A very neat little knife.
Had this 7 months now. Punches above its weight (and size). Possibly pricey for what you're getting. It's the K390 that sets it apart - a brilliant wear- and scratch-resistant steel and beautiful, with the misty-bronze patina it acquires. The belt-ground 30 degree-ish factory edge was sharp but rough, with uneven bevels - the right side a lot shallower than 15 degrees. Re-profiling was a tough journey. Finally got the bevels to a 15 degree mirror finish using a Triangle Sharpmaker, including CBN and ultra-fine stones and repeated stropping with green compound. No way could you re-profile this steel without CBN or diamond. Easily holds a 30 degree edge. Very slicey, with the blade's taper down to 1 mm back thickness near the tip. I don't want to put anyone off - this knife works absolutely fine out of the box. Simple sharpening will just put a micro-bevel onto it (possibly Spyderco's intension). Tarnishes VERY easily. Metal polish, including Flitz, Case Paste and Glanol, makes no impression. You really do need to keep water away from the tang and pivot. I broke the pivot in with NanoOil and then replaced that with White Lightning Crystal waterproof bike grease. Still runs as freely and is better protected from moisture. Ergos are good, with the finger choil and thumb ramp. The non-separable, linerless FRN handle is 8.75 mm thick (minus screw heads and clip). Is easy to dismantle and reassemble. The lock bar dent can be made a lot more thumb-friendly by softening the shoulders and edges with wet & dry and then polishing. Blade centering was a bit off - resolved by reducing the force of the clip, loosening all the screws and wrangling the FRN handle a bit. As if some residual stress had been released. (I would say try this first with any knife with a decentered blade.) For a no-mess alternative to threadlocker, try sewing thread. Lay a length of strong thread across the pivot screw hole, poke the centre down into the hole, screw in the pivot screw, adjust until the blade drops correctly and nip off the thread ends. The screw won't move between adjustments but moves freely when needed. Currently my favourite knife (with the Delica K390). Pity it's not EDC-able in the UK. As usual, the HH buying experience: quick & painless!
