I hope you got paid for that plug in your article Mr. Chris Shugart! You just propmted me to go buy one. Got the Matriarch. Later
The Matriach is a bad mofo, Goose! I’ve thought about picking that one up myself. Be sure and pick up a Tri-Angle Sharpmaker, too. Those things are great.
I’ve been into knives, mainly tactical fighters, for years. I worked in two knife stores while in college and now I feel naked without one. Sypderco, Cold Steel, Microtech, Emerson, Benchmade, Al Mar, CRKT, MOD, SOG, REKAT… can’t go wrong with any of those brands.
Here in Texas you can pack up to a 5 and a half inch blade as long as it’s single edged and not an auto. I prefer about a 3-4 inch blade, at least partially serrated, with a one-handed opening mechanism and a clip. That’s why I have to give Spyderco props- they popularized and perfected the pocket clip, the opening hole and the full serrated edge.
Have fun with the Matriach; be sure and learn how to draw with the hole and flip it open in the reverse manner- as fast as an auto, but legal to carry.
Great - first you guys make me feel like a gym newbie and then you make me feel like a knife one too??!!?? (heh just kidding - thanks for info) - but how does one “draw with the hole and flip it open in the reverse manner” are those two seperate actions or is drawing with the hole the way to open it in the reverse manner. I’m guessing you mean there’s a way to draw it with the hole that opens it almost automatically.
First, it depends on which way your clip is facing. Some clips are reversable and some are fixed. To do the reverse draw, you need to have have a clip where the tip of the blade faces down in your pocket (while the knife is closed of course.) From this position, you reach into your pocket with thumb and forefinger and pinch the opening hole. Draw the knife out of your pocket in this pinch grip. Now, in one motion, as the knife clears the pocket (front right jeans pockets for a right hander), you snap the wrist and fling the handle of the knife away from the blade, thus opening it. You can also do this without the draw. Just start with the knife in your hand in the pinch position. You’re not touching the handle at all, just holding the knife by the opening hole- then snap the handle open in a sharp manner so that the lock engages.
If your clip isn’t facing the right way and can’t be reversed, then you can still open the knife fast. They switched the way the clip faces because in the “tip up” position, you can draw it out of the pocket and your thumb will already be in place for a traditional thumb opening. You can still do the reverse opening trick too, just not from the draw.
Takes a little practice and a few bandaids, but it’s easy to learn. If you want to check out some of those other brands I mentioned, go the knifecenter.com. They have pretty good prices (never buy a knife from a mall store) and you can see all the latest models. They have the Matriarch for $89 (Zytel handle). They’re usually over a hundred in stores.
It’s been a while since I’ve purchased a Spyderco. That’s not a knock - that’s a testament. My four are still working fine after many years of service, thank you.
Just a note to say that yes, the clips on many models are fixed, but for that reason Spyderco does (or at least used to) sell “right” and “left”-hand models. You may not see them at your local store, but just ask - they can order them. At my store, cost was the same.
Hope this helps.
T.E.
Got mine from New Graham - 74$ - Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon handle (Zytel?) Thanks for the info Chris!
Forgot something - what do you need the bandaids for? Are they used to aid in the opening? (just kidding again) But seriously - after you flip it open in the reverse manner your hand is still kind of on the blade, and you have to move it. Seems that I can almost do the traditional open as quick as the reverse one. But I’m sure that someone with more skill would do it much faster. Thanks again!
Goose- True, the reverse opening trick is mainly just for flash. But if you have your thumbs hooked in your jeans, like you’re standing casually, you can have one thumb on the opening hole. In less than a second, you can have your blade out and open from this relaxed position. You can then learn to get it in the right grip easily. So in that aspect, it’s a pretty cool maneuver.
Good price on your knife. That’s quite a deal. The only reason I didn’t pick one up was because it’s strictly a slasher with that curved tip. That limits it’s versatility, but not much. It’s still a wicked blade.
