Time for a mini Catcherman?

[PSquared]

A few days ago I de-boned a pork shoulder for sausage meat. I pulled out my Catcherman to help out just for fun. Sure, it's not as efficient as a boning / fillet knife but it worked well. I thought of some of the other Spyderco upswept / Persian style blades ... my 75mm Persian and my micro Dyad (too shy for the photo) and thought "how cool would a mini Catcherman be?"



The Catcherman, with a 4.75" blade is probably more than most would EDC, particularly those of us in urban environments. How about scaling that down to say a 3.25" blade. More useable as an EDC and still enough blade to be able to be used for a bit of light butchery in keeping with the original design concept? I really like the 1.8mm blade stock - flat ground plain edge would be fantastic but I could live with a hollow grind again (without the half portion of teeth ... or alternatively with a full set of teeth for JD, Evil and the others).

3.25" takes to about the size of the Centofante III (3.14") or the Burger Persian in the photo (3.35").



If needs be, as proof of concept, I'd be happy if the Centofante III platform was used to keep costs down. It might need a bit of tweaking to keep the point inside the handle but it has a lot of the features I'd like to see on a mini Catcherman - thin blade stock, bit of a guard in the handle and a very small exposed ricasso.

[PSquared]

Just another image with some older clip point / upswept blades that seem to have fallen out of favour ...

[skeeg11]

For someone like myself, it's long past time for Spyderco to include a folding filet back in their lineup. Sales for the Catcherman didn't meet with Sal's expectations......twice. Probably better to start with a new design from the bottom up. Perhaps something in the range of a 4.25" edge to handle with a similar profile to the Ikuchi may meet with more universal approval. In the interest of safety and to meet with Phil Wilson's approval a small finger guard would be desirable so instead of the front flipper as on the Ikuchi, a tab flipper might be more appropriate. Sacrilegious, I know, but I don't care for humps on slender filet blades. A little Phil Wilson distal taper for tip flex and I'm good. Heck, any folding filet built or endorsed by Sal's pal Phil Wilson is an instant multiple buy.

[standy99]

Hey we just want another catcherman.

Old time user and lost a few off the back of bait boards whilst fishing. Loved those knives for filleting and cutting up bait. Toxic green is great on a boat also as most safety gear is yellow nowadays like the yellow salts.
Devastated when they stopped making them.

Have 3 pacific salts on the boat at anytime with a few spare at home.

[steelcity16]

It is definitely one of the top 5 classic iconic models I think need to come back into the lineup, albeit with an update. A Catcherman 2 Salt with an updated bi-directional FRN handle, jimping, boye dent, spoon clip and LC200N blades in PE, SE, and CE would be a nice permanent addition to the lineup. A mini Catcherman I can see being popular too, but I'd start with the full size version.

[skeeg11]

After two attempts, Sal has said that sales did not meet expectations. Dunno if going for a third strike is good business practice. He has also said that if he wanted to make a filet knife, he would give his pal Phil Wilson a call.

[PSquared]

After two attempts, Sal has said that sales did not meet expectations. Dunno if going for a third strike is good business practice. He has also said that if he wanted to make a filet knife, he would give his pal Phil Wilson a call.

I agree with this, hence the suggestion of a smaller version. Spyderco has enough data to know which blade lengths sell the best. For something a that might be perceived as a bit risky, keep it in that best seller blade range rather than go too big. I don’t know that many people outside of knife forums that regularly carry 4” blades … that, for most, is fixed blade territory?

[vivi]

I'd be cool with that if the full sized came back too! I've been interested in an H1 or LC sprint of the original catcherman for years.

I bet the mini version would be extremely light. Could give the FFG Salt 2 competition for Spydercos best ultralight folder.

[JRinFL]

Well, I'd hate to have Spyderco keep throwing money at this model with little to show for the effort, so a Phil Wilson folding filet knife seems like a better option for Spyderco.

Part of the issue is the high street price for an H1 (or LC200N) filet knife that most fisherman would be resigned to losing eventually. There is a reason why so many filet knives are so inexpensive. Probably hundreds or thousands at the bottom of every good fishing spot.

[JD Spydo]

As a long time fan of the original Catcherman model I'm just a little bit hesitant to embrace the idea of a smaller version of it. I'm not at all saying it couldn't be a useful knife because I'm sure it could. But there are modifications I feel they could do with the original Catcherman that would make it even a better performer with the ability to do serious big jobs on fish and wild game.

I wish they would have made more full SE Catcherman models. The old AUS-8, full SE Catcherman I've had for years gets a lot of time in the kitchen and goes with me on all my outdoor ventures.

For me I'm not giving up on the original Catcherman.

[Chris_P_Bacon]

Perhaps off topic a bit, but will swerve back at the end.
There's been several posts in the past about reviving the Catcherman (in it's original size).
Many of us have shown support for that endeavor.
Thinking a fully serrated model in Vanax would rock for a wide variety of tasks.

For skinning, I have no use for a combo edge! So, a plain edged Catcherman to cover those tasks in Vanax or HIC would also get my vote (and cash).
Does Phil Wilson even design folders? I'd certainly buy a fixed blade fillet knife (designed by Phil or Sal) in Vanax or HIC as well!
Each of those three items would be bought the same day they were released with absolutely no hesitation.

