Spyderco White One-Eyed Jack Folder Knife Review

The beginning of this company as we currently think of it began way back in 1976, when inventor Sal Glesser created his first product after he couldn’t find a job. Surprisingly enough, for such a knife empire, the first product wasn’t even a knife—it was something called the Portable hand. This strange-looking device was created for people such as jewelers and hobbyists to work with small parts because it would hold those items in place, which give the people both of their hands free for other parts of their projects. This product had a unique look, and bore a striking resemblance to a spider, which is where the name of the company stemmed from.

Kenneth T Delavigne wrote a book called Spyderco Story: The New Shape of Sharp in which he says,

“The name Spyderco and the mascot Spider that became embodied in the company’s logo were derived from the word “spyder”, which represented two things: the spiderlike shape of the Portable Hand (Sal’s first patented invention) and the designation some European automakers gave to high performance roadsters. High performance, then and now, was what Sal wanted to provide in whatever products he sold.”

 

It was with this first product that Spyderco came to exists. Because of the success of the Portable Hand, Sal Glesser and his wife, Gail, would travel to trade shows in a converted bread truck. They settled in Colorado in 1978. Around the same time that he was traveling and selling the Portable Hand, Glesser was also inventing the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker, which was successful enough to fund some of the development on other projects.

It wasn’t until 1981 that Spyderco released their first knife, called the C01 Worker. Not only was it the first Spyderco knife, but it was also the first knife that featured the round hole for ambidextrous and one-handed opening and the first folder to use the clothing clip. This was the knife that really set the new standard for pocket knives in our current day and age.

To create the knife that everybody wanted, Glesser and his wife would spend hours talking with people about what they wanted in a knife. They took the ideas to heart and then to the design table. Because of this time, they spent, they are creating knives that are original, innovative, and still aesthetically pleasing.

Since the original knife, Spyderco has produced over 200 models, which have had some great successes in the mix. Sal and Gail, with the help of their son Eric, are still running the family company and employ more than 130 employees.

Today we will be talking about one of their newer knives—the White One-Eyed Jack folder knife that has a CPM S30V blade and a handle made out of G-10 and stainless steel.

 

The Blade:

The blade on this knife is made out of CPM S30V stainless steel. This steel that was designed and made by Crucible is considered a premium knife steel. This steel has excellent edge retention while also resisting rust almost effortlessly. Crucible designed this steel in the United Sates specifically for high-end premium pocket knives as well as expensive kitchen cutlery. Because they designed this steel with knives in mind, they have created the perfect balance between edge retention, hardness, and toughness. To add extreme hardness to this steel, Crucible has added vanadium carbides. The vanadium carbides are also where the steel name gets the “V” from. For a while, this steel was one of the best steels that money could buy. Because of this, it did come with a hefty cost. However, since newer Super Steels have been released, and with the competition, the cost of this steel has been driven downward, while still retaining all of the good qualities. There is one disadvantage to this steel which is that it is harder to work with and sharpen than other steels. Not a huge drawback, but it is there.

The blade on this knife has been finished with a satin finish. This finish is one of the most popular blade finishes that is used on the market today. The satin finish is created by repeatedly sanding the steel in one direction with an increasing level of an abrasive material. This process is done to create a little bit of shine, as well as showing off the bevels and the fine lines in the steel. The satin finish lies close to the middle in terms of luster; a mirror finished blade is going to be more reflective than the satin finish and a coated finish is going to be less reflective than a satin finish. Overall, this finish is one of the most traditional looks that you are going to get out of a blade finish.

The blade has been carved into a clip point style, which is one of the most used blade shapes on the market today. This blade style is definitely an all-purpose blade shape. The shape of the blade is formed by having the back edge of the knife run straight form the handle and then stop about halfway up the knife. Then, it turns and continues to the point of the knife. This “cut-out” area is straight on the One-Eyed Jack knife. This cut out area is also referred to as the clip, because the portion looks as if it were clipped out. Because of this clipped portion, it creates a lowered point, which gives the user more control when they are using the knife. And, because the tip is controllable, sharp, and thinner at the spine, a clip point knife is going to be a much better option for stabbing than a drop pint blade. Clip points are also so versatile because they feature such a large belly that is perfect for slicing. Clip point and drop point knife styles are often confused with each other. They are both very similar—they are both designed to be all-purpose knives, they both sport a big belly, and they both have a lowered tip. It is the rest of the tip’s characteristics that separate a clip point form a drop point. A drop point has a much broader tip, which means that you aren’t going to have the same stabbing capabilities that you love from your clip point. However, because it is broader, it is going to be less likely to snap or break and a drop point is going to be able to take on tougher tasks. The clip point isn’t as strong as the drop point, because it does have a relatively narrow tip. This is really one of the clip points only disadvantages, because it is prone to being weak. But, you do get those stabbing capabilities with less drag during insertion and faster withdrawal.

