I love that blade shape. And great energy with the “and we’re back!” 👍 I think this format for reviews is just fine. Always worthwhile. Oddly enough seeing guys in the woods isn’t critical for me. I’d have to really try hard to compare somebody batoning or feather sticking with one knife and another in a separate vid.
Damn, I really do love this knife. Really solid feeling with great ergonomics. Aesthetically my favourite looking Spyderco too. The price has gone a bit crazy, but I do not regret spending the money on it. Such a special feeling owning one.
The Shaman's are awesome knives, have 7 of them with 3 being exclusives. I like the Shaman better than the PM 2 due to the thicker and sturdier tip. Thanks for sharing!
I have a couple shamans as well. I scale swapped the blacked out M4 micarta scales for the burnt orange Rex45 scales. I also have a 15V one with flytanium carbon fiber scales. Love the shaman 😀
@@timnichol6566 Definitely gonna do some AWT scales on one of them. And one’s going away. Probably the satin because I already threw some stand offs in it instead of the backspacer. Definitely lightens it up a bit.👌🏻
I did the same with my satin version. Put the stand offs on. Definitely lighter. Not that I’ve used it, it’s just sitting as I have way too many Spyderco’s that I have in “rotation”. Been carrying a standard Native Chief and a Military 2. Both great edc blades.
I love high-value knives/tools etc but... I absolutely lust over the Shaman in M4. I HATE how the scalper market has driven up the price but its a perfect knife for me and one of these days I will own one.
I love the Shaman. It's my favorite Spyderco. Got my first one right after my heart surgery in Feb of 2022. Carried it a lot but earlier this year, I somehow managed to screw up the pivot. I think I ruined the thread inside the pivot itself. Got my second one on May 4 of this year. This one came perfect right out of the box. No blade play or lock rock and it was drop shut from the moment I took it out. I haven't touched any of the screws yet. Got my third one just last Saturday (09/16/2023). It had the DLC coated blade. Didn't want to drop but was perfectly centered. I thought it broke in very quickly. When I got home, I continued to fidget with it but when I checked, there was a lot of side to side movement. One of the pivot screws got loose. Tightened it up and starting fidgeting with it again just to see. Sure enough, that same screw started to back out again. Had to use blue LocTite. So far so good.
I love the M2 as well, but I prefer the compresion lock this one has to the crossbar style on the Manix. I like the blade shape on the manix more though. . .
@5MinuteKnives Yes that compression lock looks sick. The ball bearing lock on the Mannix is solid but I'm sure not as good. Mannix isn't super fidgety either.
Check out the old Spydie Super Leaf. I have custom scales on one that I hand contoured for comfort and it looks to me like a near exact match to the Shaman. As such, I recommend it as an alternative to a PM2, more comfortable and much sturdier tip.
Excellent review! Shaman is my favorite in the Spyderco line. I was so disappointed to hear about the crankiness at the factory. Inexcusable to me! People enthusiastically travel from all over the world to visit the Spyderco mothership location and learn more about the knives, not to mention the big hard-earned bucks some people drop there. The employees should appreciate that. Thanks and keep up the great work.
Hopefully this comment don’t make me a chump but I got a question- don’t got a spyderco in my collection. Narrowed it down to the Yojumbo, the Manix 2 XL and this Shaman right here. Any insights on which of the three I should go with? 4-max scout is my favorite knife ever made if that should inform my decision. Love your vids.
My Shaman may be my favorite knife out of my almost 200 collection. Never was a Spydie fan until I got the Shaman, then I picked up the Manix 2 and it is a close runner-up. I would love to see a Shaman with Manix style Ball lock.
Shaman is my fav Spyderco. The Leaf Shape Blade is practical for the size of the knife IMO. It is a fantastic choice, i have the version in your video and The Knife Joker Exclusive.
