Knife Anatomy
BLADE SHAPES
Assist Blade (Patented blunt tip) Hollow ground blade with a blunt tip designed to prevent accidental puncturing or poking. Designed for cutting webbing, rope, seatbelts or clothing.
Bowie Shaped Blade Blade with an upswept curving tip that can be (or not) double-edged near the point. Named after Colonel James Bowie who made the shape famous in the 19th century American West.
Drop Point Blade A design popularized by the hunting knives made by Bob Loveless and Bo Randall. The tip of the blade is lowered through a convex arc from the spine.
Hawkbill Blade A sharply curved blade with a sharpened inside edge. Designed for cutting while reaching out and pulling downward, it is commonly used by commercial fishermen for cutting line, webbing and netting.
Jimping Small serrations or texturing found on a blade’s spine and/or in a finger choil where the thumb and/or fingers grip the knife. It creates tactile resistance and improves grip traction.
Leaf Shaped Blade A blade shape Spyderco has been developing and refining since the mid- 1990s. It has a more distinct point than a spear point blade.
Modified Clip Point Blade A blade ground on the top (spine) in an angled or sweeping line downward. The underside (where the sharpened edge is located) is ground upward. The two angles meet at the tip determining the depth of the blade’s belly.
Reverse “S” Blade Blade shape resembling a backward S with the tip curving downward. The thickest part of the blade (the belly) curves in the same direction as the tip.
Sheepfoot Blade A blade with a round blunt tip without a traditional point. Being rounded lessens the chance of accidental puncturing around livestock, inflatable watercraft and during emergency cutting.
Spear Point Blade Blade shaped with an equal amount of curve on the spine and the cutting edge with a distinct separating grind line. The two curves meet, coming together at the point.
Emerson Patented Blade Opening Feature A blade opening feature invented and patented by Ernest Emerson. It is a hook protruding from the blade’s spine that opens the knife’s blade when drawing it from a pocket by catching on the pocket’s edge.
Wharncliffe Blade A blade in which the point of the knife drops downward from the spine meeting a straight cutting edge at the blade’s tip.
Double edged blade A blade with a sharpened edge on both the bottom and spine of the blade.
HANDLE (SCALE) MATERIALS
Almite A coating used on aluminum handles, similar to anodizing. It resists scratching and marring and can be tinted to any color.
Anodized Aluminum Subjecting aluminum to electrolytic action, coating the aluminum with a protective and decorative film.
Carbon Fiber Graphic fibers (the size of a human hair) woven together then fused with epoxy resin. Lightweight with a high level of tensile strength it is three dimensional in appearance and costly to manufacture.
FRN (Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon) A nylon polymer mixed with glass fiber then injection molded into formed and textured lightweight high-strength knife handles.
Bi-Directional Texturing Patented texture pattern molded into FRN handles with forward and backward graduating steps radiating outward from the center of the handle. It provides resistance to slipping in the hand.
Volcano Grip Our trademarked waffle texture found on several of our FRN handled knife models. It is a continuous pattern of small squares providing tactile resistance to slipping while gripped in the hand.
G-10 An epoxy filled woven glass fiber that is rigid, impervious to temperature changes and chemicals and can be tinted into different colors.
Kraton A rubbery thermoplastic polymer used as flexible inlays on knife handles enhancing grip.
Micarta Composite of linen or paper fabric that is impregnated with epoxy resin then formed into lightweight, durable and visually appealing handles. It can be polished or bead blasted to change its appearance and texture.
Natural Materials Natural materials such as jigged bone, leather, mother of pearl, abalone, stabilized woods and stone that are used in making and embellishing handles.
Peel Ply Carbon Fiber A carbon fiber filled, epoxy resin lay-up that has textured material placed on the surface to protect the material during manufacturing. After manufacture the material is removed and it leaves a grippy texture in the epoxy making a non-slip handle material.
Stainless Steel Steel containing a minimum of 12.5% chromium, making the steel resistant (not stain proof) to corrosion. The chromium oxide (CrO) creates a barrier to oxygen and moisture inhibiting rust formation.
Titanium A non-ferrous metal used in knife manufacturing for its high tensile strength, light weight and corrosion resistance. Often used for clips (Salt Series), handles and liners.
EDGE GRINDS
PlainEdge A sharpened knife blade with no serrations or teeth sometimes referred to as a “smooth blade”.
SpyderEdge Spyderco’s two-step serration patterns consisting of one large and two small serrations. The pattern increases the cutting edge’s surface area by up to 24%.
Carbide Tip A hard sharp carbon/iron bonded material found in machining or drilling steel. Spyderco uses carbide for the replaceable and retractable glass breaking tip found on the C79 Assist model.
CombinationEdge A blade that is partially PlainEdge and partially SpyderEdge at the cutting edge.
Trainer A non-sharpened blade that is identical in weight and proportion to its live counterpart and used for training and practice purposes. Spyderco trainers are red handled denoting they are non-sharpened.
SPYDERCO LOCKING MECHANISMS
Back Lock (B) Locking system positioned on the spine of the handle that uses a rocker arm which pivots in the center. A protrusion on one end of the arm connects with a notch on the blade’s tang locking the blade open.
Ball Bearing Lock (BB) A patented compressive lock, wedging a stainless steel ball bearing between a fixed anvil and the blade tang. The ball is also utilized to detent the blade into the closed position.
Chris Reeve Style Integral Lock (RIL) Developed by custom knifemaker Chris Reeve using the original Walker LinerLock in an integral form. It functions like a traditional LinerLock with the lock’s liner comprised from part of the handle scale.
Compression Lock (CL) A small piece of metal that is inserted, from the side, in between the blade tang and the stop pin (or anvil pin)
Walker LinerLock (LL) Locking system developed by customer knifemaker Michael Walker. The blade is locked open by a leaf-like spring that comes in from the side, butting up against the tang of the blade.
Notch Joint (L) A non-locking blade held open by a spring acting against it, providing resistance to its’ opening and closing as it pivots within the handle.
SLIPIT (L) Spyderco and byrd Knife folders with non-locking blades held open via a notch joint and a pocket clip. A CLIPIT with a slip joint blade, thus SLIPIT.
Ball Joint Non-Locking System Designed by knifemaker Bob Terzuola. A restraining device keeping a knife blade from closing by having the blade overcome a small ball bearing to close. The Ball Joint also half-stops the blade when closing for additional safety. Image of locking system from Peter.
GRINDS
Flat Saber Grind (Scandi) An edge ground completely flat without a radius that tapers from the cutting edge to a grind line down the center of the blade.
Full Flat Grind A flat grind, leaving a completely flat surface ground from the blade’s edge all the way to its’ spine.
Hamaguri Also called an Appleseed or Moran grind. It’s a convex grind made on a slacked belt sander.
Hollow Grind A thin or shallow edge that is ground with a radius, leaving a concave shape above the cutting surface.
Single Bevel Grind Also called a chisel grind. The edge is flat or hollow ground but on only one side.
Spine Swedge Also called a false edge, it’s an edge on the back of the blade’s spine that is chamfered or non-sharpened. The swedge removes weight from the blade adding balance and penetration performance.
Zero Grind Similar to a full-flat grind but without the secondary grind for the edge. The edge is the same grind as the primary creating a single flat side.
Zero Grind Saber (Scandi) Similar to a flat ground saber (Scandi) but without a secondary grind for the edge. The edge is the same grind as the primary grind.
BLADE COATINGS
Black Electric Plating A non-reflective coating adhered to steel using an electrostatic process. It eliminates the steel’s reflective quality.
DLC (Diamond Like Carbon coating) is combined diamond (AP3) and graphite (SP2) used for coating blades and parts.
Titanium Carbonitiride Coating A ceramic film coating that is hard (92Rc) less than 3 microns thick. It provides high abrasion resistance and low friction coefficient.
CLIPS
Integral Pocket Clip Pocket clip molded as part of (integral to) the handle rather than a separate component attached with screws. Found on Spyderco’s C28BK Dragonfly Lightweight.
Metal Clip The most commonly used clip on Spyderco knives. They can be stainless steel or titanium and vary, including chrome or black plated clips, with or without holes, in several shapes and sizes. Our metal clips attach to the knife’s handle in a triangle pattern with barrel bolts or three-screws. Most adjust to customize carry positions and vary on different models.
Wire Clip A heat treated wire held in place on the scale by a screw or barrel bolt. Some wire clips are designed to carry deep in a pocket, some have a higher profile, positioning the knife higher and closer to the pocket’s edge.
Shackle Clip A spring-loaded barrel clip with a release pin positioned near the Spyderco Round Hole letting you unhook and open the folder in one motion without needing to rotate the knife in hand. It snaps through a loop for attachment to a PFD, spray skirt, harness, buoyancy equipment or carabineer. Found on the C30BK2 Remote Release2.
