My Saturday score!

[Harry White]

So I finally got my income tax refund check (long story, but despite getting a confirmation number after e-filing months ago, I found it was not in the IRS system and had to re-file my return). And the girlfriend is busy all day, so I decide to look around for hunting/fishing stores close to my house that I haven't visited yet. Found one about 25 minutes away after an internet search and hopped in the car.

At first I was a bit disappointed at their selection, but they did have a small "Spyderco/Byrd" display. Then I saw the prices -- a bit on the high side. But I'm determined to treat myself. I played with a Cricket for the first time -- the SS, PE version. It's smaller and thinner than I thought it would be! I also handled a SS Kiwi (again!). Those were my initial two selections for possible purchase. They also had two generations of Natives, but the prices were obscene.

Then I saw one under a Delica that I somehow missed. Grey handle FRN, full-ground leaf-shaped blade...could it be?! A VG-10 Calypso Jr? Yes! And next to it, a small handwritten card saying "All Spyderco 20% Off."

With the 20% discount, price was $58.36 before sales tax -- sold! I just got home and cleaned and lightly lubed it. This knife is amazing -- so light and so sharp. The tip is ultra-pointy, and the "naked" clip with the black bug is a welcome relief from the black coated clips. I also like the "bug free" blade. The "scales" pattern on the FRN is my favorite so far. And while I prefer tip-up carry, the tip-down only setup doesn't bother me really. There is no blade play at all.

The only "flaw" I found -- and this was on all three of the Caly Jr.'s they had in stock -- was a minor chip in the steel on the part of the blade that is covered by the FRN handles when open. I don't know the term for this part of the knife -- but you can see it if you open the knife with the sharp edge facing you and look at the continuation of the blade steel between the handles. It does not impact the locking mechanism at all, and to my eyes has no impact at all on the knife's performance. Still, it was odd to see that on all three Caly's.

So, is this as good a deal as I thought it was?

Also, does anyone else with a grey Caly Jr. have this minor steel flaw?

Sorry I don't have pics. I really need to get a digital camera or scanner...

[redhawk44p]

CONGRATS on the Caly. The Caly is probably my favorite Spydie. The way they cut is amazing. I would ignore the minor defect and enjoy.

[spydutch]

Congrats Harry and enjoy

Mine has no flaws concerning the steel, but is really off centered

[V-1]

Good score! That's one of the best EDC Spyderco designs every made IMHO. I love the grey scales and the matching grey bead blasted clip with the black tick, uh, I mean spider. Great price too. Enjoy it, it'll serve you well for many, many years. I love that scalpel edge. Describing it as wicked sharp just doesn't do it justice.

You should have picked one up for your girlfriend too! Then again, that'll give you an excuse to go back.

[TheKnifeCollector]

CONGRATS on the GREAT score!!!!

[bh49]

Congratulations on your new knife.

[Vincent]

I think if you adjust the clip on the knife, try to looen and tighten it it can change the blades center,

[fishtale]

Mine has the same thing, looks like a manufacturing mark. Ust the heck out of it.

[Harry White]

Mine has the same thing, looks like a manufacturing mark. Ust the heck out of it.

It does look like a manufacturing defect -- almost like someone scraped the steel with a nail while it was still soft. But since it doesn't appear to affect performance, I'm fine with it.

As far as blade centering, mine is not dead-center, but not as far to the left as yours spydutch -- probably somewhere between the two. Again, it doesn't seem to impact performance.

Thanks for all the responses! I'm tempted to go back and get another one, I like this knife so much. As much as I love my Delica 4, I think the Caly Jr gets the nod, and I would say the primary reason for me is the thin, full-flat, razor-sharp blade.

I'm so happy with this knife!

[V-1]

I'm tempted to go back and get another one, I like this knife so much.

Go get it. You'll end up regretting it down the road if you don't. And you can always play it off that you got it for your girlfriend. It works with my wife all time. Heck, get two more, you can always offload one on eBay to help defray the costs of the other two.

Then again it may backfire, I haven't been able to get the waved Delica back from my wife since she got it... I've had to make due with the waved Endura.

[Harry White]

Go get it. You'll end up regretting it down the road if you don't. And you can always play it off that you got it for your girlfriend. It works with my wife all time. Heck, get two more, you can always offload one on eBay to help defray the costs of the other two.

Then again it may backfire, I haven't been able to get the waved Delica back from my wife since she got it... I've had to make due with the waved Endura.

you are an evil influence!...

i'm thinking about it...

