C35 Q
C35 "Q" was created to be very lightweight. The scales and blade are "skeletonized". Simple to construct and easy to have different blades designs. Introduced in 1996 it was awarded Blade magazine's knife of the year. Production started in 1997 with the Spyderco Bug in the blade and continued for a few years. The initial name for the Q was the Silhouette.
Appearance in catalogs
Designer
History, mentionings from the forums etc.
Why the Q?
Built to be very lightweight (34g or 1.2 oz) the Q also brought a small and rather inexpensive platform for customization and since many blade designs were possible, it would become a marketing tool for companies. It would also be used to recognize employees for various companies and given away as prizes and the such.
Innovations
New Patent was for the "spring lock". Essentially a formed piece of wire that rests in the scales and the wire fits into a notch in the blade tang that locks it in the open or closed position. The clip was also formed piece of wire that was located in holes in the scales. The holes were constructed for 4-way carry.
Information from the Spyderco catalog on the web
Variations
Initially the FRN handle was built in a 'sculpted' design. Where the scale was a little wider in the middle and narrower at the top and bottom. The next generation of handle the sides were flat. Also an additional pin was added at the top of the scales near the lock. It is unknown exactly how many variations of blade design were created. The exists pictures for more than 50 blade variables. Many were done with different color handles. Quantities also varied greatly between variations. From prototypes where 1 or 2 exist, very small quantities of 25 up to thousands for companies like REI and EMS. SE is the most common edge although PE was available as requested by the companies ordering them. They can vary for each company, some varieties included both edge configurations. CE was also available, but rarely see on the regular blade. A Sheepsfoot Blade was available on two versions that were only done in CE. One PE sheepsfoot was done in a solid blade. The C35 Q was available in the following FRN colors: Black, Red, Green, Grey and Blue.
Most collectible variation
With the C35 Q it's more a question of which variation is NOT very collectable. Considering the amount of people collecting the Q and how few was made of some of them, it's impossible to say which is the most collectible. The least collectible seems to be the regular Bug in blade Q and the one with HK in the blade. Both of these appear pretty often and never really bring the really high prices. Most of the others seems to command a premium whenever they appear for sale.
Questions regarding collecting the C35 Q
Technical information
Typical metric measurements in mm and grams. Again, a table is the preferred method:
| Length overall | Length closed | Length edge | Hole Ø | Blade thickness | Weight |
Typical imperial measurements in inches and ounces. Same as above:
| Length overall | Length closed | Length edge | Hole Ø | Blade thickness | Weight |
References
