Spyderco Ouroboros

[farnorthdan]

BHQ is now showing in stock, I do kinda want one but seems a tad high price, on the fence, I think I will hold off on this one for a while, too many other goodies in the pipeline.

I am very curious on the price here. Japanese made, VG-10, and G10/Metal construction for $170, while the Sage 5 is Taichung, S30V, and CF-ish materials. I doubt they'd weigh in, but I'd love to hear what about this knife makes it so pricy for the materials and build location.

Thats kinda where I'm at too Nick, I think I will wait on this one and see if I can pick it up on the secondary for a more reasonable price. :)

[SpeedHoles]

Sage series has always had a phenomenal value price, same with GB. Hard to compare.

Collaborations made in Japan have typically been in this 150-200 map range.
I didn't even hesitate at that price. This looks like a phenomenal design, and with long proven materials and lock.


It's fairly difficult to find a used Dialex Junior in this price range. Expect to pay 150-200. Same with the Roc even though it's still readily available new.

[Liquid Cobra]

https://youtu.be/qdBBDk_SkkA

[DougC-3]

My pre-order from KC is scheduled to get here Friday but I'm hoping it'll be sooner. I've really been looking forward to this one. If it fits my hand like I expect it to, I think it could be an almost everyday second EDC, very convenient around the house. Should be pretty inlaw friendly and I think, small and light enough for some more creative carry places, maybe even shirt pocket if heavy material, inside coat pocket, etc. A lot of blade in a small, light package.

[SpeedHoles]

Thanks for posting that vid, Liquid.


I agree with you, Doug.
I'm very anxious to see how this might stack up against my Caly, and others in this category which I've grown to love so much.
Looks very comfortable for pockets, AND in-hand for use!

[PSquared]

Can someone that has both post a comparison pic of an Ouroboros and a Junior?

I really wanted to like the Junior but it feels very weird in hand having the cutting edge so far below the index finger - the Ouroboros choil doesn't look as deep and I suspect having the cutting edge closer to the index finger (i.e. without the Junior's guard pushing the index finger back from the blade) might feel more natural .... I'm trying hard to justify another knife here - I like the aesthetic and love the steel but I don't want another knife that just sits in the cupboard.

[SpeedHoles]

Can someone that has both post a comparison pic of an Ouroboros and a Junior?

I really wanted to like the Junior but it feels very weird in hand having the cutting edge so far below the index finger - the Ouroboros choil doesn't look as deep and I suspect having the cutting edge closer to the index finger (i.e. without the Junior's guard pushing the index finger back from the blade) might feel more natural .... I'm trying hard to justify another knife here - I like the aesthetic and love the steel but I don't want another knife that just sits in the cupboard.

I will post one as soon as mine arrives. That was one of the first comparison shots I was going to take, along with a few others.

[SpeedHoles]

Quick comparison shot with a few like minded and similar category knives. Paramilitary 2 for common reference.

[farnorthdan]

Thanks for posting that up SH, great comparisons, I do want one, but so many other goodies getting ready to drop :rolleyes: :cool:

[funghiman]

BHQ is now showing in stock, I do kinda want one but seems a tad high price, on the fence, I think I will hold off on this one for a while, too many other goodies in the pipeline.

I am very curious on the price here. Japanese made, VG-10, and G10/Metal construction for $170, while the Sage 5 is Taichung, S30V, and CF-ish materials. I doubt they'd weigh in, but I'd love to hear what about this knife makes it so pricy for the materials and build location.

Wow surprised to see you Nick, YouTube subscriber here. Didn't expect you'd migrate to the forum lol

I agree with your point that the new sage is a strong competitor; yet at the same time I also believe the design here is definitely worth this price.

