Spyderco Brown Hundred Pacer Folder Knife Review

Spyderco’s story is one of hard work, ingenuity, and humble beginnings—just like many other stories of how an empire came to be. Sal Glesser, Spyderco’s founder, started the company when he couldn’t find a job. His first project as the “Portable Hand’, which was designed to assist people working with multiple small parts in manufacture, with items such as jewelry, computer makers, and hobbyists. Although this piece didn’t necessarily have a ton to do with knives, it has been known as Sal’s first foray into the knife world. This product made of angles, ball joints, and alligator clips truly did mark the beginning of the company’s design aesthetic.

Sal then moved on to making knife sharpeners after the relatively mediocre response to the Portable Hand, and later on to the manufacturing of folding knives. Him and his wife converted an old bread delivery truck into a mobile unit and began traveling across the country to knife shows. At these events, Sal began to learn more and more about knives, knife making, and the overall industry.

The first knife that Spyderco made was the folding knife C01 Worker. This knife was first introduced in 1981, and contained many of the company’s signature design elements that are now commonly associated with the brad. This knife was also the first knife in the industry to feature the trademark thumbhole. The company also claims that this was the first knife to feature a pocket clip on the right side of the handle to assist with ease of opening and deployment to be used in conjunction with the thumbhole for one handed operation.

Spyderco is now known for their “Sprint Runs” that prove popular among collectors and knife enthusiast. These Sprint Runs are defined by Spyderco as a Limited Edition Production of any Spyderco product in configuration different than what has been previously produced and can include changes in the handler color, materials, blade steel, and coatings.

Sal Glesser is revered in the knife world for his unique vision, groundbreaking products, and continued commitment to constant improvement and innovation. The popularity of Spyderco products has endured because they make sturdy and dependable knives that are built to last, the company has a commitment to continual advancement in manufacturing and material allows for the finest cutting-edge steels and production techniques, and Spyderco’s vision is something many knife enthusiasts can get behind.

When you purchase a Spyderco, you know that you can trust the knife you just purchased.

Today we will be talking about the Spyderco Brown Hundred Pacer Folding knife.

 

The Blade:

The blade on this Spyderco knife is made out of CTS-XHP Stainless Steel. This steel is described as “a powered metallurgy, air-hardening, high carbon, high chromium, corrosion-resistant alloy. It can be considered either a high hardness 440C stainless steel or a corrosion-resistant D2 tool steel. CTS XHP alloy passes corrosion resistance equivalent to 440C stainless steel and can attain a maximum hardness of 64 HRC. In addition, the composition of CTS HXP alloy has been balanced so that it can attain a minimum hardness of 60 HRC when air cooled.” This steel is high performance steel perfect for a knife that is going to need high performance. This is a premium steel.

The Hundred Pacer’s Blade has been finished satin. The satin blade finish is created by repeatedly sanding it in one direction with an increasing level of fine sandpaper. This finish is known for showing off the fine lines of the steel as well as the bevels of the blade. This is one of the most traditional blade finishes that is on the market today; giving you a medium level of luster.

The blade has been carved into a trailing point blade shape. This is a lightweight knife that has a back edge that curves upward. The trailing point style gets its name from the point which trials higher than the generalized axis of the spine of the knife blade. One of the biggest advantages of this blade style is that it provides a large curved cutting area, or belly, that makes this blade shape optimal for slicing or skinning. The trailing point blade offers the sharpest point for fine, delicate, and small work, such as skinning and caping game or fish. To best use this knife in that scenario, the user will draw the knife towards themselves in a sweeping motion, which will cleanly separate the skin from the game or fish. This style of knife is most commonly found on skinning and fillet knives. However, there are a few disadvantages to this style of blade. The biggest disadvantage is that it does have a weaker point. This blade style is designed specifically for fine delicate work, so it will easily bend or even break if it is used on tougher materials. However, this trialing point blade is nowhere near as weak as some of the skinnier knives, because it is a wider blade that you would normally find.

This Spyderco knife has a plain edge, which is one continuous straight edge that sports no teeth. The plain edge is going to give you cleaner cuts than a serrated blade, as well as being optimal for tasks that require push cuts. A push cut is where you push the blade into and up whatever you are cutting. Some examples of this is when you are shaving, peeling an apple, or skinning a deer. The plain edge is also going to prepare you to take on a wider variety of tasks, although if you need to saw through a thicker material—you should be looking for a serrated blade.

