Spyderco Forums

Hello everyone.

In this thread i would like to give my current views on the well loved Spydiechef.
Keep in mind these are personal thoughts on my personal specimen.



To start i would like to say since i have owned a slysz bowie and still own a first gen techno.
I can say i like the Slysz designs.
The Spydiechef is no different. Not only has it already bin a great performer.
Its also comfortable in hand and is in my personal opinion the best size to go out and use outside of the private residence.

The blade shape is a bit getting used to but for me it did not take long to adjust to it.
It came razor sharp out of the box as one would expect of a Spydie. With a nice even edge so i am sure sharpening will be a joy as i am rather sure i will not need make big adjustments to the bevels.
So far the steel has held up the sharpness nicely as i only needed to strop it a few times.



Now regretably i have a negative point i need to mention.
And that is the lock. Out of all the Framelocks i have ever had cheap or expensive this one, is the one that is the least lefty friendly of them all.

Now why i say this, it is not only the opening hole that is very hidden behind the lockbar like many framelocks have that are not lefty friendly. But this one in particular has another even more problamatic problem.
Namely the only way to safely open it left handed it to flick it with as much force possible.
ANY other way opening it left handed has for some strange reason at least a 50% chance of the lock failing!
Since the lockbar will not move enough to secure the blade. And results in a very early lock up like in the next picture.
(I am able to close it with pushing one finger on the back of the blade if the lock is in this position)



Meanwhile i never am able to replicate this issue opening it right handed.
Even with the lowest force possible with my "off" hand it will always securely lock itself.



Due to this i suspect it to be the design it self.
Because if the lock on my specimen is just a lemon i would say that it should also have this problem opening it right handed and it does not no matter how much i try.



To end things i want to say at the moment i give this knife a solid 7/10.
If i did not had the issue with the lock it would have bin an 8/10.
But i would not recommend it for lefty's that really want to open it left handed.
As far as the slysz spydies go it comes second to the Bowie. The fit and finish and overal design of the bowie is in my eyes still a step above the Spydiechef. I know it would make the cost higher but in my eyes the chef would benefit from contoured handles and a bit thicker Ti handle and Lock.

It is a really nice knife. I have nothing I could specifically nitpick about it. I like it alot. And yet, I don't carry it often. If I know I'm going to need a knife for food, somewhere where bringing a kitchen knife isn't convenient, it's my go to. But I find it too big for tables at Restaurants, and favor the Dragonfly Salt SE. I find the Chef blade shape isn't my favorite for EDC cutting either.

I really wanted a Chef, but after handling it I decided I cannot get over my hatred of frame locks, liner locks, and smooth metal scales. I'd love to see a backlock G10 (or FRN) with the chef style blade in the future.

Considering food is a large % of what is cut, another culinary-focused offering with a different lock and scales would be attractive

I live my chef for outdoor activities, never rusts, is super easy to clean. I think I’d like it better if it had thinner blade stock or was ground more thinly behind the edge.

I’m an ambi, and use my knives with both hands, depending on the task.
You can use your index finger (left hand) to close the knife easily. Either dropping the blade ricasso on the nail, or slowly rolling the blade closed with your thumb after depressing the lockbar with the index finger.

My only gripe is that the lockbar travels too much when force is applied to the spine. I’ve confirmed this phenomenon on 3 Chef models I’ve had over the years (one pre and two post CQI). Though in practice, it doesn’t impact performance.

RazorSharp86 wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 13, 2024 12:43 am

I’m an ambi, and use my knives with both hands, depending on the task.
You can use your index finger (left hand) to close the knife easily. Either dropping the blade ricasso on the nail, or slowly rolling the blade closed with your thumb after depressing the lockbar with the index finger.

My only gripe is that the lockbar travels too much when force is applied to the spine. I’ve confirmed this phenomenon on 3 Chef models I’ve had over the years (one pre and two post CQI). Though in practice, it doesn’t impact performance.

Does yours also have the isue of not always locking perfectly when opening it left handed ?
To be clear i open it slightly with the richt hand just enough to have the opening hole out of the lockbar completely so my left thump can use it to open the knife further. When doing it this way it seems for some reason to be hit or mis in locking safely no mather the force i use to open it.

Meanwhile opening it from the fully closed position with my right tump gives a perfect lock 100% of the time even with the lightest force i can do.

Spyderwebs wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 12, 2024 1:18 pm

I really wanted a Chef, but after handling it I decided I cannot get over my hatred of frame locks, liner locks, and smooth metal scales. I'd love to see a backlock G10 (or FRN) with the chef style blade in the future.

Considering food is a large % of what is cut, another culinary-focused offering with a different lock and scales would be attractive

I love my SpydieChefs, but I find that I often prefer to travel with an FFG PE LC200N Pacific Salt 2 for culinary use. The salt Chief will also be great with it's thinner edge and grind than the SpydieChef.

The Catcherman will be a great travel kitchen knife.

Spyderwebs wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 12, 2024 1:18 pm

...

Considering food is a large % of what is cut, another culinary-focused offering with a different lock and scales would be attractive

Wasn't the Kapara also designed with food prep in mind? Comp lock and CF scales there

Let's not get all bogged down with facts.

apollo wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 13, 2024 10:41 am

RazorSharp86 wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 13, 2024 12:43 am

I’m an ambi, and use my knives with both hands, depending on the task.
You can use your index finger (left hand) to close the knife easily. Either dropping the blade ricasso on the nail, or slowly rolling the blade closed with your thumb after depressing the lockbar with the index finger.

My only gripe is that the lockbar travels too much when force is applied to the spine. I’ve confirmed this phenomenon on 3 Chef models I’ve had over the years (one pre and two post CQI). Though in practice, it doesn’t impact performance.

Does yours also have the isue of not always locking perfectly when opening it left handed ?
To be clear i open it slightly with the richt hand just enough to have the opening hole out of the lockbar completely so my left thump can use it to open the knife further. When doing it this way it seems for some reason to be hit or mis in locking safely no mather the force i use to open it.

Meanwhile opening it from the fully closed position with my right tump gives a perfect lock 100% of the time even with the lightest force i can do.

No issues opening the knife with either hand.
With the left, I usually flick it open with my middle finger, or “spydie-drop” it by pinching the hole with thumb and forefinger.
Sometimes, I’ll prop it open with middle, and continue opening with thumb (like you described).

The thing I am always unsure when it comes to the Spydiechef is how I´d like (or not) the positive blade angle.
While this feature must be nice when cutting on a surface / board, I don´t know about general EDC / outdoor use - here I tend to prefer the an a bit opposite approach which the Millie does well: A rather negative blade angle which makes the blade "grab" stuff better and positions the tip lower relatively to the hand.

Again: Just thoughts, never even held a Chef and I think never had a folder with a rather positive blade angle.

Positive angle for slicing. Think Japanese swords.