EDC for Foodies- A lightweight SpydieChef

[Gsg9]

I can find other things to complain about SpydieChef but not that it's heavy
A thinner blade would be nice, a bit longer blade would help, a better finish even if it would make it more expensive
Frame lock is OK.
It's a decent all rounder, works well on pianos.

[linuxology]

The best use for this knife is as a camping or backpacking knife. And it's a freaking awesome backpacking or camping knife. I'm going to rebuy one after my Slysz bowie developed a bit of rust on a recent 4-day adventure on the Appalachian Trail. No bueno. Everything else in H1 or LC200n is an eyesore, and the chunky build of the Spydiechef with the bulletproof titanium scales is very appealing. I just hope my next one doesn't have lockstick.

The Spydiechef is a general purpose knife that can also be used for some very limited food applications. Calling it a "chef" is an oversell because it's kind of useless in the kitchen. It's too short. It has too much belly. And it's too damned thick. If you think this is a laser or that it slices well, you're probably used to cutting everything with a Taktikal pocket knife. Expensive folding knives are almost always made with too much bladestock to do anything especially well from a culinary perspective. Wedge monsters all. The full flat grind helps, but only a bit. 2.9mm is too thick on a blade that's so short (in terms of height, not length). It's geometry, people.

All of my chef's knives are thinner than 2.9mm. All of them. None are considered lasers in the kitchen world. My thickest gyuto, the beater that I use on butternut squashes and other hard use-tasks, is a Global G-17. The calipers say it's 2.8mm thick at the spine above the heel. The Spydiechef's blade is too fat.

I apologize if I harp on about this, but I'm primarily a kitchen knife person and I think the Spydiechef was a miss in terms of branding. It's just that the Spydiechef is an awesome knife except for the "Chef" part. Any knife with "chef" in the name should be designed, from the edge out, with the purpose of cutting food in mind. The Spydiechef does not look or cut like a knife that was designed to cut food. It looks like a rugged outdoorsy knife that you might also use to cut a bit of summer sausage in the backcountry. WHICH IS EXACTLY A KNIFE THAT I NEED! But that's a different type of knife from something with "Chef" in the name.

In a redesign, I'd like to see a blade that is thinner and longer, and with a flatter edge. Drop the tip rather than having the edge rise to meet it. This will allow you to make easier pull cuts when actually cutting food on a cutting board. Design the knife to cut food, not paracord, cardboard, or kindling. In the process of developing the geometry of the blade, have someone actually cut food with the prototype and switch back and forth between it and an actual chef's knife. Maybe consult a chef or two who is also a knife enthusiast. Talk to some people outside of the world of Knives Which Fold.

Or keep the design the same and call it the "Ridge Runner" or something that indicates it's a camping or backpacking knife. Like I said, I love the design. But I wouldn't call it a Spydiechef.

Very nice roll up and totally valid points. /thumbsup

[Reject]

The best use for this knife is as a camping or backpacking knife. And it's a freaking awesome backpacking or camping knife. I'm going to rebuy one after my Slysz bowie developed a bit of rust on a recent 4-day adventure on the Appalachian Trail. No bueno. Everything else in H1 or LC200n is an eyesore, and the chunky build of the Spydiechef with the bulletproof titanium scales is very appealing. I just hope my next one doesn't have lockstick.

The Spydiechef is a general purpose knife that can also be used for some very limited food applications. Calling it a "chef" is an oversell because it's kind of useless in the kitchen. It's too short. It has too much belly. And it's too damned thick. If you think this is a laser or that it slices well, you're probably used to cutting everything with a Taktikal pocket knife. Expensive folding knives are almost always made with too much bladestock to do anything especially well from a culinary perspective. Wedge monsters all. The full flat grind helps, but only a bit. 2.9mm is too thick on a blade that's so short (in terms of height, not length). It's geometry, people.

All of my chef's knives are thinner than 2.9mm. All of them. None are considered lasers in the kitchen world. My thickest gyuto, the beater that I use on butternut squashes and other hard use-tasks, is a Global G-17. The calipers say it's 2.8mm thick at the spine above the heel. The Spydiechef's blade is too fat.

I apologize if I harp on about this, but I'm primarily a kitchen knife person and I think the Spydiechef was a miss in terms of branding. It's just that the Spydiechef is an awesome knife except for the "Chef" part. Any knife with "chef" in the name should be designed, from the edge out, with the purpose of cutting food in mind. The Spydiechef does not look or cut like a knife that was designed to cut food. It looks like a rugged outdoorsy knife that you might also use to cut a bit of summer sausage in the backcountry. WHICH IS EXACTLY A KNIFE THAT I NEED! But that's a different type of knife from something with "Chef" in the name.

In a redesign, I'd like to see a blade that is thinner and longer, and with a flatter edge. Drop the tip rather than having the edge rise to meet it. This will allow you to make easier pull cuts when actually cutting food on a cutting board. Design the knife to cut food, not paracord, cardboard, or kindling. In the process of developing the geometry of the blade, have someone actually cut food with the prototype and switch back and forth between it and an actual chef's knife. Maybe consult a chef or two who is also a knife enthusiast. Talk to some people outside of the world of Knives Which Fold.

