Post by Lobster on Mar 28, 2016 22:36:47 GMT 3
I bought this small SR Tadpole branded knife from AE in 2015 on a whim, I was intrigued by the design in general and the locking mechanism in particular. I only learned later that the design is actually a copy of the discontinued Spyderco Poliwog.
At 85 grams, 14.2 cm overall length and 7mm thickness this is easily the smallest knife I have. The handle is made from skeletonized steel slabs and the general fit & finish suggest a much higher retail price than the 7$ I paid. The spacer on the handle has good looking and functional jimping that extends well into the spine of the blade, the screws are fitting perfectly and there are no sharp edges or points on the handle. The left & right side tip up clip is well made and allows for about 10mm of the knife to protrude when carried in a pocket. The Tadpole comes with a cheap nylon pouch with a velcro fastener to carry the knife on a belt.
The 2mm thick drop point blade is advertised as 440 Steel without any details. The blade is hollow ground and has a swedge grind extending mid-spine to the tip. The well defined belly make it a great slicer. Unlike the original, the copy has jimping on the spine way past the opening hole. Due to its small size and strong detent, this knife needs practice to be opened one handed. The blade moves smoothly but the spring tension of the locking mechanism give it some resistance. There is no play in any direction and the blade is perfectly centered.
The lock is a very interesting concept I had never seen before. In essence it works like an axis lock, Spyderco called it the ball bearing lock because they used a steel sphere to lock the blade in place, SR uses a cylindrical pin instead. In any case, it is a very solid locking mechanism, easy to unlock with your finger tips and truly ambidextrous. The spring tension of the lock also keeps the blade firmly closed. Out of the box it was reasonably sharp, it takes a keen edge but needs frequent honing.
Due to its size this knife doesn’t get much use beyond light cutting tasks but I have plenty of other blades to do the heavy lifting. It is surprisingly comfortable to hold, the finger choils let it fall into a secure grip with a solid choke up of the blade. Combined with the jimping I find this knife offers great blade control for detailed work like cutting gaskets and paper templates. I like to carry this knife because it is so small and light and it is not attracting much attention when used in public. I would certainly buy it again.
At 85 grams, 14.2 cm overall length and 7mm thickness this is easily the smallest knife I have. The handle is made from skeletonized steel slabs and the general fit & finish suggest a much higher retail price than the 7$ I paid. The spacer on the handle has good looking and functional jimping that extends well into the spine of the blade, the screws are fitting perfectly and there are no sharp edges or points on the handle. The left & right side tip up clip is well made and allows for about 10mm of the knife to protrude when carried in a pocket. The Tadpole comes with a cheap nylon pouch with a velcro fastener to carry the knife on a belt.
The 2mm thick drop point blade is advertised as 440 Steel without any details. The blade is hollow ground and has a swedge grind extending mid-spine to the tip. The well defined belly make it a great slicer. Unlike the original, the copy has jimping on the spine way past the opening hole. Due to its small size and strong detent, this knife needs practice to be opened one handed. The blade moves smoothly but the spring tension of the locking mechanism give it some resistance. There is no play in any direction and the blade is perfectly centered.
The lock is a very interesting concept I had never seen before. In essence it works like an axis lock, Spyderco called it the ball bearing lock because they used a steel sphere to lock the blade in place, SR uses a cylindrical pin instead. In any case, it is a very solid locking mechanism, easy to unlock with your finger tips and truly ambidextrous. The spring tension of the lock also keeps the blade firmly closed. Out of the box it was reasonably sharp, it takes a keen edge but needs frequent honing.
Due to its size this knife doesn’t get much use beyond light cutting tasks but I have plenty of other blades to do the heavy lifting. It is surprisingly comfortable to hold, the finger choils let it fall into a secure grip with a solid choke up of the blade. Combined with the jimping I find this knife offers great blade control for detailed work like cutting gaskets and paper templates. I like to carry this knife because it is so small and light and it is not attracting much attention when used in public. I would certainly buy it again.