Difference between revisions of "C12 Civilian"
Line 74: | Line 74: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[Kraton Civilian clip]] | |[[Kraton Civilian clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
| | | | ||
Line 81: | Line 80: | ||
|Tufram coated aluminium handle | |Tufram coated aluminium handle | ||
|[[SE]] | |[[SE]] | ||
|[[ATS-55]] | |||
| | |||
|N/A | |N/A | ||
|N/A | |N/A | ||
Line 87: | Line 87: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[Kraton Civilian clip]] | |[[Kraton Civilian clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
| | | | ||
Line 94: | Line 93: | ||
|Tufram coated aluminium handle | |Tufram coated aluminium handle | ||
|[[PE]] | |[[PE]] | ||
|[[GIN-1/G-2]] | |||
| | |||
|229,95$ | |229,95$ | ||
|N/A | |N/A | ||
Line 100: | Line 100: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[Kraton Civilian clip]] | |[[Kraton Civilian clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
| | | | ||
Line 108: | Line 107: | ||
|[[SE]] | |[[SE]] | ||
|align="left"|[[GIN-1/G-2]] | |align="left"|[[GIN-1/G-2]] | ||
| | |||
|N/A | |N/A | ||
|N/A | |N/A | ||
Line 113: | Line 113: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[3- screw old standard clip]] | |[[3- screw old standard clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
| | | | ||
Line 121: | Line 120: | ||
|[[SE]] | |[[SE]] | ||
|align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | |align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | ||
| | |||
|214,95$ | |214,95$ | ||
|N/A | |N/A | ||
Line 126: | Line 126: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[Half- moon clip]] | |[[Half- moon clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
| | | | ||
Line 134: | Line 133: | ||
|[[PE]] | |[[PE]] | ||
|align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | |align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | ||
| | |||
|N/A | |N/A | ||
|Extremely limited Japan only | |Extremely limited Japan only | ||
Line 139: | Line 139: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[Half- moon clip]] | |[[Half- moon clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
| | | | ||
Line 147: | Line 146: | ||
|[[SE]] | |[[SE]] | ||
|align="right"|[[VG-10]] | |align="right"|[[VG-10]] | ||
| | |||
|249,95$ | |249,95$ | ||
|Current one<ref name="current catalog"/> | |Current one<ref name="current catalog"/> | ||
Line 152: | Line 152: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[Half- moon clip]] | |[[Half- moon clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
| | | | ||
Line 160: | Line 159: | ||
|[[PE]] | |[[PE]] | ||
|align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | |align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | ||
| | |||
|229,95$ | |229,95$ | ||
|Right handed | |Right handed | ||
Line 165: | Line 165: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[Half- moon clip]] | |[[Half- moon clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
|[[Variant]] | |[[Variant]] | ||
Line 173: | Line 172: | ||
|[[PE]] | |[[PE]] | ||
|align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | |align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | ||
| | |||
|229,95$ | |229,95$ | ||
|Left handed | |Left handed | ||
Line 178: | Line 178: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[Half- moon clip]] | |[[Half- moon clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
|[[Variant]] | |[[Variant]] | ||
Line 186: | Line 185: | ||
|[[SE]] | |[[SE]] | ||
|align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | |align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | ||
| | |||
|229,95$ | |229,95$ | ||
|Right handed | |Right handed | ||
Line 191: | Line 191: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[Half- moon clip]] | |[[Half- moon clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
|[[Variant]] | |[[Variant]] | ||
Line 199: | Line 198: | ||
|[[SE]] | |[[SE]] | ||
|align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | |align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | ||
| | |||
|229,95$ | |229,95$ | ||
|Left handed | |Left handed | ||
Line 204: | Line 204: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[Half- moon clip]] | |[[Half- moon clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
|[[Variant]] | |[[Variant]] | ||
Line 212: | Line 211: | ||
|[[PE]] | |[[PE]] | ||
|align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | |align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | ||
| | |||
|N/A | |N/A | ||
|Right handed | |Right handed | ||
Line 217: | Line 217: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[Half- moon clip]] | |[[Half- moon clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
|N/A | |N/A | ||
Line 225: | Line 224: | ||
|[[PE]] | |[[PE]] | ||
|align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | |align="right"| [[ATS-55]] | ||
| | |||
|N/A | |N/A | ||
|Right handed | |Right handed | ||
Line 230: | Line 230: | ||
|[[Hollow grind]] | |[[Hollow grind]] | ||
|[[Half- moon clip]] | |[[Half- moon clip]] | ||
| | | | ||
|N/A | |N/A |
Revision as of 15:07, 8 March 2009
The Civilian is a knife with special qualities. It’s a collectors dream with all it’s variations, different steels, etc. Originally developed for self-defence the civilian is both beautiful with it’s Reverse "S" Blade and very useful if you have self-defence needs but no or little formal training. The C12 SKU is shared with it's little FRN Brother the Matriarch, which is also dealt with in this article.