Or keep the design the same and call it the "Ridge Runner" or something that indicates it's a camping or backpacking knife. Like I said, I love the design. But I wouldn't call it a Spydiechef.

I think of the Spydiechef as I do of the Leatherman multi tool.

My favourite is the Leatherman Charge; absolutely love it. It is a brilliant bit of kit.

But; if I was to do a review of it and compare every tool on it; to a tool dedicated for that single purpose. Then I would have to declare the Leatherman as a piece of junk.

The screwdriver, file, scissors and saw, are all rubbish compared to real screwdrivers, files, scissors or saws . But when I haven’t got any of those tools with me and a job has to be done. I always have the Leatherman tool and it has never let me down.

You don’t carry a Leatherman to replace any of those tools. You carry a Leatherman for when a job has to be done and you haven’t got those tools. It won’t be as easy as using the right tools, but it will get the job done.

I think the Spydiechef is the same thing. Sure; if you are going to your job as a chef, I assume you will have the right knives for the job. You can leave the Spydiechef in your pocket.

If you are going somewhere and you know you will doing the cooking; take the right tools with you. But if you don’t and there isn’t a decent knife in the place. That is when the Spydiechef comes out of the pocket.

It won’t do as good a job as having dedicated chef knives, but it will get the job done and that is what it is all about. Getting the job done.

My question is: Is there a EDC sized, folding knife out there, that will do the job better?

[btbyrd]

I think of the Spydiechef as I do of the Leatherman multi tool.

My favourite is the Leatherman Charge; absolutely love it. It is a brilliant bit of kit.

But; if I was to do a review of it and compare every tool on it; to a tool dedicated for that single purpose. Then I would have to declare the Leatherman as a piece of junk.

The screwdriver, file, scissors and saw, are all rubbish compared to real screwdrivers, files, scissors or saws . But when I haven’t got any of those tools with me and a job has to be done. I always have the Leatherman tool and it has never let me down.

You don’t carry a Leatherman to replace any of those tools. You carry a Leatherman for when a job has to be done and you haven’t got those tools. It won’t be as easy as using the right tools, but it will get the job done.

I think the Spydiechef is the same thing. Sure; if you are going to your job as a chef, I assume you will have the right knives for the job. You can leave the Spydiechef in your pocket.

If you are going somewhere and you know you will doing the cooking; take the right tools with you. But if you don’t and there isn’t a decent knife in the place. That is when the Spydiechef comes out of the pocket.

It won’t do as good a job as having dedicated chef knives, but it will get the job done and that is what it is all about. Getting the job done.

My question is: Is there a EDC sized, folding knife out there, that will do the job better?

Your last question cuts to the heart of the problem. Is this fundamentally an EDC knife or is it fundamentally a folding knife that is designed to cut food? If it's the former, don't call it the Spydiechef. If it's the latter, it needs to be designed differently. EDC knives and food-cutting knives have different requirements. EDC knives are designed to be beaten to death and to cut anything you might normally expect to cut that isn't food. Modern upmarket folders almost universally have a super-thick, wedge-y blade that's built to be as close to indestructible as possible. That is what EDC people want. That is what mall ninjas and Taktikal Knife Bros want. That is what the gun show crowd wants. I get it. But it can get to be a bit much at times. I couldn't freaking believe how thick the spine of the Spyderco Pattata is compared to the traditional knives. Sure, it's got a full flat grind. But it's so thick that it's pushing fish-butchery-knife territory. Compare the Spyderco with a traditional pattata/resolza and I'll tell you which one I'd rather cut food with. I say that with love, because I carry that knife nearly every day. But somewhere in the transition from traditional knife to the modern EDC version, it lost many of its virtues as a slicer because it's half an inch thick. (Well, 3.5mm thick). Don't even get me started on the Roc.

For actually cutting food, a large Swiss Army Knife or an inexpensive Opinel will slice a lot better than virtually any modern EDC folder. I think that's part of the EDC-compromise. In order to make it a tolerable EDC knife, the blade stock has to be bulked up to beefy proportions so that folding knife nuts can abuse it without chipping the crap out of the edge. And if you're going to call it "chef" or "kitchen," it's also probably got to be constructed so that ignorant folks can hack through bones without breaking the knife and then running online to complain about how much the steel sucks.

What I'd like to see someone produce is a folding version of the 120mm petty knife -- the smallest, non-paring knife that a chef would typically use in the kitchen. Or something in that ballpark. And market it so that people know it's for cutting food, not batonning logs, opening cans, or cutting fourteen kilometers of cardboard. I like the direction that Slysz is taking with the new prototype. Longer is better. Just make it thinner behind the edge (and overall). And give it a bit of a flat spot so that the blade can make full board contact. One doesn't rock-chop with such a small blade. Longer, thinner, flatter. And maybe machine the titanium a bit more, like on the Bowie...

[Reject]

A folding knife with a 120 mm blade is getting fairly large to be easily carried in the pocket.
The blade on the Military is only 102mm and it is to large for many to carry around every day.

