Now that Sal has mentioned that possibility: Chaparral FRN variants? (blade shape, color, steel...) - your proposals?

[vandelay]

k390 wharncliffe LW would be nice. I've been wanting a bigger k390 wharncliffe than my dragonfly but nothing out right now interests me. The chap is my favorite in terms of ergonomics, so I'd love it.

That would be great indeed and perhaps my favorite PE wharnie to get!! For an SE wharnie I´d want them to stick with XHP though or another not to hard (to sharpen) steel.

/ And yes, the ergos are amazing. When using the Chap - and I do also use it "hard" as it easily can take this - I am always amazed how comfortable it still is for how thin it is, but even more so how it locks in hand without any shifting, rolling or whatever.

I've found the k390 is one of the easier steels to sharpen, at least with diamond. I had some trouble getting XHP super sharp. I haven't had an SE in either though.

[cjk]

FRN Chaparral wharncliffe!!!!

[Mushroom]

… So what I´d like to see in a Chap XL is actually the second approach…

What they did for the Native Chief is a good translation of what I would love to see in a Chap XL

Perfect example! Never had a Chief (but Natives), but I think they pretty much kept "everything the same" (thicknesses, handle tallness...) and "just" stretched the Native 5, right?

That’s how I would describe what they did as well. I understand what both of you mean about a new larger Chaparral.

I have my own, different, viewpoint on that but I don’t feel it’s necessary to get into it right now. If Spyderco ever does develop a model like that though, I personally believe they should at least be more creative with the name than just “Chaparral 2” or “Chaparral XL.” Something that really removes it from the traditional Chaparral series but still recognizes where it came from.

After a little bit of research I’ve noticed an interesting connection between the Chaparral and Sage names. “Sagebrush” is one of the most dominant plant species that makes up the “Chaparral” biome. The name “Sage” is easily derived from “Sagebrush” and with the Sagebrush being a large part of the “Chaparral biome,” one could make the case that is why the “Chaparral” was named the way it was.

Another interesting similarity is that they’re both controlled series’ that feature a uniquely different feature per variation. (Lock and Handle material) It’s almost as if they were always intended to be the bigger and smaller versions of each other.

Circling back to my point about naming the “longer Chaparral” that you’re looking for, I think the model name should be similarly as creative and well-considered as the Sage and Chaparral names already are. One idea I came up with is the name “Chamise” or “Chamise Chaparral.” (shə-ˈmēs - shuh mees) It is a shrub species that grows in the Chaparral biome and has one of the largest growing ranges of any Chaparral species. It would be similar to how the Native 5 evolved into the Native Chief and not the Native XL. I can’t even begin to describe how much better the name “Native Chief” is over “Native XL.”

[Also, on a completely unrelated note, with real Chaparral biomes being composed primarily of evergreen shrubs, I think it’s only fitting that we get some version of a green handle material on a Chaparral! Even a regular production sage green FRN Chaparral LW would be cool to see. ]

[elena86]

We need a longer Chapie in S90V.

[Ramonade]

What they did for the Native Chief is a good translation of what I would love to see in a Chap XL [/highlight]

Perfect example! Never had a Chief (but Natives), but I think they pretty much kept "everything the same" (thicknesses, handle tallness...) and "just" stretched the Native 5, right?

Yes that's how it appears to be ! Making the tip even thinner due to the fact that the distal taper follows the same angle/direction (I don't know how to express distal taper at random like that ).

[Josh Crutchley]

That’s how I would describe what they did as well. I understand what both of you mean about a new larger Chaparral.

I have my own, different, viewpoint on that but I don’t feel it’s necessary to get into it right now. If Spyderco ever does develop a model like that though, I personally believe they should at least be more creative with the name than just “Chaparral 2” or “Chaparral XL.” Something that really removes it from the traditional Chaparral series but still recognizes where it came from.

