If there is one maker whose style best captures where the knife market is in 2020 it is Enrique Pena. With a perfect balance of old timey goodness and modern features, Pena’s knives capture this moment in knifedom quite well. They have that a look and feel that the IKC craves. Relatedly his customs are expensive and hard to find and his production collabs, usually done with Reate, are snapped up in seconds. This is one feature of designer-produced blades that I do not like. This issue is also emblematic of times (my quest for a entry level mountain bike has been delayed four time—from March to April, April to July, July to October, and now, as of the end of August until April 2021).

The Zulu Spear was the Pena I wanted the most and I waited through a bunch of other X-Series knives before I got this one. In fact, I was almost too patient. I didn’t bother to set a calendar reminder for this one and I figured I could pick it up the day after release. Boy was I wrong. Blade HQ—out, GP Knives, usually a good source for Penas—out, Urban EDC Supply—out, Knife Joy, usually a good source for Reates—out. Over and over again, I struck out. I had consigned myself to finding one on the secondary market and so I went to the compendium of the secondary market, Arizona Custom Knives, and found one. But it was NEW and at retail. I snapped it up and I have been glad I did since the second my finger clicked Add to Cart.

All of this leads to a dilemma for me as a reviewer, one that Nick also pains over. What’s the point in reviewing a knife that is not available? One appreciable effect of such reviews is to raise the secondary price on the item (if the review is good, and spoiler—this is a good knife), thus making it even less available. This is undeniably frustrating for someone like me that is committed to getting the best knives into the most people’s hands through thorough and intelligent (semi-intelligent) reviews. In my mind I rationalize these kinds of reviews in two ways—one, it provides a full accounting of the knife market so that when the end of the year rolls around I can make more informed choices about the best stuff, and two, it alerts people to the quality of an item so that if a second run is made they can be sure to pay attention. This second justification was the main reason I did the review of the still amazing BOSS 35 even though from the time I got mine until they were semi in-stock was over a year. Consider this a head’s up—when the next modern traditional in the Pena X Series comes up, market your calendar.

There is no official product page, but here is the Blade HQ page for all of the specs. Here is a video review. Here is my video overview. Given that the IKC has all but given up on the written word, there are no written reviews. There are four variants: a jigged titanium handle, a green micarta handle, a natural micarta handle, and a carbon fiber handle. The retail on these is $274.95. The titanium handled knife is heavier than the other two. In order of release, the Pena X Series of front flipper modern traditionals has included: 1) the Trapper (a clip point); 2) this knife, the Zulu Spear (a drop point); 3) the Swayback (a wharncliffe); and 4) the just announced Apache (reverse tanto). They sell out very quickly so set a calendar reminder for the Apache if you like what you see here. And by “fast” I mean like in five minutes. Here is my review sample (purchased with my own funds and mine to keep):

Twitter Review Summary: A brilliant mashup up modern and traditional.

Design: 2

“It is the best of modern knives, with a good steel, an elegant clip, a flawless lock, and excellent deployment and it has all of the features you like in traditional folders,” so says the Ron Popeil of Knives, a pitchman of the greatest skill. Intrigued the audience of knife knuts leans forward and in unison says: “Tell me more.”

This is what happened when Pena announced this run of now four modern traditionals as part of the X Series (the clip point, the Zulu Spear, the Wharncliffe, and the newly announced reverse tanto). Since then it has been nothing but a stream of endless praise from the IKC and knife reviewers. Strong consensus always makes me nervous and so I held off on the review for about three months. I ran the knife for a while, put it down, ran it again, put it down, and then ran it a third time. I am not worried about agreeing with consensus because this design is breathtaking—the best of old with the best of new (though I really wish I had scored a micarta version…carbon fiber is as old timey as Google Glass).

I also think that of the designs he has released so far, the Zulu Spear is the best. It genuinely feels old, with its rounded wide handle, bolsters, and, unusual among the four version thus far announced, non-threatening blade shape. The absolutely vestigial nail nick, which is present on all of these modern traditionals, helps sell the feel.

The performance ratios don’t matter on this kind of knife, but Pena is a master and so those too are nice. The b:w 1.14 is and the b:h is .73. Both are above average, but neither get at the greatness of this blade.