And while we are talking about the Military. By your logic; :rolleyes: we definitely need to change its name. After all, it is not a rifle or a sword or a tank or battleship and it keeps falling off the rifle when you try and use it as a bayonet. So, :D what do you think its new name should be?

I don’t think professional chefs were ever the target market for this knife and it was never designed to replace any of the knives already in the kitchen. Spydiechef is a catchy name and it lets people know what its intended purpose is. Which is: when every knife in the kitchen is blunt, it is the knife you can pull out of your pocket and cut up food with. It is as simple as that.

I see your point about blade thickness. It may be that thick for the same reason that the Enduras and Delicas don’t have sharp tips any more.

If this is to be the start of the design process for a new Spydiechef, just remember that if it is not in the pocket when people need it, then it is useless. So the knife has to be kept down to a size that people will carry, even though a longer blade would make it better in use.

It is one of those compromises in design that have to be made. Other than saying that; I will leave it up to people with more experience in the kitchen than me.

[btbyrd]

A folding knife with a 120 mm blade is getting fairly large to be easily carried in the pocket.

Sure. But calling anything a "chef" that's 84mm long is silly. Especially when it's 3mm thick. 84mm is barely cracking paring knife territory. 120mm is long, and I don't expect Spyderco to shoot for it. But they should shoot for 3.99" at a minimum.

And while we are talking about the Military. By your logic; :rolleyes: we definitely need to change its name. After all, it is not a rifle or a sword or a tank or battleship and it keeps falling off the rifle when you try and use it as a bayonet. So, :D what do you think its new name should be?

The Military is called the Military because "someone asked Spyderco's owner Sal Glesser, 'If your son were going into the military what folding knife would you send him with?' For certain, it had to meet the requirements of a high-performance, light-weight folder designed for hard use."

That's fine.

The Spydiechef is called the Spydiechef because it "takes the user-friendly ergonomics and balance of a world-class chef’s knife and translates them into an all-purpose, everyday-carry folder that is impervious to the elements. "

The problem is that the ergos and balance of a world class chef's knife aren't apparent on this knife. Or if they are, they're there in a way that doesn't make sense. Short kitchen knives don't have huge bellies. They're Wharny. Again, you're not going to rock chop with a blade that's 84mm long.

I don’t think professional chefs were ever the target market for this knife and it was never designed to replace any of the knives already in the kitchen. Spydiechef is a catchy name and it lets people know what its intended purpose is. Which is: when every knife in the kitchen is blunt, it is the knife you can pull out of your pocket and cut up food with. It is as simple as that.

Except that it's not very good at cutting food. Better than most other EDC style folders? Probably. But that's a low bar. Better than the cheapest kitchen knife you can find? Probably not.

Like I said, I really like the knife for what it is. It's an awesome EDC, and is probably the best Salt knife around at the moment. I don't think it should have been marketed to professional chefs or as a replacement for a proper kitchen knife. But if you're going to put "chef" in the name, make cutting food more than an afterthought. The Spydiechef isn't the first knife I'd reach for, even if all the knives in my kitchen were blunt.

[Forest Green]

I don't think anyone ever thought the Spydiechef was intended to replace a home kitchen knife, or be called Spydie Not-Chef.

[The Meat man]

Sure. But calling anything a "chef" that's 84mm long is silly.

I agree. Personally, I've never seen a chef under 4 feet.

[Chris_P_Bacon]

When it comes to material cost, and some crude logic, one might think the thicker blades cost more. ie price per pound.

Can't use that logic with LC200N exactly, as Sal has commented that with LC200N "the thinner stock is much more expensive due to increased rolling".

Read many comments on knife forums in general, where some folks are claiming "that's out of my price range", etc. As business owners, the Glessers have to look at the bottom line. How well will it sell at this (or that) price point, etc?

I'm hoping that the volume of thin stock they start buying increases, which hopefully decreases the cost over time (wishful thinking?).
More on that in a future post.

For those that understand that geometry is king, and desire a true "thin slicer", are you willing to pay extra for the thin stock?

I am, but wanted to help out Sal and Eric by spurring you all a bit for comments.


Ref //forum.spyderco.com/viewto ... t#p1222710

[Gsg9]

Your last question cuts to the heart of the problem. Is this fundamentally an EDC knife or is it fundamentally a folding knife that is designed to cut food? If it's the former, don't call it the Spydiechef. If it's the latter, it needs to be designed differently. EDC knives and food-cutting knives have different requirements.

It's obviously a compromise between EDC and food prep knife, an EDC that's a bit better on the chopping board than say your regular Para2

It's not stellar for food prep but it's fairly usable, it doesn't replace a chef knife but you won't be able to carry a chef knife folded in your pocket

Blade thickness is decent behind the edge, the angle is OK on the board (I don't hit my knuckles), I like the framelock and LC200N

They couldn't call Spydielightfoodprep or Spydiecompromise and calling it Spydiechef suggests that it is able to perform some food prep functions that is indeed able to perform, and the rest is well...marketing...it's a catchy name

Again, it's a compromise but for me it's a fairly decent compromise

https://youtu.be/FMPJo6wwiZ8

https://youtu.be/on2c8HFaiQQ

[FX sniper]

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