I know I'm a bit later to the party here but I gotta say, this is a really nice little knife you designed Lance! I mostly know of you from enjoying your forum posts but it's so cool to see forumites getting their own personal designs made and offered to the public at large. I never gave this knife much thought as the design intent is different than my typical needs and desires, but I gotta say, after actually checking this thing out, I really like it and I can forsee this little guy making it into my collection.
Listen here young man, I say listen here. Yaught notta go reviewin knaives yaint fixin ta use after theyes intended design parameters. Stik ta yer wee apple slicin, letter openin, dainty cardboard cutters and leave tha manly fixed blades in the calloused hands of real men like yer good ole Uncle Randy...ya hear?
@@joashloh8374 What in the blazin hells kinder quarstion is that. It ortabe plain as pimples onna teenager what that imma spitting nuttin but English prose n Red Man.
I scuba dive and spearfish. I bought the Waterway to use as a scuba knife clipped to my weight belt. The knife, fish bag and the speargun are the only tools (aside from the scuba gear) that I carry underwater. When you spear a fish and it’s not a kill shot it comes handy to pearce the fish through the gills or head so that it stops fighting. Also for cleaning the fish in the boat. With or without gloves it’s very grippy.
Thanks Nick. Storms ravaging the area, and thanks to an Easterner accented, San Diego dweller, I have the picture of a slightly uncomfortable, shirtless guy because of the flab hanging over the G10 scales on the fixed blade on his belt.🤦♂️
@@Elektroslag sort of close when toughness, corrosion resistance, and edge retention are averaged. Especially in commercial productions where both are at the same Rockwell. I'm an LC200N fan boy though, so...
@@Elektroslag because you're commenting on a 2 year old post and I don't remember the exact context. I'm on mobile so I didn't get the whole thread, just your comment.
The greatest tools are the ones made for a specific purpose. Outside the blade realm, I have a hinged ball joint splitter which I had to special order because auto parts stores only carry a stupid, POS splitter fork. This hinged ball joint splitter is a JOY to use, I look forward to using it every time I get suspension work.
I love Spyderco's sheaths! I'm a fixed blade guy who has recently got into folders. My first nice folder knife with quilty steel was the code 4 then I got the Custom Knife Factory MILK in M390 from one of your biggest fans who I work with.
TLDNR Spyderco was unable to maintain a patent on a circle shaped hole in a blade. However they can trademark it. To maintain a trademark they need to stick it on just about everything.
I second that emotion! A hunter orange G10 would be awesome. I attached my Waterway with a bright orange paracord thumb lanyard. Really helps a lot with visibility in jungle situation. Cheers...
Mine has one side sharpened all the way to the ricasso and the other stops short like Nicks so just luck of the draw on whoever sharpens that day but I still love it
Looks like an excellent fishing knife. I have a Caribbian leaf shaped and a Spydiechef in LCN200N. Love them. Also live by the coast and I do fish a lot, and I own a lot of more fixed knives than folders. This knife is definitely something I'll check out. Thanks for the review.
Nice review. Don't own one. I will. I use an LC200N Mule for fishing. This is slightly thicker but has more distal taper. Haven't even used it and can tell you this is a great blade shape for fishing.
At 4.7oz it's only slightly lighter than my Mule (4.8oz). The problem (for me) is not with the knife but with the kydex sheath. The retention when carried vertically (handle up!) is fine, but for horizontal carry not so much. I can shake the knife out of the sheath (downwards) quite easily and I'm going to have to use a small nut/bolt to tighten up the area where you used your thumb to pop the knife out. Not the end of the world of course, but still 'a thing'.
Nice detailed look at the Waterway... Been considering this one here at Alaska Raft Connection. LC200 is kinda rare; so I have no on water or wilderness experience with it. Purpose driven is often key. I feel the designer not only optimised tuning for niche, YET outside of the specific... the maintenance free consistency in a harsh climate/condition/environment makes it multipurpose for use in my trade. Love to test it out here in Alaska for remote destination outfitting/guiding reliability... then be able to pass this conclusion on to my customers.
Hey Nick - off topic. Just want to say thx. My Ontario Rat #2 D2 is going strong after about 3 months of use; and a trip in the washing machine/dryer. A very good budget folder sir! Thx again!
I’m not sure the combination of fish slime & fish guts wouldn’t be slipperier than a handful of Vaseline. Vaseline has a certain amount of tackiness that is totally missing in fish slime. Maybe you need a new standard for slipperiness.
Would be a very interesing comparisons because they say on their insta it is a fishermans knife. Then again seems to be the complete opposite of this knife. How is that even possible lol
The Quietcarry knife is called the Current. It might be a tad pricey, but I don’t think it’s unfair. I looked into it and I do believe they are made in the US, however, I’d agree they should make that more obvious. In any case, they seem to make high quality gear. I will probably buy both knives as they compliment each other well in their/my intended uses.
