clovisc
08-27-2005, 11:17 AM
i'm a fan of big huge folders. (sensibly huge, of course.) the kind of folder built to be abused, carried to you-know-where and back, thrown off a cliff, trampled by a herd of elephants, hammered through some steel cans, then resharpened and abused some more. the kind of knife capable of handling anything mother nature (or her mutant husband, the city) can dish out. the kind of knife you can trust with your life, if need be. a SPYDERNATOR.
that being said, i've always wanted to have a spydernator face off... to see which of my big spydie folders is THE spydernator... the toughest, baddest spyderco of them all.
the contenders:
MILITARY
MANIX
CHINOOK II
LIL TEMPERANCE
MILITARY -- lengthwise, the largest of the competitors... yet substantially lighter than the manix or chinook. the light weight, combined with the nice, slim profile, makes the military a VERY easily, comfortably carried knife. it cuts and slices like a tooth right out of satan's mouth, and has a liner lock which -- unlike many other liner locks -- does not make me nervous in the least. even without skeletonized liners, the handle is SOLID. ergonomics are incredible -- especially for large hands. the open back makes the military the best candidate for an outdoor beater in sloppy or wet places... it's MUCH easier to clean and maintain than the manix or chinook, and will dry off easier and faster, helping to prevent rust before it starts. handles food prep tasks amazingly. if you get the military in combo edge, you'll still have more than enough useable plain edge. is it THE SPYDERNATOR? well, if i was going to be working outside in an extreme and inhospitable environment -- YES. it's too big for "legal" urban carry, though... which might be an extreme drawback for some. and if i were a martial artist, well... the military isn't as MBC friendly as the other contenders. hmmmmm...
CHINOOK II -- here is the perfect knife for the martial artist AND the extreme adventurer. feels great in the hand, EXTREMELY solid lock-up, and double-skeletonized liners for absolutely unbeatable strength. this knife seems pretty much indestructable. the saber grind is nothing short of viscious. the handle is designed so that your hand will NOT slip onto the blade, even if you're weilding this thing like conan the barbarian. the deep belly is a mixed blessing... it's perhaps one of the most useful, appealing aspects to a martial artist (or skinner of animals), yet somewhat impractical for more "normal" tasks. in combo edge, there's not quite enough "useable" plain edge... which makes the blade even more impractical for dealing with normal cutting tasks. hmmmm. is it a SPYDERNATOR? if i were a martial artist who hunted and skinned animals on the weekend, and i could only have one knife -- YESSSSSS. when it comes to more normal cutting tasks, though, the chinook is less practical than its competitors. plus, it's a no-no in the city. it's great for scaring the bejesus out of non-knife people... i'll let you decide if that's a negative or positive... :D
MANIX -- BIG flat-ground blade, slightly shorter, yet thicker, than that of the military. the handle is also shorter -- but thicker, heavier, double-skeletonized, and much more comfortable. the ergonomics are amazing. the manix puts a BIIIG, thick, heavy piece of S30V steel in your hand, yet gives you a feeling of total control over it. the manix feels indestructible and invincible... like it would be capable of doing things normal knives cannot. (still -- i would not give it to vincent for testing... :D :p ) as a work or EDC knife, the manix cannot be beat. (although, because the blade is so thick, it's not quiiiiiite as good a cutter/slicer than its daintier counterparts. but if the edge is kept sharp, the difference should be moot, or at least minute.) as an extreme hard use knife, the manix is amazing... the only thing is, because of the closed back and the skeletonized handles, it's somewhat harder to clean and maintain than the military. you can cut, chop, and stab more fearlessly with it... but you'll have to clean it more carefully. the manix is pure, 100% beast, and simply must be held, carried, and used to be understood. the pocket profile is larger than that of the military, and it is still not "city friendly"... but it is more non-knife-person friendly than the chinook. it's also got THE strongest lock out there... the blade locks into place with a CLUNCK!!! it would make an EXCELLENT choice for MBC. so is it THE SPYDERNATOR? YES, YES, YES!! my favorite do all, end all EDC knife for every occassion. it requires me to clean and dry it more carefully than my military... but hey... i'm sure i'll clean and dry my mili just as carefully anyway. i just wish it were legal to carry in the city... if it were, it would be in my pocket every second of my life.
LIL TEMP -- smaller than the other candidates, and legal for "concealed" city carry. yet at the same time, feels BIG in the hand, and almost as secure and reassuring as the mighty manix. it's got the advantages of the open back, and because of its smaller size, it feels more solid than the mili. every single inch of the blade is EXTREMELY useful. the handle is highly ergonomic. in spite of its light weight, it rides in the pocket kinda like a miniature brick... but with a lil temp clipped into your pocket, what else do you really need in there, anyway? :D it's by far the most stylized, stylish knife in the bunch... the green G-10 looks great in any environment, be it military or museum. indexing holes, compression lock, and amazing economics
make it an MBC dream... it really feels ALIVE in your hand! non-knife-people don't really mind it at all. in spite of its small size, it can hold its own with the other spydernator competitors... yet it remains legal for city carry. so YES -- it IS a SPYDERNATOR!
in summary (out of 10 points):
MILITARY:
EDC -- 9
MBC -- 6
FIELD -- 10
ERGOS -- 8
bottom line: outdoors, this knife is where it's at!
MANIX:
EDC -- 10
MBC -- 9
FIELD -- 8
ERGOS -- 10
bottom line: unbeatable brute force -- but take good care of it!