 

The Handle:

The handle is made out of G-10 with stainless steel bolsters and stainless steel liners.

G-10 is a high-pressure fiberglass laminate, which is a kind of composite material. This material is created by stacking multiple layers of glass cloth, which have been soaked in epoxy resin, then compressing them under heat until the epoxy cures. This material is manufactured in flat sheets. This material is very similar to Micarta and Carbon Fiber, because they are all resin-based laminates, except that the base material used is glass cloth. G-10 is the toughest of the glass fiber resin laminates and therefore the most commonly used in knife handles. G-10 is known for its high strength and low moisture absorption. Plus, because of how the material is used, there can be many variations of G10 that are produced in man colors and patterns. The handle on the Spyderco White One-Eyed Jack is a white G-10 that features a red G-10 heart inlay and a black G-10 spade inlay. G-10 is also easily texturized, which makes for exceptional grip on your knife. This knife was designed to look like a collectible knife, but built to be used. So whether you collect knives are use them every single day—this knife meets your needs.

The bolsters and liners are made out of stainless steel, which gives this knife excellent durabily and does add a great resistant to corrosion. Stainless steel is a heavier material, so it does add a little bit of heft behind your knife. But, the liners are skeletonized to keep the weight of this knife down.

On the butt of the handle, there has been a lanyard hole carved in. This is a big bonus for such a versatile knife.

 

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip has been statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle. This pocket clip is also made out of stainless steel and just like the liners, it is skeletonized. The clip is kept in place by a small silver screw that matches the rest of the hardware (and the bolsters) on this knife.

 

The Mechanism:

This knife is a manual folding knife that features Spyderco’s signature round opening hole. This knife also features a liner locking mechanism.

When talking about their signature round hole, they’ve said:

 

“One of the most common question we get from people new to Spyderco knives is ‘Why the Round Hole?’ The round hole allows the blade of a folding knife to be swiftly and easily opened with only 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. An iconic symbol of our brand, the Trademark Round Hole also serves a s user-friendly alternative to a traditional nail nick in our two-hand-opening folders and a proud expression of our brand identity in our fixed-blade knives.

 

The liner locking mechanism is one of the more common mechanism seen on folding knives. This mechanism’s characteristic component is a side spring bar that is located on the same side as sharp edge of the blade, “lining” 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, which keeps it firmly in place and prevents it from closing. To disengage a liner lock, you have to use your thumb to push the spring bar “down” so that it clears contact form the butt of the blade. This lets you use your index finger to push the blade just enough so that it keeps the bar pushed down so you can remove your thumb from the blade path, then continue to safely close the knife.

 

The Specs:

The blade on this Spyderco knife measures in at 2.49 inches and has a handle that measures in at 3.54 inches long. The overall length of the knife when it is opened is 6.03 inches long. For how small this knife is, it does pack a bit of weight, but nothing that is going to feel too heavy to use as your EDC knife: this knife weighs in at 3.7 ounces.

 

Conclusion:

The One-Eyed Jack is a production folder that exhibits more custom finishes than you would expect. As part of the 2017 mid-year release catalog, this A.T. Barr designed model features a liner lock design and a classy stainless steel bolster and back spacer to really make the competition fold. Whether your intent to collect and display this knife or carry it, this knife was built with the materials to allow either or. This model, the C217GP, features a white polished G-10 handle complete with a G-10 spade and heart inlay, stainless steel bolsters, skeletonized stainless steel liners, a clip point style blade in a satin finish, Spyderco’s trademark round hole opening feature and the pocket clip is statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle. This knife is perfectly balanced between looking pleasing and having the durability to be used for almost any tasks. Come pick up your Spyderco C226GP White One-Eyed Jack Folder knife today from BladeOps.