Spyderco 2018 Mid-Year Product Guide Showcases New Collaborators

Spyderco dropped the 2018 Mid-Year Product Guide today, a major event for fans of the Golden, CO-based brand. The new models in the supplemental catalog can be as exciting as the product unveiled at SHOT and the Amsterdam Meet for many, and this year a bumper crop of fresh designs are on display.

Tropen
First-time Spyderco collaborator Javier Vogt comes out swinging with the over-the-top Tropen. It runs on ceramic ball bearings, and can be deployed one of three ways. A flipper tab and Emerson Wave Opener join the Spyderhole to provide the user with multiple opening options.

The Tropen will become the largest Compression Lock folder in Spyderco’s product lineup. Its 4-inch scimitar blade is fashioned from S30V steel and complimented by contoured G-10 handle scales on top of steel liners. Ergonomic details are kept simple, with a gently-curved handle a single finger groove for extra traction.

Drunken
Superstar designer Dmitry Sinkevich makes his Spyderco debut with the Drunken, which gets its name from the complex texture of its faceted carbon fiber front scale. But the premium touches don’t stop there. The Drunken brings a 3.5-inch S90V blade to bear, as well as a decorative oversized pivot and a bespoke pocket clip that echoes the angular, futuristic style Sinkevich is known for. Its titanium frame lock has a steel insert and an intricate pattern milled across the whole scale.

Salt 2 Wharncliffe
The Salt 2 is the rust-proof version of the Delica 4, and like its landlubber cousin it’s getting a wharncliffe makeover. Unlike the flat ground Delica 4 Wharncliffes, these Salt models come hollow-ground to better take advantage of H-1 steel’s unusual work-hardening properties. However, users will still have the option between serrations or a plain edge.

Province
Jim Ankerson is a name familiar to the knife community. Ankerson has contributed much to the study of blade steel performance, and in conjunction with Darrin Sanders has drawn up this work-ready fixed blade for Spyderco. The Province aims to fulfill any sort of camping or outdoor role, and its broad 6.7-inch bowie blade is made from high-end CPM 4V steel. This material is hard to find on production knives but stands out even among other super steels for particularly high cutting performance and durability.

Bow River
With the Bow River, Spyderco enters into a new market: budget fixed blades. This blade from Phil Wilson is a simple twist on the venerable bird and trout knife style. The Bow River has G-10 scales and 8Cr13MoV blade steel, but still manages to sport a durable construction, contoured scales, and a leather sheath.

New Byrd Colorations and Sprint Runs
The budget-oriented Byrd Line received some love, with the Cara Cara 2, Meadowlark 2, and Robin 2 all benefiting from expanded handle scale color options. Spyderco intends to keeps up the pace with its Sprint Runs and steel experimentation. A new Manix 2 Sprint with a brown/black G-10 ‘burl’ pattern and S90V steel is on its way, as are new Sprint Runs of the Military, Paramilitary 2, and Para 3 with CPM REX 45. The same Burnt Orange coloration as the popular HAP40 models appears on these two knives, as a nod to the fact that REX 45 is chemically equivalent to the Hitachi-produced HAP40.

Knife featured in image: Spyderco Tropen