The Astute

[zhyla]

I posted about this in one of the recent mega threads, but it's pretty buried there and I've been carrying this for a bit and figured I'd start a thread about it.

Ok, so this is a "small" knife in the value line. It's actually a 3" blade but the blade and body are quite narrow. In terms of profile it's just slightly larger than the Chaparral, but has nearly an inch more of blade than the Chap.




The construction is all Tenacious family. G-10 slabs with full liners. Pillars, lanyard tube, standard clip. The thumbhole is quite small




In some regards this knife is surprisingly well designed. The handle gives a tight 4 finger grip (I've rather large hands). The thumbhole is small (0.42", same as my old Copilot) and the handle cutout exposes it fully. No jimping anywhere. I rather like the smooth thumb ramp.

The blade runs very smoothly on the washers. However when I first got it (used but allegedly NIB) it was rough. It took some oiling and opening/closing. After a couple hours of messing with it it magically was broken in.

I really like the grind on this knife. It came sharp-ish but needed a touch up before it would fly thru paper.

I've owned dozens of Spydercos over the years and I'm coming around to the Astute being one of the best small Spydies. For $60 street, what's not to like?

Well, as I mentioned, initially I thought this was a terrible knife as it was super stiff and not centered. I don't really know what happened but it should not have left the factory in that state. The lock bar was also var too tight, which I sorted out myself.

The steel is what it is. No need to rehash that. And the G-10... I think I just am bored with black G-10. I've got at least 3 other black G-10 Spydies. Individually it's great but a different color would probably set this apart from the Tenacious family a bit. Really, any other color.

In closing I'll say this knife is an entry level gents knife. It's elegant, not that scary looking, and just the right amount of and shape of blade for carrying in an office environment. The Chaparral is still thinner and a better slicer, but it's also twice the cost.

[Notsurewhy]

I really like the design. Pretty sure the designer is Gábor Szakony who did the Hungarian.

I would love to see more collaborations with him in the future, maybe with slightly better materials (not there's anything wrong with an inexpensive knife).

[Skywalker]

The Astute is a fantastic design and a solid user even with its slim profile. I would like to see it with upgraded materials, maybe S35VN or M4 like the Tenacious.

Also agree on more collaborations with Mr. Szakony; his design style works well with Spyderco's.

[Notsurewhy]

The Astute is a fantastic design and a solid user even with its slim profile. I would like to see it with upgraded materials, maybe S35VN or M4 like the Tenacious.

Also agree on more collaborations with Mr. Szakony; his design style works well with Spyderco's.

Nice Hungarian. I like the matte look. Did you acid wash the bolster? The scales look different too, or is that just the lighting?

[SaltyCaribbeanDfly]

Looks like it’d be really comfortable in the hand

[StuntZombie]

One of the best designs to come out of Spyderco in years, and it's a shame it was part of the value line. It deserves a better steel.

[Skywalker]

Nice Hungarian. I like the matte look. Did you acid wash the bolster? The scales look different too, or is that just the lighting?

Thanks, just a simple DIY stonewash of the factory bolsters and scales. Wanted to make them a little less slick and cover up a bunch of carry wear on the bolsters.

[zhyla]

One of the best designs to come out of Spyderco in years, and it's a shame it was part of the value line. It deserves a better steel.

I dunno, it's been around a few years now so it must be selling ok. If it weren't in the Value line it would be at least $150 and probably would have shot its shot by now. And there really isn't anything like it in the Value line.

I'm trying to figure out what current production higher end Spyderco you would buy instead of this. I guess a Delica? But it's so much nicer than a Delica. Centofante 3 maybe? In any case, I'm glad it's there, it's a really cool knife that for the most part is "just right".

[abbazaba]

One of the best designs to come out of Spyderco in years, and it's a shame it was part of the value line. It deserves a better steel.

Agreed. Love this knife. If it had a wire clip and M4 from Taichung it would be awesome... And $220

[benja-man]

The Astute was mentioned a couple of times on here as an exceptional design already. So I bought one. And what can I say, it is my favorite Spyderco by far.

The handle ergonomics are absolutely spot on. The palm swell offers the support for my pinky finger that I miss e.g. on my Lil Native. The thumb ramp is much more subtle than on my UKPK (actually it's the only thumb ramp I actually use day to day). Blade angle and cutting edge length work on both delicate and heavy work alike.

