Techno opinions

[Bugs]

I keep contemplating grabbing a Techno. Like the looks of this little knife and it's chunky robust blade. Unfortunately I have no way of getting my paws on one to handle it before any purchase. I would like to hear the good and the not so good about the Techno from those who have fondled and used this knife.

[gdwtvb]

I've had one for awhile now. I originally wanted one mainly because the collaboration is with a Polish knife maker and I am of Polish descent.

Still, the techno did not check off any of the boxes that I generally look for in a new folder. I generally go for thinner blade stock, as I cut things and don't need or want a glorified pry bar. I have had many frame lock knives and while I like and am accustomed to the lock, I have nothing against the lock, I have grown a little weary of the seemingly overabundance of, "Hey look at this really cool titanium handled integral lock!" Does ZT make any knives that use anything other than an integral frame lock? I am not particularly weight sensitive, but for it's size, just slightly larger than a Spyderco Dragonfly, it weighs nearly three times as much, Dragonfly 1.3 oz Techno 3.6 oz.

Still the reviews were good, I eventually got one and am glad I did.

The thickness of the blade stock is offset in many ways by the full height flat grind. It slices better than I thought it would. I've owned several Sebenzas, and I would have to say without pulling out the magnifying glass the fit and finish would be hard to tell apart. Excellent workmanship. People like to throw around the term tank-like,I have a hard time coming up with a better way to describe it. Whether open or closed it just feels so reassuringly solid. Easy to hold and comfortable to use. It does have a short blade, just 2.55 inches, so if you want to cut a hoagie or loaded cheeseburger in half, you're apt to make a bit of a mess. It might be a little heavy in the pocket in suit pants, but in khakis or jeans it carries great.

Great ergos. Great steel. Great fit and finish. What's not to like?

Grizz

[benben]

Everything gdwtvb said is right on the money. It took me a while, maybe 4 or 5 months to warm up to mine but it's a great knife! I've said it before and it's still true, don't like the clip, too small. It needs to be at least twice the diameter it is, just too flimsy and doesn't match the build of the rest of the knife. Buy one!

[hoimin]

Great: fit and finish, blade:handle, oddly slicey, carryability, strength, the stonewash softened edges, looks thick but it's about the scale width and height of a PM2.

Less great: handle comfort for long term usage, thicker stock than what might be necessary at this size

More blade than a dragonfly with more weight, but it's in that weight range of nigh negligible.

[Holland]

It's an awesome knife with amazing fit and finish. I'm happy to own one, but I generally grab a chaparral or dragonfly for that size of knife and the Techno gets pretty neglected

[Holland]

I got mine reground so it slices pretty good :D

[Cujobob]

I really enjoy mine. It looks great, has a great feel to the opening and closing, feels nice and solid, has a thin grind, and works well for a knife that goes in and out of the pocket a lot. The finish absorbs scratches and blends them in well, too. It's a great work knife. For a casual EDC, I generally go a bit thinner in the pocket, but the Techno gets a ton of actual use when a knife is important. The steel also takes a great edge.

[Xplorer]

I can't say enough about the Techno. Since the day I got my Techno I have carried that knife more than any other. I rotate through a bunch of knives that I clip in my right pocket. But, the Techno is almost always in my left pocket (occasionally replaced by my Firefly lately). I use it as a money clip and I use it for everything an EDC knife is needed for. The thick blade is surprisingly "slicey" thanks to it's full flat grind. The fit and finish however, are what made me love this knife from day 1. It's a great design that was executed perfectly by the Taichung factory IMO. This knife was my first "little big knife". I've since bought 4 other "little big knives" and I haven't found one (nor do I know off any) that could kick the Techno out of my pocket.




It makes great pair with the other Marcin Slysz Spyderco of course.



The Techno is such a high quality knife that if you're considering it just by looking at pictures, I'm confident you're going to love it when you have it in your hand. :)


Best regards,
Chad

[timlara]

I really like my Techno as well. Hands down, it has my favorite finish on any Ti knife. It just looks cool and as Cujobob said, it is very durable and actually improves with age since it's sort of "grizzled" looking from day one.