 

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of tan and brown G-10. G-10 is a laminate composite made of fiberglass. To make this material, the manufacturer takes layers of fiberglass cloth and soaks them in resin. Then the manufacturer compresses them and bakes them under pressure. By going through this process, the material becomes very tough, hard, lightweight, and strong. G-10 is even considered to be the toughest of all the fiberglass resin laminates and stronger than Micarta. But, because it is harder than Micarta, it also becomes more brittle than Micarta. G-10 has very similar properties to carbon fiber, although it is much cheaper than carbon fiber because it is slightly inferior. And while it is cheaper to produce than carbon fiber, it still has to be cut and machined into shape which is not as economical as the injection molding process that is used in FRN or GFN handles. Checkering and other patterns add texture to the handle, which makes for a solid, comfortable grip. The production process utilizes many layers of cloth, so the manufacturer can use layers of the same color or varying different colors.

The handle on the Spyderco Tan Hundred Pacer alternates form tan and brown sections. It has been intensely checkered to create enough texture that you will have a solid hold on it in most situations. This knife is made up of many different curves, instead of sharp angles, including the pattern on the handle. Each section of color curves before the next section begins.

The handle has an extremely elongated finger groove and the spine is also curved, which creates a comfortable handle, even if you are using it for long periods of time. The butt of the handle does sport a rectangular lanyard hole.

 

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on this Spyderco knife is a wire clip. This clip is a reversible pocket clip, which means that it can be attached for either left or right handed carry. This is a huge advantage because it means that you can carry it on whichever side is most comfortable for you. However, it is only designed for tip up carry.

 

The Mechanism:

This knife is a manual folding knife that uses Spyderco’s trademark round hole as well as a liner locking mechanism.

The round hole allows the blade of a folding knife to be swiftly and easily opened only with one hand. This revolutionary feature was granted a U.S. utility patent in 1981 and literally helped define the form of the modern folding knife. Unlike thumb studs, disks, and other one-hand-opening attachments, the hole offers a larger surface area for greater reliability and does not interfere with the cutting action of the blade. This is an iconic symbol for Spyderco, the Trademark Round Hole also serves as a user-friendly alternative to a traditional nail nick in their two-handed opening folders.

Liner locks are one of the more common mechanisms seen on folding knives. This mechanism’s main characteristic is a side spring bar located on the same side as the sharp edge of the blade, which virtually lines the inside of the handle. When the knife is closed, the spring bar is held under tension. When the knife is fully opened, that tension slips the bar inward to make contact with the butt of the blade, keeping it firmly in place and preventing it from closing. Disengaging a liner lock is also very easy, all you have to do is use your thumb to push the spring bar down so that it clears contact form the butt of the blade. Liner locks are beneficial because they allow a knife tow have two true handle sides, which makes it ambidextrous. Another advantage of this locking mechanism is that you can close the knife with one hand. One of the disadvantages is that liner locks aren’t as strong as other locking systems, so it might not be ideal to use this knife for tougher tasks.

 

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at 3.99 inches long, with the handle measuring in at 5.21 inches long. The overall length of this Spyderco when it is opened is 9.2 inches long. This knife weighs in at 5.2 ounces, which is hefty enough that you feel like it can back you up, but not too heavy that it will weigh you down.

 

The Pros of the Spyderco Hundred Pacer:

• The steel is a well-rounded steel.
• The steel is a premium, high performance steel, giving this knife the capabilities to take on tougher tasks and last longer.
• The satin finish gives you a very traditional look.
• The trailing point is perfect for skinning or slicing because of the large belly.
• G10 is hard, tough, strong, yet still very lightweight.
• G10 is the hardest of all resin laminates.
• There is plenty of texture on the face of the handle so that you can have a solid grip on it in almost any situation.
• The handle features a lanyard hole.
• Wire pocket clip cuts down on weight.
• Reversible pocket clip; so you can carry it on the preferred side.
• The round hole is easy to use.
• The round hole does not get in the way or protrude from the blade.
• You can close the liner lock with only one hand.

 

The Cons of the Spyderco Hundred Pacer:

• The trailing point blade style is prone to breaking because it has such a fine tip.
• G-10 is a very brittle because of how hard it is.
• The pocket clip is only designed for tip up carry.
• The liner locking mechanism is not going to be strong enough to take on some of the tougher tasks.

 

 

Conclusion:

Designed by knife guru Johnny Liao, the Hundred Pacer was named and modeled after the deadly Taiwanese viper–featuring a snakeskin-like texture and design on the handle in addition to the broad and slightly upswept blade style. The Hundred Pacer utilizes Spyderco’s liner lock mechanism–a leaf-like spring split from the liner to wedge laterally against a ramped surface on the tang of the blade which equates to a strong pronounced lockup. This model, the C225GP, features a dual colored brown and tan G-10 handle, skeletonized stainless steel liners, a swept point style blade in a satin finish, Spyderco’s trademark round hole opening feature and the reversible pocket clip is designed for tip up carry only but is eligible for a left or right hand carry option.