Tag: knife blog

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The Police PIG (Pride Integrity Guts) Edition is a Fascinating Piece of Spyderco History

Recently, I found two surprisingly interesting and rare vintage Spyderco knives at a gun show. I am excited about these knives and the history they represent so I’ll be posting shorter than normal articles on both of them, starting with this unique edition of the classic Spyderco Police.

Just look at that classic Spyderco Police design that has made it one of the longest produced modern knives on the market.

Normally I don’t have much luck at gun shows, flea markets, and the likes. It seems that with eBay a click away, if someone an inkling of what a knife is they can look it up and find the highest price a niche collector was willing to pay for something at least similar… then price it right at that top dollar. At the same time that eBay can be a great market research tool for the collector, it can also mislead the non-collector.

In this instance, I was told that a detective was moving to California and couldn’t take his guns, knives, and ammunition with him. In a way that is sad, but it was an estate sale and the owner himself wasn’t actually there to tell me about his knives.

I noticed this knife first, because I have always been a fan of the stainless handled Spyderco Police. In fact, my uncle carrying one of these when I was young is one of the factors that got me interested in knives in the first place. It’s just such a classic design; the long slender blade, the sleek stainless steel handle, and the meant for business shape.

However, when I picked it up I knew right away it was something special. I’d heard of the “PIG” model only once or twice in my many wanderings of the Spyderco forums and Spyderco section on BladeForums, but it caught my eye right away. The blade has a factory, not aftermarket, engraving that reads:

Pride

Integrity

Guts

Being that the engraving is found on the Police model, it’s an easy connection to realize that this is an acronym for “PIG”. Apparently, this derogatory moniker for law enforcement officials has been turned on its head and made positive through this acronym. Being that Spyderco makes many models intended for first responder use and gives law enforcement and other first responders a significant discount, it’s no surprise that Sal (the founder and owner of Spyderco) decided to make a knife showing their support for police officers.

This interesting edition of the Police provides a great example of Spyderco’s willingness to make unique and quirky knives. It’s one of the characteristics of Spyderco that I most enjoy, and a large part of why I picked up this knife.

Another reason this knife is interesting and worth owning is because it is both old and rare. According to the Spyderco Wiki, this knife was produced between 1984 and 1986, and was one of the very first Police models released if not the very first. Also, it was made in relatively low numbers compared to today’s Spyderco run totals at 2400 made (with 80% being right handed, as mine is). All of this makes for an exceptionally old and rare knife.

Finally, it has aged well for being an almost 40 year old knife. It has what seems to be the factory edge, except for a blunted tip. The handle has scuffs as all stainless handles Spydercos do, but it doesn’t have any major gouges. The lockup is extremely solid, and opening and closing with one hand is easy and smooth. It’s just a great example of the fact that Spyderco has been making really good knives for a long time.

Check out the accompanying video, and don’t forget to subscribe to my channel!

Overall, I’m very happy to have found this piece of knife history in the Spydeco Police PIG edition. It’s an old, well made, and fun knife that’s made for use by people who rely on their knives for their lives. I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to check out the Spyderco Police PIG knife!

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts

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The Kifer Cutlery Classics GEC #97 Allegheny Proves Traditional Slipjoints are up to ANY cutting task!

This article will provide a short overview of the Great Eastern Cutlery #97 Kifer Cutlery Classics Special Factory Order Northfield Allegheny. I received this knife from Gary Kifer of CutleryClassics.com at the 2019 Rendezvous to have, test, and review. I was happy to get a user #97, as I thought it would make a great larger slipjoint carry.

I had some experience with the #97 Allegheny pattern through the Allegheny Mountain Knife Collectors Association 2019 club knife (you can find my article about that knife at this link). I really liked the knife from an aesthetic perspective, but because it is a club knife I reserved it as a collection piece. So I was excited, and looking forward to putting it through its paces, when Gary gave me this one.

