Spyderco Forums

gundamaniac wrote:For those of you for whom the Amalgam is too large, what's a good size for a knife for you? The Amalgam hovers right around a 3.8" blade. I currently carry a 3.5" blade, and used to carry a 3.25" blade. I understand some require under 3" for certain jurisdictions, which is another consideration. But just wanted to get a feel for what kind of blade length people are looking for.

As for release date, your guess is as good as mine at this point. As RamZar said in the SHOT Show thread, there will likely be more details after the collector's meet and IWA. I want to know as badly as you guys :D

I can’t speak for anyone but myself but I tend to gravitate towards 2 sizes. For a “work” knife somewhere in the 3.75” range. When looking for an EDC knife I tend to go for blades closer to 3.25”. I have a lot of 3 1/2 inch knives too as they tend to strike a good balance between those two slots.

Surfingringo wrote:

Surfingringo wrote:

curlyhairedboy wrote:I think my favorite thing about it is the blade shape. A conventional drop point with a long straight- coupled with a full flat grind, a flipper, AND a functional spydiehole.

Funny, those were the exact two things I was thinking that I didn’t like about the blade shape. Obviously, that doesn’t make either one of us right or wrong, just different taste. Likely based mostly on differences in the knife chores we perform but probably also some on what appeals to us aesthetically. Thankfully though Spyderco doesn’t only make knives that appeal to me or they would be missing out on a ton of sales. :)

ETA: I’m still anxious to get one of these in hand at Blade though. The handle on his one looks very comfortable and I think it would be right up my alley. I think the handle of a knife tends to say much more about a designer than a particular blade shape.

very true! The blade shape is important for cutting efficiency, but I'm not in intimate contact with the blade for hours at a time. I'm much closer friends with the handle :D

Bit of an aside: With the Amalgam and Brouwer offerings, I feel like there's an improvement in the selection of blade shapes that Spyderco is offering for folders. We've always had the classic leaf-shaped blades and purpose-driven designs, but now with these in the mix, I feel there's more appeal for those who have been looking for something more traditional. Basically, something for those fellas who liked handling a thumbhole folder but couldn't get over the leaf shape.

@curlyhairedboy, here's a new video, showing compression lock manipulation in different ways, opening action pushbutton and lightswitch style with various methods with both hands, and detent-free flipper action against gravity with my weak hand for good measure haha.

https://youtu.be/zjnJNNE4F6U

As for thicknesses along the spine,
.138" at the ricasso
.132" just in front of the ricasso where the grind starts
.126" about halfway
.1" around where the belly is

And it's .027" just behind the edge.

Keep in mind that all my measurements are rough, likely taken with improper technique on the calipers (sloped surfaces and edges and all that).

Here's a spine shot for reference (Amalgam in the middle, Manix on top, PM2 on the bottom):

Thanks a ton! :D

gundamaniac wrote:@curlyhairedboy, here's a new video, showing compression lock manipulation in different ways, opening action pushbutton and lightswitch style with various methods with both hands, and detent-free flipper action against gravity with my weak hand for good measure haha.

https://youtu.be/zjnJNNE4F6U

As for thicknesses along the spine,
.138" at the ricasso
.132" just in front of the ricasso where the grind starts
.126" about halfway
.1" around where the belly is

And it's .027" just behind the edge.

Keep in mind that all my measurements are rough, likely taken with improper technique on the calipers (sloped surfaces and edges and all that).

Here's a spine shot for reference (Amalgam in the middle, Manix on top, PM2 on the bottom):02_14_18_12_33_23_IMG_20180207_225351.jpg

Yeah, but you didn't show detent free flipper action against gravity with weak hand using the light switch technique. You better send that to me for some more detailed evaluation....

Just kidding, of course! Action looks great! Looking forward to getting my hands on this knife!

David

Thanks for the feedback re: blade length, blade shape, and usage. These are all good points and good for my personal reference. In my personal usage, I've been carrying a roughly 3.5 inch blade for my EDC but find slightly longer blades more enjoyable to use.

Surfingringo, thanks for your input! You're absolutely right, I went with that blade profile because that's what I'm used to using and and it's what appealed to me aesthetically. My goal aesthetically was to create a nice general purpose compression lock flipper with, as people have pointed out, a more "traditional" style in order to try and appeal to the types of people who may typically pass over Spyderco's usually unconventional looks (but oh boy do their designs work and feel great). I hope the handle works out for you if you get a chance to try it at Blade Show. I can only speak for myself, but I think Spyderco have done a great job with it and it feels very nice in my hands.

Canazes9 wrote:Yeah, but you didn't show detent free flipper action against gravity with weak hand using the light switch technique. You better send that to me for some more detailed evaluation....

Just kidding, of course! Action looks great! Looking forward to getting my hands on this knife!

David

I knew I was forgetting some fringe corner case that only true flipper knuts would care about! Oops! :D

Spyderco did a really great job with the pivot on this knife. The bearings feel very smooth, with no grittiness in the detent track and no bumpiness in the pivot action.

Gundam, I just want to give you props on the design. I love it! I think if I had enough skills to design a folder, it would come out like the Amalgam.

I think the drop point will be better for my functions, but I love the aesthetics of that original reverse tanto design! I also wish that it would have got the wire clip in some of your diagrams, but I understand their choice to change it.

I definitely plan on picking one up!

gundamaniac wrote:For those of you for whom the Amalgam is too large, what's a good size for a knife for you? The Amalgam hovers right around a 3.8" blade. I currently carry a 3.5" blade, and used to carry a 3.25" blade. I understand some require under 3" for certain jurisdictions, which is another consideration. But just wanted to get a feel for what kind of blade length people are looking for.

As for release date, your guess is as good as mine at this point. As RamZar said in the SHOT Show thread, there will likely be more details after the collector's meet and IWA. I want to know as badly as you guys :D

I am at the point where 3.5" - 3.75" of cutting edge is what I prefer so the Amalgam hits this sweet spot perfectly. Looking forward to this one.

I'm not super thrilled about this one being a flipper, but I really think the aesthetic is very pleasing to my eye. As for the 100% choil, I don't mind it so much on a blade this long, especially since the primary grind covers that area as well.
The Brouwer is much less attractive to my eye because it looks chunky with the full thickness choil. Even though I realize the Brouwer will likely be more comfortable to use in that widened choil area.

Didn't see pricing information listed earlier in the threat (apologies if I missed it), but just spotted the listing at BladeHQ - pricing coming in at $175.47

https://www.bladehq.com/item--Spyderco- ... ion--80885

toocool006 wrote:Didn't see pricing information listed earlier in the threat (apologies if I missed it), but just spotted the listing at BladeHQ - pricing coming in at $175.47

https://www.bladehq.com/item--Spyderco- ... ion--80885

Seems reasonable.

David

Hurrah for affordability!

Edit- wrong thread

Updated the first post with the information we have so far!

curlyhairedboy wrote:Updated the first post with the information we have so far!

Well done sir!

David

Thanks guys for the feedback :)

curlyhairedboy wrote:Updated the first post with the information we have so far!

Thanks for managing this thread! Looks like pricing info came out quicker than I expected. BladeHQ must know something I don't :p

Re: choil and the Brouwer (what a beautiful design by the way, I wish I had come up with that one), I also toyed with the idea of keeping the blade full thickness throughout the choil for comfort, but that was at odds with my goal of making it serve double duty as a finger and sharpening choil. Every design choice involves compromise, it's just a matter of what you choose to prioritize.

gundamaniac wrote:Thanks guys for the feedback :)

curlyhairedboy wrote:Updated the first post with the information we have so far!

Thanks for managing this thread! Looks like pricing info came out quicker than I expected. BladeHQ must know something I don't :p

Re: choil and the Brouwer (what a beautiful design by the way, I wish I had come up with that one), I also toyed with the idea of keeping the blade full thickness throughout the choil for comfort, but that was at odds with my goal of making it serve double duty as a finger and sharpening choil. Every design choice involves compromise, it's just a matter of what you choose to prioritize.

It was a wise choice in my tastes.

I had to say goodbye to the production sample today, sent it back to Spyderco so it can make it to the collector's meet. It was really hard to part with the sample :o

One last picture for now. Tried it out for some light usage at dinner celebrating Valentine's (don't worry, I stacked the meat to cut it; I know better than to saw the edge back and forth directly on the ceramic plate, especially with a blade that isn't mine to keep :D )

Looks like it had some fun!