Spyderco Forums

Uggghhh these need to sell out, I was gonna hold out because the plain-Jane version is just about all I need but this thread is killing me now with the pics. :o

This has me trying to sell the plain Jane immediately. I love the model, but this is exceptional and if I can score a REX or two I can’t come up with a valid reason not to dump the S30 sooner than later. And I don’t even chase carbon fiber.

Burton Knut wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 15, 2021 5:47 pm

This has me trying to sell the plain Jane immediately. I love the model, but this is exceptional and if I can score a REX or two I can’t come up with a valid reason not to dump the S30 sooner than later. And I don’t even chase carbon fiber.

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I get what you’re saying.

Mine arrived today, and I’m thinking my S30V might now be more greatly prized in other hands.

I guess I have to go out in the snow to see if the mailman delivered it. Tracking says in transit. Ughhhh! I guess it is a no-go. Bad weather!

All these pics of the S90v sprint run are to nice to resist. Ordered

dan31 wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 16, 2021 9:23 pm

All these pics of the S90v sprint run are to nice to resist. Ordered

I held one of the cf/s90v examples last week. It’s a beautiful knife, but the weight reduction is most strikingly noticeable. I passed because backlocks don’t excite me... great knife though - guy at SFO tried his hardest to sell me on it. :D

Im thinking my thumb was extra grippy the day I got mine. Because the more I handle it, the more the grip feels the same as smooth g10.

I think I personally would have preferred peel ply carbon fiber as well.

Its still all good though.

VooDooChild wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 17, 2021 11:48 am

Im thinking my thumb was extra grippy the day I got mine. Because the more I handle it, the more the grip feels the same as smooth g10.

I think I personally would have preferred peel ply carbon fiber as well.

Its still all good though.

I would have MUCH PREFERRED peel ply. This is not as grippy as I would have liked. I’m considering moving it because it’s too smooth for a user

anycal wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 17, 2021 11:39 am

I love this photo. Mine is in the mail and should be here any day and will be my first chief. I have to ask, which one do you like better between the two? I know the military is hard to top.

anycal wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 17, 2021 11:39 am

Very nice, Peter.

With my S90V Chief in hand (I prefer it to the original), your pic inspired me to get off the fence and grab an unused CF/S90V Millie that I recently found from 2008’s sprint run (I have been wanting, for comparison’s sake, to add to my few other Millies one that had the older pivot configuration).

Next week I’ll be able make a pic of two of my top 10 Glesser designs and it’ll look much like yours.

Freediver wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 17, 2021 11:40 pm

anycal wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 17, 2021 11:39 am

I love this photo. Mine is in the mail and should be here any day and will be my first chief. I have to ask, which one do you like better between the two? I know the military is hard to top.

wrdwrght wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 18, 2021 12:43 am

anycal wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 17, 2021 11:39 am

Very nice, Peter.

With my S90V Chief in hand (I prefer it to the original), your pic inspired me to get off the fence and grab an unused CF/S90V Millie that I recently found from 2008’s sprint run (I have been wanting, for comparison’s sake, to add to my few other Millies one that had the older pivot configuration).

Next week I’ll be able make a pic of two of my top 10 Glesser designs and it’ll look much like yours.

Thanks!

Not sure what to make of it quite yet. I like it, but need more time. I don't think it will replace the Military for what I use a large folder.

But some initial observations,
- Out of the box, very nice specimen. No flaws.
- It is a larger Native 5. I mean identical! You can use use the Native 5 as a template, and cut the Chief down into the Native. It has identical blade and handle thickness and shape, choil, lock bar cutout placement. The only difference is that the lock bar is little bit longer.
- Carries much smaller than its size.
- It is smoother than peel-ply CF, but has more texture than the smooth KC models. Comparing it to the smooth KC G10 - with light pressure, it feels almost the same; with pressure, you can feel more texture and has more grip; when wet, it has more grip.

Funny, comparing it to the Military. I actually find myself reaching for the liner/frame lock to close the knife.

Well, the CF Chief has been in my pocket for about a week. To get a better feel for it, I pinned it against couple other knives in this size category - Military and Police 4. Didn't carry the other two, but I used them all for the same types of tasks, back to back - food on cutting board, cardboard, wood, fabric, stabbing.

The overall winner for me is still the Military :D

Without going into detail about how each knife did in various aspects of a knife use, I will just mention the Chief.

Ergonomics work great... now. The edges of the CF were pretty harsh, and very sharp on the inside. No different than other models with flat slabs, but still bothered me enough to do something about it. Little under water sanding to take both the outside, but especially the inside edges down a bit, made a huge difference. Didn't take much, but the softer edges eliminated hotspots I felt with the sharp edges. That said, the Military is still king in this department.

I wish it had liners; or just partial liners for the pivot and lock bar pin. Not a deal breaker. But it is a big knife, with a somewhat big heavy blade. The repeated hits on the lock bar when opening, or just the pressure on the pin and pivot from pushing down on the blade during hard cuts, seems like steel would fare better than just the CF alone.

Definitely carries the best. Although it has the same cutting edge as the Military, and is little thicker than the Police, the closed size of the Chief is most compact.

The Chief came in second overall. It is a great knife and permanently in my rotation. No regrets about getting it; would do it again. Going to skip the REX 45 release, but K390 would be a must for me.

Thanks for the comparison. I have to get over my liner lock aversion and pick up a Military one of these days.

I received mine. Fit and finish is pretty amazing! Like the Native, the handle edges are a little too square but the ergos feel good to me. The tip is very acute so I’ll be a little cautious with it at first. The power to weight ratio is incredible! When closed it is a very compact package for a 4” blade. I am not a huge CF fan but this CF is very nice. Kind of a matte finish and it feels great in hand.

In some ways it is a modern C54 Calypso but without the half thumb ramp. I’ll get a comparison pic soon.

Overall I am very very impressed. :) Thanks Spyderco!

I was disappointed this morning, when I inspected the CF/S90V in person. The blade was very off, almost touching the scales and there was a lot of lateral blade play. More than in any other folder I bought before (which is not that much, less than a hundred, including SAKs and Opinels). It was the only one in stock and I had no choice, but to leave it in the shop. It was not only the first Spyderco, but also the first knife in general, I choose not to take home with me. I don't think I am too picky.

Later today, probably only b/c I was frustrated, I bought a Smurf Blue S90V Millie (C36GPBL) on ebay, ignoring my own advice to always buy in person.

Mine arrived and I am impressed. It actually feels “smaller” than I imagined. It’s quite sleek for the size of the blade. The jury is still out but I think the shaman feels slightly better in hand, but the chief will probably carry better in my work slacks. The s90v with carbon fiber is definitely a classy combo.

Aw man I regret not getting the cf chief from wmk when they had that coupon going

buckleys wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 25, 2021 4:20 pm

Aw man I regret not getting the cf chief from wmk when they had that coupon going

Same! I went into the check out to confirm there was a working coupon but didn't pull the trigger. I told myself I'd probably wait until the REX45 version. In hindsight the CF just seems to fit so well with the Chief design!

The CF on the Native Chief sprint is really nice. A bit lighter as well. Still in stock for the usual price. I’m glad I picked it up in the S90v sprint.