After a little bit of research I’ve noticed an interesting connection between the Chaparral and Sage names. “Sagebrush” is one of the most dominant plant species that makes up the “Chaparral” biome. The name “Sage” is easily derived from “Sagebrush” and with the Sagebrush being a large part of the “Chaparral biome,” one could make the case that is why the “Chaparral” was named the way it was.

Another interesting similarity is that they’re both controlled series’ that feature a uniquely different feature per variation. (Lock and Handle material) It’s almost as if they were always intended to be the bigger and smaller versions of each other.

Circling back to my point about naming the “longer Chaparral” that you’re looking for, I think the model name should be similarly as creative and well-considered as the Sage and Chaparral names already are. One idea I came up with is the name “Chamise” or “Chamise Chaparral.” (shə-ˈmēs - shuh mees) It is a shrub species that grows in the Chaparral biome and has one of the largest growing ranges of any Chaparral species. It would be similar to how the Native 5 evolved into the Native Chief and not the Native XL. I can’t even begin to describe how much better the name “Native Chief” is over “Native XL.”

[Also, on a completely unrelated note, with real Chaparral biomes being composed primarily of evergreen shrubs, I think it’s only fitting that we get some version of a green handle material on a Chaparral! Even a regular production sage green FRN Chaparral LW would be cool to see. ]

For some reason I always thought about Jim Hall and his Chaparral race cars.

[Cl1ff]

Mushroom, I think that’s a very well reasoned view of naming conventions that I have to agree with in many ways.

I think the Sage Green FRN is also a good idea!

[Mushroom]

After a little bit of research I’ve noticed an interesting connection between the Chaparral and Sage names. “Sagebrush” is one of the most dominant plant species that makes up the “Chaparral” biome. The name “Sage” is easily derived from “Sagebrush” and with the Sagebrush being a large part of the “Chaparral biome,” one could make the case that is why the “Chaparral” was named the way it was.

For some reason I always thought about Jim Hall and his Chaparral race cars.

It’s often mentioned how Sals interest pertaining to sports cars is partly responsible for the “Spyderco” name itself, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Jim Halls Chaparral race cars had some influence on the knife’s name as well. The reason I brought up the Chaparral biome is because Spydercos own literature included with the Chaparral describes it as the namesake of the series.

[Araignee]

Blade material : Magnacut

Blade shape : gotta say, I'm entertained by the idea of having a Wharncliffe Chaparral

All this, assuming I could reuse the blade in a standard Chaparral with liners.

[buckleys]

how about a Boyd dent? The extra thin lockbar on your thumb when closing it is the only thing I dislike about the Chap, I feel a curve would relieve that discomfort.

[steelcity16]

how about a Boyd dent? The extra thin lockbar on your thumb when closing it is the only thing I dislike about the Chap, I feel a curve would relieve that discomfort.

Absolutely! I am HUGE fan of the Boye Dent, to the point where I stubbornly refuse to buy the Police LW and Rockjumper due to the lack of said dent (and jimping). The Chap LW certainly could benefit from the dent because as you said, that thin lockbar is pretty painful on the thumb meat, especially early on before the knife is broken in!

[Wartstein]

how about a Boyd dent? The extra thin lockbar on your thumb when closing it is the only thing I dislike about the Chap, I feel a curve would relieve that discomfort.

I am not opposed to a boye dent, though I would not need one either (and perhaps prefer the overall lines of the Chap without one).

But does a boye dent actually make it more comfortable to use a lockbar? (Honest question, I have no idea. And at the moment only backlocks WITH the dent, only the Chap without, but that´s not a fair comparison due to the thinness of the Chap lockbar and its strong detent (which I like, by the way)).

[cjk]

I find no real functional or comfort difference between having a Boye dent and not having a Boye dent.
Aesthetically, they probably look .001345% better without a Boye dent. Since a big part of the Chaparral's thing is being pretty with cool scales, I'd rather it didn't get a Boye dent because it will surely look better without it.

In general, Boye dent or not honestly does not factor into my purchase decision.

[vandelay]

how about a Boyd dent? The extra thin lockbar on your thumb when closing it is the only thing I dislike about the Chap, I feel a curve would relieve that discomfort.

