I've never seen anything like what's going on inside this knife, and it's a big part of why the Spyderco Swayback is able to freely drop to your nail when closing while *also* having zero perceivable blade play, despite being on washers. It's honestly brilliant! And this is definitely one of the nerdier videos I've put up, complete with hand-drawn diagrams and everything. 😅 Trigger warning: Physics! 😝 Chapters 00:00 Intro & Background 00:59 The Wicked Looking Blade 01:46 Hollow Grind and Blade Finish 02:51 Almost a Crowned Spine 03:19 Grind Comparison To Holt Haptic 04:21 Perfect Piercing & Detail Work Tip 04:42 Uncommon Downward Angled Blade 05:40 Swayback Handles & Pinch Grips 06:31 Typical Spyderco (Lack Of) Sharpening Choil 07:04 Slicing Performance 07:38 Nice, Contoured Handles 07:51 The Wrong Clip 08:22 No Skeletonization 08:38 Weight & Balance 09:35 A Surprise Lock Bar Insert 10:10 The Pros of Slysz Style Lock Bar Access 10:49 The Cons of Slysz Style Lock Bar Access 11:17 Excellent Thumb Flick Action 12:28 Questionable For Lefties 13:09 Perfect for Slow Rolling 13:19 The Obvious Part of the Exceptional Closing Action 14:59 The Hidden, Brilliant Part (Disassembly!) 15:33 Clever Part #1: The Tiny Washers (Physics!) 17:34 Obvious Hidden Part: Polished Surfaces 17:56 SUPER Clever Part #2: The Asymmetric Stop Pins 20:10 WHY and HOW I Think This Works 25:49 Why/How Summary 26:52 Final Thoughts ----------------------------------------------------------------- Shop at Urban EDC and want to help support my channel? You can use my affiliate link! It doesn't cost you anything, and I'll make a small commission off your order that'll help fund the channel. bit.ly/3qO6lTh If you're interested in the tools I use and recommend for disassembly, maintenance, repair, or just nerding out, check out: amazon.com/shop/KnifeNerdery If you shop at White Mountain Knives and want to save 10% on basically everything on the site, you can use code "nerd10" at checkout! whitemountainknives.com/ You can get 15% off my favorite minimalist utility blade knife (and a bunch of other cool products) by using code "knifenerdery" over at Aerocrafted: aerocrafted.com?sca_ref=3959214.oP8FUmhzXQ Gil-Tek makes some of the other best EDC utility knives out there, and you can use code "knifenerdery" to save 15% off! gil-tek.com/shop/ #spyderco #slysz #swayback #edc #knifenerd #knifenut #pocketknife #edcknife
This video and explanation were so enjoyable to view. I snagged the swayback for $200 recently and have been super impressed. I thought about a bladechop spearpoint mod. Cool stuff
Thanks for the kind words! And yeah -- they sadly discontinued it this summer, and so a lot of retailers slashed the price to clear inventory, but last time I checked they were still available at plenty of shops. That $200 clearance price is a fantastic deal on these things! Send me a pic (@knifenerdery on IG) if you ever do the blade shop -- I'd love to see how that turned out!
I gotta say, I watch a lot of knife reviews and most of them make the swayback look boring. But none of the other reviews that I've seen even took a look at the stop pin system. This knife is discontinued and discounted and now I'm thinking of buying it while I can because of your breakdown. Awesome work and thank you!
Haha, same -- I think out of all the videos I'd seen on it, maybe only one or two even noticed that it had a strange stop pin configuration, but no one ever stopped to wonder why. I honestly have no idea if the folks in the Taichung plant had this exact idea in mind when they worked that up, but they had to have had *some* purpose for doing it this weird way, right? If you dig through Spyderco's robust patent portfolio, quite a few have been filed by folks from their Taichung location, so they're definitely an innovative set of folks over there. And yeah, it's a shame they discontinued the model, but being able to snag one brand new at the steep discount is a nice little bonus for folks. At the time I posted this, they had them still at WMK, and "nerd10" brought it down to $175! I really wish it were s smidge smaller, 'cause I would absolutely snag one at that price!
Always like Martin's designs, though I would say for Spydercos that came out around the same time I preferred the *Kapara* --- Slimmer, lighter, slicier, easier to work with & carry.
I think this is such an amazing and underrated knife. I’ve had mine since week 1 when it was released and it’s one of my all time favorites. I find the most comfortable way to hold it is “backwards” with the edge facing toward me and my ring finger sitting in the dip of that spoon clip. It makes it super comfortable for cutting rope and string. I thought I hated the spoon clip because it didn’t match the Bowie and spydiechef (and you forgot to mention the Techno 1 & 2!) but now I see it as very ergonomic for that holding position. Also I love the physics explanation linking the normal force and friction to the torque of the blade movement! And the explanation of the side-to-side dampening system makes me appreciate this thing even more. I noticed it was odd and interesting when I took it apart, but I didn’t think through the details of why it would be good. Now I think they just need to make a Slysz Bowie 2 with the beautiful mirror stone finish plus all these updated features (the cool split stop pin and the overtravel stop) and they’ll practically print money with selling those. The m390 satin finish of the reissue Bowie just isn’t anywhere near as luxe feeling.
