Spyderco Ambitious Value Knife with 2.31" Stainless Steel Blade and Durable Black G-10 Handle - PlainEdge - C148GP

I've had this knife for a couple weeks now and absolutely love it.It is a small locking folder knife, with Spyderco's classic easy open hole. The blade is shorter, but very wide in order to compensate for that easy-open hole. I don't know what Spyderco calls this hole, but I think it is genius. I have found those silly thumb grabs (they stick out on other knives in order to grip and whip the knife open) a little awkward to use, and potentially painful if you are working too fast with your knife. Spyderco instead has a hole. It sounds simple but elegant, and it is.The quality of this knife is great for the price. It came to me very sharp, and the joint of the knife was smooth. Not too tight or too loose. The easy-open hole and this well-built joint give you a knife that opens quickly but with control. I find myself willing to use the knife more often because of this. So far the blade has kept an incredibly sharp blade, and stood up to me notching some wood in the backyard the other day. The plastic grip feels great in my hand and is jsut the right size for me (smallish... if you want a bigger knife or have bigger hands you might try Spyderco's other thrifty options: Persistence, Tenacious, and Resilience.)As far as use of the knife goes, it has become my daily carry. I used to carry a multitool everywhere, but found myself using anything but the blade very rarely. With the Spyderco Ambitious I have a thrifty, but sturdy, smallish, sharp, locking folder that fits well in my pocket, that I can really grip on when I need to, and that quickly is in and out. That's what I need. If you need that as well, get the Ambitious from Spyderco.

The Spyderco Ambitious may well be the best knife around for $25 or less! Although I wish it was made in the USA, or for that matter almost anywhere other thann CHINA. I'd have to admit the build quality and materials are excellent quality. I have been a knife user since I was 11, I spent time in the USAF Security Police and have nearly 20 years in construction so I'd like to think of myself as a person who knows good equipment and although I don't go out of my way to abuse it, my gear does by nature get a workout. I purchased ths particular knife for my son who after years of responsible knife use at job sites with me, trails backpacking, camping, fishing etc. is gong to get his first EDC spyderco folder. He has always liked all of the fine spydercos I already own and has a small fixed blade pack knife and a Fox folder that is a bit chunky that he uses to wittle wood at the campfire. My first choice was the Spyderco Dragonfly 2 frn for him but it is almost twice the price and no body has them currently. I thought this would be a great time to try out the Ambitious. My EDC is the Delica 4 which suits my needs well.The knife came in perfect condition and surgery sharp. The fit/finsh is as you would expect from any other Spyderco. As I do with all of my knives I clean them with alcohol [dirty from mfg process] and polish up the clip and blade. I check the lock-up which required no tinkering and put a couple drops of Slick 50 on the pivot. The blade deploys with a smooth, minimal effort. I like the dual jimping such as on the Dragonfly so a bit of grip tape on the under side of the blade gives a bit of purchase there. I also cut a strip for the area your thumb will rest when using, that really helps too. I know a lot of folks are hot or cold on the blade steel BUT time will tell, one thing for certain it should be as easy to field sharpen as AUS8 or VG10. ZDP189 is a fine steel but good luck sharpening it yourself! I really like the size and shape of the blade, it feels and cuts like a much larger knife. I am actually so impressed with the knife that I may just pick up one [ambitious or persistance] for a pack blade for myself!I will post updates good or bad as we give this little blade a workout.9/28/11: Update I was so impressed with the one I got for my son that I watched Amazon's price, when it got down to $22 w/super saver shipping I picked up one for myself. It came in perfect condition like the last one, only requiring a bit of blade and clip cleaning from factory dirt etc. It is a bit thinner and lighter than my beater [work] knife the Ontario Utlitac and a bit thicker/heavier than my regular EDC the Delica 4.

In its class this knife is the best bang for your buck anywhere. Very sturdy build, round softened shape when closed, I barely feel it in my pocket, doesn't grab the fabric, attractive respectable sturdy pocket pin, pin up/down/lefty config options, very balanced weight closed and open, I think the wire one I have seen looks pretty dumb, like I'm wearing a clip on tie in my pocket. The blade works extremely well, I run a warehouse on my own and this thing can easily cut the corner off of a thick box after about a month of use. Considerijg I like it, I have considered buying the S.co sharp tool. Thats around $100 (knife plus tool) for a very user frendly sharp tool made for the knife I have, but the steel? Can't speak on the quality. One vid review said the steel rusted badly but only in his exremely humid area of Cali and that was with use of REM oil and cleaning often. I see no problem in VA and it is significantly, though not as bad, humud during summers. I have not sharpened it but the steel is easy to sharpen. You are given really an extreme amount of control when you use the blade because of its wide dense shape and grip. If you needed to really get tough with something, or just want to slice and dice, this knife is perfect. Modest, functional, reliable, practical, no bs, absolutely no better EDC in my opinion for the cost.