The 2019 Allegheny Mountain Collectors Association club knife

To give you the run down on what the knife is; it’s a 4.75″ closed slipjoint with a saber ground clip point blade and coke bottle frame. You can learn more about the coke bottle pattern in my article on the #06 Pemberton at this link. The blade has a double pull, meaning it has both a long pull and a nail nick. The handles are Amber Jigged Bone. It has Cutlery Classics’ trademark shield. The bolster is engraved “23” out of a run of 99. All of these characteristics brought together make it a great reproduction of a vintage large coke bottle hunter.

GEC #29 Stockyard Whittler, LionSteel CollectorKnives WarHorse, GEC #97 Allegheny

GEC made several versions of the Allegheny pattern in this first run, with a bunch of handle materials and two different blade grinds, and I think this is one of the best of them.

Not everyone likes a saber grind or the double pull, but I really like its look and the fact that it hearkens back to vintage coke bottle hunters. Although the saber grind can sometimes slice less smoothly through dense materials than a full flat grind or high hollow grind, it has performed well on all kinds of tasks (from breaking down cardboard to gutting fish). I also like the practicality of having both the nail nick and long pull. The nail nick being at the end of the blade provides more leverage, while the long pull will remain above the frame (allowing the blade to be opened) long after the nail nick drops below the frame from sharpening and filing the kick. Of course, most people won’t sharpen the knife enough times for this to be relevant, but as these are heirloom quality knives it’s good to know it could be passed on and continued to be used for years to come.

I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I like the bone color and jigging pattern. The color is a nice malty wheat color, and I think it will continue to mellow and improve with age. I also really like the jigging, as it’s not as uniform as some of GEC’s jigging patterns and it actually provides some grippiness in the hand. Some people found the pull on these #97s to be lighter than they expected on such a big knife, and mine is light for a GEC at about a 4, but the action is very smooth and snappy with great walk and talk. On a user, I think there’s a balance between a pull being too strong to be convenient to open and too weak to keep the blade fully open in use. This knife falls nicely between.

Basically, it’s another well built and classic looking Great Eastern Cutlery that’s equally suited as a user or a collection piece.

I have used this knife a lot since getting it, and I’m enjoying it more and more. It’s certainly a big knife for a slipjoint, but I’ve found it easy to carry and it’s always nice to have that extra blade length. The #97 Northfield Kifer Cutlery Classics Special Factory Order is another top notch knife from Great Eastern Cutlery. If you’d like to get one for yourself, there are still some available on the Cutlery Classics site at this link. Thanks again to Gary for providing this one!

Here’s a video of the knives I got at the 2019 Rendezvous, starting where I talk about the #97
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Knife Thoughts at the 2019 Great Eastern Cutlery Rendezvous

This past weekend Great Eastern Cutlery held their yearly Rendezvous. It’s a combination of several things: a gathering of GEC enthusiasts, an open house, and (since 2018) a small knife show. I’ve gone the last 6 years, and always look forward to the trip. If you want to know more about the Rendezvous in general, checkout my article here:

Why All Traditional Knife Enthusiasts Should Attend the Great Eastern Cutlery Rendezvous

2019 is the second year GEC has offered tents and tables for collectors and vendors to set up displays, and this year I decided to set up as Knife Thoughts. I wasn’t sure that it was a good idea to set up a display, being that my collection and knowledge pale in comparison to that of many of the collectors who attend the Rendezvous, but I decided to go for it. I thought I could offer something worthwhile mainly by displaying the last 6 years (2019 inclusive) of Rendezvous Specials. In all the years I’d gone, I never saw any of the Rendezvous Specials displayed and I felt people would enjoy seeing them. I also wanted to display my Allegheny Mountain Knife Collectors Association club knives.

  • 2019 Rendezvous Special
  • 2019 Special Factory Assembly
If you want to know more about the parts knives, subscribe for updates via email, as I plan to write a short article explaining them.

After waiting in line all night and getting my 2019 Rendezvous Special and a Special Factory Assembly, I set up my first public knife display! I used a very nice stepped display given to me by my wife to display the Rendezvous Specials, a magnetic kitchen knife holder to display some fixed blades, and laid out many of my traditional pocket knives in a semblance of order.