The only real negative I can find is weight, I'd love for this design to be lighter. I did give it a complete tear down and reassemble but I didn't find it hard to use out off the box. And I removed the clip. I found it too massive for this slim design.

I really hope the Astute sells well, it really is unique in its qualities and a personal favorite.

[mikey177]

I like the Astute. I wish it was made anywhere other than China.

Mine is a bit stiff to open, though it will probably break in with use. Amazing how much cutting edge it has compared to other Spydies of similar size.

[zhyla]

Mine is a bit stiff to open, though it will probably break in with use.

I took mine apart several times to tune the liner lock. I think that was part of the issue.

The only real negative I can find is weight, I'd love for this design to be lighter.

Someone out there skeletonized theirs with a drill press. I’m sure that would make a big difference. It’s only 2.6 oz as it is which isn’t crazy heavy. Since this knife is a price point where taking a drill press to it isn’t unfathomable, it’s probably worth drilling out those liners.

A cheap titanium clip will probably help a schmidge as well.

[zhyla]

Hey does anyone recognize the clip pattern on the Astute? It’s not the Tenacious style. Its clearly from some other model because it has a hole for a lanyard hole that isn’t placed there.

[Wartstein]

.....
...
Ok, so this is a "small" knife in the value line. It's actually a 3" blade but the blade and body are quite narrow. In terms of profile it's just slightly larger than the Chaparral, but has nearly an inch more of blade than the Chap.

......
In closing I'll say this knife is an entry level gents knife. It's elegant, not that scary looking, and just the right amount of and shape of blade for carrying in an office environment. The Chaparral is still thinner and a better slicer, but it's also twice the cost.

Nice write up!!

Made me think of this viewtopic.php?f=2&t=87297#p1442117 thread, there are some nice and useful comparison pics to other knives.

The cutting edge to handle ratio is really something with the Astute: Closed shorter than a Para 3 or Delica, but offers the cutting edge of a Stretch or Endela and a bit more than a Manix does!

When it comes to blade (not edge!) to handle ratio, Chap and Astute fare about the same though (in both models the blade has about 78% of the handle length)

EDGE length matters a lot more to me though, but while the Astute with its 3.91 handle length can appearantly get away without a finger choil, the Chap with its shorter 3.6 handle length needs to feature a choil in the blade in order to still offer a good grip for somewhat larger hands - and that obviously eats up edge length.

What I also like in the Astute (just looking at the specs, I don´t actually own one!) is that they went with the 2.5 mm Delica blade stock thickness (the 2.00 of the Chap would have been even nicer)!

Now for "gents knife": The Astute definitely is also that, but I seem to recall that one idea behind the design was actually to make a "ladies" knife (can´t find right now where I read this). And actually the short handle should be good for those short and small ladies pant pockets, also - to me - the Astute somehow has a "female" look - can´t reall put my finger on what I mean, and of course I don´t mean it in any sexist way or as a negative (or that this model could not also be a great choice for guys!!)

[Skywalker]

Now for "gents knife": The Astute definitely is also that, but I seem to recall that one idea behind the design was actually to make a "ladies" knife (can´t find right now where I read this). And actually the short handle should be good for those short and small ladies pant pockets, also - to me - the Astute somehow has a "female" look - can´t reall put my finger on what I mean, and of course I don´t mean it in any sexist way or as a negative (or that this model could not also be a great choice for guys!!)

Yes, Mr. Szakonyi has mentioned before that he wanted the design to be both a "ladies and gents" knife -

That design looks like Ed Schempp might have had something to do with it.

I answer instead of Mr. Shempp. It's my design. This is my second collab with Spyderco. The first was the Hungarian. Thanks all for the positive feedback.

Very intriguing knife you've made here! Any insights into the design process? Intended use, your vision for the design, the inspiration, etc.?

It's a six year old design. One of the online stores calls it a budget gents folder. I think it's correct if we want to determine the type of it. But I wanted to reach something more and different. I hope this folder is not only for gents. I think it can be a full size cutting tool in smaller female hands. In fact it's a unisex knife like several others on the market. But it was an important point of view during the design process to create something also for Her. So I call it a ladies and gents folder.

