C72 Pride

The C72 Pride was introduced in 2002 and was designed without a lock to meet stringent world-wide restrictions. This was Spyderco's first non-locking folder and uses the Navigator pattern. It can be customized with flag inserts for states, clubs, or customer logos. It was intended to be sold in airports, but 9/11 put an end to that market.

Appearance in catalogs

The C72 Pride appeared in the following catalogs:

• 2003 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2004 Spyderco Product Guide

History, mentionings from the forums etc.

• In this post on the Spyderco.com forum, from 5 May 2022, Sal Glesser shares some information on the design history of the Pride:

When I came up with the idea to make a series of knives that could be sold in Airports like the international spoons available in most airports, I thought it was a great innovation. I designed a slip-joint model of a blade length that would be available and legal all over the globe. Peter, our R&D manager, worked his *** off and designed all of the custom flags for all of the countries and possible customs, for clubs and other possibilities. We worked with our maker in Seki for quite a while to develop the design. We thought we had a winner! Just goes to show.

After we tooled up to the model and ordered all of the flags to be used, 9/11 happened and put the kabosh on our plans. Oh well, you can't win them all.

• C72 Pride review by Mr. Blonde, posted on 14 april 2004 on the Spyderco.com forum.

Information from the Spyderco catalog on the web

C72:

"In several countries throughout the world, folding knives which lock open have come under scrutiny and are being legally restricted. We've developed our C72 Pride to accommodate these restrictions.

Politically and socially friendly it has a 2 1/4" slip-joint blade of AUS-6 steel and a handle of brushed aluminum. Inlayed Into the handle is an embedded cloisonné enamel flag of your choice: USA, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Japan, France, Mexico, Israel, Sweden, South Africa, Diver or the Spyderco bug. Special order flags can also be produced for any country, state, city, corporate or group logo (minimum order 350). The Pride's lightweight cutout clip carries tip-down."

The C72 Pride in Spyderco's online catalog.

From a Spyderco Press release:

"Many countries of the world do not legally allow the carry of a folding knife with a blade that locks open. Prompted by this restriction Spyderco unveils the Pride, the first one hand open non-locking folder. Similar in function to traditional pocketknives of the turn of the century, the 2 _” (57mm) blade opens with a click and offers 10-20 pounds of resistance to closing. All resemblance to old-timer penknives ends there as the Pride blade has a modern modified-skinning shape, is made of premium AUS-6 stainless steel and available in a Plainedge or SpyderEdge configuration. The blade comes paired with a handle of brushed aluminum that has an embedded cloisonné enamel flag. Aptly named, the Pride is a showpiece of patriotism and available with flags from different countries. It is in the works for Spyderco to offer special order Pride models with personalized cloisonnés representing company and group logos. Handgrips in the handle offer ergonomic comfort and manipulation over the blade while cutting. A framed 3-screw clip, positions the folder for tip-down carry. Overall length is 5 5/8” (143mm), overall weight just 1.5 oz (43g) and the Manufacture’s Suggested Retail cost is $49.95. A creative gift-item, show your nationalistic pride and collect them all. For more information please contact Spyderco at P.O. Box 800, Dept____. Golden, Colorado 80402-0800. Phone: 800-525-7770, Fax: (303) 278-2229, Email: custsvc@spyderco.com"

Variations

The C72 Pride is made in Seki-City, Japan, and features:

• Notch Joint
• Flag or Logo Insert

SKU	Handle	Edge(s)	Steel	From/To	MSRP	Note	Number made	Grind	Clip	Clip positions	Collectors club
C72P	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	USA Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-AUS	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	Australian Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-CAN	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	Canadian Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-COL	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	Colorado Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-DEN	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	Danish Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	Diver Down (aka Scuba) Flag (red with white stripe from top left to bottom right)	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-FRA	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	French Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-GER	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	German Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-ISR	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	Israeli Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-JAP	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	Japanese Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-MEX	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	Mexican Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-SPY	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	Spyderco Bug logo	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-SWE	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	Swedish Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-ZA	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	South African Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-UK	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6	2002-2004	49.95$ (2002)	British Flag	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P-TNK	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6		49.95$ (2002)	True North Knives logo.	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD
C72P	Brushed Aluminum	PE	AUS-6		49.95$ (2002)	Confederate flag logo (this was a custom order).	N/A	Hollow	Silver	RH, TD

Most collectible variation

Questions regarding collecting the C72

Some interesting questions we are looking for an answer to:

Were any of these produced with custom logos?

Questions with an answer:

Technical information

Measurements (mm and grams) of the C72 Pride:

Variation	Length overall	Length closed	Length blade	Length edge	Hole Ø	Blade thickness	Weight
C72	149mm	88mm	57mm	49mm	12mm	2.5mm	62g

Measurements (inches and ounces) of the C72 Pride:

Variation	Length overall	Length closed	Length blade	Length edge	Hole Ø	Blade thickness	Weight
C72	5 5/8"	3 7/16"	2 1/4"	1 15/16"	15/32"	3/32"	2.2oz