+1 on that. Not a big deal to me, but the dent is definitely more comfortable.

[dsm]

A bit late to the party here, but I’d love to see a Chap in either MagnaCut or K390 (the latter even more). Seems like it’d be a huge seller.

Weird... this is the fourth thread I started more or less long ago getting resurrected in the last few days...

But, glad you did, and welcome to the forum dsm!

As I explained in my original post: The Chap with its unique qualities (for me just perfect for what a small knife should be, especially the reasonable thin, but still very strong blade) deserves all the variants in the world...

For me it is less about steel though, but more about serrations and blade shape (wharnie... ).. and of course my perhaps main "project" here, the Chap XL (viewtopic.php?t=85342#p1377379 ; viewtopic.php?f=2&t=82492)

That would be very interesting! I’m not a big SE user, but the variety would be fascinating. Especially with such a thin stock and great geometry, I could see some interesting use cases.

And thanks for the welcome! I’d lurked for a long time and finally decided to join in the discussion.

[Wartstein]

Perfect example! Never had a Chief (but Natives), but I think they pretty much kept "everything the same" (thicknesses, handle tallness...) and "just" stretched the Native 5, right?

That’s how I would describe what they did as well. I understand what both of you mean about a new larger Chaparral.

I have my own, different, viewpoint on that but I don’t feel it’s necessary to get into it right now. If Spyderco ever does develop a model like that though, I personally believe they should at least be more creative with the name than just “Chaparral 2” or “Chaparral XL.” Something that really removes it from the traditional Chaparral series but still recognizes where it came from.

After a little bit of research I’ve noticed an interesting connection between the Chaparral and Sage names. “Sagebrush” is one of the most dominant plant species that makes up the “Chaparral” biome. The name “Sage” is easily derived from “Sagebrush” and with the Sagebrush being a large part of the “Chaparral biome,” one could make the case that is why the “Chaparral” was named the way it was.

Another interesting similarity is that they’re both controlled series’ that feature a uniquely different feature per variation. (Lock and Handle material) It’s almost as if they were always intended to be the bigger and smaller versions of each other.

Circling back to my point about naming the “longer Chaparral” that you’re looking for, I think the model name should be similarly as creative and well-considered as the Sage and Chaparral names already are. One idea I came up with is the name “Chamise” or “Chamise Chaparral.” (shə-ˈmēs - shuh mees) It is a shrub species that grows in the Chaparral biome and has one of the largest growing ranges of any Chaparral species. It would be similar to how the Native 5 evolved into the Native Chief and not the Native XL. I can’t even begin to describe how much better the name “Native Chief” is over “Native XL.”

[Also, on a completely unrelated note, with real Chaparral biomes being composed primarily of evergreen shrubs, I think it’s only fitting that we get some version of a green handle material on a Chaparral! Even a regular production sage green FRN Chaparral LW would be cool to see. ]

Did not get around to really read your post thoroughly earlier, sorry for the late reply!

Really interesting points and suggestions!!

May I ask: Are you into botany perhaps even professionally? Not only part of the content of your post, but also your username and one or two in depth things you shared here earlier about mushrooms/fungi would suggest that (though I figure mushrooms actually don´t belong in the field of "botany" (but "mycology"?), since they are not plants, right? )

I´d really like the name "Chamise" for a true (thin) Chaparral XL (which in my dreams should be larger than a Sage anyway, just about Endela size ideally (viewtopic.php?t=85342#p1377379)).

Thinking about it, I am also with you in that ideally the Chaparral line/name should mainly remain for displaying different handle materials (and just the FRN version would get some more steel / blade shape options), and a "stretched Chap" should better get a new, but related name. "Chamise" would be perfect for that, as said!

And yes, a sage green Chap would be great!! Question is: Which steel for that one?

[Superflex]

Cruwear and the DLT OD green frn would be the bomb
Second alternative would be LC200N in yellow or mango green frn for a more hi vis model