[Wartstein]

Now for "gents knife": The Astute definitely is also that, but I seem to recall that one idea behind the design was actually to make a "ladies" knife (can´t find right now where I read this). And actually the short handle should be good for those short and small ladies pant pockets, also - to me - the Astute somehow has a "female" look - can´t reall put my finger on what I mean, and of course I don´t mean it in any sexist way or as a negative (or that this model could not also be a great choice for guys!!)

Yes, Mr. Szakonyi has mentioned before that he wanted the design to be both a "ladies and gents" knife -

Thanks, interesting to know!

[Matus]

OK. I wanted to start a thread om this very knife, but since this one is out, here is my personal feedback:

I was intrigued by the design of this knife for a few years now. But because of some personal reasons and also because I am pretty much a steel snob by now - I took a long time to finally tell myself 'what the heck' and finally ordered one.
I had the knife for a few weeks and used it only here and there - mostly trying to get the feel of it. The knife impressed me right out of the box. Let me explain.

The design just fits my hand without a single point that would feel uncomfortable. In a 'saber grip' with my thumb on the spine/ramp (no jimping - hallelujah!) the butt of the handle is about to disappear under my pinky, but without the handle feeling small or my fingers wanting to slip off its hand. In a hammer grip (which I would probably not use often with a knife like this) I have ample room on the handle with my M/L sized hands. The shape of the handle just flows and one does not need to 'figure out' how to hold this knife. The handle is not super thin and that makes the grip a lot more comfortable and secure. I am also happy to note that the G10 is not aggressive at all (for a G10) while remaining more than gripy enough.The weight is 'medium' - the knife feels neither heavy nor feather light. It feels solid.

The pocket clip is visually a bit oversized, but it does not get in the way of holding the knife and I am yet to reverse it. I will be looking for a deep carry Ti clip though (I have one already that I used to use with the Brouwer, but the screw-hole pattern will most likely not fit)
The liner lock is both very sturdy and very smooth. If I would put my Schempp Bowie and Brouwer at 10/10, the Astute would be at least 8. The detent is surprisingly strong - this knife is not going to open by accident in your pocket. It also makes the Spydie-flick particularly easy. The liner lock locks at about 50% and there is ZERO play of any kind. 

The blade - I just love the shape and it is a big part of the appeal to me. I think it is one of the most elegant blade shapes Spyderco makes - and it is also very utilitarian. It has a great balance of 'point' and 'belly'. The spine of the blade and the edges of the hole are fairly sharp - I will be easing them soon. That is very easy to do, so I am in no way bothered by it. And let me remind everyone - the length of the cutting edge is about the same as on PM2 while the knife in whole is a lot smaller and also does not look 'aggressive' to anyone around. The grind and thickness behind the edge is about what I expected (reasonably thin), the distal taper is not so 'crazy' as on the Delica, so the tip while being thin is going to be more robust. 
As I said - being a steel snob there is not much that would drive me to a steel like 8Cr13MoV. It is adequate for an EDC, I read enough to know what to expect, but at this day and age I would love to be able to purchase an updated version (S35VN, M4, etc - whatever appears possible for Spdydeco in their Chinese factory). I really hope that we will see a model like that - as it has happened to some other models already.

So let me summarize - this knife really surprised me - and in my opinion it is one of the best Spyderco EDC models and it deserves more attention than what it gets. Maybe I am not a 'Delica type', but side-by-side the Delica strikes me more as a utility knife, while the Astute is more on the elegant/comfortable side of the spectrum (together with knives like the aforementioned Brouwer, or the Centofante 3).

I would LOVE to be able to get one in an higher-end (preferably tool) steel.

[eventhorizon]

I guess we all agree that the Astute is the best new design has come up with for recent years and we all would LOVE to see a steel upgrade of basically any kind...


Personally I wouldn't mind the addition of an Astute XL either.

[abbazaba]

With both and M4 and Framelock versions of the Tenacious now, maybe we'll see some more of that from China outside of that family?

Ideally this model would be made in Golden. The CF S90v treatment would suit this one well!

[p_atrick]

Even some S35 like the Tenacious family would probably go over well here.