BLOG 56. Spyderco Military model knife review

SPYDERCO  MILITARY KNIFE REVIEW

Cliff Jacobson

 

Spyderco Military knife (left-handed model shown here)

Spyderco folding knives have long been popular with law enforcement, military and rescue personnel.  And for good reasons: They have superb edge geometry; they are constructed from superior steels and are among the toughest, most intelligently designed and best built folding knives available. There’s a model for every purpose—from skinning game to cutting through airplane doors. 

Generally, I prefer a fixed blade knife when camping. But when I do carry a folder, my favorite is a “left-handed” Spyderco military model. Naturally, this knife is available in a right-handed version too!

About 90 percent of the population are right-handed. I belong to the ten percent that aren’t.  Most power tools and nearly all firearms are decidedly right-handed: bolts, safeties and loading ports are on the right; autoloaders eject hot empties past my face. It’s a tough life, but we lefties learn to cope.

Open a “one-handed” folding knife with your off hand and you’ll likely find that the thumb cut-out on the handle is too shallow to positively grab your thumb. If there’s a liner-lock, you’ll need to push it with your forefinger or pull it with your thumb. Clumsy, isn’t it?

Thanks to Spyderco, lefties have a dedicated folder to call their own. The C36GLE Military Model Left-Hand is identical to its right-handed brother, the C36G, except for the thumb cut-out and Michael Walker liner lock which have been re-located to work with the left hand. For me, a life-long lefty,  working this blade was a revelation. I wondered, do righties always have things this easy?

The flat-ground, double-tapered blade is four inches long and one-eighth inch thick at the back of the spine. Jimping on the spine and choil add control. The blade steel is Cruicible CPM-530V, a high carbon, chromium alloy known for its toughness. The knife is shipped shaving sharp! The checkered G10 handles provide a firm grip. The knife weighs 4.25 ounces and is three-eights of an inch wide. I clipped it to a pocket and went for a brisk walk. I didn’t notice it at all. I might add that this knife looks formidable when opened—I wouldn’t want to meet one in a dark alley!

 

It slices tomatoes like a dedicated kitchen knife

So how does it cut?  Split kindling, slice a tomato, chop vegetables, skin a deer, cut cord or bore through a car door—this knife does it all, powerfully and gracefully. The long sweeping belly of the blade, not the tip, does the work on a cutting board. This encourages efficient slicing. Though I generally prefer a fixed blade knife for wilderness use, I wouldn’t hesitate to rely on this Spyderco folder on a bush trip where help is an airplane ride away. It is an awesome knife!

Cliff Jacobson

www.cliff-jacobson.com