Blade Show Report
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 4:58 pm
The Blade Show is a real winner this year. Bigger and better than ever - after two days, my legs gave out and I had to retire for some liquid refreshment. As usual, the Spyderco Booth was hopping and the Prototype/Concept case against the wall was full of exciting stuff. I had to stand back a couple of feet because I was in danger of drooling on the case. Seriously though, the Spyder Crew was gracious and informative as always - and you could sense the pride and passion in their work. Thanks for a great show guys!
OK, here are a few tidbits from the Prototype/Concept case. There were perhaps fifty or sixty blades in the case, and I couldn't focus on them all. :rolleyes: Like always, they ask that no pictures be taken, but they said that I was free to take notes. Here we go:
GAYLE BRADLEY 2 – This is a stunner. Same basic idea as the original GB folder, but kicked up 5 notches. First off – titanium liners. Secondly – M4 steel. Third - the concept model had a nice grippy carbon fiber with titanium bolsters, but Eric said the production version would have no bolsters (sorry Deacon!). The design has been refined even further from the original. Everything seems a little rounder, thinner and tapered. Not as large as the original, but it fits my hand like a glove. Nicely done, Gayle and Spyderdo! I can’t wait for this one to hit the street!
ION – A new Brad Southard flipper. Looks a lot like a 2/3-size version of the original flipper – about 6 inches open. The concept version had very thin G-10 scales over titanium liners. Eric said the production version would have the titanium liners nested in the G-10 at about the same overall thickness. This is one smooth, sophisticated flipper.
OUROBOROS – a Paul Alexander design. About 6 inches open and a slipit. The whole spine of the knife forms a gentle continuous arc, and it has a sizeable choil - giving it a very sleek look.
ONE EYED JACK – This is a nice, unassuming little concept from A.T. Barr. It is a G10 liner lock about 5 inches open. The blade is a modified spear-point blade with a thumb ramp reminiscent of the Terzuola slipit. Nicely done – it will be on my buy list.
NIRVANA – A Peter Rassenti concept. This one is a beast. About 9 inches long open with a large clip-point blade. But the most interesting thing is that the handle is machined out of a single slab of titanium. It is a closed back design, so this knife feels incredibly sturdy in hand. The concept model also had a very interesting texture milled into Ti.
SWEDE – A Michael Henningsson design about 5 inches long open. It is a thin liner lock with G10 scales. The most distinguishing feature is that the G10 is cut away at the butt of the knife to expose the lanyard hole, and the entire liner has been milled with facets to give it a jewel-like appearance.
SPLITTER – Imagine, if you will, a beefed-up second generation ATR with titanium scales and an integral compression lock. The knife has been designed with a flat relatively broad butt, with the blade and scales forming a single axis up and down the knife. Hence the name, “the Splitter”. This one may never make it to production, but it is an intriguing piece…
STRETCH 3 – The prototype of Sal’s Stretch 3 was in the case and it is a beauty. A lot of subtle refinements to the design, including the talked-about larger choil. This version was in brown G10 and ZDP-189 steel. Sleek.
PIP – This Jamie Baily design is hard to describe. It is a small wharnie about 3.5 inches long open. When I first saw it, the thing I though of was “what if the Equilibrium and the Mouse had a Love Child”? This one also had Kirinite scales, which I bet wouldn’t make it to production – but looked cute on this thing.
SQUARE HEAD – This Darrell Coulton design bore some resemblance to the Dog Tag in that it is a single-scale slipit. But the blade is almost rectangular. Kind of odd, but I was intrigued.
OTHER INTERESTING STUFF:
- Titanium scaled Pingos
- Ti or Steel scaled Squeaks
- New Serge Panchenko Dog Tag colors. Looked like brown G10 or maybe brass…
- A couple of tomahawks in the case (!)
TedP
P.S. - Sorry if I made any mistakes in capturing details. For folks at the show, feel free to correct me...
OK, here are a few tidbits from the Prototype/Concept case. There were perhaps fifty or sixty blades in the case, and I couldn't focus on them all. :rolleyes: Like always, they ask that no pictures be taken, but they said that I was free to take notes. Here we go:
GAYLE BRADLEY 2 – This is a stunner. Same basic idea as the original GB folder, but kicked up 5 notches. First off – titanium liners. Secondly – M4 steel. Third - the concept model had a nice grippy carbon fiber with titanium bolsters, but Eric said the production version would have no bolsters (sorry Deacon!). The design has been refined even further from the original. Everything seems a little rounder, thinner and tapered. Not as large as the original, but it fits my hand like a glove. Nicely done, Gayle and Spyderdo! I can’t wait for this one to hit the street!
ION – A new Brad Southard flipper. Looks a lot like a 2/3-size version of the original flipper – about 6 inches open. The concept version had very thin G-10 scales over titanium liners. Eric said the production version would have the titanium liners nested in the G-10 at about the same overall thickness. This is one smooth, sophisticated flipper.
OUROBOROS – a Paul Alexander design. About 6 inches open and a slipit. The whole spine of the knife forms a gentle continuous arc, and it has a sizeable choil - giving it a very sleek look.
ONE EYED JACK – This is a nice, unassuming little concept from A.T. Barr. It is a G10 liner lock about 5 inches open. The blade is a modified spear-point blade with a thumb ramp reminiscent of the Terzuola slipit. Nicely done – it will be on my buy list.
NIRVANA – A Peter Rassenti concept. This one is a beast. About 9 inches long open with a large clip-point blade. But the most interesting thing is that the handle is machined out of a single slab of titanium. It is a closed back design, so this knife feels incredibly sturdy in hand. The concept model also had a very interesting texture milled into Ti.
SWEDE – A Michael Henningsson design about 5 inches long open. It is a thin liner lock with G10 scales. The most distinguishing feature is that the G10 is cut away at the butt of the knife to expose the lanyard hole, and the entire liner has been milled with facets to give it a jewel-like appearance.
SPLITTER – Imagine, if you will, a beefed-up second generation ATR with titanium scales and an integral compression lock. The knife has been designed with a flat relatively broad butt, with the blade and scales forming a single axis up and down the knife. Hence the name, “the Splitter”. This one may never make it to production, but it is an intriguing piece…
STRETCH 3 – The prototype of Sal’s Stretch 3 was in the case and it is a beauty. A lot of subtle refinements to the design, including the talked-about larger choil. This version was in brown G10 and ZDP-189 steel. Sleek.
PIP – This Jamie Baily design is hard to describe. It is a small wharnie about 3.5 inches long open. When I first saw it, the thing I though of was “what if the Equilibrium and the Mouse had a Love Child”? This one also had Kirinite scales, which I bet wouldn’t make it to production – but looked cute on this thing.
SQUARE HEAD – This Darrell Coulton design bore some resemblance to the Dog Tag in that it is a single-scale slipit. But the blade is almost rectangular. Kind of odd, but I was intrigued.
OTHER INTERESTING STUFF:
- Titanium scaled Pingos
- Ti or Steel scaled Squeaks
- New Serge Panchenko Dog Tag colors. Looked like brown G10 or maybe brass…
- A couple of tomahawks in the case (!)
TedP
P.S. - Sorry if I made any mistakes in capturing details. For folks at the show, feel free to correct me...