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Australian Knife Maker Introduces Food Prep Folder with Spyderco Features

May 2, 2017

Australian knife maker Alistair Phillips has introduced a new model that incorporates Spyderco design features like the Round Hole and the Compression Lock. Since its reveal, the new blade has received admiration from Spyderco fans and even caught the eye of Spyderco founder Sal Glesser himself.

The still-unnamed knife began as a slipjoint concept, but eventually evolved into a modern folder with a Compression Lock. Its blade shape is a modified sheepsfoot reminiscent of Spyderco classics like the Stretch or the Centofante 3.

On the surface, EDC seems like the obvious role for the knife, but Phillips’ folder was primarily designed to be a folding kitchen knife. “I wanted a knife that I could use to prepare fresh vegetables and fruit,” Phillips tells us. Phillips arrived at the blade length of 3.5” after testing out different cutting lengths with various produce. “I was planning to be able to cut straight through them without needing a secondary cut,” he says. Phillips settled on the increasingly popular RWL34 blade steel for its corrosion resistance.

Phillips Food Prep Folder

The sweeping blade angle and culinary application also bring the SpydieChef to mind, but Phillips’ knife incorporates a forward finger choil, and its contoured carbon fiber body keeps it about half an ounce lighter at a svelte 3 oz.

Phillips points out that Spyderco’s Compression Lock is also an ideal locking mechanism for food prep applications. “The lock being up the back of the knife reduces the chance of food being pressed into the lock,” Phillips explains. As a small scale maker, Phillips licensed both the Compression Lock and Spyder Hole from Spyderco. Once he began posting images of the knife on the Spyderco Forum, Phillips says Sal Glesser weighed in with some advice. “There are a few other changes that were suggested by Sal, such as removing the bump at the tip of the blade to make it more pocket friendly and the addition of a lanyard hole.”

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Phillips, a part time maker, has been crafting knives since 1991. Though knife making isn’t a full-time gig, he is an active member of the Australian Knifemakers Guild and teaches courses in slipjoint construction at Tharwa Valley Forge. No production versions of the new folder have been announced at this point, but Phillips says we can expect a larger output from him in the years to come. “If this model really takes off I am going to be looking for ways to speed up the process. I am always looking at ways I can improve.”

Each folder is available for sale through Phillips’ social media channels and prices vary based on materials.

Knife featured in image: Alistair Phillips Food Prep Folder

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