Five to Find
For reasons that have to do with production and the market, sometimes classic production knives stop getting made. Tracking these time-tested designs down, even when new knives get released every day, can make sense if there is something that you really want that is not being made anymore. Today I am going to cover five knives in my collection that worth tracking down. Long time readers will have seen many of these, but if you are new or just want a stroll down memory lane, keep reading. I am very lucky to have each of these in my collection.
Production Run: 2006-2010
Price Upon Release: $159.95
Secondary Prices circa 2023: $250-$300 in good shape
In my mind this is the apotheosis of Spyderco designs. It is an absolute gamma knife when cutting through materials, it carries exceedingly well, and lays across the fingers with grace. There is nothing I would change here, even the outdated lockback (which gives it character) stays. It was a first for Spyderco in two ways: the wire clip and ZDP-189. Both have gone on to be important parts of the Spyderco lineup for years. Even now I carry mine pretty regularly. It was my second one as I stupidly sold off my first one. If you have this guy, hang on to it. If you don’t get one and don’t let it go.
Closest Readily Available Replacement: Spyderco Sage 5 in CF
Its not quite as graceful, the CF is peel ply, and the steel is not as good, but its a similar shape with similar materials. You could also opt for the still available Caly 3.5 but part of the magic of this knife is its compact size. If you can, get the original.
Production Run: 2020
Price Upon Release: $130
Secondary Prices circa 2023: $350-$600
So there is a reason I picked the 2020 version—it was made by GEC instead of Queen. The original IRJ I reviewed, the 2014 version, had a 154CM blade, but its fit and finish, while nice, was not quite as impeccable as the GEC-produced version from 2020. Queen has long since gone out of business, so I suppose even that 2014 IRJ has some collectibility, but if you are hunting one down, target this version. Rumor has it that GEC is no longer making knives for others and so Knives Ship Free seems to be in a bit of quandry as they want to keep the knives made in the US, but there are so few US makers in the traditional style that can meet the fit and finish requirements for a Northwoods blade. It would be a shame if this version of the IRJ is the last one. A shame and something that will spike the prices even more.
Is the knife worth the secondary price? I think so, but obviously only if you are collector. A user knife at that price seems a bit silly. What makes it so good? Well, Dan at BladeReviews.com summed it up nicely—its basically what would happen if a Cadet and a Mnandi had a baby. I would add that it was a baby dressed by Pete’s Uncle Randy. As a traditional knife it has all the high points you want—good walk and talk, nice covers (I especially like the maroon covers which are incredible), and a fine traditional pattern. But even non-traditional knife fans can like the IRJ. The blade shape, wafer thin grind, and the simple appearance give it a minimalist look. In the maroon micarta, it even passes as a modern knife, something a bone covered version can’t do. Carry the IRJ for a week and you will wonder why knives ever got more complicated. This baby can do everything you want and vanishes in the pocket. I tend to carry mine in a leather slip both to protect it and to keep it from moving around (there is no clip, of course). A leather slip is a knife accessory I can totally appreciate, unlike a bead or a garish clip.
Closest Readily Available Replacement: Ummm….
Boy is this one a hard one. Nothing quite hits like the IRJ. The Victorinox Cadet is quite similar in size and shape, but seems like a lifeless simulacrum by comparison, missing all the warmth and beauty of the IRJ, but retaining its functionality. The Ohio River Jack from QSP has that blend of modern and traditional that the maroon micarta IRJ pulls off, but it is a bit squared off giving it a much different look. The Lionsteel Bestman is VERY similar in quality and design, but it is ruined by a tremendous number of screw being visible on the handles. Its like if a computer decided to design an IRJ. Boker’s high end line has a few knives that are close. One, called the Boker Barlow Prime, is pretty close, but lacks the double metal bolsters. In the end, none of these are close enough. You’ll have to hunt down an original IRJ. Note that the 2014 editions are cheaper for reasons mentioned above. Hopefully Northwoods will make a few more of these.