SPYDERCO PAY ATTENTION...make more of your knives in LC200N to include your Manix and other flagship model series. Then also offer your folder models that sale in fixed blade versions. Imagine a Native Chief in an LC200N Fixed blade and folder version. Imagine a XL Manix 2 in LC200N in a folder and fixed blade model. Imagine a regular Manix 2 in a fixed blade model with all types of different steels like you have now only make it in a fixed blade model.
the designer doesn't like a sharpening choil?! Is that a thing?! How can you not like sharpening choils? Its a tiny little notch that makes your life easier and you only sacrifice....what?...a couple of millimeters of sharpened blade? well that tiny amount of real estate just isn't gonna be what you want in the end anyway, Your gonna be left with an eyesore of a smile, and pretty much dead blade edge space anyway. People continue to confound me on a daily basis I was always under the impression that sharpening choils were an objectively good attribute of a blade, and to not have one was a design flaw due to cutting costs or issues with OEM's. You learn something (especially about knives) everyday I guess, Im grateful for that.
This is my go to knife for scuba diving. Previously the most rust proof knives available to scuba divers was titanium. And even though they were rust proof, they were very soft (even beta c titanium) and so the edge retention wasn't much better than aluminum. That's what makes this knife so special. As a backup, I have a small fully serrated salt 2 attached to my diving vest, which is also indispensable. Kudos to the knife designer for making this knife, and for Spyderco for producing it!
Good review. I disagree with the comments on blade stock. It's a pretty bulletproof knife. I use mine primarily in the kitchrn and I'd much prefer it to have thinner blade stock. It has a tendency to break hard vegetables apart rather than slice through. That said it's a great knife and I have no regrets about buying it.
I looked everywhere to get this - Apparently it's sold out of 9/10 internet stores... Anyway - I found one and it's on the way for my next canoe adventure - but I wanted to thank you Nick for the humor and sarcasm in this review. I found it quite entertaining!
I believe the reason has to do with copyright law. Spyderco copyrighted the circular hole in pocket knives and the only way they can maintain exclusive rights to it is to use it in all of their knives.
Thanks, Nicolai, feel better! I always wanted to get a US-made knife for my fisherman-nut friend over there, now I know a good one to get. Just to double check: how good is G10 attached to the blade? I don't believe in glue to be honest... Also I think for all those fixed blades for outdoors the lanyard hole is a must and you can also mention it as a good point for a knife. The scales are not too thick and the blade too, so lanyard should help. Thanks again, feel better!
Hi Valentin Plotnichenko the handle is attached with industrial glue but also has hidden pins inside. I have been beating mine mercilessly in the worst types of conditions for months now (daily exposure to saltwater, blood and direct sunlight here in the tropics, plus all the normal abuse of a fish cleaning knife). My multiple Waterways have all proven to be rock solid with no issues despite all the torture.
LC200N holds an edge similar to VG-10 but isn't technically 100% immune to rust like H1 is. The chances of LC200N rusting are essentially nil as you would have to submerge it in salt water for weeks but it technically can happen.
Cedric & Ada Gear and Outdoors has done several tests on the LC200N steel (from Spyderco). Check this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pAMJ-9V3xZs.html It's a favorite steel of all the biggest knife nerds out there and that should count for something :)
I have this knife and it’s fantastic. It’s my fishing knife and honestly I don’t need anything else for life. It will never rust and has a great grip. The handle ergonomics will feel thin but it works good for its purpose. Plus, $120 for a hunk of LC200N of this size is a steal.
I carried my prototype everyday for a month straight. IWB at 1:00 with handle angled toward hip. I find the design very comfortable. I live in the tropics and don’t even own a belt so the slim design of knife and sheath were largely to make the knife carry comfortably IWB. That’s why I asked them to make a fold over sheath instead of 2 piece even though that increased the price by a few bucks. Glad you find it comfortable! 👍🏻
@@thefishrustler3893 The Ulti Clip Slim 3.3 works brilliantly with the Waterway sheath. But you knew that already. I absolutely love my Spyderco Waterway. Thank you for designing such a beautifully simple, clean and practical design. Cheers...
Love the look of the Waterway. I've seen videos of Lance carving up huge fish with this knife! What a great all around fixed blade at a decent price. The sheath material is Boltaron, Supposedly a little better then kydex! Thank you for video.
LC200N is my absolute favorite for the dishwasher. (sacrilege, I know) I bought a Spyderco mule team in LC200N and I treat it like garbage. I wish I had bought a dozen of these apocalypse steak knives.
When I saw the steel, I had to order one, so I did. The drop point design and thin blade works well for skinning, gutting, or even for a kitchen utility knife. Love the finger guard, blade length, handle, and sheath. I never use the coil, so I do not miss it. Ahh but the steel. Can't wait to sharpen it....
Stop being foolish: quite wawing your hands right in front of the camera, please. Have you seen something like this in quality movies? Any movies for that matter?
As an avid fisherman myself, I'm intrigued. Totally a subjective question here, but what other steel for edge retention, in your opinion, would you compare LC200N to?
This knife looks cheap. You could hang it on the tool aisle in a Dollar Tree store and probably you would pick it up for the buck. This is what stops me from buying this usefull marine slicer. That unsharpened part bugs me too Nick. Nice review!
