Overlooked, Obscure Models Deserving Of A Sprint Run?

[JRinFL]

Now that I have greatly diminished "fun money" I can no longer grab all that I want. So, the only one I would spend money on these days would be a Rock Salt in Magnacut or maybe a regular Rock in AEB-L (with the improved heat treat protocol).

[vilePossum]

Schempp Bowie folder... Though I have to admit I just took mine apart to get rid of the insanely harsh edges on the liners... But it is such an iconic design..
I really should not like this knife with its slight recurve and the upturned tip and the weird coffin handle plus s bolster/guard... But I love it.

[Matus]

Schempp Bowie folder... Though I have to admit I just took mine apart to get rid of the insanely harsh edges on the liners... But it is such an iconic design..
I really should not like this knife with its slight recurve and the upturned tip and the weird coffin handle plus s bolster/guard... But I love it.

I can only agree! BTW, I got one of the later ones - there were no sharp edges on the liners left.

I would love a sprint run if this very special/particular model.

[toomanyquestions]

I would love a Street Bowie with micarta or carbon fiber handle inserts.

I have wondered about a street bowie, and the prospect of handle inserts is quite appealing.

[ZenL]

There was a falling out between Bram Frank and Spyderco, as well as Tim Wegner and Spyderco. As such, I do not believe we will ever see another Spyderco from either of them.

The Gunting is a huge part of Spyderco’s history; It’s the model that Sal first designed the compression lock for. In my opinion, the design is quite dated and would be a difficult sell it todays market anyway.

In regards to the Ocelot, if I recall correctly, Spyderco gave all of the rights to his designs back to Tim Wegner himself, so the chances of another Ocelot are essentially none. I do love that design though and it’s one that I eventually need to add to my own collection.

Lastly, I fully agree with ZenL that a KnifeCenter Pakkawood exclusive Chokwe would be a hit! Even a Watu in that configuration would be a good choice, in my opinion.

Thanks for the great info. I heard about the Bram Frank/Spyderco fallout and Mr. Frank still sells Chinese-made knives of his design under the CRMIPT brand on his CSSD website, so it's super unlikely that we'd ever see a sprint of it. I actually managed to get three Guntings and totally agree, they probably would not be good sellers in 2023. Very interesting design and history behind it though.

About the Watu and Chokwe, I recall some Watu prototypes had wooden scales when I visited the SFO, so Spyderco has probably already been thinking about this. I thought they were wonderful, but I guess maybe the price point was too high to be viable.

[steelcity16]

Catcherman SE, FRN Cricket SE, Lil Matriarch SE, Micarta Jester, G10 Delica, G10 Endura, Rookie, and the elusive Dodofly!

[HolySteel]

Schempp Bowie folder... Though I have to admit I just took mine apart to get rid of the insanely harsh edges on the liners... But it is such an iconic design..
I really should not like this knife with its slight recurve and the upturned tip and the weird coffin handle plus s bolster/guard... But I love it.

I have two - a user and an unused back-up. Both have the sharp edges, so maybe I'll do the same. Have you seen the article by the guy who had Ed Schempp do a custom version for him? Very cool knife. Another oddity about that knife: two different logo designs. Very slight difference in size, but it's there. Also, the back bevel is quite different on each of mine. It all looks great - just slight changes.

[Mushroom]

There was a falling out between Bram Frank and Spyderco, as well as Tim Wegner and Spyderco. As such, I do not believe we will ever see another Spyderco from either of them.

The Gunting is a huge part of Spyderco’s history; It’s the model that Sal first designed the compression lock for. In my opinion, the design is quite dated and would be a difficult sell it todays market anyway.

In regards to the Ocelot, if I recall correctly, Spyderco gave all of the rights to his designs back to Tim Wegner himself, so the chances of another Ocelot are essentially none. I do love that design though and it’s one that I eventually need to add to my own collection.

Lastly, I fully agree with ZenL that a KnifeCenter Pakkawood exclusive Chokwe would be a hit! Even a Watu in that configuration would be a good choice, in my opinion.

Thanks for the great info. I heard about the Bram Frank/Spyderco fallout and Mr. Frank still sells Chinese-made knives of his design under the CRMIPT brand on his CSSD website, so it's super unlikely that we'd ever see a sprint of it. I actually managed to get three Guntings and totally agree, they probably would not be good sellers in 2023. Very interesting design and history behind it though.