Fit and Finish: 2

This is a collaboration with Reate and the fit and finish are, of course, superb. At the time these were announced the Sebenza 31s were popping up at retailers and I had a long internal debate about the best fit and finish. Its hard to say who is better because Reate tackles more challenging shapes but Chris Reeve has their approach on lockdown. I’d love to handle a Small 31 and a Mula at the same time as that is about as directly comparable as the two get. Right now these two are really just making astoundingly good stuff. What a time to be a knife knut.

Grip: 2

Geez, who would have ever guessed that a simple shape with pleasing curves would do well in the hand? Oh wait, me. Keep your tek track inserts (remember that bullshit?), your finger scallops, and your 60 grit G10. If you want excellent grip be mindful of the hand’s physiology and restrained in your design and you will strike ergonomic gold. Look at the Kephart—its basically a broom handle and it has worked ncredibly well for over a century. Simple and rounded works. Don’t let the tactical operators tell you otherwise. Unless you are going all Splinter Cell on someone, this is all you actually need.

Carry: 2

Its light, well rounded, and has a sterling sculpted clip (which, after years of being lost in the design desert are starting to come into their own). There is no exposed rear tang either. The end result is a knife that carries quite well. Remember the promise of a modern traditional? A knife with convenient features and good steel that carries well, slices, and doesn’t scare people? Yeah, that this knife to a “T.”

Steel: 2

M390 might be the AUS-8 of 2020, but that’s fine. Common doesn’t equal bad.

Blade Shape: 2

Zulu spear, drop point, modified wharncliffe, whatever, this is a great blade shape. In addition to being really functional, it is also super non-threatening. Its hard to pull that off on a flipper, but the Zulu Spear does that.

Grind: 2

Hey, its a Reate. Hey, it has a thin grind. It used to be that those two things were mutually exclusive, but after the Micro Evo we know that Reate CAN in fact make knives that slice stuff. And with that, the circle of competent knifemaking is complete.

Deployment: 2

Alright, so this is a great knife. It looks amazing. And it has that great warm old timey feel. But the deployment is…well…very good. That is normally a good thing but Reate’s deployment is usually the best in the business and here it is just WE Knives good. Some while its not anything like bad, it is a bit below par for Reate. I’d give it 1.75 if I could.

Retention: 2

The knife world has come so far with sculpted titanium clips. It used to be that these kind of clips were disasters, painful, blister-causing messes. Then they were upgraded to mere nuisances, more pocket hooks than clips, a tribute to immutability. Next they got to the point where they were meh but pretty. And now, finally, they both look good and work well. Its been a while, but they are finally legitimate alternatives to real, functional pocket clip.

Blade Safety/Lock: 2

Like butter. Its amazing and works incredibly well.

Other Considerations

Fidget Factor: Very High

Even with 1.75 action, a front flipper is incredibly fun. And really 1.75 action is still really good.

Fett Effect: Low

Other than some snail trails on the clip and bolster, this thing is ageless. Marbled carbon fiber and belt grinder satin are pretty much immutable.

Value: High

Its as nice as a Sebenza and it is almost $100 less. So, yeah, good value. But, um, its a $275 knife.

Overall Score: 20 out of 20

Oh man, I absolutely love this knife. Its the perfect size, a familiar shape, and performs stunningly well. You won’t be disappointed in this knife, but unfortunately, its off the market. Don’t fret, though, as the Pena X Series marches on and Enrique is releasing another set of knives in this series with what he calls his Apache blade shape (think reverse tanto with a bit of belly). Pretty much every other knife in this series has been a smash and having the Zulu Spear in my pocket for weeks now confirm for me that you can’t go wrong with a Pena X Series knife.

Competition

Let’s be clear—there are a bunch of very good high end knives on the market. The Sebenza 31, the Micro Evo, any number of great designer produced blades, and even a few awesome knives from classic brands, the Anthem, the Paysan, and some stuff from Lionsteel. But very few of those knives find the groove that the Zulu Spear captures. Its a truly great complement to say this, but when it comes knives nothing is really comparable to a Pena. One quirky knife that also bears mentioning is the Reate Bushido. A review of that is coming and it, like this knife, is not just another tactical TFF.

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