Production Run: 2002-2013
Price Upon Release: $375
Secondary Prices circa 2023: $500
I like the new clip on the Gen 2 (rounded off nail nick) and Gen 3 (thumb hole) better. That’s it. Everything else is better in the original. Well, of course, the steel is better on the new stuff too, but the geometry and size of the Mnandi make the steel something of a non-issue. It is a super slicer. Why does the original rank so highly? First, there is the form of the original. It is a beautiful knife with a perfect shape for showcasing gorgeous inlays. While each gen has exclusive inlays, even the “basic” stuff looks great. Then there is the original nail nick. Its quite unlike anything else. It allows you to thumb open the knife WITHOUT the need for a hole or some other shape impacting the beautiful lines of the knife. And it works really well too. In thinking through the knife world only one other thing comes to mind—Chuck Gedraitis’s “Shark Bite” opener. But its more aggressive and better suited to a tactical design. The nick here is just curvy grace, sort of like the rear view mirrors on the Pagani Huayra. For a gent’s knife you can’t do better than this. What a looker.
Closest Readily Available Replacement:
The Gen 3 version is probably the closest strictly speaking, as it is the same knife with a thumb hole, but how boring is that? There are dozens upon dozens of knives with thumb holes and I think they are all a bit more pedestrian than this knife.
Production Run: 2018-2019, possibly one other run in 2020
Price Upon Release: $450
Secondary Prices circa 2023: $500-$650
Oh man, is this a cool knife. If you came into the knife world in the 2010s you witnessed an arms race between Chris Reeve, Strider, Emerson, and Hinderer to see who could out-cool the other. Hinderer knives are just tough cool looking beasts. But no Hinderer is as refined or as staid as the TAD Compact Dauntless. Its got the Tri-Way pivot and all of the Hinderer goodness, but it is shorn of the uber heavy and uber unnecessary jimping, grip enhancements, and other doodads that are totally unnecessary. In its place you have three fullers and cool aesthetics. Gray Man beats Mall Ninja any day. They did a few runs of these with all Ti, Green, Black, and Topo handles. Any of them will instantly be the coolest knife in your collection. They all came in 20CV steel but beware of wonky pivots. Its fixable, and worth the hassle, but if you can get hands on, all the better.
Closest Readily Available Replacement:
The Terrain 365 Invictus ATC is a similar looking knife, but not as good at cutting, being carried, or being opened. The knife is a little less GRRR than most Hinderers. In a weird way, it reminds me more of Seibert than a Hinderer. Check the lines on the Benchmade Seibert Auto, another knife that could have made this exclusive list.
Canal Street Cutlery Boys Knife in AG Russell Exclusive Gold G10
Production Run: 2015, limited to 100 pieces
Price Upon Release: $150
Secondary Prices circa 2023: Non-gold 10 version are around $500 or more; I have never found another up for sale in all the years I have owned this knife. In fact, there used to be a whole Reddit thread about this very topic.
This knife is so strange, so hard to find, and so remarkable that even though I tend not to carry it, I can’t bear the thought of it not being in my collection. It was a limited run of a limited run by a company that has long since shuttered its doors. But it is singular in my collection, something like what I imagine the Des Horn Spyderco or the Seibert Benchmade Auto to feel like: this is a statement of intent, the ultra-concentrated reduction of an idea. If you want that warm, pocket polished, old-timey feel with superb fit and finish, you have to find one of these. Honestly, only a few customs I have handled are better. But this isn’t a clean or perfect knife. There are places where the buffer took away a bit more edge on one than the other, but those things just remind you that this is a knife borne from the hands of a craftsman working. It feels personal in a way that only one other thing I own does—this is what a knife feels like if it is used and loved like a baseball glove.
Closest Readily Available Replacement:
The Boker Traditional Series 2.0 has the same flavor—traditional knife with yellow handles—but lacks the warmth and character of the CSC Boys Knife. Its like that meme of Shawn Michaels and the Christmas tree, with this knife be the “back” picture. There are a few Tom’s Choice Barlows that are around the same size and have immaculate fit and finish, but they tend to be chase items themselves, so at that point you may as well hold out for this gem.
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