Some of our favorite production knife designs can be traced back to blades and custom models from boutique designers, such as CRKT’s Provoke and Kizer’s Sheepdog. And for its new 2022 lineup, Spyderco has opted to take this route for its Stovepipe knife — an ultra-premium production model based on David Rydbom’s Bill the Butcher blade.
A unique and thoroughly top-shelf workhorse of a folder, the Stovepipe is built around a set of handle slabs with crowned outer surfaces that are machined from solid titanium and mated together via a titanium backspacer. In addition to a machined titanium deep-carry tip-up pocket clip, the knife is also equipped with a Reeve Integral Lock mechanism and an oversized pivot pin that adds some style points to the mix while also doubling as an overtravel stop for the blade’s lock bar.
The ultra-premium handle setup is paired with an equally high-end 2.875″ (0.16” thick) cleaver-style blade that’s crafted from CPM 20CV — one of the finest blade steels on the planet. Deployed via one of Spyderco’s signature round-hole openings, the blade boasts a deep hollow-grind, allowing for better edge geometry. Tipping the scales at under 5oz, the Stovepipe measures 6.75” overall, affording it real utility while also being compact enough for EDC use. Everything from the blade to the handle slabs to the backspacer to the pocket clip have all been treated to a matching stonewashed finish, too.
Made in Taiwan, the Spyderco Stovepipe will be available for order over the coming weeks, with pricing set at $420. Based on the insanely-premium nature of this knife, we expect it to be produced in very limited numbers.