The only two knocks I have against it are that the spydie hole is a little harder to operate than most other models because it's nested inside the lock release cutout (maybe I just have fat thumbs...?), and the handle is a teeny bit too short for average-to-large hands in my opinion, but of course I'm biased because I'm so used to most Spydies having finger choils which kind of "cheat" in making a small knife seem bigger in the hand.

For versatility and cutting performance, there are better choices in the lineup, but for looks, machining quality, and "cool factor", it's pretty hard to beat the Techno. It's definitely a nice piece of "man jewelry" to fondle! :D

[WorkingEdge]

I love the techno. Best little big knife I have. At some point I scratched the finish and ended up polishing the blade. Doubles as a very impressive money clip.
I use size 7 to 7.5 gloves and it is just big enough for a four finger grip.

[Holland]

This thread inspired me to sharpen mine up and carry it tomorrow :D

[NoFair]

It's in my coin pocket as I type. Sweet little knife and one of my favorite daily users.

[Parhelion]

Awesome small knife. One of my favorite.

[Bugs]

The consensus confirms my initial thoughts. Seems the pros significantly outweigh any cons; and any cons seem minor. Thank you for assisting me to spend money. :D

[Surfingringo]

Ok, I will be the voice of dissent. I love the looks of the Techno and as others have said, the fit and finish are essentially at "custom" level. I wanted very badly to like the knife but I have had the opportunity to handle one extensively and the ergonomics don't work for me at all. Not even a little. The handle is too wide and square for its length and I can't find any comfortable way to grip it for actual use. About 6 months after I handled one I kept reading glowing reviews and decided I had been unduly harsh and needed to give the knife another chance. I asked to see one while visiting the knifeworks b&m store and within 5 seconds I confirmed my initial opinion. The knife just isn't for me. Seems I am in the minority with that opinion though so based on forum statistics you will probably like it. :)


Edit: Interestingly enough, I have handled Marcin Slysz's other design the Slysz Bowie and I find it amazingly comfortable and a joy to handle.

[NoFair]

The Bowie handles better (and cuts better), but for some reason I've found some grips that work well with the Techno. I rarely use the Techno for any long term cutting though, just normal daily use which rarely exceeds a few seconds of cutting time at once. It also fits in my watch/coin pocket and it's looks rarely scare anyone;) Less competition for the coin pocket than for the right front one...

[ChrisinHove]

I let mine go.

It's beautifully made, and a joy to hold, so I do understand why people love it, but it just felt a bit too much of a lump for me.

[SG89]

I let mine go.

It's beautifully made, and a joy to hold, so I do understand why people love it, but it just felt a bit too much of a lump for me.

This

[knolan]

I love it too for most of the reasons already given, however I think the main reason is...it is one of the best (truest to the original) production interpretations of a custom design by ANY manufacturer I've ever seen!

Other than the clip, and a few other superficial cues, it essentially is a ringer for the original. Most other production folders attempting to capture the custom designer's aesthetic, whether by Spyderco or any other popular manufacturer, usually change the original so much having to bow to manufacturing challenges, the final product ends up far different, thus loosing much of it's original appeal of the design.

[dplafoll]

This is a knife that a lot of people will love, and some people will find something about it that they don't like enough to not carry it.

For me, I loved it the first time I held it. It fits very well in my hand, it's built like a tank, and it's a lot better cutter than you'd think from the blade stock. It was my first "expensive" knife (previous record was the Chaparral at ~$110); I got it as a Father's Day gift from my wife/son last year. It's great in the pocket because while it is chunky and a bit on the heavy side for its size, it's also small, and for me it just carries really well. The wire clip helps with that IMO.

This is definitely one of Spyderco's premier Little Big Knives. But it's also one that I'd recommend holding before you buy it. If you can find a good knife store, or if you can find a knife collector nearby that has one, I'd check it out. If I didn't have sentimental value in mine, I'd be willing to ship it to you for a little while to try out, but I just can't trust shipping for this one.
I will point out that BladeHQ has these for sale, and a fairly reasonable return policy. Obviously you wouldn't be able to beat on it then send it back, and you'd have to pay some shipping and a restocking fee (only 5%) but it might be a worthwhile gamble. Or you could exchange it for something else.