Appearance in catalogs
The Civilian appears in the 2000 dealer's catalog[1], the 2001 dealer catalog[2], the 2002 dealer's catalog[3] and with the newer bladesteel (VG-10) in the 2003 dealer's catalog[4] The Matriarch appears in both the 2002 and 2003 catalogs.
Designer
Unknown at this time, probably Sal Glesser
History, mentionings from the forums etc.
A little info from Sal on Numbers of CF Civilians from the Spyderco- forum:
There is a change in the quantity of CF Civvies being made. From 500 to 1200. We learned when ordering began that 500 would not be enough. If 100 (half) collectors order all variations (4), that's 80% of the run. After Spyderco crew, there would not be any available for anyone else. I do not believe that this change will affect the long term value of the piece. Thank you for your kind understanding to this change sal[5]
A thread about the Matriarch on the Spyderco forums [6]
Information from the Spyderco catalog on the web
"In the 1990s Spyderco was approached by a specialized branch of U.S. law enforcement about making a knife for their undercover agents. These plain-clothes LEOs found themselves in situations where they often could not carry a firearm but carrying a knife was not a problem. Most had no formal training in self-defense tactics or MBC but as a last resort could use a blade to protect or extricate themselves from a life-threatening situation. This was how the Civilian model came to be. The Civilian has a patented reverse "S" blade that's intended to be used like an oversized claw. The tip is ground to an ultra-thin profile. Deeply curved and full at the belly, the VG-10 hollow-ground blade excels in slicing and is available fully SpyderEdged. Because of its distinctly specialized features it is not intended or designed for general utility or everyday use. Curved in all the right places for ergonomic use and retention of the knife, the handle is black G-10. Mounted for tip-down carry with a custom curved black clip, the knife rides deeply and unobtrusively in a pocket. One of the most specialized CLIPITS in the Spyderco line-up, the Civilian is available in limited quantities."[7]
Variations
The Spyderco C12 Civilian and Matriarch is a Spyderco that has been made in several variations. All made in Seki city in Japan. The Carbonfibre handled Civilian appears in many forms with pouch or box, numbered and unnumbered. In addition, there's also a slight difference in how the handles are put togheter. Some are all screw construction and some are partially screwed and pinned. It has not been possible to figure out why that is or where the change occured. There seems to be no system to which is what. These are not listed as variants in the list here.
