Spyderco Ray Mears WolfSpyder Knife

  1 of 51

  I would like to start by saying I am both a fan of Spyderco and Ray Mears. I have been using Spyderco knives since 1991 while serving as a boat crewman in the United States Coast Guard and am a heavy reader of books and videos on Bushcraft, many of which were produced by Mr. Mears. I am usually using a Enzo/Brisa PK75 with D2 tool steal as my normal carry knife around the farm and on the trail. Side by side the PK75 was beefier both in blade length and profile than the Wolfspyder. This is not necessarily a detractor, in that the Wolfspyder was easier to carry and tugged less on the clothes. The D2 was somewhat easier to sharpen, yet the Wolfspyder seemed to hold the edge longer. The stainless steal of the Wolfspyder is certainly a plus when working around salt water and in wetter climates. The cutting edge are both similarly crazy sharp, but the smaller blade of the Wolfspyder made it more adaptable for more fine work. The handles are equally comfortable for most pocket knife tasks; even using them as I do harder than I would most pocket knives. The only drawback from the Wolfspyder that I encountered was that the locking mechanism was a liner lock located on the spine of knife. This location made the knife difficult to close one handed. On the farm and in my various recreational pursuits, I frequently have to open and close the knife one handed. The liner lock mechanism on the spine is difficult to close one handed without a great deal of focus. My suggestion would be to move the liner lock to the front or use a Slip-joint lock mechanism. I am using the product in my trail running gear because of its low profile and lighter weight. I work my PK75 most of the time for my daily life. In general a great product and I recommend it for my friends who work in or around salt water or in exceptionally wet environments. Thank you for the opportunity to do the kit review.  

  Alexander White

  2 of 51

  This is more of an unusual knife from Spyderco sold exclusively through Woodlore, the quality is top notch as expected from a US Spyderco. It is a fun little knife with approximately the same cutting edge as a Spyderco Para3. It is extremely sharp and will cut very well. It will carve almost as well as a Mora knife, but is much more pocketable.  

  Nick Van Laar

  3 of 51

  I have owned Spider co knives in the past and have been very impressed with their build quality and robustness of use. I work in a harsh environment so this is of upmost importance. The pivot point of the blade to handle is very strong and has a good feel on opening the knife. The blade retains a very good and workable edge and the handle seems small at first but this design works well in the hand. There’s only one thing that I would change and that’s the clip on the handle, I think in my humble opinion that it needs to be rotated 180 degrees, this would allow the transition from hand to jeans or trouser pocket storage. Over all I think this knife very much has earned its place in my working life, albeit on the expensive side but it all depends on your mindset to cost and value. I recommend this product.  

  Alistair Jackson

  4 of 51

  This is an amazingly well crafted knife. It has become my favorite EDC blade. Smooth one hand open with the classic Spyderco round hole, and to me it has the perfect amount of resistance when opening it. When it locks open it feels like a fixed blade its so sturdy. Very durable blade that keeps the razor sharp edge its shipped with. The G10 handle has a lightly textured grip that fits my hand perfectly. Forest green is my favorite color so when I was looking for my first Spyderco and saw this beauty, I just had to have it. Excellent product. I highly recommend buying this knife, you will not be disappointed. Cheers, Ray and Spyderco.  

  Chris M

  5 of 51

  I had been looking for a Bushcraft folder for a while, the TK4 being top of my list, then I saw the Wolf Spyder, I don't know why I hadn't seen this before. Ray needs to do some publicity on this, I'd love to see a video or two of him putting it to use but maybe it's best to keep it as a well kept secret for true bushcraft initiates only. So I'd been mulling over the TK4 for months, then I saw this one, and it took around an hour to mull it over before hitting the buy button. The TK4 is obviously a great knife, and I may still get one at some point, but the Wolf Spyder just ticks all the boxes for me. First I already own the Spyderco bushcraft knife, I managed to get one on sale just as they announced it's discontinuation, brilliant knife, so it's a no brainer for me that a good pair for that would be this Spyderco bushcraft folder. Secondly, it's designed by Ray Mears, a real pro that obviously a lot of us hobbyists trust. Thirdly it's a scandi grind, and that is what I'm used to, so that is a real bonus for a folder. Fourthly it's called the Wolf Spyder, that has to be one of the coolest names for a knife ever, certainly for the Spyderco range. All in all it was an easy decision for me to make. The secondary bevel on mine was very slight, and has all but dissipated with just some occasional wipes on the white side of a CC4, I think the secondary bevel is just there so Spyderco can be sure it'll have that out of the box razor sharpness. I've put it through it's paces on a lot of the usual bushcraft tasks and it has proven to be very easy to use, giving great results every time and also feeling very satisfying in use. I wasn't using it constantly processing wood for hours or anything, if you were in that situation you'd want a fixed blade anyway. I've heard the Spyderco Paramilitary can get a bit sore in the hands, but this feels very good, the ergonomics are amazing, it even fits nicely with the pocket clip on, but I took that off as it feels even better without it, the pocket-clip would be good in the US or other countries where this could be used as an EDC, but here in the UK it's best to keep it tucked away until needed. When first looking at the knife I thought the design looked a bit non bushcrafty but now I see it as the most perfect shape for the woods. It now looks sort of ancient to me, like an artefact from Elven days. By the way, Wolf Spider in Quenya is something like Lianteraca which has a cool vibe a great choice as Glamdring would obviously have been a bit ostentatious for a humble folder.  

