I haven't done a review in quite some time, but I've been eagerly awaiting the release of the FRN Chaparral and now its here I thought I'd take the time to snap a few pics and share my thoughts. My two most loved and carried Spydercos are the Native 5 LW and the Dragonfly 2 LW, so an FRN Chaparral always seemed like the perfect knife to bridge that size gap (I like my choils and I like my backlocks). I'd heard lots of good things about the various incarnations of the Chap and have always been impressed by the quality of the Taichung Spydies so I had high expectations! Well here's what I've found so far...
Specs from Spyderco:
length overall - 6.04" (163 mm)
blade length - 2.8" (71 mm)
blade thickness - 0.077" (1.96 mm)
cutting edge - 2.35" (60 mm)
length closed - 3.6" (91 mm)
blade steel - CTS-XHP
handle material - FRN
weight - 2 oz (57 g)
My first impression was it's a nimble little thing, and pretty darn smart looking.
The quality is exactly what I've come to expect from a Taichung made Spydie - perfectly centred blade, zero play. I really like this new texture on the FRN. The channels in the FRN are shallower than that of the pattern on the Native of Dragonfly, yet actually feel a little more aggressive to me. Maybe aggressive is the wrong word...abrasive maybe? It feels similar to a slab of G10 in a way - that 'rough' almost powdery G10 feel. In fact that along with the full metal backspacer, with my eyes closed I could mistake this for a G10 handled knife - the blade has that dull 'thuck' as it snaps back into the handle, as opposed to the sharp hollow 'snick' of the other FRN lightweights. I suppose what I'm saying is I was surprised at how substantial this lightweight feels in the hand. I love my lightweights but I do admit they feel a little less 'classy' than the CF or G10 models, however not so with the Chaparral Lightweight. Not at all what I was expecting.
Here is that full metal backspacer...
The FRN of the Chap...
Versus the FRN of the Native...
You can see how relatively shallow the channels are on the Chaparral here at this angle...
...compared to the deeper pattern on the Native...
Here are some comparison shots of the Chap between the Native 5 and the Dragonfly 2...
As you can see this thing is wafer thin. Here it is for an up-close comparison with the substantially chunkier Native 5...
And it even comes in a shade thinner than the Dragonfly...
I know a few early opinions gave this lightweight a bit of flak for having steel liners, and unfortunately I don't have any of the other versions of the Chaparral to do a comparison with but here's mine on the scales with the Native and Dragonfly for anyone interested. The Specs have the Chap at 57g but mine read 59.12g...
The handle is so thin that I couldn't get in there for a decent macro shot of the liners, but they only extend about half way down the scales from the lockbar and spacer. How light this feels in the hand compared to the other Chaparrals I don't know, but I can say if I hadn't weighed it myself, I'd have sworn blind that the Chap LW was heavier than my Native 5 LW! Maybe because its smaller and the weight more 'concentrated'. I didn't buy this for the weight though, I bought it primarily for the size, backlock, FRN and choil.
What about the sharp and pointed bit? Well I don't have much experience with CTS-XHP and this is a new knife so time will tell on that front. From what I understand it's somewhere in the region of S30V and if so I'm happy with that. The factory edge came laser sharp and is still going strong after a few days of use so I haven't sharpened or reprofiled the edge yet, so nothing to report on that front.
Crazy thin, this blade slices beautifully. Here next to the Native...
And again, thinner than the little Dragonfly...
I haven't bought a Taichung Spydie in a few years but they're still using that weird etching technique for the blade markings that catches polishing cloth fluff and looks generally unfinished to my eye compared to the other factories, but hey ho! I do my best to find something to moan about
The handle looks just like a shrunk-down Native 5, but that very slight Caly-esque ramp at the thumb makes a big difference in the grip. Not as fun to choke up on as the Native, but the Chap locks in more solidly to the hand with that thumb placed on the ramp jimping. Here's an in hand comparison (I take a 'Medium' in Mechanix gloves)...
In terms of the blade, not a million miles away from the Native in terms of functionality. You don't sacrifice all that much. They do feel very different in the hand though. The Native feels like a chunky beast after you've carried this little whisper of a knife all day. After being in and out of the pocket a few times my fingers did miss that lovely soft lock bar on the Native. The Chaparral really does dig into you when closing one handed as you press down on that narrow little lock release.
The lock-up is rock solid though with absolutely no play. I've never had a backlock as good as the Native 5 but this certainly feels its equal as long as it doesn't develop any play later down the line. Opening on the Chaparral is silky smooth and probably the nicest feeling action of any Spydie I've had.
I'm a big fan of the wire clip. My first ever Spydie was the UKPK and I've loved how discreet the wire clip is in the pocket ever since. The hourglass clip on the Native is sturdy and handsome with that little bug logo, but it just can't compete with the wire for keeping that knife riding low in the pocket.
Chaparral in the pocket...
Native 5 in the pocket...
Well, I think that's about all I have this early into owning it. I hope there's something in here for anyone currently thinking about picking one of these up. But I can safely say at 80 bucks this is probably the best I've felt about value for money out of a Spyderco knife. Whether or not it will be a light enough 'lightweight' for you with those liners and full back spacer adding to the weight I don't know, but this knife is undoubtably a quality little folder. If the Chaparral Lightweight has more blade steels and handle colors in it's future I'm going to be severely struggling with temptation! Here are a few more pics to end on...
Hopefully someone found that useful anyway,
Cheers for now!
Uke
