Spyderco byte - August 2017

The Spyderco byte August 2017 e-newsletter was sent out on 31 August 2017, and it contained the following articles.

C63GP4 Chinook 4

MSRP: $339.95

Origin: JAPAN

Master at Arms James A. Keating was one of the pioneers of modern defensive knife training. A lifelong martial artist with high-level instructor certification in many different disciplines, as an author, videographer, and contributing editor to Fighting Knives and Full Contact magazines in the 1990’s, he was one of the first instructors to demystify knife-based personal-defense and offer sound, logical instruction to the public.

In addition to his exceptional skills as a practitioner and instructor, Keating also has a keen insight into the nuances of martial knife design and has personally designed a number of highly acclaimed fixed blades and folding knives. After one of Spyderco’s founders, Sal Glesser, attended Keating’s legendary “Riddle of Steel” training camp in the late 1990’s, he was so impressed that he invited Keating to design a knife for Spyderco. Released in 2000, that knife—the original Chinook folder—was a groundbreaking achievement in tactical folding knife design.

As one of the foremost modern authorities on the martial use of the Bowie Knife, Keating wanted to distill the quintessential qualities of the classic American Bowie into an all-purpose cutting tool suitable for everyday carry. The first-generation Chinook did exactly that, boasting a thick, clip-point Bowie blade, an extremely stout back lock mechanism, and a single-position pocket clip configured for right-side tip-down carry. Early production of this distinctive design had blades crafted from CPM® 440V stainless steel, while later knives featured CPM S30V® blades. All were hollow ground with thick spines for an impressive balance of edge geometry and strength.

The original Chinook attracted a devoted following among martial artists, self-defense practitioners, and other knife users who valued extreme strength in their cutting tools. Although impressively strong, the first-generation design was also somewhat heavy, so in 2003 Spyderco refined it to yield the Chinook II. Its hollow-ground blade had an even longer concave clip point and was paired with a narrower handle that accommodated a four-position pocket clip. Three years later, the Chinook was once again revamped to yield the Chinook 3, which featured a full-flat-ground blade with a distal taper to further reduce its weight and enhance its deft balance.

Despite their improvements, the Chinook 2 and 3 were still heavy for folding knives and did not fully realize Keating’s dreams of a light, exceedingly fast folding Bowie. The reason for their weight was to support the “back cuts”—inverted, clawing strokes with the tip of the blade—that Keating used in his Bowie Knife system. To withstand the rigors of these tactics, the knife needed an exceedingly strong lock. While the stout back lock used in the original versions definitely met this challenge, it also required the knife to be rather heavy.

In 2014, Spyderco introduced the PowerLock™ in our impressive Tatanka™ model. The extreme strength of that lock immediately inspired thoughts of incorporating it into other designs—including the venerable Chinook. That powerful combination proved to be the key to realizing Keating’s original visions for the Chinook design and inspired the all-new Chinook 4.

Leaner, sleeker, and quicker than its predecessors, the Chinook 4 truly realizes the original intent of Keating’s landmark design. Its sinuous lines are highlighted by its dramatically swept clip-point blade, which is crafted from American-made CPM S30V stainless steel. Its full-flat grind creates a distal taper and impressive edge geometry while enhancing the knife’s quick, lively balance. Although the concave clip is not sharpened, when supported by the high-strength PowerLock, it is still capable of the cat-like back-cut tactics that are characteristic of Keating’s Bowie method.

Although the Chinook 4 maintains the signature handle shape of the original design, which “brackets” the hand for a rock-solid grip, its leaner, narrower profile offers improved ergonomics, maneuverability, and reach. Its construction features skeletonized full stainless steel liners, a stainless back spacer, and high-traction textured G-10 scales. This sturdy framework provides a solid foundation for the knife’s patented PowerLock—an advanced lock mechanism that operates like a conventional back lock, yet offers far greater strength.

Completely ambidextrous in every respect, the Chinook 4 includes a fully accessible Trademark Round Hole™ in the blade and a reversible hourglass clip that provides convenient left or right-side tip-up carry. The handle also has a lined lanyard hole to allow the easy attachment of lanyards and fobs.

Designed by a martial arts legend to honor an iconic element of American history, the Chinook 4 is a truly remarkable knife with a very proud heritage. It really does distill the key qualities of the Bowie Knife into a practical, everyday-carry format while showcasing the state-of-the-art in folding-knife lock technology.

Overall: 8.89 in / 226 mm

Blade: 3.89 in / 99 mm

Edge: 3.68 in / 93 mm

Weight: 5.6 oz / 159 g

Grind: Full-Flat

Origin: JAPAN

Inside The PowerLock

First introduced in 2014 in Spyderco’s Tatanka model, the revolutionary PowerLock is a brilliantly simple lock mechanism that combines the ease of operation and robust spring leverage of the traditional back lock with the extreme mechanical strength of modern lock designs based on an upward-facing tang ramp.