Oh yeah, and Zytel is what you described, basically a “super plastic”. You have to give it more of a flick to get that reverse opening down. That’s because the handle is light compared to the metal handled models. Pick up some White Lightning lube and it should still work once you get the hang of it.
Zytel is a glass fiber filled nylon made by Dupont. It comes in a variety of percentages of fiber: 14%, 33% etc. The higher the glass content, to a certain limit, the stronger and tougher the part will be. Our plant uses tons of the stuff–at couple of bucks a pount. Kinda makes me smile to think that someone thinks a knife handle needs to be made of such super strong plastics. I would think impact resistance would be higher concern…Hyok
Greetings all! Here’s my 2 cents and question. My everyday knife is Benchmade Sentinel with Black Combo Edge Blade…around $100-120. This would be my first recommendation. Second choice, for someone wants to save a few bucks and still get a kick-ass knife, is the Cold Steel Large or Medium Voyager - Tanto Point, Combo Edge…around $55-65.
Chris, I wondering if you’ve seen Cold Steel’s new Recon 1 tactical folders? If so, what did you think? What’s your take their new “Ultra Lock” feature?
Chris, why do you prefer a serrated as opposed to a smooth edged blade?..in Australia, the only brands we have are sypderco, CKRT, Cold Steel, SOG, Buck, Imperial schrade and Ka-Bar…which of these would be the best option for a 2-3 inch blade? I just got a cold steel voyager medium with a half serrated blade and clip point for $90 AUS…which is about $50 USD…is that expensive by american standards?
Midnight- Haven’t had my hands on a Recon yet, but they look pretty cool. Cold Steel has always had a good rep and almost always puts a quality knife. I’m looking into getting the new Cold Steel Ti-Lite myself. I think that style of knife would go well with my T-mag leather jacket!
As for the new locks, really, I don’t pay much attention to locks. It’s seems like most knife makers these days are in a battle to come up with a new type of lock, but honestly, I’ve never had a lock fail on me, even a plain old topside or liner lock. As long as it’s quick to disengage then I’m not picky about locks.
Tan- Once I started carrying a serrated edge, it was hard to go back to a plain blade. First off, for defensive purposes, the serrated edge is deadly. Visualize stretching out the serrations or straightening the cutting edge. If you did that to a Spyderco Police Model, the knife would be a foot long. Draw it across skin and it’s like being cut with a sword, not a 4 inch blade. Second, the serrated edge has “bite”. It locks onto whatever you’re cutting and digs in. I know of one incident where a Spyderco was drawn across someone’s arm in a fight. A plain blade would have cut him for sure, but the aggressive serrations cut, latched on, and hit bone by the time the blade was drawn through. Vicious. The serrated edge is also very practical. Nothing works better for heavy utility cutting. For all those reasons, I like at least a partially serrated blade.
Out of those brands you mentioned, Cold Steal and Spyderco top the list. SOG is right up there and CKRT is moving up fast. Buck and Schrade are what real knife enthusiasts call “Wal-Mart Brands”, but both companies have really improved in the last few years, especially Buck with that Strider model. I’ve never like Schrade. Ka-Bar is moving up too, but they’re still not up there with the top brands.
A Cold Steel Voyager, medium, with a half serrated blade and clip point will run around 42 bucks here in the US. That's online though so there will be shipping charges. So, you got a pretty good price. If it's a new model, it should have a metal clip, much improved over the old clips. I just wish Cold Steel would go to aggressive serrations and drop those "smooth" serrations. They work, but I like the bite of the aggressive blades.
Thanks chris…i think my voyager is the old model as it has a plastic clip…but i’m saving up to get either the spyderco police or military model…not sure about whether to go with a zytel or steel handle though as they come in both models. Apparently, many US folding models are banned in Australia for whatever reason…but they allow all sorts of fixed blade models…which arent practical to carry around.