Spyderco Wolfspyder review

[xavierdoc]

Warning- some hunting pics behind spoiler tabs, below.



A review of the Ray Mears designed Spyderco Wolfspyder



This knife had a lot of appeal:



1. I like Spyderco's compression lock

2. I have an irrational fondness for Scandi grinds

3. I like knives that date to be "different" (up to a point)



On un-boxing, the knife seemed a little smaller than I'd envisaged, but immediately likeable.



In hand







Not a “zero” scandi grind- there was a secondary edge micro-bevel









I put a (crude) “true” scandi edge on it and whittled a couple of try-sticks/trap triggers:














Carves beautifully with the zero edge but it may not hold up, being a stern test of micro-chipping in relatively high carbide steels:



Roughing out a serving spoon type thing:



















Feather stick







A rather wonky spatula/spoon with hanger







Bit of a hot spot where the curved part of handle sits:









Beware: dead animal/hunting pics behind link below:

Spoiler: Hunting/dead animal pics

Rabbit hunting







Paunched rabbits, including hand-batoning the H-bone (pubic ramus) without edge damage:







Rabbit prep and butchery











Squirrels:

Continued...

 

[xavierdoc]

Continued...

Food prep (scandi grinds never great for this):















It’s a bit small for big onions:











You can see where the sliced carrot has split due to the angle of the bevel/thickness of the blade, compared to a kitchen knife:







Rabbit Stew ready:









A very likeable knife that excels at wood carving, is adequate for game prep but not ideal for slicing veg:







The true zero scandi edge I put on has held up fine. The factory edge with the micro bevel would have been even more robust, but would compromise that exceptional carving/whittling prowess of the zero grind.



Overall, I think this is an excellent folder for those who want/like a Scandi grind. A full flat grind would suit most people's needs better but there are miriad alternative choices for them.



Recommended.

 

[Dan1982]

Nice review bud! I had one but had to return it due to some blade play. Something I’ve not experienced with any other spydie compression locks. An updated version is set to be released this year according to woodlore so may try again.

 

[British Red]

Great review! I found similar hot spots from Spyderco handles - they just aren't the right knife for me, the square edge of the scales rubs me. I'm sure others don't have the problem given their popularity

 

[Tony]

great review

 

[Townsend]

Great review! I found similar hot spots from Spyderco handles - they just aren't the right knife for me, the square edge of the scales rubs me. I'm sure others don't have the problem given their popularity

Do you want to sell yours?

 

[British Red]

Do you want to sell yours?

I disliked it so much that I gave it away a long time ago

It didn't seem honourable to take money for a tool that I felt was poorly made

 

[gra_farmer]

I disliked it so much that I gave it away a long time ago

It didn't seem honourable to take money for a tool that I felt was poorly made

I like mine, I don't get to use it much, but as a pocket folding scandi it is quite nice, and the closest you can get to a Enzo pk70...my grail knife. Does anyone have a Enzo pk70 going?

 

[James Popham]

I lost the tip of mine making a bow drill divot in some old ivy, not covered by warranty. I was gutted I have to say. After that i modified mine slightly, basically I wanted to choke up more on the blade even though it’s small So I took the handle in a bit by the blade and added a thumb divot.

 

[James Popham]

I lost the tip of mine making a bow drill divot in some old ivy, not covered by warranty. I was gutted I have to say. After that i modified mine slightly, basically I wanted to choke up more on the blade even though it’s small So I took the handle in a bit by the blade and added a thumb divot.

Since this picture I massacred it again and - I actually love it now more than I did when it was new! It now fits like a glove in my hands and is super useful - I feel the change in the ergonomics made this shorter blade more useable - an expensive but rewarding project….

 

[Tony]

How did you go about your adjustments?

 

[James Popham]

How did you go about your adjustments?

So fell in love with the pm3 skinny mod a few years ago and this was a bit of a whim as I wasn’t happy with the feel of the Wolfspyder in the hand.
I think I used the pm3 i’d skinny modded as a template as well…
Did it with a dremmel slowly bit by bit until it felt good.
WARNING - G10 is cancerous if breathed in dust form! I used a mask and vacuum extraction
I really love it now for small bushcrafting on the fly…. Definitely a user not a draw queen anymore….

 

[James Popham]

Great review! I found similar hot spots from Spyderco handles - they just aren't the right knife for me, the square edge of the scales rubs me. I'm sure others don't have the problem given their popularity

I second this - the Kapara is the exception it fits like a glove. All my other Spyderco handles i’ve modded, like my Wolfspyder, or I’ve gone for custom scales with curved edges, like the flytanium micarta ones.