Spyderco ukpk in the test – stable enough with only 54g?

Spyderco ukpk in the test - stable enough with only 54g?

Spyderco UKPK In Test – Stable Enough With Only 54g?

Summary:

Very light and sturdy EDC that can hardly be felt in your luggage.

The Spyderco UKPK is almost as popular and popular in the UK as the Be >Delica 4 or Endura 4 .

It is manufactured since 2004, offered in different variations and is unmistakably a Spyderco.

You can see that at first glance. This is mainly due to the design, for example the shape of the blade or the typical thumb hole or Spyder Hole (sometimes called “Spydie Hole”).

Spyderco stands for quality

The second glance reveals the typical Spyderco quality with a good price-performance ratio. Solid material, functional and well-thought-out design, high-quality workmanship – as with all knives from this US company, these product features are also found at the UKPK.

So what makes the UKPK, what are its unique selling points, how does this penknife compare to the other Spyderco knives and comparable knives from other manufacturers – these questions are the subject of the following test.

Spyderco UKPK – Legal in Germany and the United Kingdom

First of all we want to decipher the name, because it gives the first important information.

UKPK stands for United Kingdom Pen Knife. So it’s a penknife that has anything to do with Britain.

Quite simply, the law does not allow fixed blades or knives with a locking mechanism over a certain size. Thus, one-hand knives without interlocking under 7.6 cm are allowed, so that means a slip joint. And such is the case of the UKPK.

If that does not seem familiar.

So Spyderco has made a folding knife for the British market, which we can not carry without legitimate interest. So it is 42a weapons law compliant.

Dimensions and technical

So that already dimensions and handling are addressed.

The Spyderco UKPK is initially spectacularly light. With only 54 grams on the scales, it is one of the lightest EDC knives I know.

This is partly because the handles are made of FRN plastic. On the other hand, there are no steel blanks or the like, which would drive the weight in the air.

This makes this knife in any case a companion for every day, which is unlikely to feel in your pocket.

The Spyderco UKPK is not all that small, especially when compared to the Byrd Tern for example. With a total length of 17.5 cm or 10 cm, the blade length is 7.4 cm.

The cutting edge itself is 6 cm long. The difference to the total length is less due to a wide ricasso, but rather to the finger recess, which also acts as a protection.

The blade

The Spyderco UKPK is, as I said, much larger than, for example, the Byrd Tern, which is often compared to the UKPK.

In addition, the blade thickness comes with a whole 3.0 mm. This shows that you can expect a lot from this folding knife, although it is a lightweight.

It is a flat cut, in contrast to earlier UKPK models, so it can expect good cutting skills.

Steel Made in USA

The blade steel of the Spyderco UKPK is the US stainless steel CTS-BD1, or “Carpenter Steel”, which is actually only used by Spyderco.

This steel is fine, a beginner steel, so to speak. He is certainly better than the VG10 of the Delica, above all, it is easier to sharpen, but not compare to other Spyderco knives.

The Spyderco Urban, for example, has an N690Co that is much more resistant to corrosion and makes the blade more robust.

But the steel is well suited for the work that will be done with the UKPK, namely very simple penknife tasks. And as I said, for beginners, it is wonderfully easy to sharpen.

But even knife connoisseurs could appreciate him. Because even if the Carpenter steel blunts, the cutting edge still remains clean, which means hot, without nicks or edges, such as the N690Co.

The most important thing: slip joint

The Spyderco UKPK is best compared to the Tenacious, even though the UKPK is produced in the US, the Tenacious in China. The main difference, however, is the unique selling point of the UKPK, the slip joint or the missing lock.

Einhandmesser

Opening this knife again goes over the hole in the blade that is so typical for Spyderco. But it’s a bit heavier, and of course that makes sense if you look at the real idea behind the UKPK.

As Slipit, as Spyderco calls it, or Slip Joint, of course, a question is the most important one: Can the knife just shut up and hurt me like that? Short and sweet – no.

The resistance in the joint is given by Spyderco with 20 pounds, so about 9 pounds. In addition, the knife stops at a 90 degree opening.

The UKPK is stable and firm, despite the slip joint. And honestly, of course, with every knife, common sense is how to use it safely. And this knife is certainly more likely to be used for cutting with the back against the back.

That is, if the knife threatens to fold, which it can not really, then only because it is not used properly. Or do something awkwardly.