With the economics going nowadays in Asia, even these overseas factories of Spyderco are experiencing a raising cost, which is potentially a rather sound reason for Spyderco's MAP policy at the beginning of this year. A considerable amount of "entry" models (basically the bugs, Cricket, Delica, and Endura) are still manufactured in Seki City; as to my knowledge the prior reason for this is not (at least no longer now) for the labor cost, but for the raw materials (steel in this case). The Taichung factory does produce a handful of outstanding knives for Spyderco, but the steel are all shipped from elsewhere. I guess the lower labor cost there somehow compensates this transportation debt though.
And the Seki City branch has been so concentrated on lock-backs, that it looks to me that they are almost evolved to be dedicated in this lock type. Not necessarily a bad thing, at least for those traditional signature lock-backs.
But whenever something different comes out, like the discontinued Superleaf, Superhawk, Junior, and now the new Ouroboros, it's not the same case. All 4 models feature compression lock, what the Seki City factory is not often working with. A direct consequence is the opening or reopening of a product line, probably some training, and each of them bumps the price up. That's the reason that almost all Japanese non-lock-back foldings from Spyderco are not cheap, no matter it's liner lock (at least after they discontinued a large number of Seki liner locks) or compression lock. If the 3 mentioned discontinued models are still in production and sold with the new MAP policy, not one of them can drop below $120 (cheapest being Superleaf, 60% of its MSRP as $129). And yes the Sage 5 still retails at $131.97.
Also, the Sage series are Spyderco design (same with Cricket, Delica, Endura, and Spin), while Ouroboros is not. As long as a certain model is a collaboration, there is always some extra value in the design, reflected by the further risen price.

Sage 5 is really attractive to me, especially with the double stop pin design that many hope they can integrate into many lock-backs. But I am excited about Ouroboros as well, just for its tidiness of curve and comfort of looking (oh that huge finger choil!).

[DougC-3]

Mine came this afternoon and I got a few quick grab shots. I included the Superleaf for perspective and because of the family resemblance -- same G-10, VG-10, compression lock, and home town & factory. Plus, I think they make a nice EDC pair :)
I found the grip to be very comfortable and secure both in the choil and behind the choil.















First impressions: Mine is very well ground and shaving sharp out of the box, and I really like the aesthetics of the design. The expanded area toward the butt of the handle, in my opinion, helps with the behind the choil grip, making it feel very secure, compared to the Caly for example.

[SpeedHoles]

Great shots, Doug!
I really like the close up of the pinch grip, second to last.

And ace choice with the SuperLeaf combo! Coincidentally I just posted a photo of my SuperLeaf over on BF, paired up with a Kiwi 4, which I just shot in the comparison above and someone was asking about, lol...


So far my Ouroboros has great action that is just getting better and better.
Haven't cut up much with mine yet, other than the box it came in and some junk mail. Cutting on a flat surface is great, because your index finger doesn't drag when you use the belly!

[DougC-3]

Thanks, Speedie, I think I'm gonna call it my "Ourobo." I've been carrying it in my shirt pocket some, though it's a little heavy for that.

[SG89]

Great pics everyone! I like that this model has nested liners.

[funghiman]

Mine came this afternoon and I got a few quick grab shots. I included the Superleaf for perspective and because of the family resemblance -- same G-10, VG-10, compression lock, and home town & factory. Plus, I think they make a nice EDC pair :)
I found the grip to be very comfortable and secure both in the choil and behind the choil.















First impressions: Mine is very well ground and shaving sharp out of the box, and I really like the aesthetics of the design. The expanded area toward the butt of the handle, in my opinion, helps with the behind the choil grip, making it feel very secure, compared to the Caly for example.

These pics are just magnificent! Now I'm even more excited about this knife seeing the nicely contoured G-10

[PSquared]

Thanks for the brilliant photos gents - Speed's photo including the Lava is the critical one for me. Neither the Lava or Junior work for me so I'm going to have to handle an Ouroboros before pulling the trigger on this as much as I love the aesthetics and steel. My Lava will go into my pocket today and I'll try and work out what I don't like about it ....

[Bugs]

This is one I'd want to handle before buying. Seems like any grip involving that big choil area combined with any significant amount of cutting chore would create one heck of a hot spot.

[SpeedHoles]

[SpeedHoles]

[Liquid Cobra]

Turns out Spyderco forgot to include the Ouroboros in my local shops shipment so I'll have to wait for their shipment next month or so. That's ok. I've got my cruwear PM2 to keep me busy until then.