As many of you probably also have come to expect, the Taiwan fit and finish is top-notch, though with one exception. There is a noticeable gap between the backspacer and one of the scales (see last picture). It is not enough to cause any problems, but is merely a cosmetic annoyance. But the rest of the knife is superb. The blade came extremely sharp, as most Spydercos do, and the bevel is perfectly even at the tip and looks to be quite even down the entire length of the blade. The blade shape is beautiful to look at and I really like the swedge on the front half of the spine. The carbon fiber is gorgeous and has the pleasant woven texture that we've come to know and love. The lanyard is a nice touch, but I'm not typically a lanyard guy. I'll give it some pocket time before deciding whether or not to keep it on there.
This is my first slipit model and I was surprised by the strength of the detent springs as well as the authoritative "snap" of them dropping into place when the blade is open. While I wouldn't go spine-whacking the Terzuola, the strong springs provide a very safe feel, despite the lack of a real lock. The half-way point is marked by a very solid stop in blade travel and, when closed, the blade is firmly held shut. The action is not as smooth as I'm used to since the springs exert considerable tension against the blade, but this may get better with repeated openings and closings or it may just be how slipits feel. Either way, this doesn't feel like a knife that will be flicking open, as it requires constant pressure to fully deploy. As a side note, I found the detent interesting in that the hole goes all the way through the blade rather than just being an indent, giving the knife a second "spyderhole" if you will. You can see it in the picture below.
Ergonomically, it fits my hand fine and I felt comfortable with my index finger in the choil with the other three behind on the handle, but while cutting the peppers I found myself with all four fingers behind the choil, which was comfortable just as well. The jimping on the spine has just the right amount of aggressiveness, offering good tactile feedback without feeling too abrasive. I'm a fan of the skinny, dark chrome clip and the Terzuola namesake written on it adds an interesting touch.
As you can tell, I'm very happy with my purchase. At the price point, you'll be hard pressed to find a finer knife to add to your collection. I'm glad that I picked one up while they're still available at reasonable prices on the market and suggest everyone who doesn't yet have one do the same. The knife is well engineered and I was very delighted to find that the slipit offers a solid tool that is much more functional than I would have imagined from a non-locking folder. I'll leave you with a couple more pictures.