About the Watu and Chokwe, I recall some Watu prototypes had wooden scales when I visited the SFO, so Spyderco has probably already been thinking about this. I thought they were wonderful, but I guess maybe the price point was too high to be viable.

You’re correct, there were 3-4 Watu’s in the SFO with prototype wood scales.



I believe Sal or Eric had the fourth in his possession when I took this photo, so only three are pictured. (Or I could be misremembering and there were only three to begin with )

[Cl1ff]

Always liked the look of those wooden Watus.
I would have to buy a Knifecenter exclusive one, especially if it remained a REX-series steel.

I don’t dislike the current version, but it is a design I definitely think is enhanced aesthetically by wood or something with a different feel than standard carbon fiber.
The peel-ply carbon fiber and g10 composite makes plenty of sense as a functional modern material for the ethnic series.
However, so does pakkaawood, now that I think about it.

I think I’m guilty of overlooking the Watu, but I often pretend a variety of Spyderco’s don’t exist so I can focus on other things.

I especially like it’s blade shape.

[Accutronman]

[JD Spydo]

IMG_6592.jpeg

That C-46 Lum Tanto really isn't all that obscure>> they've had at least 3 runs of those that I know of. The C-46 LUM goes all the way back to the ATS-55 era. Now I wouldn't be opposed to another run of the C-46 Lum Tanto but truthfully I would prefer bringing back the fixed blade LUM instead.

[Bemo]

C01 Worker in tool steel of your choice (K390 springs to mind as they do it really well in Japan).
C22 Walker (would Golden be an option here?).
And if you don't bring back the Bradley Air (awesome knife) then I'd vote for the C75 Kiwi with whatever handle scales are feasible.

[weeping minora]

Putting in another candidate. OG Yojimbo. I don't care if it's black (or blue) G-10 and S30V. That design has always stuck with me, mentally.

[DavidNM]

I don’t recall if I posted this before but how about a re-release of the Salsa as a special edition?

[Tristan_david2001]

I’ve already said this but I’ll say it again.
Any of the calypso/Caly family
My personal 2 favorites currently are the 3.5 and c54

[mreagan]

I'd love to see the Nirvana. I haven't seen one in the wild, but they look like the finest looking blade Spyderco made.

[Ramonade]

I could lust for a Chokwe with a Pakkawood scale on the presentation side and a steel-insert on the titanium lockbar. I’d want the insert run at the same hardness as the blade-steel to retard galling.

The slicy Chokwe should have a fine-grain blade-steel to permit a bevel and apex even slicier, and have this steel run at about 62HRC to preserve some toughness and to offer improved edge-holding. Either a stainless AEB-L or a tool 52100?

I’d also go for an SE Catcherman in MagnaCut but only with a removable pocket-clip. I suppose a new mold would be required; best not to hold my breath.

I'd definitely be in for a Chokwe sprint-run ! A bonus would be to have a little bit wider lockbar and a steel insert . The steel insert would indeed already be an excellent addition to this design. I think AEB-L treated like on the Mule would also be a very good fit. I've used mine a lot, and the geometry is still very good even after several reprofilings.

As for the Watu with different scales that some proposed, I think it's a good idea ! Though, I could not wait so I'm already making a second set for this puppy (The second set isn't finished, I need to "dig" the clip pocket and contour the scales and then it'll be my ultimate Watu

[kobold]

The liner lock Military is totally sidelined into an overlooked, obscure model..

[JD Spydo]

I'd love to see the Nirvana. I haven't seen one in the wild, but they look like the finest looking blade Spyderco made.

I've been taking a look at the NIRVANA model as a candidate. First off it seems like it's become an extremely coveted super collector piece which demands a lot of money to own one. I had no idea it had attained such a "Rock Star" status. Second it was a collaboration and that might possibly add hurdles to get over. I will admit that it is a most interesting model that never seemed to take root for whatever reason. It would be interesting to vote on it and maybe 3 other models to see what the community thinks of it.

It might possibly be a cost prohibitive model to do a Sprint Run of. But I would certainly have no objections in doing one with a newer/better blade steel and possibly some type of exotic handle material.

Another blast from the past I've been taking a look at recently is the older PETER HERBST model from the ATS-55 era. It was really popular but for just a very short time period. The Titanium version of the Herbst has become a crown jewel for avid collectors.

[The Mastiff]

What say you all?

Joe, you have helped us get a few great knives that we might not have seen otherwise so I'll always pay attention to your posts.

I really love the blade from the "R" model and would really like one in something nice. Maybe Cruwear-ish even. The perfect leaf shape blade IMO.