As for a mini Catcherman? Hmm with a thin enough, plain edge blade, that would be one wicked slicer!
I'd like to have it along when restaurants give you that crappy steak knife, that's dull as a butter knife. Whip out that lil mini Catcherman and show em my inner ninja-foo. So yes indeed, got my vote!

[BLUETYPEII]

Just another image with some older clip point / upswept blades that seem to have fallen out of favour ...

I’m just wondering what the knife in the middle is. It looks a lot like a Native Chief.

[Coastal]

I'd love to have a Mini Catcherman, but I doubt I'd use it for fishing. When fishing, I like a robust fixed-blade like the Waterway and/or a robust folder like the Pacific Salt. For filleting fish, I like a true filet knife.

The Mini Catcherman would be awesomely slicy, though! If it were a Salt, I'd carry it a lot.

[Skar]

I really like this!
Maybe a sprint run could fulfill our wants without putting a loss on spyderco.

[phaust]

Just another image with some older clip point / upswept blades that seem to have fallen out of favour ...

I’m just wondering what the knife in the middle is. It looks a lot like a Native Chief.

C23 Renegade, ancestor of the Chief :)

[skeeg11]

I'd love to have a Mini Catcherman, but I doubt I'd use it for fishing. When fishing, I like a robust fixed-blade like the Waterway and/or a robust folder like the Pacific Salt. For filleting fish, I like a true filet knife.

The Mini Catcherman would be awesomely slicy, though! If it were a Salt, I'd carry it a lot.

I'm inclined to agree with you 100%. The notion of carrying around a portable folding filet knife just in case the fishing is so good that a shore lunch is irresistibly appealing is not so unlike that of a romance novel to the lady of the house. The real truth of the matter is that all the fish I keep are cleaned at home in a controlled environment and familiar fish cleaning station with a fixie. I'm sure that a portable folding filet knife may be just the ticket under certain circumstances and the notion of being prepared "just in case" has a certain appeal, but that just doesn't happen to be the case in my fishing world. Some thirty-five odd years ago I was gifted a first production run Gerber Folding Filet for my birthday by some dear friends. Lightweight and great blade contour for a filet knife. Thin and slicey and the right amount of tip flex. Great neutral handle and I luv, luv, luv the Bolt Action on it. Beautiful knife. Over the last three decades, I just haven't felt compelled to pack it along while fishing. I wish it were so, but it just hasn't worked out that way.

Lotsa folks seem to be wondering why the Catcherman isn't in regular production or any Sprints. How about, "IT JUST DIDN'T SELL!!!!!" Sal had to discontinue it not once, but twice. I don't have the nerve to ask him to risk a third strike so the real crux of the situation and $64,000 question is,"Why didn't it sell?"

I admittedly know absolutely nothing, so anything beyond this point is absolute wild speculation on my part so please try not to crucify me for such wild theoretical spin.

Firstly, let me state that I see much merit and useful application of the Catcherman design. Not many "thin" and slicey scimitar blades in the Spyderco lineup.

IMHO only, it would have sold better if it were called anything other than a folding filet knife. Yes, I am serious.

Firstly, let's address the most obvious elephant in the room. How many serious fish prep guys do you know of who have teeth on their filet knife? Does the King of Filet knives (Phil Wilson) put teeth on his filet knives? When was the last time you saw teeth on a serious sushi knife? Ever?

And What's up with the negative blade angle? I slice when I filet. No power cutting needed. All my filleting is done on a cutting board and cutting boards do not like negative blade angles....or is it the other way around. In any event the first two inches of the cutting edge in front of the handle will not make contact with the cutting board. What's next? a Kukri skinner? Somewhere in the back of my mind I can see a knife Meme with Crocodile Dundee saying, "You call that a filet knife?"

IMHO the Catcherman would have done better had it been called anything other than a filet knife. The Mini-Catcherman design may have a lot of merit......just don't call it a mini-filet.

Sal and Phil Wilson have known each other for many years and the question of why a collaboration between them on a fixed filet knife hasn't come about has been bandied about for years. No disrespect intended, but the reality of the situation is that they're both getting long in the tooth, so if it doesn't come about soon................ It would be my grail Spyderco knife. Not gonna postulate any wild theories as to why this hasn't come about. Done enough of that for a while .

[aicolainen]

I’m not sure how I feel about a mini catcherman, I’d probably bite if it ever came to fruition. It would still add something unique to my drawer.
However unlikely, another attempt at a full size catcherman is what I’m really hoping for. Preferably a Salt, and ideally PE. I’d buy at least 3, maybe more. If it came with edge options I’d probably get 3 of each.
I agree the previous speaker that it’s an odd use case, 9 out of 10 times, I will bring my catch home and process it with dedicated tools… but a catcherman would be such an awesome addition for those 1 out of 10 times. Those times are usually when I backpack or fish/hunt in remote areas accessed by foot, so having something this capable, yet compact and light would be great. And I think it’ll do a fantastic job doubling as a food prep knife.
I’m not holding my breath, but I’ll keep hoping.

[twinboysdad]

Anyone checked out the Benchmade Taggedout? I know that is sacrelious to suggest, but that’s a folding game processing knife