CHINOOK II:
EDC -- 7
MBC -- 10
FIELD -- 8
ERGOS -- 9
bottom line: skin a deer or a ninja, but a little too specialized for many ELUs
LIL TEMPERANCE:
EDC -- 9
MBC -- 9
FIELD -- 9
ERGOS -- 9
bottom line: small and cute, but brawlin' brute!
that being said, i've always wanted to have a spydernator face off... to see which of my big spydie folders is THE spydernator... the toughest, baddest spyderco of them all.
the contenders:
MILITARY
MANIX
CHINOOK II
LIL TEMPERANCE
MILITARY -- lengthwise, the largest of the competitors... yet substantially lighter than the manix or chinook. the light weight, combined with the nice, slim profile, makes the military a VERY easily, comfortably carried knife. it cuts and slices like a tooth right out of satan's mouth, and has a liner lock which -- unlike many other liner locks -- does not make me nervous in the least. even without skeletonized liners, the handle is SOLID. ergonomics are incredible -- especially for large hands. the open back makes the military the best candidate for an outdoor beater in sloppy or wet places... it's MUCH easier to clean and maintain than the manix or chinook, and will dry off easier and faster, helping to prevent rust before it starts. handles food prep tasks amazingly. if you get the military in combo edge, you'll still have more than enough useable plain edge. is it THE SPYDERNATOR? well, if i was going to be working outside in an extreme and inhospitable environment -- YES. it's too big for "legal" urban carry, though... which might be an extreme drawback for some. and if i were a martial artist, well... the military isn't as MBC friendly as the other contenders. hmmmmm...
CHINOOK II -- here is the perfect knife for the martial artist AND the extreme adventurer. feels great in the hand, EXTREMELY solid lock-up, and double-skeletonized liners for absolutely unbeatable strength. this knife seems pretty much indestructable. the saber grind is nothing short of viscious. the handle is designed so that your hand will NOT slip onto the blade, even if you're weilding this thing like conan the barbarian. the deep belly is a mixed blessing... it's perhaps one of the most useful, appealing aspects to a martial artist (or skinner of animals), yet somewhat impractical for more "normal" tasks. in combo edge, there's not quite enough "useable" plain edge... which makes the blade even more impractical for dealing with normal cutting tasks. hmmmm. is it a SPYDERNATOR? if i were a martial artist who hunted and skinned animals on the weekend, and i could only have one knife -- YESSSSSS. when it comes to more normal cutting tasks, though, the chinook is less practical than its competitors. plus, it's a no-no in the city. it's great for scaring the bejesus out of non-knife people... i'll let you decide if that's a negative or positive... :D
MANIX -- BIG flat-ground blade, slightly shorter, yet thicker, than that of the military. the handle is also shorter -- but thicker, heavier, double-skeletonized, and much more comfortable. the ergonomics are amazing. the manix puts a BIIIG, thick, heavy piece of S30V steel in your hand, yet gives you a feeling of total control over it. the manix feels indestructible and invincible... like it would be capable of doing things normal knives cannot. (still -- i would not give it to vincent for testing... :D :p ) as a work or EDC knife, the manix cannot be beat. (although, because the blade is so thick, it's not quiiiiiite as good a cutter/slicer than its daintier counterparts. but if the edge is kept sharp, the difference should be moot, or at least minute.) as an extreme hard use knife, the manix is amazing... the only thing is, because of the closed back and the skeletonized handles, it's somewhat harder to clean and maintain than the military. you can cut, chop, and stab more fearlessly with it... but you'll have to clean it more carefully. the manix is pure, 100% beast, and simply must be held, carried, and used to be understood. the pocket profile is larger than that of the military, and it is still not "city friendly"... but it is more non-knife-person friendly than the chinook. it's also got THE strongest lock out there... the blade locks into place with a CLUNCK!!! it would make an EXCELLENT choice for MBC. so is it THE SPYDERNATOR? YES, YES, YES!! my favorite do all, end all EDC knife for every occassion. it requires me to clean and dry it more carefully than my military... but hey... i'm sure i'll clean and dry my mili just as carefully anyway. i just wish it were legal to carry in the city... if it were, it would be in my pocket every second of my life.
LIL TEMP -- smaller than the other candidates, and legal for "concealed" city carry. yet at the same time, feels BIG in the hand, and almost as secure and reassuring as the mighty manix. it's got the advantages of the open back, and because of its smaller size, it feels more solid than the mili. every single inch of the blade is EXTREMELY useful. the handle is highly ergonomic. in spite of its light weight, it rides in the pocket kinda like a miniature brick... but with a lil temp clipped into your pocket, what else do you really need in there, anyway? :D it's by far the most stylized, stylish knife in the bunch... the green G-10 looks great in any environment, be it military or museum. indexing holes, compression lock, and amazing economics
make it an MBC dream... it really feels ALIVE in your hand! non-knife-people don't really mind it at all. in spite of its small size, it can hold its own with the other spydernator competitors... yet it remains legal for city carry. so YES -- it IS a SPYDERNATOR!
in summary (out of 10 points):
MILITARY:
EDC -- 9
MBC -- 6
FIELD -- 10
ERGOS -- 8
bottom line: outdoors, this knife is where it's at!
MANIX:
EDC -- 10
MBC -- 9
FIELD -- 8
ERGOS -- 10
bottom line: unbeatable brute force -- but take good care of it!
CHINOOK II:
EDC -- 7
MBC -- 10
FIELD -- 8
ERGOS -- 9
bottom line: skin a deer or a ninja, but a little too specialized for many ELUs
LIL TEMPERANCE:
EDC -- 9
MBC -- 9
FIELD -- 9
ERGOS -- 9
bottom line: small and cute, but brawlin' brute!