Spyderco Forums

I just found out about the Flatbyrd but much to my dismay they're nowhere to be found. It's a cool design that takes the thinness of the Spydercard and delivers it in a more traditional knife. Will we ever see a Flatbyrd 2 or maybe a run of the original in Bd1n or Aeb-l? I know there's all kinds of threads asking for Spydercos but don't see them for the Byrd so heres mine. Besides the original getting some new steel I would also like to see something similar to the Meerkat, just given the same treatment as the Flatbyrd including the integral/frame lock.

Wow, cool! I haven't seen that one before. The unlocking hole is quite interesting too.

Very interesting! I'd get one of these in a heartbeat. Wish I had known about these when they were in production.

Imagine it with a full flat grind and teeth. :cool:

If it had a clip. I'd own more than one.

turttlepockets wrote: ↑

Wed May 05, 2021 10:37 am

If it had a clip. I'd own more than one.

It looks to have enough holes to hold a clip.

The original design was the credit card knife by Eduard Bradichanski. The design was the same size as a credit card and would fit into a wallet. I deigned the Flatbird as a byrd version of the original.

sal

Hi Turtlepockets,

Welcome to our forum.

We never put a clip on the original because it was created to fit into a wallet.

sal

sal wrote: ↑

Thu May 06, 2021 1:06 pm

The original design was the credit card knife by Eduard Bradichanski. The design was the same size as a credit card and would fit into a wallet. I deigned the Flatbird as a byrd version of the original.

sal

It's a beautiful knife hopefully it comes around again. I like it the way it is without a clip.

sal wrote: ↑

Thu May 06, 2021 1:06 pm

The original design was the credit card knife by Eduard Bradichanski. The design was the same size as a credit card and would fit into a wallet. I deigned the Flatbird as a byrd version of the original.

sal

That is a sweet design!

Bumping this. I'd love to be able to buy a Flatbyrd or a Spydercard. A Flatbyrd would be more commercially feasible zo, given the cheaper positioning of the brand.

As far as I can tell, the current offering of credit card-sized knives isn't satisfactory.
There's the Böker Plus Credit Card Knife, costing in the 50's €/$, but apparently its finish isn't up to par (sharp edges where they shouldn't be).
Then there's the Dagger Cardknife, costing 66 €/$, which is more of a competitor for the Spydercard (and indeed looks very similar, but is much lighter at 49g). Good materials and finish, but availability seems to be an issue outside of Russia where it's made.

Sal, the sales team has prolly determined that offering this model on a permanent basis wasn't viable, which'd be why it's not available anymore. But what about a sprint run ? I don't think it'd be too difficult to sell. Especially if an optional clip would be made available, for those who need this accessory.

Some photos of this wonderful knife











A small review (auto-translation. pictures most likely will not load, but they are almost all here)
https://forum-guns-ru.translate.goog/fo ... r_pto=wapp

DerRock wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 02, 2022 2:53 pm

Some photos of this wonderful knife

Thank you for sharing the pictures. I didn't know Eduard Bradichanskys makers mark was on it.

I'll look into the possibility.

sal

Another fantastic product that I missed out on. I'd love to see this back as well.

Too cool. I would buy one!

DerRock wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 02, 2022 2:53 pm

Some photos of this wonderful knife

Great pictures and nice review, thanks
I've modified and reused two of them for illustration purpose, I hope you don't mind.

sal wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 02, 2022 9:38 pm

I'll look into the possibility.

sal

Thank you Sal

I have made some suggestions for improvement below :


1. Thickness

According to DerRock's review, the Spydercard was 5mm thick whilst the Flatbyrd was 6mm thick.
Apparently, this minute difference is actually pretty noticeable when tucking the Flatbyrd in a wallet.
=> Would it be possible to make the Flatbyrd 2 slimmer, so that its thickness is reduced to 5mm ?


2. Locking mechanism

I see on DerRock's pictures that the lever, which serves to unlock the blade, is a relatively narrow rectangle.
As I haven't held the Flatbyrd, I have no idea how easy it is to use with the thumb.

But I'm thinking that the lever could be enlarged, so that there's a bigger area for the thumb to push it.
Only the visible portion of the lever, which appears through the handle's cut-out, would need to be enlarged.
Here is how it could look like :



It doesn't seem that such a modification would significantly modify the structural integrity of either the lever or the handle.


3. Washers

The original Flatbyrd's washer are made of plastic. Would it be possible (and desirable) to use bronze washers instead ?

A non-locking version may open up more markets. Something to consider as well.

Araignee wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 07, 2022 4:26 pm

Would it be possible to make the Flatbyrd 2 slimmer, so that its thickness is reduced to 5mm ?

I think if you make the design collapsible, it will not work out thinne.

Araignee wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 07, 2022 4:26 pm

As I haven't held the Flatbyrd, I have no idea how easy it is to use with the thumb.

Yes, it is not always convenient to press the plate. The castle is quite tight. You have to bend your finger so that it is perpendicular to the lock plate. Perhaps over time the lock will start to work easier.

Count me as another who'd love another chance to get a Flatbyrd. A while back I found out about the Firebyrd, but was told there is virtually no chance of that one's return.

There's just something charming about this era of Byrd knives