Pocket knife perfection---Chaparral

[Doc Dan]

I really love the Chaparral Carbon Fiber. It is just the right size. It is not too big and not too small. The lines on the knife are very good, also. It is a pleasing knife to look at. Plus, it is light weight. Next to a Delica, this is my most carried knife. It cuts like a light saber with its very thin FFG blade. It is so flat that is simply disappears in my pocket. I remove the unneeded clip.
Here it is in action.


Here it is next to a Dragonfly. It is not a lot bigger, but the blade is a lot longer. The fit a lot of knife in this small, slim package.

[Almoe66]

Agreed- great knife, excellent f&f, and a joy to carry. It has been finding a home in my pocket more and more.

[jmh58]

Agreed- great knife, excellent f&f, and a joy to carry. It has been finding a home in my pocket more and more.

Yep.. Seems lately it is my choice also!! Never did develop a love for the DF.. Tried twice and sold them both!! :D John :)

[El Gato]

As soon as I got my first Chaparral it became my favorite pocketknife of all. Mine is also the CF version and the Blue Stepped Titanium model soon followed it. I love them both. I collected high grade custom knives for many years which makes me appreciate the quality of the fit and finish that I find in the Chaparral series. I feel they are both outstanding values and I am looking forward to additional variations in the series.
The Chaparral is indeed "pocket knife perfection".

[SG89]

Never did develop a love for the DF..

:eek: not even the dragonfly2?

[jmh58]

Never did develop a love for the DF..

:eek: not even the dragonfly2?

Nope!! :D

[SG89]

Never did develop a love for the DF..

:eek: not even the dragonfly2?

Nope!! :D

Lol. Well I never could love the jester and I had 2 of them :p

[nicked.onaut]

Yes indeed. Along with the fine ergonomics with usage, it *carries* well. Particularly with dress slacks/suit, the Chappie (shoutout to Neil /;-) is unobtrusive; light weight, slim profile, secure yet slick clip/scale/slack interface so no slack shredding.

Exhibits none of that pocket sag or twist that happens even with e.g. a Delica LW with some dress slacks. Easy one hand draw and re-pocketing, too.

Great steel as well; with the superb ergos, Chappie cuts above weight and size class.
Gratzi, Sal.

[timlara]

Agreed. As much as I want to love the Dragonfly2 as well, it's just a little bit too small for comfortable one handed use for me. I *can* use it one-handed just fine...I just don't feel like there's quite enough "purchase" on the handle area for completely sure opening and closing. I feel like I sort of have to be careful not to slip. The DF looks really cool though and has great ergos once open. I think it strikes a good balance of being as small as possible to ALMOST be a keychain knife like the Ladybug or Jester class, but JUST big enough to be usable with one hand without the help of a lanyard or super nimble finger dexterity.

The Chaparral on the other hand favors the next tier up, where it is just big enough to have comfortable ergos for average / large hands, but still small enough to not scare anybody and almost disappear completely in your pocket since it's so thin and light. Add the great Taichung craftsmanship with high end materials, and it's a home run.

[MichaelScott]

The Chaparral is a fine knife, and holds a top spot on my want list, but I have to defend the Dragonfly 2. I will grant that the Chaparral's blade is longer, but I seldom find the DF2's too short and switch to a Delica when I do. I have large hands and find the DF2's handle to be just fine and have no issues opening it. I think that is a matter of personal preference, not an advantage or shortcoming in either knife.

For me, I suspect I would rather have a Gayle Bradley Air than a Chaparral. I like the design, materials and the Wharncliffe blade. And, Bradley lives near Fort Worth where I was born so I like that connection too.

[bh49]

It is a nice knife and for a long time under my radar. I am just waiting for no screws bolsters and natural materials scales.

[Doc Dan]

For me, I suspect I would rather have a Gayle Bradley Air than a Chaparral. I like the design, materials and the Wharncliffe blade. And, Bradley lives near Fort Worth where I was born so I like that connection too.

I have somewhat large and thick hands. I handled the Air and it is a fine knife, but I also handled the Chaparral. I bought the Chaparral. Of course, you could not go wrong with either, but the Chaparral was just a better fit for me.

[this_is_nascar]

I've owned (and sold) many Spyderco knifes throughout the years. The Chaparral is one of the very few that I've never sold and still have.

[HarleyXJGuy]

Does anyone have a picture of a GB Air and a Chappie next to one another?

I have narrowed my next in pocket knife down to one of these two. Well one of these two and a HAP Delica of course.

[Holland]

Does anyone have a picture of a GB Air and a Chappie next to one another?

I have narrowed my next in pocket knife down to one of these two. Well one of these two and a HAP Delica of course.

Sorry these aren't too useful l, but better than nothing haha.






I sold the air because I felt the detent was far to weak to be loose in my pocket

[DigDug72]

here ya go man. both are slightly modded - edges of scales are rounded and sanded, plus the air scales were rit dyed blue before sanding.

[Holland]

here ya go man. both are slightly modded - edges of scales are rounded and sanded, plus the air scales were rit dyed blue

Hey! How do you find the detent on the Air? I could open mine with just inertia, not even touching the blade

[DigDug72]

yeah, the detent is super weak on mine - won't open w/ only inertia, but doesn't take much. tightened the pivot to give me more assurance it won't open in pocket, and tend to keep it in the coin pocket so there's less opportunities for random openings.

[Doc Dan]

One of the reasons I do not favor liner locks is that they rely upon a detent, which can weaken over time. I much prefer the back lock of the Chaparral.

[flipe8]

I recently picked up a CF Chaparral and am very pleased with it, overall. For many years, I carried small lock back Spydies like the Spur(still think it's one of the best designs Spyderco ever made), Co-Pilot, Navigator II and Dragonfly, so this knife made a lot of sense to me. I also love that it's fully ambidextrous, as I'm a lefty, but usually carry in my RFP. I don't think any knife company can touch Spyderco's compact knife designs and the Chaparral only adds to that. :spyder: