FB14 Swick

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The FB14 Swick was designed by Sal Glesser and the concept grew out of the FB08 Spot model, which also incorporates an oversized Fred Perrin index finger hole. It's name is a combination of "Swift" and "quick".

Appearance in catalogs

The FB14 Swick 5 and Swick 6 have appeared in the following catalogs:

Designer

Sal Glesser

History, mentionings etc. from the forums

About 22+ years ago, while working with Fred Perrin, I was intrigued with his "finger Ring" Concept. Fred is a brilliant designer and a very smart guy. I recognize that Fred designed the "Finger Ring" so you could "park" the knife, to free your fingers, without re-sheathing. But another very important feature of this concept is that the knife now becomes part of your hand. Fred figured this out very early on and he designed a self defense knife called "La Grif". Little more than a short blade, a finger Ring and a lanyard to make up the balance of the handle. Fred is a minimalist and "La Grif" certainly was that.

Fred's model was knocked off by many over the years, with few giving him credit for his brilliant concept. (FYI, Spyderco has paid Fred a Royalty for every "Finger Ring" knife I designed over the past decades).

I learned a bit about "defanging the snake", (Knocking a knife out of an opponents hand) while taking the "Riddle of Steel" with the Great James Keating, the concept stuck. While getting MBC pointers from Michael Janich, another brilliant designer and very smart guy, Mike taught me a number of ways to "defang the snake". This is a very important concept when thinking of using a blade for self defense. Michael was Spyderco's instructor in Martial Blade Craft and he taught classes at Spyderco. BTW, Michael still teaches through his Martial Blade Concepts school.

I realized that the most important thing about using a knife for self defense is to not drop the knife. The first model that I designed was a neck knife, using Fred's"Finger Ring" with a bit more handle than his "La Grif". It was called the "SPOT". (Self Protection Option Tool). We did a few runs and I learned quite a bot about what I was doing. We couldn't sell the knife in the UK because it is illegal to defend yourself in the UK. So I don't call the Swicks a dedicated SD knife. Which is good because it has a lot of other features that have nothing to do with self Defense.

Then I designed a couple of Diving knives using the "Finger Ring", again, to avoid dropping the knife into the deep. These too were offered as production models to the general market. One with a point and one pointless?

The next chapter was to design the Swicks. (Swift + Quick = Swick). I designed versions 1 through 5 using different blade shapes and Finger Ring sizes, made about 500 each and sold them consumer direct to get feedback. Once satisfied, I designed the Swick 5 & 6 and we went into production. Micheal's Wharncliffe blade shape and Fred's Finger Ring and sal's ergos. I should have called it the "Perrich" (Perrin & Janich), but Swick sounded more marketable.

The knife can be held in your pocket with your finger in the Ring. The sheath can be "popped" off with the thumb so two hands are not necessary to free the blade. It can also be used as a neck knife or a clipped to a belt.

Then we ran into sheath mfg issues that took a llooonngg time to solve. My apologies. Just some history to share. [1]

Information from the Spyderco catalog on the web

FB14 Swick

Swift & Quick: The 2009 Swick is a limited 500 piece run at the request of customers who loved the original Swick which sold and was eventually discontinued several years ago. The revival, like the original, is designed by Sal Glesser. Its shape, and large index finger hole are inspired by the French knife designer Fred Perrin. Palm-sized, the fixed-blade's skeletal handle comes without handle scales. This allows the user to create/add a personalized handle or cord wrap. Unique to the model is the index finger hole, a Perrin feature. Placing the index finger through the hole keeps the knife retained in grip, freeing up fingertips to grasp while holding the knife in a cut-ready position. Made from a solid piece of tumble-finished CPM-S30V stainless steel the blade is a Wharncliffe shape, fully-flat ground with The Spyderco Trademark Round Hole. The Swick does not come with a sheath, leaving carry options and sheath design open for the decision and preference of its owner.


The FB14P Swick in Spyderco's online catalog.


FB14 Swick2

Spyderco often revives a previously discontinued model, offers it with different materials or a design alteration and makes it available again for a short time or in a limited number. Our latest is the Swick2.


Swift & Quick: The original Spyderco Swick was developed for fast deployment and lightweight carry. The latest revival holds true to the original but with CPM S30V blade steel. The Swick2 is a limited 600 piece run with design elements from both SpydercoG??s Sal Glesser and French knife designer Fred Perrin. Perrin, best known for adding an over-sized index finger hole to his fixed blades, uses this on the Swick. Once the finger is through the hole, the knife is safely retained in the closed hand until the finger is removed. This frees up the fingertips for using/grasping while still holding the knife in a cut-ready position.


