Amalgam

SHARP, lightweight, slim profile and easy to grip for larger hands.

After almost 30 years of carrying one flavor of Endura or another, and purchasing a new one before each overseas deployment, I decided to stretch my legs a little and order the Amalgam as my current deployment knife. I couldn't be happier! This beautiful knife is very ergonomic and comfortable in hand, and the flat grind eases through most materials, especially food, better than a saber grind. The flipper is a nice feature, and with a little practice, can be opened or closed very quickly and neatly. The lock construction and placement took a little getting used to after years of working with Spyderco back locks, but the aforementioned practice makes short work of getting the hang of it. The quality of materials is top notch, and the overall design is very pleasing to the eye - uncluttered and clean. The carbon fiber/G10 scales are grippy and positive as well as aesthetically pleasing. One of the best features for my purposes is the extremely light weight of this very workmanlike and capable blade, along with the threaded inserts for positioning the pocket clip to the most favorable location on the scales. All in all, I would say that if you're looking for a knife that can do it all with style, the Amalgam is the one.

CPM-S30V steel. I haven't had to sharpen it but it has spent a lot of time in my pocket in humid environments and it looks great. This blade is perfect. It has the obligatory Spyderco oversized thumb ring although it is much smaller than the standard, but the flipper that doubles as a grip-arrest is what sets this knife apart. This is a flipper for a big hand and it feels just right. It flips perfectly and the high liner lock is a very nice touch... and it works perfectly. This knife has all of the special touches. As I'm writing this it is already sold out and has been for a while. But if you buy one on the secondary market I hope you feel proud to own one, as I do.

The Amalgam is a beautiful knife but the flipper/ compression lock combo should've been thought out better. The flipper will hit your finger when closing with one hand, which is the best feature of the compression lock, the ability to close one-handed. The spydie hole sits a little too close to the scales so it can be a kind of awkward opening. Overall, the knife is very well-made, fit and finish are perfect like most Taichung Spyderco's.

Narrowed my purchase down to the Amalgam, Shaman, a protech, and a Chris Reeve. Glad I picked this one. I can't find a single issue worth mentioning, so I'll mention the three I've seen most in video reviews and forums: "The choil is too thin." It is thin, but not so much that it hurts to use. I have large (men's xl glove size) hands with long, thin fingers and the knife fits me perfectly, choil included. "The detent is too weak." The detent is dialed in well for being a flipper/thumb/spydie-open amalgamation, in my opinion. I haven't had it fall or shake open yet. "The flipper tab hits your fingers when you close it." Maybe the first few times you shut it, but it becomes second nature to move your finger as the blade falls shut. Practice for 2 minutes and you'll never have this issue. If you're still not convinced, Nick Shabazz has a good review you can look up. Lays out the pros and cons well.

The knife is well made and works well but I find the lock on the back very inconvenient. I would have preferred it to be on the blade side for an easy thumb release. Using you index finger works but is just awkward for me. The size and handle are great if you are looking for a larger knife, it feels great in my large hands.

This is a classic SpyderCo knife, in folding bush-knife form. Like all SpyderCo knives, it's extremely sharp, holds that edge well, and can be opened one-handed. This is the pocket knife that I typically carry on a daily basis. There is one caveat: it's larger than a normal pocket knife, and so the blade may not be legal in some municipalities due to its length: at 3.8 inches long, it's definitely not legal where the limit is 3.0 inches.

Wow. This is nice.