Handles and handling

In addition, there is the already mentioned finger recess or finger guard. This also has a decent jimping, the ribs that guarantee a non-slip working.

The same applies to the thumb ramp, which, together with the finger recess, increases the grip of the Spyderco UKPK immensely.

Together, these two recessed grips, so to speak, provide an additional securing mechanism. And both also ensure that the knife is extremely well in the hand even with gloves.

Grips made of FRN – modern plastic

The material of the handles should be mentioned in this context.

These are made of fiberglass reinforced nylon, so FRN. These not only make the knife light, but also easy to clean.

Yes, it’s plastic, so to speak, but the way Spyderco uses and processes this plastic is really good in quality.

So plastic is not just plastic, and the material makes the knife as light as a feather. And maybe you do not need G10 grips for this kind of pocket knife, which, conversely, does not always hold what your reputation promises.

Like almost all Spyderco knives, the UKPK has the popular belt clip, the clipit, which sits quite firmly and can be attached to the left or right. However, only for tip down carry, so with the knife tip down.

To the test

Like so many Spyderco knives, the Spyderco UKPK is or has been offered in a wide variety of variants:

  • The blade-shaped blade (like this one here)
  • or with drop point,
  • reversible blades
  • or complete serrated edge,
  • hollow ground
  • or – like the Flat Grind discussed here
  • or flat ground.

And as always, the respective variants determine what you can use this knife for how or when.

This UKPK as a leaf blade with flat grinding is thus again a knife, which is in the literal sense particularly sleek.

The usual food preparations, as the vegetables cut, went as expected very wonderful.

The next step was to open the sealed 51 (in fifty-one!) Moving boxes.

This was of course common for the cutting edge, which was a bit bitchy from sticky tape 28, as sticky-dull. But at least that was a test for a change, how easy it was to clean the blade.

Conclusion

The blade as well as the handles are very light and easy to clean, and the cutting edge, which incidentally was not as sharp from the start as expected, was also quickly restored.

The Spyderco UKPK has also served well at the small campfire. The carving of branches for the grilled sausages, the wood chips and the notching as a burning aid were all no problem.

However, the spark did not really want to skip fire firing with birch bark and iron rod (with thread). But – good news – here too the poor battered edge remained “clean” and was then easy to hone.

Summary

The Spyderco UKPK is in terms of size, performance and quality between the Tenacious and the Byrd Tern.

In terms of size and functionality, it is closer to Tenacious. But of course, as a slip joint, it’s more like Tern.

This knife is a good EDC pocket knife for everyday use. Despite missing liners or locking it is very robust. And although it’s “just” a slip joint, it’s very safe.

Here are the main features at a glance:

The Spyderco UKPK is

  • ultra-light,
  • very well made,
  • very safe due to the 2-phase joint with safety mechanism,
  • 42a compliant.

It is equipped with

  • lightweight, handy FRN bowls that are very easy to clean,
  • Jimping on the thumb ramp and finger recess for extra grip and safety,
  • and with a good Carpenter steel that is easy to sharpen and keeps a clean edge.

In short, the Spyderco UKPK has the makings, like the Byrd Tern, to become an absolute favorite knife for everyday, simple work.

The Byrd Tern, often referred to as “Poor Man’s UKPK”, that is, the “UKPK for the poor,” is actually cheaper. That’s because, like the Tenacious, it’s made in China. But not only.

It is in this sense not a cheap variant, but is a pocket knife with spectacular price that is particularly suitable for beginners due to its production and its steel. It has its own authorization.

Nevertheless, the difference in price is justified. The steel and the workmanship, which is especially evident in jimping, is qualitatively simply top quality at Tern.

This makes this knife, in contrast to the Byrd Tern for even more demanding knife friends extremely attractive – at least in terms of functionality and quality. Nothing is said about the appearance of the Spyderco knives, which is certainly not everyone’s case. But about taste can be argued yes.

What do you think about the UKPK? Prefer other Spyderco knives?

Related Posts

Like this post? Please share to your friends:
Christina Cherry
Leave a Reply

;-) :| :x :twisted: :smile: :shock: :sad: :roll: :razz: :oops: :o :mrgreen: :lol: :idea: :grin: :evil: :cry: :cool: :arrow: :???: :?: :!: