Slick factory Snodys

American Handgunner, July-August, 2004

There's excellent news for those who would like to pick up a Mike Snody design without the custom knife price pinch. Two of the nation's finest production knife companies, Spyderco and Benchmade, have collaborated with the knifemaker to come up with affordable versions of several Snody design.

Spyderco was first out of the block with a fixed-blade version of the Snody/Janich Ronin design. A smidgen over 7" long, this knife is a ringer for the original with two minor exceptions: the production knife has a flat V-grind and three holes in the handle. To offer it at consumer pricing Spyderco used VG-10 stainless blade steel and linen Micarta handles, both of which are excellent materials in their own right. The blade is 3mm thick and features a bead-blasted finish. For $159.95 you get the knife and a thermo-plastic neck sheath that also has a small Tek-Lock attached for belt or backpack carry. A heck of a deal. Nearing production as I write this is a folding version of the Ronin, the "Yohimbo," which Spyderco already has listed in their 2004 catalog. Stay tuned.

Benchmade Knives has produced two Snody designs and has a third in the works. First up is the Resister folder, one of Snody's most popular models and, I suspect, soon to be one of Benchmade's as well. The dimensions for the Benchmade Resistor are essentially the same as Snody's original and, once again, the main differences are in materials. So that's how they do it! Benchmade's version has aluminum frame rails and G-10 scales for the handles, both of which are just fine with me. Better yet, the blade steel is 154CM. Benchmade's Resistor is built like the proverbial brick outdoor water closet, and in true company tradition you can get it in a manual or automatic. At $180 for the manual and $225 for the auto, you can own a top-quality knife that'll do some serious slicin' with affordable pricin'.

Benchmade has also done-up the fixed-blade version of the Resistor in a slick, 7.5" package. The steel and handle materials are, once again, 154CM and G-10, and the knife is delivered with a nifty thermo-plastic sheath sporting a flexible rubber belt loop. A third entry is the tiny Activator fixed-blade. At 5.5" overall, this diminutive full-tang cutter sports top-shelf S30V blade steel and a killer handle done up in two-tone carbon fiber and is delivered with a small leather sheath. The Resistor fixed-blade is priced at $180 and the Activator sells for $120. I'll take a dozen!

For more information, contact Spyderco, Inc.; 820 Spyderco Way, Golden, CO 80403; www.spyderco.com; Benchmade Knives; 300 Beavercreek Rd., Oregon City, OR 97045; www.benchmade.com