Fox Revises Folding Mushroom Knife for 2022

Attention knife nerd mycologists, today’s story is for you. Fox Knives has partnered with Riccardo Gobbato of Raven Knives to update their 408 mushroom knife, creating the Spora, a new take on this specialized format that lives up to the Fox reputation for handsome design.

If you’re not familiar with the time-honored mushroom knife format, it usually consists of three main elements: a curved blade, a serrated spine for removing spores, and a brush on the back end, good for further dusting off of your fungoid haul. The Spora checks all of these boxes. Its 2.56-inch hawkbill blade is ready for the specialized cutting needs of a mushroom picker, and it’s made from 12C27N steel, a fine stainless of the middle tier that will hold an edge and, perhaps just as importantly in this role, accomplish wet, dirty jobs without succumbing to rust. There’s a cutout on the blade for two-hand opening and extra control while using the spine serrations, and a thumb stud at the base for convenient one-hand flick opening.

Compared to your standard, off the shelf mushroom knife, the Spora’s handle is elegant, roomy, as ergonomically considered as more typical modern folders. Fox also graced these working knives with 3D sculpted scales made from either olive or eucalyptus wood; and there are full stainless steel liners underneath, complete with a liner lock on the off-side.

Finally, you’ve got the bristle brush right where you’d expect it, mounted on the butt end of the knife. Less common, however, is the fact that this mushroom brush can fold in, just like the blade. This makes the Spora eminently portable, a trait Gobbato further emphasized with a pocket clip. This isn’t a knife you’ll need to get to in an emergency hurry, but it’s nice to have the option to carry this 3.53 oz. implement in the modern fashion if you so choose.

Gobbato keeps a pretty low profile on line, but 2022 looks like it might be his breakout year. On top of the Spora, he is also the designer of the Chnops modern folders, which Fox debuted earlier this year.

The Spora is available now.

Knife in Featured Image: Fox Knives Spora

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