Spyderco – Shaman

Spyderco’s new worker

With the Shaman, Spyderco fired a real firecracker into the knife world towards the end of 2017. Some rumored that this knife would make the Paramilitary 2 obsolete. Well, we don’t see it quite that way; however, it remains to be said that the Shaman, designed by company founder Sal Glesser himself, is in no way inferior to the great classic.

Upon closer inspection, the 3D-milled G10 handle scales are the first thing that catches the eye. These are wonderfully rounded and nestle incredibly comfortably in the hand, so that even longer work is very comfortable. The steel plates embedded in the handle material are generously hollow, but still offer extremely high stability. Similar to the Paramilitary 2 or the Para 3, the blade of the Shaman was designed in such a way that there is an additional grip recess at the base for the index finger (finger choil). This ensures optimal power transmission as well as additional control over the cutting movement.

For the blade, Spyderco have once again opted for CPM S30V. This powder metallurgical alloy was invented specifically for the manufacture of cutting tools and has proven itself thousands of times over the years. Since the steel is highly corrosion resistant, the blade is completely safe even in contact with food. One big difference from the Paramilitary 2 is, among other things, the blade thickness remains constant far to the tip, which makes for an incredibly robust blade geometry.

The Compression Lock invented by Spyderco ensures a secure lock when open. Now, you might assume that it is a rear-mounted liner lock due to the operation – but that is not the case. The locking spring moves between the blade root and the stop pin of the blade. To destroy the lock, the vertically positioned liner would have to be crushed between the blade and the pin, which is highly unlikely.

Clearly, Sal Glesser’s signature is absolutely recognizable in the Shaman. Much of what we knew from the Paramilitary 2, the Native or the Para 3 can be found here again. Nevertheless, the Shaman is much more than just a best-of-Spyderco knife. Rather, you get here an incredibly robust work knife, which can also be used for harder cutting tasks without hesitation and despite its size and the not exactly low weight is a wonderful companion for everyday life.