[ghostrider]

Is it possible that the chip you talk of is a second’s mark? From what you said, it sounds like it’s in the choil (most are over the hole, but not all). The fact that it’s on all three Clay Jr.s might indicate that it is a second mark. Manufacturing defects are rarely consistent. Consistent defects are usually a result of design. Either way, I wouldn’t let it discourage you from buying them. Since they are OOP, as well as rivet construction, it isn’t like W & R would be able to do much anyway if something were to go wrong. It would be nice if you were able to provide a pic. Be interesting to see if Spyderco chimes in on this.

[psimonl]

It's been my work knife for more than 18 months now and let me assure you, the best is yet to come. yes, I do have the same blade marks, but I don't care. It will get easier to sharp , the ergos will grow soo much on you every other knife will get compared to this one. And mine, even if I cut up LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of things (card boards to beer can: I had a thread http://spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16494

And it didn't ever develop the feared blade play.

You made a very wise choice,

Simon

[V-1]

you are an evil influence!...

i'm thinking about it...

Glad to be of service.

[Harry White]

It's been my work knife for more than 18 months now and let me assure you, the best is yet to come. yes, I do have the same blade marks, but I don't care. It will get easier to sharp , the ergos will grow soo much on you every other knife will get compared to this one. And mine, even if I cut up LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of things (card boards to beer can: I had a thread http://spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16494

And it didn't ever develop the feared blade play.

You made a very wise choice,

Simon

I think I'm beginning to see what you mean already. The Caly Jr is one "addicting" knife!

Ghost -- there is also a minor defect on the blade at the choil, but I was able to smooth that out with some 1600 grit wet/dry sandpaper. The one I pointed out earlier is on the tang of the blade, but to be honest, I've all but forgotten it already.

One last question -- since I have not seen many of the Grey FRN Caly Jrs for sale online (or elsewhere), I don't have a good sense of what a good "deal" is for a new one. Mine was USD $58.39 before tax, $61.89 after tax. I know the original MSRP was much less expensive, but how would you rate the price I paid in today's Spydie environment?

(Thanks everyone. I love this place! )

[Dr. Snubnose]

Harry: Here is an article/review you might enjoy by Robert Fruehauf:
All time favourite
the Calypso Jr.

The C52 Calypso Jr. is one of my all time favorites from Spyderco. It actually was the first Spyderco made knife with an FRN handle that I bought. Before owning and carrying this knife I always thought that FRN makes the knives looking cheap, that the material might not be as tough as stainless steel and whatnot. Well, I still prefer the more solid handle materials but I have to admit that most of my biased views were wrong.

The Calypso Jr. was basically made with four different handle materials thus being SS, Micarta, black FRN, grey FRN and burgundy FRN. The model was introduced in 1997 but was discontinued later. Fans asked for a comeback of this model and Spyderco answered with the mentioned sprint run. Another sprint run was done in 2005 with the burgundy FRN version and ZFP-189 blade. Spyderco is currently planning to issue another edition of this model featuring the new ZDP-189 steel. This version will have a black FRN handle again and probably will hit the market in winter 2006. The Calypso Jr. 3 is also in the works which will look like the UK-Pen Knife but with a lock. Most likely will get it's own SKU because of the different appearance rather than beiing another C52.

The older models came in two edge types - P and S (Micarta, SS and black FRN) while the latest two models were only available with a plain edged blade. The older models still can be found but especially the plain edged ones are hard to get and the variants featuring a Micarta handle are also quite rare.

All models except the SS handled ones feature a full flat ground blade. Three different steels were used for all four models: AUS-8 for the Micarta and SS versions, VG-10 for the black and grey FRN versions and ZDP-189 for the burgundy version.

Maybe the biggest difference between the models besides the steel is the pocket clip. The FRN versions feature a clip with a hole in them where the pivot is located. These are in my opinion the weakest clips on any Spyderco made knives including the wire clips that I am not too fond of either.

I carried the black FRN model for a long time as EDC and not very long after I got it, the clip got caught by a doorframe. I've had this happening with other Spydies aswell and their clips just bent a bit so they were easy to repair. The clip of the Clips Jr. just snapped where the weakest point was - the hole. After trying to get an original clip as replacement with no success, I put on a simple solid clip that had a fitting hole pattern and never looked back. This construction might be the biggest downside of the FRN models.
So basically four kinds of clips can be found: glossy black with a golden bug and no hole on the Micarta handled knives, glossy black with bug and hole on the black FRN models, blasted grey with hole and black bug on the grey FRN knives and shiny SS without hole but embossed bug on the SS handled knives. Generally the mounting system of the clips on the FRN models is very well made. There are inset threads in the handle that allow the user to switch from right hand to left hand carry (tip down) and the inset threads make the whole construction more stout than just screwing everything into the plastic.

I've read from numerous people that the blades of their black FRN knives are a little bit off center - so is mine. I recall a thread on one of the forums that stated that this is quite common because some of the blades warped while being heat treated. This has merely a cosmetic effect on the knife but not a functional. Unlike the black ones I've never heard that there are similar problems with the current grey model.






Compared to other knives from Spyderco it is of about the size of the Delica but with totally different ergonomics. The Calypso Jr. features a choil which has become common for many new models so the handle becomes in fact a bit larger than it really is. This leads to a very secure and comfortable grip. The handle also has more round and flowing forms than the Delica so it gives you a very smooth and comfy feeling. Also the bi-directional fish scale texturing on the FRN handles is a big improvement over other designs. think that this texturing is one of the best after rough G-10.

The FRN models are also very lightweight and you tend to forget that you are actually carrying a knife. The shape of the blade is one of my top favorite ones made by Spyderco. The leaf shape provides a very fine tip and the full flat grind makes this knife a real slicer. Spyderco offers a variety of knives that feature similar blade shapes, but the Calypso Jr. was the second approach to this kind of blade shape. The first Spyderco knife with a leaf blade was the Dragonfly. Originally it was issued with a slightly different blade but it was changed into a full flat ground leaf blade like the one on the C52 in 1996.

The simple yet effective shape of the blade has many followers some even consider the C52 to be the "lightsaber of all Spydercos". Due to the full flat grind it has great cutting abilities and VG-10 is also an excellent blade steel. I am eagerly waiting until the new version gets available to compare VG-10 to ZDP-189.

If you are looking for a light weight, easy to carry pocket knife that features great ergonomics and a classy look I would go for the grey FRN version. It still is available for very little money and if your hands are a tad too large for the Dragonfly you'll be just right with the Calypso Jr. Maybe the biggest plus besides the ergonomics is that it won't draw too much attention on it like larger knives tend to do. The Manix for instance is not that much larger when it comes to blade length but much more stout looking. If you draw a Manix in public you'll most likely see expressions of horror on some faces but most people will not even notice the Calypso Jr. If you're thinking of getting one I would hurry up. Some retailers have them on sale right now for affordable prices around $ 30. Who knows how long they will be around, so get one while they are cheap and easy to obtain.

Desirable changes? Yes! Although I consider this little knife as very close to perfect I would like to see three things done. First is the issue with the holey clip on the FRN models. Maybe Spyderco could put a solid clip on the next upcoming version of this model (I don't think they will, but one can dream). Second I would love to see a version done with a carbon fiber handle and mirror finished blade. I know that this would drive up the price up right near the threshold of pain but I think it would look exceptionally good (that could be the perfect tuxedo folder). The last thing which I think that would be really nice is a G-10 version of this knife. Maybe something like a mixture of the UK Penknife and the Calypso Jr.

Cheers,
Rob March, 2005
Revised in May 2006
Doc

[ghostrider]

Don't know why Rob had trouble getting a spare clip. I ordered three of them from SFO last year. Never did put one of them back on after breaking the first one. I like carrying it inside the pocket sans clip, and reccomend anyone at least try it to see how it feels. Keep in mind that when I empty my pockets, I loose three pounds.

As the the question about the fair price. The original price was a bit more that you paid IIRC. The disco'd price was about $10 less, but I believe the original price was somewhere in the neighborhood of $60-$70. Some of the gurus would know better.

[Harry White]

A great article! Thanks snub!

And ghost -- good idea. I carried my Delica without a clip for a while to see how it felt. I like the feeling. If I do pick up another Caly Jr (and at this point it's just a matter of "when") I think I'll carry it clipless, maybe with just a fob.

[224477]

Calypso is an every spyderco fans MUST

[DAYWALKER]

Aloha Harry,

Congrats on your score. The Caly' Jr. FRN is a great knife...my user is now in the hands of skcusloa.

Enjoy and be safe...that one is a pocket lightsaber for sure!

God bless