  Gav

  6 of 51

  I was quite impressed with this folder having seen my instructor Callum use one on my recent course. The knife comes sharp and is the traditional bushcraft grind so reasonably easy to keep sharp. The steel is a little harder than normal tool steel but not too much of a chore to work. Positives for me are the blade length, the weight of the knife, the secure feel of the handle and the very positive lock that holds with no play on the blade. My only negative is the edges on the handle are a somewhat harsh so using the knife for prolonged periods does make my hand ache a little. The look of the knife is quite original and a deviation from the classic Spyderco shape but no reduction in the quality for sure. Blade shape is really functional for camp chores but also nicely shaped for whittling with the added bonus of being rugged enough for larger woodwork. Very pleased with the knife overall.  

  Darrel Singh

  7 of 51

  Very well designed and superbly made piece of kit. Big thanks to the team for very speedy delivery.  

  Ross Serra-mercer

  8 of 51

  Top knife, highly recommended.  

  Andreas Helbach

  9 of 51

  The WolfSpyder is every bit an every day carry work knife, yet urban friendly and oh so Robin Hood. Love it.  

  Jamieson D.

  10 of 51

  The first specialty of the WolfSpyder knife is the distribution. You can only buy it from Woodlore Ltd. For the blade. The decision to make this with CPM S30V surprised us as the knife is promoted as follows. The extraordinary tool distils the high-performance and multi functional versatility of a classic fixed blade bushcraft knife into a compact folding knife ideal for everyday carry. Should this mean Bushcraft S30V wouldn't have been our first choice. As a precautionary measure against chips or rolling, a compromise has been made in the geometry of the design. The Scandi grind is not a real one there is a microbevel which lives up to its name. You can not see it with the naked eye. The knife has outstanding cutting properties in wood that you don't want to put it down. The handle lies comfortably in the hand and is well suited for longer term work. Carving, feather sticks, delimbing, peeling bark, filigree work or rough cuts are all fun as this knife is easy to handle. It's amazing what qualities are in such a small knife. After a day of use the knife's sharpness did naturally decrease. This is where the type of steel and the blade geometry prove their worth as after a brief honing on a ceramic sharpening rod, the edge was restored to razor sharpness. At some point in the month to come we will of course restore the Scandi grind. We really like this combination on the knife. This is a good and well thought through design compromise of steel type, rust resistance, ability to re sharpen and suitability for everyday use whilst having strong performance. Closing the knife is special too. The detent usually sits in the compression lock arm at the front. If you want to close a Spyderco Kapara you press the lock, the blade swings freely and can easily be put back into the handle. This does not happen with the Wolfspyder because the detent sits on the opposite side under permanent spring tension which slows the blade drop all the way back into the handle. Ray obviously had security in mind when designing the knife as it is not a fidget toy, but a tool in the outdoors. In order to avoid injuries far away from home and a hospital, the handling of a knife should always be controlled and conscious which this knife ensures. With a little practice the knife can of course also be opened and closed with one hand but using two hands is always the safest solution. On to the Wolfspyder leather sheath, it is advisable to remove the clip when using the leather holster so that the case fits like a tailor made suit. We really like that it is very flat and not bulky and we are very impressed with the price to performance ratio. Really good classic craftsmanship. Upon conclusion the WolfSpyder is an excellent pocket knife or woodworking tool with every day carry qualities and a focus on safety. It is small and flat with a good hand position and a well-stowed blade. A very good tool and a pleasure use.  

  W. Ludwig