I really like the Shaman but had to put aftermarket scales on mine. The "comfort" that first time users experience, in my opinion, is due to the aggressive chamfering and smoothness of the handle. That smoothness doesn't lend itself to a locked in grip which is my preference. I do love the thickness of the blade which Spyderco doesn't do too often, but they did a good job here. My complaints would be the lack of alignment pins for the scales at the back spacer (transferring any stress to the screws themselves) and small-ish pivot washers. Does it matter? I don't know.
Yeah man , I like it quite a bit , and the manix 2 and pm2 are my top 3 spydercos but they are the ones I have . Funny how the knives we have are the best , lol
Go with a Yojumbo instead you will appreciate it in every way x10! Seriously! Like the title says not what you thought..... Well let me tell you my little story about the Shaman. I wanted it for the longest time looked and fawned over it forever... Then when it was actually available in all black I was ready and had it sent. Got it in the mail and was stoked. It was MUCH! thinner than expected, for me it was ok but the way the handles are rounded out made it slippery combined with the material? Or was a massive NO. As bro here states the way it holds and everything yes totally great. And then that nib on the back lock again wtf?! But if you must get one and get way! Different real burlap micarta that will be excellent grind down the nib and yeah in that case you can have an excellent knife.. Also try and get a clip that is closer to the SpydieChef! You will be set.
Glad someone explained that. I've never understood it... (I wish someone would've told me that before I drove all the way up there though.) The staff was also having a bad day both times I happened to visit so that has nothing to do with pricing but it was a factor for me.
@@5MinuteKnives _ Weird, I go up there whenever I'm in Denver visiting family. I look at/handle all the knives I may want to buy (just to make sure I like them) & then go home and order them on line cheaper. I usually buy some swag there though!. Also, I've never been treated badly or thought the staff was "Off" their game or anything.
@@danofiremano Happened twice to me. The first time, I had three friends with me that were all SPyderco fans. We were all buming on the ride home about it. The second time, they were dismissive and didn't really engage with us even though there was only one other person in there at the time. I actually lived in Golden and heard similar thing from the gun store employees in the area as well, so I stopped going.
I like the knife........but I've got a Benchmade Griptilian (a good work horse) with almost the same size and materials with a pricetag with almost 200 euros less......???😅😅👍
Makes total sense to me man. There is something special about this one once you handle it for a bit though that's hard to describe. Still, I totally get your point. On paper, it should be cheaper.
Hey nice stuff, I have a couple shamans. One in Rex45, one blacked out M4, and my new one in 15V. Ive put flytanium carbon fiber scales one the 15v one. I put the burnt orange scales from the Rex45 one on the blacked out M4. The Rex45 one has micarta scales from the M4 one 😀
I don’t believe it’s overpriced at all. The blade steel, quality, and handle is top notch. If bench made produced the exact knife it would run 500-700. Don’t get me wrong bench made has amazing customer service and quality of its own, but the sharpness out of the box and quality’s make it worth the price. Yes it’s a heavy knife that makes you feel like your carrying more but overall one of the best knifes at the price point. I don’t mind the heaviness, it just reeks of quality, and something I didn’t want until holding in my hand
Was just going to say, if you think Spyderco’s are overpriced, then whatever you do, don’t go looking at Benchmade’s! Still like them, but damn have they gone crazy in the price department.
Spyderco customer service line seemed to be in a cranky mood as well when I called. I sent a few knives for re-sharpening and a women answered sounding like she couldn't be bothered to answer my questions. Great knives but the people there can be a little nicer because I couldn't wait to get off the phone with her, felt like she was gonna start patronizing me for simply asking the turnaround time for re-sharpening blades.
Personally I'd rather a Cold Steel American Lawman. Same size, way lighter, stronger, thinner, just as versatile...and less than half the price. I like US made but dang
I like the Manix 2 more. I prefer the compression lock but not if it means close to 100 bucks more! The Shaman is cool but just too much for what you get.
Replaced my shaman with a benchmade persidio as my wknd garage knife last year. Shaman just needed to be slightly bigger and more grip in the handle I found for any harder use at home. Great review, cheers!
