C69 Lil' Temperance

The C69 Lil' Temperance started as a folding version of the Temperance fixed blade design.

Appearance in catalogs

The C69 Lil' Temperance appears in the following catalogs:

2002 Spyderco Product Guide (C69GP and C69GP2)
2003 Spyderco Product Guide (C69GP, C69GS, C69GP2 and C69GS2)
2004 Spyderco Product Guide (C69GP and C69GS)
2017 Spyderco Product Guide (C69GP3)
2018 Spyderco Product Guide (C69GP3)
2019 Spyderco Product Guide (C69GP3)
2022 Spyderco Product Guide (C69PBK3, C69SBK3)
2023 Spyderco Product Guide (C69PBK3, C69SBK3, C69BL3K390)
2024 Spyderco Product Guide (C69PBK3, C69SBK3, C69BL3K390)

Designer

Sal Glesser ^[1]

History, mentionings from the forums etc.

On the Spyderco forums:

Discusses the possibility that the serrated Lil' Temp 2 was never produced. Thread contains pictures of the other variations.

[Sal Glesser] explains the origin of the Lil' Temperance design (19 Apr 2022):

I'd been interested in knives all of my life. I've always paid attention to the use of a knife as a potential weapon. In 2000, I spent some time with Mr. James Keating.

Like Michael Janich and a few others, I think that the skill that they develop is art form carried by artists across centuries of teacher/student learning. Much like Martial Art styles, Kendo, Escrima and other Marital Blade styles, they are well thought out, practiced and taught. Michael has way more knowledge on this. He's a Master, in my opinion.

For me, James Keating's Riddle of Steel was a new and special experience. James is a good teacher and I learned a great deal. A bunch of knife afi's jump into jet boats and cruise up the Snake River to a camp. Rooms, food, and days of MBC. I met some great people and it was through those people that Mike and I met.

The Lil' Temperance trailing point (Rhino) was designed to fit James Keating "style" of trapping, and keep within a 3.0" blade limit. Designed for Forward grip edge down, the clip-holes and dimples on the handle were for rotation to Reverse Grip Edge Out. We also made a Leaf blade for more general use.

That was before I learned about P'Kal and Mike's style. The new model is an evolution of the original design, designed to be able to use the other grips. (all 4) FRN, bi-dectional grippy texture, 3" (The pro's say best to be around 3" blade length) thicker stout blade, leaf shape only (at this time). Full Flat grind. Don't know about trainers of other variations. It's just an evolved form of a blade concept for useful tough every day carry with a strong bend towards MBC. If there is interest, we can, with the FRN handle, create a variety of variations. If I had to name it. I would call it a "Man Tooth".

For Michael's styles's, I would say go Yojimbo (or YoJumbo). His design works better for his style. It's a very refined style. I'm watching his designs develop and refine as well. It's an interesting design evolution. I'm looking forward to his new Micro, and anything he comes up with.

Just some inside info.^[2]

Information from the Spyderco catalog on the web

C69 Lil' Temperance/Lil' Temperance 2

"A little temperance is a good thing" -- Sal Glesser, Spyderco's founder.

The Lil' Temperance folder was designed to deliver high-performance, no-nonsense features needed for MBC or a heavily used EDC. Using the name 'Lil' is a play on words, as the features this model offer are those commonly found on large knives: An MBC strength rated, superior materials, ergonomics all in 'Lil' compact package.

Features include: A socially friendly three inches of CPM S30V blade that is flat-ground. By keeping the blade small to medium in size, the model draws less interest when taken out and used in public. It's also thicker than most production blades at 4mm, with the diameter of the Spyderco Round Hole enlarged to 14mm for big or gloved hands. Recessed contouring milled out of the green G-10 handle and a prominent quillion provide substantial grip surface with enough angles to really wrap the hand around, hold on tightly and muscle down while cutting. Because the folder is for heavy use and MBC applications it has a Compression Lock -- the strongest, highest weight bearing locking system Spyderco manufactures. To lessen wear and tear on a pocket, the clip is rolled along the edges and positions tip-up or down. Three indexing divots (these are mirrored on the opposite side of the handle as well) are for rotating hand-holds during MBC practice and drills. A real scrapper designed to be overworked and still fall within legal blade length limits in most municipalities.

Made in Golden, Colorado.

The C69 Lil' Temperance/Lil' Temperance 2 in Spyderco's online catalog.

C69 Lil' Temperance 3

"Spyderco’s original Lil’ Temperance and Lil’ Temperance 2 took the high-performance qualities of our iconic Temperance™ fixed blade and distilled them into a powerhouse folding knife. Now the Lil’ Temperance 3 revives this classic design in a leaner, simpler form that is ideal for both utilitarian and personal-defense use.

The Lil’ Temperance 3’s broad, leaf-shaped blade is full-flat ground from CPM S30V particle metallurgy stainless steel, giving it an incredible balance of strength, edge geometry, corrosion resistance, and low-friction cutting performance. Its minimal ricasso (the unbeveled portion of the blade near its base) maximizes the length of the cutting edge, while a fully accessible Trademark Round Hole™ allows high-speed one-handed opening of the blade with either hand.

Spyderco’s patented Compression Lock™ mechanism locks the blade securely open during use and also allows safe, easy, one-handed closing. This high-strength lock is built on a foundation of sturdy stainless steel liners nested into CNC-machined recesses in the handle’s textured G-10 scales. In keeping with the design’s original spirit as a potential personal-defense tool, each scale includes a single indexing “divot” that aligns precisely with the concave portion of the knife’s four-position pocket clip to provide a pivot axis for grip-change maneuvers. The clip itself is Spyderco’s time-tested hourglass design and can be easily configured for either left or right-side, tip-up or tip-down carry.

The Lil’ Temperance 3 is both a rebirth and a significant evolution of a true Spyderco classic. It faithfully honors the spirit of the original design, while incorporating a number of significant refinements that make it even more functional and capable."

The C69 Lil' Temperance 3 in Spyderco's online catalog.

Variations

The C69 Lil' Temperance uses

a Compression Lock
a small lanyard hole