Yojimbo 2 Lightweight

[mmadison]

Has this been considered / discussed?

A lightweight Yojimbo / Yojumbo?

I would pre-order 2 of each the day they were announced.

Would the compression lock cause issues in FRN in this handle shape?

Anyone else want one?

[JRinFL]

A LW Salt version seems like it would be the best choice for this model, especially for those who carry IWB.

[spydergoat]

I haven't seen any discussion of a Yo2 lightweight. It could be really cool and I would definitely pre-order. Given that the Para 3 compression lock works with just a tiny steel liner near the lock area, I don't see why it would cause issues with the Yo2. While I can see the point of having a salt version, I think for a knife of this type I'd prefer larger liners for rigidity but milled as much as possible for weight savings. I think this would go awesome in a production run with black FRN and black DLC BD1N blade and hardware. And then the exclusives... cutlery shoppe orange and black XHP anyone? St. Nick's red and black?? OK getting ahead of myself now...

[spydergoat]

Double post oops

[ladybug93]

A LW Salt version seems like it would be the best choice for this model, especially for those who carry IWB.

i've thought about this a lot, but i think the yojimbo would be extremely uncomfortable iwb. it's very blocky and odd shaped. i love the design, but not for that type of carry.

[vivi]

A LW Salt version seems like it would be the best choice for this model, especially for those who carry IWB.

i've thought about this a lot, but i think the yojimbo would be extremely uncomfortable iwb. it's very blocky and odd shaped. i love the design, but not for that type of carry.

Personally the size and shape and clip configuration matter less to me when carried IWB. While my Manix XL, tip down Millie and Yojumbo aren't as comfortable IWB as a Pacific Salt, it's still comfy enough for me. Closed width, tip up / tip down....those things matter a lot more to me for pocket carry.

Count me in for an FRN Yojumbo. Something like the upcoming Chief lightweight would be pretty cool. Enhanced grip and it'd get the price back under $200.

[JoviAl]

I would LOVE a Yojumbo LW, especially in a corrosion resistant steel like Magnacut! My only (extremely minor) gripe with my S90V Yojumbo is the tiny bit of galvanic corrosion I get where the blade touches the stop pin. It is one of (if not) my favourite of Spyderco’s designs.

[mmadison]

The same molds can be used for varying colors of FRN, correct?

That would allow for more modestly priced trainers also.

[JRinFL]

While I love micarta, G10, etc., I believe for SD knives that FRN is the way to go. What keeps it from happening is the large upfront cost of the molds. I can understand that it is fiscally wiser to make SD knives, with their smaller market, using G10 or similar that do not require molds.

[thuyenbuom]

A Yojimbo 2 LW Salt esp. in Magnacut would be greatly appreciated

[mmadison]

Mr. Janich, kindly, can you comment on this?

Many thanks.

[James Y]

The Yojimbo 2 is one of the few designs I don't have that are on my 'would like to have someday' list. An FRN version would be nice, IF the contact point for the clip on the handle is completely smooth/flat. And if the comp lock and detent are as sturdy in FRN.

TBH. a Salt Magnacut version would be great. Not that I would ever wear it in the water (it still has steel liners), but as little need for maintenance as possible is an appealing feature to me.

I'd also like to see a Salt Magnacut Yo2 in G10.

Jim

[Michael Janich]

Hey, All:

Thank you very much for your interest in a lightweight Yojimbo 2 and for sharing your preferences.

The concept of a Yo 2 with injection-molded handles appeals to me a lot. I typically wear jeans and practice drawing my knives a lot. Although many people complain about aggressively textured handles being "pocket shredders," I've found the opposite problem to be true. Over time, denim material wears the handle texture to the point that it becomes slippery. This was the case with the Kraton inserts of my MOD Tempest design and has been my long-term experience with the medium-textured G-10 scales of the Yo 2. I did not have that problem with the Bi-Directional Texture of the Endura 4 I carried.

The challenge with turning a Compression Lock design into a lightweight is the lateral pressure of the lock bar spring. With back locks, it's no problem because all the spring tension is in the plane of the blade. With lightweights, the lateral pressure wants to bulge the scales. G-10 is stiff and resilient, so it contains that force. FRN is more flexible.

If there ever is a Yo 2 lightweight, I would prefer that it still have substantial liners for increased structural strength and that the handle scales also be somewhat crowned to full the hand better. I don't really see the design as a Salt in the traditional sense, but having the performance benefits of Magnacut (strength and edge retention) with the added comfort of extreme corrosion resistance would be very cool.

Finally, if a lightweight platform would make a trainer more affordable and easier to produce, I'd be all for it.

Stay safe,

Mike

[JRinFL]

Let's hope your ideas make it into production.

[mmadison]

Hey, thanks for the info, Mike.

You designed and manifested an absolutely fantastic knife in the Yojimbo 2.

Well done.