Palm-sized, the fixed-bladeG??s handle is skeletal without scales allowing the user to create/add a personalized handle or cord wrap. Made of a solid piece of tumbled-finished CPM S30V stainless steel the blade has a Leaf-shape, fully-flat ground with The Spyderco Round Trademark Hole.


The Swick is sold without a sheath or scales leaving carry options and sheath design up to the preference of its owner.


The FB14P2 Swick2 in Spyderco's online catalog.


FB14 Swick3

The original Swick was developed for fast deployment, lightweight carry, and an incredibly secure ergonomic grip. The new Swick3 is the result of Spyderco’s Constant Quality Improvement (C.Q.I.) process and provides an outstanding grip while offering even greater versatility and strength. Designed by Sal Glesser, the Swick series features a large index-finger hole—a feature developed by custom knifemaker Fred Perrin. Placing your index finger through the hole locks the knife securely into your grip and greatly reduces the possibility of it being dropped or dislodged during use. It also allows you to keep the knife in your hand while freeing your fingers to perform other tasks. The Swick3’s enhanced finger-hole design is larger and is complemented by jimping on the adjacent top and bottom surfaces of the tang. These refined ergonomics make the Swick3 even more versatile and secure during use.

The Swick3 is crafted from a solid piece of premium CPM S30V steel and is skeletonized to reduce weight without sacrificing strength. The blade features a full-flat-ground wharncliffe profile and a handsome tumbled finish. Although it is perfectly functional as is, the Swick3 now features pin holes for easy attachment of handle scales or paracord wrap. It is purposely sold without a sheath or scales to allow you to customize it to meet your personal needs. Made in the USA from premium US materials, the Swick3 proudly features Spyderco’s Trademark Round Hole.


FB14 Swick 4

The original Swick™ was developed for fast deployment, lightweight carry, and an exceptionally secure ergonomic grip. The result of Spyderco’s relentless Constant Quality Improvement (C.Q.I.) process, the Swick 4 is a highly refined expression of the original concept that offers even greater versatility and strength. Like its predecessors, the Swick 4 was designed by Sal Glesser and features a large index-finger hole—a feature pioneered by custom knifemaker Fred Perrin. Placing your index finger through the hole locks the knife securely into your grip and greatly reduces the possibility of it being dropped or dislodged during use. It also allows you to keep the knife in your hand while freeing your fingers to perform other tasks. The Swick 4’s enhanced finger-hole design is larger and is complemented by jimping (textured grooves) on the thumb ramp to further enhance grip control during use.

The Swick 4 is precision machined from a solid piece of high-performance CPM® S30V® powdered metallurgy stainless steel. It features a full-flat-ground leaf-shaped blade for superior edge geometry and a skeletonized tang to minimize weight without sacrificing strength. The ergonomic handle is slim and perfectly functional in its bare state, but also features pin holes for easy attachment of handle scales or paracord wrap.

Every Swick 4 comes complete with a custom-molded Boltaron™ sheath and a G-Clip™ attachment. The versatile G-Clip is angle adjustable and can be mounted to either side of the sheath, providing a full range of belt or inside-the-waistband carry options.[2]


FB14 Swick 5 Small

Designed by Spyderco founder Sal Glesser and inspired by the groundbreaking innovations of French knifemaker Fred Perrin, the Swick is a purpose-designed personal-defense tool. Its most distinctive feature is a Perrin-inspired index-finger hole that locks the knife into the user’s hand for superior grip security.

Sized for a smaller hand, the 0.91-inch-diameter (23.1mm) hole is flanked by a full-flat-ground Wharncliffe blade and a full-tang, pistol-grip-style handle. Concealed internal pins secure a pair of peel-ply-textured scales to the handle, and a strategically placed section of jimping (textured grooves) on the spine provides a non-slip thumb ramp.

Made from ultra-corrosion-resistant LC200N, the Swick is accompanied by a custom-molded Boltaron® sheath with a fully adjustable G-Clip™ and breakaway ball chain to offer a full spectrum of carry options.[3]


FB14 Swick 5 Large

Designed by Spyderco founder Sal Glesser and inspired by the groundbreaking innovations of French knifemaker Fred Perrin, the Swick is a purpose-designed personal-defense tool. Its most distinctive feature is a Perrin-inspired index-finger hole that locks the knife into the user’s hand for superior grip security.

Sized for a man’s hand, the 1.03-inch-diameter (26.1mm) hole is flanked by a full-flat-ground Wharncliffe blade and a full-tang, pistol-grip-style handle. Concealed internal pins secure a pair of peel-ply-textured scales to the handle, and a strategically placed section of jimping (textured grooves) on the spine provides a non-slip thumb ramp.