Knife Thoughts display the 2019 GEC Rendezvous (and a little shirt flair)

It turned out to be a great experience! I had many people stop at my table to discuss the knives and GEC in general. I also got to see some old friends from previous Rendezvous, and meet many new friends. I got to meet and talk with Mike of Collector Knives, Austin of C. Risner / Traditional Pocket Knives, and Jamie of JSR Sports & More. I also got to see and talk with Ken of Blue Creek Cutlery / Maher & Grosh, as well as Gary of Kifer Cutlery Classics, whom I’ve seen at previous Rendezvous. It’s always a treat to get to discuss knives with others who share your enthusiasm for all things cutlery!

  • The line to get in at 7am just before they opened the doors
  • The Special Factory Assembly aka parts knives for 2019

I also learned a few things in the process. First, I should bring knives I plan to sell and have their prices pre-determined. Pretty much everyone who came to my table asked if I was selling. Even the knives I was willing to sell, I didn’t pre-plan pricing which made it awkward trying to give an asking price. Second, it would be easier to have a table and still be able to look around at the other displays with a partner to help watch. Thirdly, I should have a Knife Thoughts shirt and/or banner to help distinguish and identify my display (rather than just stickers). So not only was this Rendezvous a fun time, it was a learning experience to help improve Knife Thoughts displays at future shows.

A Special Factory Assembly #93 Lambfoot for Charlie Campagna
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A Note on Honesty, Negativity, and Enthusiasm in Knife Thoughts

I was just showing off the Spyderco Native Chief that I’m testing as part of a passaround facilitated by Rivers Edge Cutlery and a point came up that I wanted to address.

I realize that my articles often seem to shed an unrealistically positive light on the knives in question. I know that I rarely totally denounce a knife as a failure, and even often give counter arguments when I point out a negative characteristic of a knife.

There are a couple reasons for this tendency:

First, I generally know that I’ll like a knife before I buy it. What I mean by that is not that I’ve never been disappointed by the build quality of a knife or liked a feature less than I expected, but that I spend a lot of time (probably too much) researching and deliberating on what knives I want. This naturally weeds out most knives that would be likely to garner a truly negative review, because I know if there have been reports of quality issues and the like well before purchasing a knife.

Second, I am usually thoroughly excited to get a new knife and that can put a rosy tint on my perception of it. Being that I am a knife enthusiast through and through, getting almost any knife amounts to an overall good experience. Of course there are exceptions, but I generally find something to be happy with on a knife simply because I enjoy knives.

However, I try first and foremost not to allow my view of a knife and especially my published thoughts on a knife to be influenced by the manufacturer’s, dealer’s, owner’s, or general population’s expectations. I mean to give fully honest reviews based solely on my genuine feelings and experiences of the knife.

Authenticity is one of the core values of Knife Thoughts and I intend to ensure it remains a pillar of my writing and posting.

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Alert; HUGE Knife Law News!

May 30 2019 is a day to celebrate for the whole knife community! A landmark battle has been won in New York. Today Governor Andrew Cuomo repealed the gravity knife ban.

Even small and totally innocuous knives like these could bring charges of “Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree” under the Gravity Knife Ban

The gravity knife ban, in effect since the 1950s, made it illegal to posses any knife that could be opened by “gravity or centrifugal force” and locked into place. The intentional vagueness allowed this definition to be applied to nearly ANY folding knife. Thousands of people were arrested per year without having committed any act of violence or destruction, but rather only for owning/carrying/using humanity’s most basic and universal tool. Beyond that, statistics indicate that the law was applied unequally with bias against minorites. This sad fact makes the law not only unjust, but also immoral.

Under the Gravity Knife Ban this fixed blade could technically be legal to carry…

Whereas this miniscule knife could land you in jail with hefty fines… (I’m not at all suggesting either should be restricted)

For a full news piece on this development you can visit this article reposted by Knife Rights from the Queens Daily Eagle on the subject. Knife Rights is an organization founded by Doug Ritter to advocate for knife legislation, along with several other functions. Knife Rights has been working toward overturning the New York Gravity Knife ban for almost a decade, and their success in this specific case is only one of many positive changes they have influenced in knife legislation. Still, this is an important victory! Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it will usher in more positive changes in the legal landscape surrounding knives.