[Ferruginous]

A thinner blade, and a textured FRN handle with rounded corners (especially where it flares out at the front of the handle) would make a great design better. I no longer carry my Yojimbo 2 because the flared handle was devastating to my jeans, and I really didn't like the needle thin tip and the extremely thick spine. It just seems like extra weight and a very poorly supported tip all for an advantage in cutting I'm not sure makes that much of a difference.

I get that the current grind is optimized for cutting and piercing, but would there be significantly noticeable difference if you had a fully flat ground blade that was half as thick? I just don't see the advantage of the thick spine (0.16") when you could have a blade as thick (like the Chaparral at 0.08") with an equally supported tip that would cut even more effectively.

I hope I'm not coming across as disrespectful to the Yojimbo 2 design, it really is a great knife, I just don't understand the blade grind. Actually, I'd appreciate it if anyone could point me towards a more detailed explanation of the current design.

Also, for the record, I'm not against hollow ground blades. I see posters all the time who only want what they have, in their very limited experience, used before "hollow grind bad, flat grind good" "all liner locks are bad" "tip down only" etc. I have used hollow ground blades that I enjoyed, including deep hollow grinds, but they had more support at the tip probably because they were spear or drop point and the tip was closer to the spine.

[nerdlock]

I'm also in for rounded FRN edges, like those in Seki knives (Delica, Endura, etc). They make a world of difference in comfort compared to the Golden FRN models, with the exception of the Para 3 LW.

[ladybug93]

Hey, All:

Thank you very much for your interest in a lightweight Yojimbo 2 and for sharing your preferences.

The concept of a Yo 2 with injection-molded handles appeals to me a lot. I typically wear jeans and practice drawing my knives a lot. Although many people complain about aggressively textured handles being "pocket shredders," I've found the opposite problem to be true. Over time, denim material wears the handle texture to the point that it becomes slippery. This was the case with the Kraton inserts of my MOD Tempest design and has been my long-term experience with the medium-textured G-10 scales of the Yo 2. I did not have that problem with the Bi-Directional Texture of the Endura 4 I carried.

The challenge with turning a Compression Lock design into a lightweight is the lateral pressure of the lock bar spring. With back locks, it's no problem because all the spring tension is in the plane of the blade. With lightweights, the lateral pressure wants to bulge the scales. G-10 is stiff and resilient, so it contains that force. FRN is more flexible.

If there ever is a Yo 2 lightweight, I would prefer that it still have substantial liners for increased structural strength and that the handle scales also be somewhat crowned to full the hand better. I don't really see the design as a Salt in the traditional sense, but having the performance benefits of Magnacut (strength and edge retention) with the added comfort of extreme corrosion resistance would be very cool.

Finally, if a lightweight platform would make a trainer more affordable and easier to produce, I'd be all for it.

Stay safe,

Mike

i've kind of been ignoring this thread because i'm not super interested in a lw yo2, but there are some really good considerations here...

some of us have been asking for non-salt magnacut knives for a while, so i hope you get your wish. i'd love a magnacut manix with g10 and liners. i'd buy another yo2 in that configuration as well.

and... we need trainers back in stock. as we've discussed already in another thread, it's been over 2 years now. it's hard to trust myself or a knife design without proper training and it's hard to train properly without a proper trainer.


as far as the yo2 being a lw, i guess it would be cool, but i think i'd prefer the g10 version. and, even though i said we'd love some non-salt magnacut models, i feel the need to say again that self-defense knives like the yo2 and matriarch 2 would benefit from being salts. little to no maintenance and always ready in a consistent placement iwb (because pockets are different in different pants).

[Michael Janich]

Dear Ferruginous:

I have provided deeper insights on the Yo 2's design logic before on the forum. Those would still make an insightful read, but here's the gist:

*I designed it as a Wharncliffe to maximize its cutting power for the available edge length. That was the primary goal for my approach to MBC.
*I used a deep hollow grind because that's what Spyderco could do in-house at the time. I didn't want that aspect of its production to have to be done outside the US factory.
*I left the spine thick for mass so I can open the knife inertially--again a priority in my MBC system.
*The crest at the blade juncture and jimped thumb ramp were compromises for saber-grip enthusiasts. Once I had a trainer and had the chance to work with the knife for 8+ hours a day, I realized those were mistakes and created a hot spot. I modify my personal carry knives to remove them.
*I wanted the overall closed size of the knife to be comparable to a Delica so I could carry it loose in my back pocket if necessary.
*The blade had to be sub 3.5 inches to make it Colorado legal.
*The clip is the Para Military 2 clip, to be totally compatible with all production and aftermarket clips made to fit that knife.[/list]

With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight and a time machine, it would be a little bit different, but not that much.

Stay safe,

Mike

[vivi]

I'm definitely on team full flat grind, but the Ronin and Yojimbo/Yojumbo series knives actually out cut some full flat ground knives on certain materials due to how thin they get behind the edge bevel.