Made from ultra-corrosion-resistant LC200N, the Swick is accompanied by a custom-molded Boltaron® sheath with a fully adjustable G-Clip™ and breakaway ball chain to offer a full spectrum of carry options.[4]

Variations

The FB14 Swick is made in Golden, Colorado and features:

  • Fred Perrin inspired oversized index finger hole.
  • Skeletal handle without scales
  • Stone-washed finish
SKU Blade Profile Edge Steel From/To MSRP Note Number made Grind Sheath Collectors club
FB14P Wharncliffe PE CPM-S30V Dec. 2005/Jan. 2006 "Swick" laser engraved on blade. Was considered as the 2005 Spyderco Forum knife (the C102 Adventura was chosen instead). Sold through Spyderco's dealer network. No Spyderco round hole on blade. Despite being a new model and SKU with no alternate configurations, the Collector's Club version is labeled as a Variant instead of Main. 480[5] Full Flat Kydex neck sheath Variant
FB14P Wharncliffe PE CPM-S30V Apr. 2009 $39.95 (2009) sprintrun Sold only through the SFO. Slightly thinner and lighter than original release.[6] Also adds the trademark Spyderco round hole on the blade, but omits the "Swick" laser engraving. 500 Full Flat None Not offered
FB14P2 Leaf Shaped Blade PE CPM-S30V Apr. 2010 $45.00 (2010) sprintrun, slight ergonomics change, adds jimping below index finger hole, two additional holes added to the tang for mounting of scales. 600 Full Flat None
FB14P3Z Wharncliffe PE CPM-S30V Oct. 2013 $49.95 (2013) Limited, A run of 500 is planned, with the option to produce more if demand is sufficient. 500 Full Flat None Variant
FB14P4 Leaf Shaped Blade PE CPM-S30V Sept. 2014 $69.95 (2014) Limited, A run of 500 is planned, with the option to produce more if demand is sufficient. 500 Full Flat Boltaron with G-Clip
FB14P5 Wharncliffe PE LC200N 2023 - $216.00 (2023) Identical to the FB14P5, but with a larger 1.03"/26.1mm hole diameter. Includes black peel ply G-10 scales. Limited Full Flat Boltaron with G-Clip and breakaway ball chain
FB14S5 Wharncliffe SE LC200N 2023 - $216.00 (2023) Identical to the FB14P6, but with a larger 1.03"/26.1mm hole diameter. Includes black peel ply G-10 scales. Limited Full Flat Boltaron with G-Clip and breakaway ball chain
FB14P6 Wharncliffe PE LC200N 2023 - $216.00 (2023) Identical to the FB14P5, but with a smaller 0.91"/23.1mm hole diameter "more appropriate to ladies' hands." Includes black peel ply G-10 scales. Limited Full Flat Boltaron with G-Clip and breakaway ball chain
FB14S6 Wharncliffe SE LC200N 2023 - $216.00 (2023) Identical to the FB14P5, but with a smaller 0.91"/23.1mm hole diameter "more appropriate to ladies' hands." Includes black peel ply G-10 scales. Limited Full Flat Boltaron with G-Clip and breakaway ball chain

Most collectible variation

There were 9 prototypes made with an engraving on the blade[7]:

SPYDERCO

Concept Model

"Swick"

5/05


There were also a few Rescue prototypes made with an engraving on the blade:[8]

RHR

Test

Nov 05

Questions regarding collecting the FB14

Some interesting questions we are looking for an answer to:

Questions with an answer:

Technical information

Measurements (mm and grams) of the FB14 Swick:

Variation Length overall Length blade Length edge Hole Ø Blade thickness Weight
FB14P (original) 141mm 54mm 54mm 23mm 4mm
FB14P (sprintrun) 141mm 54mm 54mm 23mm 3mm 40g
FB14P2 149mm 60mm 60mm 23mm 3mm 48g
FB14P3 147mm 59mm 59mm 26mm 3.7mm 60g
FB14P5 149mm 69mm 61mm 26.1mm 3.0mm 54g
FB14P6 149mm 69mm 61mm 23.1mm 3.0mm 54g

Measurements (inches and ounces) of the FB14 Swick:

Variation Length overall Length blade Length edge Hole Ø Blade thickness Weight
FB14P (original) 5.563" 2.125" 2.125" 0.906" 0.157"
FB14P (sprintrun) 5.563" 2.125" 2.125" 0.906" 0.125" 1.4oz
FB14P2 5.875" 2.375" 2.375" 0.906" 0.125" 1.7oz
FB14P3 5.77" 2.31" 2.31" 1.028" 0.145" 2.1oz
FB14P5 5.87" 2.73" 2.40" 1.03" 0.118" 1.9oz
FB14P5 5.87" 2.73" 2.40" 0.91" 0.118" 1.9oz

References

Pictures

FB14 Swick (original w/ sheath), sprintrun, and Swick2


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