Centofante III - Third Time's the Charm

[Zrexxer]

OK, I admit it; the Centofante designs never really "spoke" to me before. I had a Centofante II once and I finally passed it on to Fredswartz. There aren't that many Spydercos that I just never warm up to - but that was one. Having had that experience, I was somewhat hesitant to try a Cento III.

Still, I was looking at photos of the III somewhere and thought it looked like something I might like - and Best Knives (www.bestknives.com) had them on sale for $34.95. So I took the plunge. It's been a long time since I was so pleasantly surprised handling a new knife.

This just may replace my Delica as EDC. It's got beautiful lines, a reversible clip, and a nice blade shape - and the hole is big enough (1/2") to comfortably open one-handed. The Palladium-Silver Spyder is a really nice touch.

I've heard criticisms of the blade thickness, but don't let that put you off if you haven't handled this knife. Everything's proportionally balanced, and the blade thickness is just right for this knife, assuming you use a knife for cutting and not prying paint cans open. It's a razor sharp VG10 cutting machine. I've gotta give this one two thumbs up, while I've still got two thumbs to use!

Oh, and p.s.: This knife has the best lockup of any lockback knife I own - bar none. When locked up, this blade is absolutely 100% - not even a breath of play.
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[Simon G]

The Cento III is something that I have been contemplating for a while and you may just have helped me make my mind up! Thanks.

But..........replace the Delica as EDC! It can't be that good!!!! :D

Simon.

[CKE]

Thanks Zrexxer:)
Good review and nice you addressed the blade thickness issue. I too thought it might be too thin but hey if you are using it to cut then it should be no problems. Thanks and enjoy your new Spydie:)

[Zrexxer]

But..........replace the Delica as EDC! It can't be that good!!!! :D Wellll.... maybe not replace it entirely... but it will give it a run in the rotation ;)

My Delica's become my real "user..." It takes the abuse I can't bring myself to give prettier knives, but for all that it's earned my respect and almost always ends up in my pocket.

[Clay Kesting]

I'm also thinking of getting a Centofante III for EDC. I already have a Vesuvius and never found the blade thickness to be a problem but I stopped carrying it because it is the Forum edition. In fact I really like the thin blades on all my Centofantes, it is the reason they all cut so superbly. I usually prefer flat ground blades but the hollow ground blade of the Vesuvius cuts like a flat grind because it is so thin.

Can anyone tell me what materiel the back spacer on the Centofante III is made of?

clay

[Zrexxer]

Can anyone tell me what materiel the back spacer on the Centofante III is made of?Clay, there's no backspacer, proper. Being made of FRN, the handle is a two piece design (kind of like the FRN Cricket) - the front scale is molded with an integral backspacer and the back scale is riveted on.

[Clay Kesting]

Thanks Zrexxer. I was sort of hoping that the back spacer might have been stainless like the micarta Calypso. However it makes sense that it would be moulded into the scale like the other FRN knives. I'm going to play with my Vesuvius this weekend to help me decide if I really need a Centofante III.

clay