Variations of the Civilian
SKU | Handle | Edge | Steel | From/To | MSRP | Note | Number made | Grind | Clip | Clip positions | Collectors club |
C12S | Original first civilian in untreated aluminum with Kraton inlay in handle and in clip |
SE | GIN-1/G-2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hollow grind | Kraton Civilian clip | Main? | ||
C12TUFS | Tufram coated aluminium handle | SE | GIN-1/G-2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hollow grind | Kraton Civilian clip | |||
C12TUFS | Tufram coated aluminium handle | SE | ATS-55 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hollow grind | Kraton Civilian clip | |||
C12TUFP | Tufram coated aluminium handle | PE | GIN-1/G-2 | 229,95$ | N/A | N/A | Hollow grind | Kraton Civilian clip | |||
C12GS | Black G10 handle | SE | GIN-1/G-2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hollow grind | 3- screw old standard clip | |||
C12GS | Black G10 handle | SE | ATS-55 | 214,95$ | N/A | N/A | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | |||
C12GP | Black G10 handle | PE | ATS-55 | N/A | Extremely limited Japan only | less than 100 | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | |||
C12GS | Black G10 handle reinforced tip | SE | VG-10 | 249,95$ | Current one[7] | N/A | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | |||
C12CFRHP | Carbonfibre handle numbered in pouch | PE | ATS-55 | 229,95$ | Right handed | N/A | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | Variant | ||
C12CFLHP | Carbonfibre handle numbered in pouch | PE | ATS-55 | 229,95$ | Left handed | 150 | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | Variant | ||
C12CFRHS | Carbonfibre handle numbered in pouch | SE | ATS-55 | 229,95$ | Right handed | N/A | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | Variant | ||
C12CFLHS | Carbonfibre handle numbered in pouch | SE | ATS-55 | 229,95$ | Left handed | 150 | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | Variant | ||
C12CFRHP | Carbonfibre handle unnumbered in box | PE | ATS-55 | N/A | Right handed | N/A | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | N/A | ||
C12CFRHP | Carbonfibre handle numbered in box | PE | ATS-55 | N/A | Right handed | N/A | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | N/A |
Variations of the Matriarch
The Matriarch was initially made by request from the South African importer as a small, light and affordable knife for women for self-defence. The demand grew so strong in the US that there was a sprint run of grey Matriarch's before it came into regular production for the US market as well due to growing demand.
SKU | Handle | Edge | Steel | MSRP | Note | Number made | Grind | Clip | Clip positions | Collectors club |
C12SBK | Black FRN | SE | ATS-55 | N/A | Slightly smaller than the Civilian, original South African distributors model, no Boye dent. | N/A | N/A | Barrel bolt clip | Main | |
C12SGY | Grey FRN | SE | ATS-55 | N/A | Sprint run version made in low numbers. Slightly smaller than the Civilian. | 500 [8] | N/A | Barrel bolt clip | Variant | |
C12SBK | Black FRN | SE | VG-10 | N/A | Slightly smaller than the Civilian, regular run for the US. | N/A | N/A | Barrel bolt clip | Variant |
Most collectible variation
The C12S in bare aluminum or the C12GP in G10 are the two variations believed to be most collectible Civilians. The Carbon fiber Civilians are of course collectors items as well.
The C12SGY grey FRN Matriarch is the one believed to be the most collectible Matriarch, although there might be few of the ATS-55 Black matriarch in circulation as well.
Questions regarding collecting the C12
Some interesting questions we are looking for an answer to:
- Was there ever a G10 Civilian with the gin-1 steel and Boye dent?
- Was there ever a G10 Civilian with the ATS-55 steel without the Boye dent?
- Who designed the Civilian?
- How many made of the different knives?
Questions with an answer:
- Was there ever a Matriarch in Grey FRN with the VG-10 steel? No! [9]
Technical information
Typical measurements (mm and grams) of the C12 Civilian:
Length overall | Length closed | Length edge | Hole Ø | Blade thickness | Weight |
233 | 132 | 105 | 12 | 3 | 134 |
Typical measurements (Inches and ounces) of the C12 Civilian:
Length overall | Length closed | Length edge | Hole Ø | Blade thickness | Weight |
9 3/16" | 5 3/16" | 3 3/4" | 15/32" | 1/8" | 4,5 oz. |
References
- ↑ Spyderco's dealer catalog from 2000 is available for download here
- ↑ Spyderco's dealer catalog from 2001 is available for download here
- ↑ Spyderco's dealer catalog from 2002 is available for download here
- ↑ Spyderco's dealer catalog from 2003 is available for download here
- ↑ The entire thread containing Mr. Glesser's comment can be found here.
- ↑ Thread containing some information about the Matriarch can be found here.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The C12 Civilian in Spyderco's online catalog
- ↑ Found here
- ↑ Confirmed by Spyderco