is perfect as is the etch.

Now the new G10 version has jimping. I'd suggest dropping the $40 on one of those. Great knife size, super liner detent, improved wire clip, affordable.