Summary: The Spyderco Ambitious is a well built, slightly hefty knife that is geared towards collectors and looks great on display – look I have Spyderco! For real work it does not lock consistently enough. It is too dull out of the box and does not retain its edge well but is super easy to re-sharpen. To my taste it lacks a blade belly for carving, is too wide for delicate fiddling and poking and stains too easily. Its G10 scales do not offer themselves as cuddling buddies but might be used for pedicure. On the positive side it is just small enough to fit in a wallet or Jeans clock-pocket as EDC and can be transported as cabin luggage in the EU – but might be illegal to carry in some member states.Initial impression (day one, still true): As one would expect the knife is well made and all edges are de-burred. Quite hefty but laying nice in my hand. The blade is protected against unintended opening and has almost no side wiggle or play when opened and locked. It has the right size for EDC application and fits in my wallet and the Jeans watch-pocket. Did remove the pocket-clip as its use interferes with normal use of pocket and watch-pocket – just not enough space to wiggle the hand through – and is actually so rigid that it is (too) hard to slide on unless the trouser has special pocket-clip landing zones. I mean way too rigid: for 4 of my 5 work trousers I can not slip it on one handed... But conceptually I can appreciate the option to mount the pocket clip in all four positions (left and right side, blade-tip up and down).Update after two weeks usage: First off warning: The blade engages the liner in two stages. It clicks once a few millimetres before it actually locks. This misguided me several times (five times so far) to not open the blade all the way and use it unlocked – twice almost closing the knives blade on my finger when prying with it! How stupid is this!?!? Now I open it always with two hands as this reduces the chance of not opening the blade fully and not locking it correctly. This defeats the whole purpose of the thumb hole. The good: The workmanship is really nice – I still notice it even after two weeks of use. And I like that everything is screwed with thread inserts and can be serviced with normal tools. With spyderco's signature blade hump (around the thumb hole) you can nicely open a bottle of beer. The blade is fine for opening boxes and letters. I was able to get it through airport security (as one should according to regulations in the EU, but you never know). It is usable to slice food and bread – and put butter on it. The bad: The signature opening hole is wasted on this blade – as a liner lock it is not sensibly usable by a lefty anyway (I tried! Hard! And failed!). The hump makes the blade artificially wide, which might look good on display but actually reduces the usability – already had several occasions where I would have needed a narrower blade as my EDC, also making the knife heavier than necessary. The jimping on blade spine and liner are stupid and useless additions like IMHO on any knife – at least they are de-burred on the Ambitious. The blade has a matt finish that easily tarnishes and is hard to clean – for instance after slicing cheese. The thumb hole quickly fills with grit and grease when using the knife – for instance when you slice bread and cheese. Out of the box It comes with a somewhat sharp edge but does not retain the edge especially well. After two weeks of opening mail, slicing food on wooden boards and whittling green wood it is already dulling. Every Victorinox SAK or Opinel comes sharper out of the factory – actually every SAK / Opinel in any of my drawers or tool boxes at home is sharper even after years of use and neglect without re-sharpening – and there is no comparison to my small Skandinavien knives, like the Mora Eldris or Martiini Snappy. When it comes to pure slicing power even a Victorinox Classic can best the Ambitious and my Ruike S and Böker Mini Tech Tool came actually light sabre sharp. Still have to re-sharpen the Spyderco for a final verdict but out of the box it is a toothless tiger. The G10 scales have a lot of grip (what I considered positively at first) but stain easily and are not comfortable when held longer than a few minutes ... I actually love to hold my EDC in the hand and doodle around ... but the Ambitious gets uncomfortable within a minute or two and you still feel sore half an hour after riding it... maybe I can use them to remove calluses ;-) finally a useful application for G10 scales.Final update: As stated above, the blade did not come especially sharp out of the box and dulls quickly – like any budget steel of for instance a Victorinox – but similarly it also sharpens easily. With sufficient effort (like with any blade) you can get it very sharp. To get sensible working sharpness any hard object will be sufficient – I tried it on a regular flat stone and the bottom of my ceramics plates, which both work just fine. So it gets a thumbs up for usability.

Es mi 1er navaja de esta marca, al principio pense que solo seria una navaja pequeña pero es "la navaja" . Spyderco refleja calidad y seguridad en todos los sentidos , adquirire mas modelos en el futuro.En cuanto al uso definitivamente es para el dia a dia con un excelente agarre y bloqueo, al ser de un tamaño ligeramente inferior a los 6cm en la hoja para nada me causará problemas legales con la autoridad.En pocas palabras debes probarla por ti mismo !!

Calidad Spyderco. Como siempre, una pasada. Ajuste perfecto. El tamaño es ideal para llevar todos los días y es mucho más discreta que la Tenacious. Estoy encantado.

Excellent knife, very sharp out of the box, comfortable in the pocket, but big enough handle to grip tightly and the blade takes and keeps a fine edge. Usual Spyderco high quality with smooth action and no perceptible play in the blade once locked open.

ずんぐりしたナイフを求めている方には、とても良い商品と思います。グリップの質感も良いです。