Top 10 Spyderco Knives circa 2021
After the sound and fury that was the KnifeJoy Slysz Bowie release and my cheeky hot take that it was not the GOAT Spyderco, I have decided to drop a quick post about the 10 best Spydercos of all time. This is actually a pretty easy thing to do because while there are a lot of Spydercos eliminating two classes of designs gets you a pretty short list. First, lets all agree that the experimental stuff, the avante garde designs, are, well, um, not all that great. So see you later Spyderco Gunting, et al. No weirdo Spydercos. Second, let’s look only at designs not steels. So all of the silly sprint runs and Mortal Kombat ninja palette swaps are gone.
Ten: Paramilitary 2
Ah…the IKC darling. This is a truly great knife with stellar ergos and a surprising form factor. It is a big knife that carries like a small knife. Nested liners and a compression lock (with enough handle real estate to support it) make this a truly great design. It, like the Native 5, is available in virtually any steel. I’d love to see an FRN version of the PM2. Kinda weird they haven’t done one already.
Nine: Brouwer
Allow me to coin a new word: cliptastrophe. Its meaning is obvious from the context. This is one of the best knives Spyderco has ever made but they crippled it with a OTS clip slapped on with no thought for size or positioning. An aftermarket clip, once added, raises this gem to a sublime level. A sprint with new steel and a better clip (and clip positioning) would jockey for a Top 3 slot.
Eight: Roadie
This is the most underrated Spyderco. I love the size and the thought behind the design. The funny blade shape is both functional (as all Spydercos are) but also disarming, completing the package for what is also undoubtedly the least scary Spyderco ever. If you haven’t had one, go try the Roadie. Its good.
Seven: Native 5
This is the knife that everyone thinks the Delica and Endura (and the Delidura or Enlica or whatever…the Endela) are—the solid evergreen design. With good ergos, a compact shape due to a humpless design, and virtually any steel you want, the Native 5 is the champion of the FRN Evergreens.
Six: Spydiechef
Weird, thin, slicey, well made, exotic steel, wire clip—oh man, this is Spyderco fan’s dream knife (and the knife that all of the Slysz Bowie fan boyz think their knife is). I love doing food prep with this knife, taking the awkward and arduous event of me in the kitchen and converting it to a “Be My Guest” level of entertainment. Who would do the Spydiechef’s voice if it appeared in the animated version of Beauty and the Beast? I like Jeremy Irons…plus, his last name, you know…
Five: Air
As I wrote in the review all those years ago—this is the knife that happens with an Al Mar blade and a Spyderco blade have a baby. Its super light and meticulously well-finished like an Al Mar but ergonomic and well-steeled like a Spyderco. I have never owned this knife and the one I did have was a loaner. If anyone has one, hit me up.
Four: Chapparal
IYKY. This is the best midsized Spyderco out there and I love the now exotic XHP steel. But the lockbar’s pinchy feel keeps it away from the vaunted Top Three. The Raffir Noble version is in my permanent collection and the floating seaweed handles are sweet. Plus, like all of the knives on here, it cuts like a demon with scissors for hands. It does get bested by the Caly3, though, for a simple reason—the Caly3 is great in-hand.
Three: Walker
Don’t bother with the FRN handled one, that thing is silly. Go for either the Klotzli handmade one (the original and the Spyderco collector equivalent of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle) or the most recent one in ZDP-189. A production knife designed by the best knife maker of all time made by Spyderco with insane materials (for the time)—sign me up. Again, like with the Air, if you have one…drop me a line.
Two: Caly3
This is the apotheosis of Spyderco reduced to one midsized knife. It is glorious and a rational part of my brain tells me it is actually the best Spyderco ever. The in-hand feel is the best of any knife I have ever handled, custom or production, and the sandwiched ZDP-189 is great. Slices well too.
One: Dragonfly II
This knife is the official mascot of the blog, so yeah, #1. And of course, the right version to nab is the ZDP-189 version in FRN.
Missing in Action
Slysz Bowie: This is the knife that spawned this article, and a ton of controversy online. It is a very good knife, but one that is great because it doesn’t make mistakes as opposed to being exceptional, like all of the knives in the Top 10. It would be in a Top 20, but again the Top 10 Spyderco list is a very tight one.
C27 Jess Horn: The Undisputed King of Collectible Spydercos, this knife is virtually handmade, it is slim and has bone handles, and, prepare to gasp, it lacks a Spydiehole. Appearing in the catalog from 1994 until 1998, this knife is remarkable. I have only handled one once (it was the serrated version…which is why I didn’t buy it) and it was great. This is the T206 Honus Wagner of Spyderco Knives. Stripped of its collectibility, though it is merely a very, very good knife though and just worse than the Air, which fills the role of small gentleman’s folder exceedingly well.
Para3: Like the PM2 but in reverse—a small knife that carries like a big knife. No thank you.
Manix 2: Good, very good, but this is a tight list.
Shaman: When people write me and say they need a “brawny folder” I tell them they misspelled “fixed blade.”
Zulu: This would be 11 on the list and is BY FAR the best weirdo Spyderco.
Rock (not the Rock Lobster): This is an amazing big chopper and my favorite Spyderco fixed blade.
Techno: Close but cigar.
Techno 2: Closer, but still no cigar.
CalyJr: Overshadowed by the Caly3.
Lum Tanto: Oh man, if I liked hard to sharpen blades with a senseless blade shape, this would be 10th.
Paysan: lock up issues on a $500 folder? Pass.
Nirvana: thick behind the grind on a $500 folder? Pass.
Drunken: Rather get a swift kick to the nuts for $400 than this knife. Cliptastrophe Exhibit #2.
Gunting: The weirdest knife I want to track down. See also: T-Mag.
Terzuola Slippie: Make this with a liner lock, please.
Manix Jr: Weird, rare, and cool, but not good enough to make the list.
Jester: A better Ladybug that is mysteriously not an evergreen blade.
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