The classic back lock mechanism uses a nearly square notch in the tang of the blade and a pivoting rocker-style bar with a matching “lug” at the front end and a strong leaf spring at the rear end. The leaf spring exerts constant upward pressure (toward the spine of the knife) on the underside of the rear end of the lock bar, which pivots vertically on a pin through its center. The spring pressure and the pivoting action of the lock bar cause the forward end of the bar to exert downward pressure against the blade’s tang. When the blade is opened, this downward pressure drives the lug of the lock bar into the notch in the tang, wedging it in place and locking the blade securely.

When properly executed, the back lock can be very strong, but its strength is always focused on the relatively small tab of steel at the back of the blade’s tang notch.

Many modern folding knife locks use an upward-facing ramp (when the blade is open, the ramp faces upward, toward the spine of the knife) on the tang of the blade as a bearing surface. The ramp can be angled forward—as in the Ball Bearing Lock™ and Bolt Action Lock—or angled across the thickness of the blade—as in the Compression Lock™. Either way, the ramp works in concert with some type of movable part driven by spring pressure to create a “wedging” force against the ramp that locks the blade securely open. Although all of these locks work extremely well, the common limiting factor of their designs is the spring pressure and the relatively short travel distance of the “wedging” component. While a strong spring ensures a greater wedging action and a more reliable lock-up, it can also make releasing the lock much more challenging. Most locks of this type are therefore a calculated compromise between spring strength and ease of operation.

The PowerLock solves this problem in a unique way. Like Spyderco’s Ball Bearing Lock, it utilizes a tang ramp that slopes upward toward the tip of the blade. Adjacent to the ramp is a solid steel cam with a “finger” that extends down to wedge against the tang ramp. The cam pivots on a steel pin and has a C-shaped cutout in it that holds the forward end of the knife’s lock bar, which looks very similar to that of a conventional back lock mechanism. When the knife is viewed from the obverse side (knife speak for edge down, point to the left), the PowerLock works like this: The leaf spring under the rear end of the lock bar applies constant upward pressure, causing the lock bar to pivot on its pivot pin so its front end applies downward pressure. The front end of the lock bar is captive in the C-shaped cutout of the cam, so the lock bar’s downward pressure makes the cam turn clockwise around its pivot. When the knife’s blade is opened and the cam is allowed to turn clockwise, the finger at the bottom of the cam wedges against the tang ramp and locks the blade very securely.

To unlock the knife, simply apply downward pressure to the lock release at the rear end of the lock bar. This raises the front end of the lock bar and causes the cam to rotate counterclockwise. When the finger of the cam rotates far enough to leave the tang ramp, the blade is unlocked and can be closed. As the blade closes, the constant spring pressure of the cam’s finger on the circumference of the blade’s tang slows the blade’s movement to allow it to close in a controlled manner. When the blade is fully closed, the cam’s finger drops into a notch in the tang of the blade where its constant pressure serves as both a self-close and detent mechanism to keep the blade safely closed, as well as providing controlled resistance during the opening process.

The ingenious PowerLock mechanism harnesses the spring strength and leverage of the classic back lock and applies them to a more modern lock geometry to achieve a superior balance of lock strength and ease of operation. Although the PowerLock was originally showcased in the magnum-sized Tatanka folder, scaling it down to fit the Chinook 4 truly shows the potential of this remarkable mechanism and should pave the way for its use in other designs in the future.

Insider: The Show Must Go On

SIn late July, members of the Spyderco Crew traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to share our products at the Outdoor Retailer (OR) Summer Market trade show. The largest outdoor sports show of its kind, the OR Summer Market draws retailers and media members from around the world to see the very latest outdoor sports gear, apparel, footwear and accessories for every area of interest, including adventure travel, backpacking, camping, hiking, climbing, mountaineering, cycling, mountain biking, fishing, fly fishing, watersports, and many others. Show attendees eagerly flocked to the Spyderco booth to see our latest knives and sharpeners and get copies of our latest product guides and press kits.

This was the last year that the OR Summer Market will be held in Salt Lake City. Next year it will move to our backyard—Denver—and we look forward to making it an even more important part of our busy trade show circuit.

In early September our Crew will be on the road again, this time to Las Vegas to exhibit at the ninth annual Usual Suspect Network (USN) Gathering. Organized by the members of the USN internet forum (www.usualsuspect.net), “The Gathering” is an incredibly popular consumer event and an outstanding opportunity to meet and greet with famous custom makers, manufacturers, dealers, and other knife and gear enthusiasts from all over the world. The “G9” will be held September 1-2, 2017 at Planet Hollywood. For more information, visit https://usngathering.com/. We hope to see you there!