Spyderco SpydieChef Review

Our Spyderco SpydieChef review will focus on SpydieChef Titanium PlainEdge. It is a mid-tier refined folding knife with the components of a world class chef’s knife and ergonomics well suited for a chef’s hand.

First Impressions of Spyderco SpydieChef

The Spyderco SpydieChef review would be incomplete without the first impressions. We must look at how the knife looks like when we first got it and we think about it, and then compare it with its usage and experience over time to really evaluate this knife. So let’s dig into it.

This is how Spyderco SpydieChef looked like right out of the box when we received it. It looked the same as on the website, shiny handle and scratch-less blade. I especially like the knife profile and the proportion of the blade and its handle. You can really hold it right to chop fruits and vegetables on a chopping board without your fingers getting in the way. That is what the knife was initially designed for. But that’s not all.

The grind lines are visible across the blade, and the blade thickness seems more than usual on Spyderco knives. The belly of the blade is also quite wide, which assists with precision cutting tasks.

The washer pivot system on SpydieChef assists with smooth flicking of the knife, along with the thumb hole, which cuts into the handle. I like the large thumb hole on this, as it makes the deployment simpler

As you can see, the knife profile is slightly slant. The wire clip is straight, but does not coincide with the locking mechanism. It makes it easier to handle the knife for day-to-day activities.

It is as long as 7.78”, which makes it a mid-tier slicer, but weighs only 3.8 oz., which is great.

LC200N Blade of Spyderco SpydieChef

The LC200N steel blade was originally produced by NASA for ball bearings in aerospace engineering equipment. But it made its way in the chef’s department and pharmaceutical industries. That means that this blade is ideal for industrial use. It is also profoundly used in chemical and recycling industries.

There are typically four aspects on which a knife steel is assessed: toughness, corrosion resistance, ease of sharpening and edge retention. Hardness does not include in this because reaching an optimal level of hardness may offset one of these aspects. Super tough steels cannot hold edge retention for long. Similarly, high wear resistance takes longer to sharpen and is not very corrosion resistant.

However, the LC200N can be used as a benchmark for optimal levels of wear resistance, rust-proof, greater edge retention, easy to sharp and toughness. It is very similar in feel to S30V with extreme corrosion resistance.

The blade shape, as discussed before, is sheepsfoot with a beer belly. It has a wider surface area than most folding knives, which is great.

The only drawback or setback of SpydieChef blade is that it can show visible scratches spontaneously. It could be because of the shiny blade and the grind lines left by the manufacturing process. But I won’t call it a deal breaker if it works fine either way.

The 3.32” blade length with a blade stock thickness of 0.118” could be an offset for some users. But, it’s a great slicer regardless.

The Handle of Spyderco SpydieChef

Using titanium for SpydieChef’s handle material was a great idea of Marcin Slysz, as it is one of the best handle materials for folding knives, including G10 of course. It makes the handle sturdy and hard, yet smooth on the edges. Combined with fine finishing the handle of SpydieChef is smooth to touch, yet grippy even when used with wet or sweaty hands. It is also another design function, as using a knife during cooking or fishing includes water.

The shape of the handle is one of my most favorite elements of this knife. I like the slant shape because the knuckles do not get in the way of using the knife. It also has good contouring and heavy chamfering that allow you to point the blade at its edge length without poking at your fingers. So it’s safe to say that there is no blade play here.

A major reason for this knife’s handle and exceptional ergonomics is Spyderco’s Constant Quality Improvement (CQI) policy. The Spyderco SpydieChef went through two improvement iterations before passing as the final product. The original SpydieChef had a steel detent ball that was prone to rust. It was a major setback directly affecting the knife’s performance. So Spyderco came out better with this variant.

Instead of the steel detent ball, Spyderco used the ceramic variant. Another revision included changing screws to black instead of silver – again to eliminate the rust factor in the latest 2019 release.

Deployment and Lockup of Spyderco SpydieChef

The deployment of SpydieChef is same as on every other trademark Spyderco knives – the round thumb hole, Spyder-Hole or Spydie-Hole. The Spydie-Hole on SpydieChef is quite big and round, capable of being opened with one hand, whether left or right. However, you will only see the round thumb hole carving inside the handle from the front. The backside of the handle obscures a quarter of the round hole. But that’s not a big issue, as it allows you to open the knife in the right direction – from the front rather than the back.

The R.I.L (Reeves Integral Lock) is a kind of frame lock that uses the handle scale itself as the lock spring to lock the blade in place. It may not be the best or as simple as a liner lock, but it works well. You may need to get used to it though, to retain muscle memory by using it again and again. However, there is no blade play involved in locking and opening the knife. Once the blade is open and locked in place, it stays its position.

The only challenge with this locking mechanism is to keep your pinky and ring finger away from the lock bar when the knife is open, so that it doesn’t accidently close disengage when in use. Also, opening the knife with your thumb thrusts some pressure towards your ring finger and pinky finger accidently locking the knife at the same time. That is not good. So if you open it with two hands, you will see that the action is smooth.

Testing Spyderco SpydieChef in the Field

The first thing I noticed when using the Spyderco SpydieChef was its pocket clip. It could be the best one I have used so far. It fits well no matter where you hang it, is discreet, has decent retention, and gives a sleek look to the knife.

The weight of the knife is also quite optimal – not too heavy or light, it’s just right. The handle being quite thin and lean adds to this factor – 0.40” to be precise

Starting with cardboard cutting, my experience with SpydieChef was awesome! As in, I could go on cutting and shredding pieces of cardboard for long without my hand or the knife giving way. The task was smoothest. It also did not require immediate cleaning, except for shedding off some pieces of cardboard before resuming.

Next, we tested it on food preparation.

We started with slicing off leaves, then moved on to cutting fruits and vegetables.

It is safe to say that Spyderco SpydieChef is a reliable tool in the kitchen. And not just for regular use. You can take it with you on a hunting trip, camping, or while cooking outdoors. It will work well on all fruits and vegetables, even fish meat. You can also use it to cut meat, although it is smaller for heavy meat cutting tasks.