Haha, yeah, I should practice my left-handed flicks more often! I'm passable at best. 😅 But with a knife like this, where the hole is completely covered up, I *immediately* tried to Spydie flick it lefty!
Would be interesting to see an attempt at this idea of internal stop pins above and below the pivot, but the pins go out on both sides so there are 4 points of contact for the stop pin. Would require some messing with like a track for the bottom pin on the lock-bar side. But side to side movement should then be non-existent, right? Idk, I suck at physics but the concept sounds cool
Haha, I plan on taking the channel probably _too_ far down this direction this coming year with all the weird old historical mechanism knives I've been finding. I probably need to sprinkle in some modern stuff here and there to keep the normies still on board. 😝😅
Haha thanks!! Glad you liked it! These nerdier ones where I get to talk through some kinda physics concept or unique design are always my favorite to make.
it is a gorgeous knife...I'd love to handle one..I don't personally go for frame locks myself and I would constantly be wanting to finger flick that thing lol...Love the swayback pattern though
Haha, yeah, same -- not being able to reverse flick a spydie-hole knife is a _huge_ knock against it for my own personal fidgeting preferences! 😅😅 But lots of folks don't care about that the same way we do, and luckily the thumb flick is fantastic.
@@KnifeNerdery no, not yet. I haven't seen any aftermarket clips that are specifically made for it. I make knives (fixed blades) so I'm going to pick up some titanium and make my own soon.
@@PatheticPeasant It's their standard 3-hole pattern, so most Spyderco replacement clips would likely work. Rips Garage Tech makes some of my favorites, but their 3-hole is curved, and this knife probably needed a straighter clip. MXG sells a nice, straight one (as well as a ton of deep carry options), but if you're capable of making your own, that'll definitely be the coolest route possible. True custom clip! Send me a pic (@knifenerdery on IG) of the finished product!
Coming from MetalComplex, Nick Shabazz, Neeves and a few others, your videos are way nerdier, and I LOVE that. Keep it up, you deserve lots more recognition!
Hahah, I appreciate the kind words! I enjoy all 3 of those channels, but they definitely all serve different purposes. Nick's are definitely the nerdiest of the ones you mentioned, but there's no physics equations in his. 😅
I appreciate the kind words! And if you choose to give in to that want, they're actually still available at their discontinued clearance price at a couple of retailers. They're still expensive, but way cheaper than they used to be.
Yeah, this is the perfect time to get one if you can -- several retailers still have them at the discontinued markdown of ~$200 or so. White Mountain Knives still has some at $194, but "nerd10" gets you 10% off that, making it $175. Spectacular price on them!
@KnifeNerdery I just ordered one, as they are now discontinued. It reminds me of my titanium Viper Key and my K390 Delica wharncliffe. Kind of a loose amalgamation of the two knives. I think I'll love it.
His Spyderco designs are my favorite. I have four Swaybacks and three Texhno 2 knives. I don’t care for the Spydiechef or the new Knife Joy Bowie. I wish Spyderco would bring back the original Bowie design. The thing prints money.
Agreed completely on all fronts! I couldn't get into the Spydiechef, and I'm not a fan of the Knife Joy Bowie's scale or blade finishes compared to the original. Just bring back the original!
Yeah, that's definitely a whole lot of money, and I understand how that will make it inaccessible to a lot of folks. It was actually a $300 knife (and competes well with others at that price point), and only dropped down to $200 this last summer when Spyderco officially discontinued the model, and retailers slashed prices to clear inventory. In my experience, the Taichung Taiwan Spydies have always been some of the highest-quality ones in the lineup! They *do* have a well-earned reputation of having lighter detents, but at least this one I had in had a perfect detent.
It's worth every penny. You should be looking at sencut, qsp, civivi, etc of you think $200 is expensive. Maybe even cheaper brands from the Wally mart. 😂
I've never seen anything like what's going on inside this knife, and it's a big part of why the Spyderco Swayback is able to freely drop to your nail when closing while *also* having zero perceivable blade play, despite being on washers. It's honestly brilliant! And this is definitely one of the nerdier videos I've put up, complete with hand-drawn diagrams and everything. 😅 Trigger warning: Physics! 😝
Chapters
00:00 Intro & Background
00:59 The Wicked Looking Blade
01:46 Hollow Grind and Blade Finish
02:51 Almost a Crowned Spine
03:19 Grind Comparison To Holt Haptic
04:21 Perfect Piercing & Detail Work Tip
04:42 Uncommon Downward Angled Blade
05:40 Swayback Handles & Pinch Grips
06:31 Typical Spyderco (Lack Of) Sharpening Choil
07:04 Slicing Performance
07:38 Nice, Contoured Handles
07:51 The Wrong Clip
08:22 No Skeletonization
08:38 Weight & Balance
09:35 A Surprise Lock Bar Insert
10:10 The Pros of Slysz Style Lock Bar Access
10:49 The Cons of Slysz Style Lock Bar Access
11:17 Excellent Thumb Flick Action
12:28 Questionable For Lefties
13:09 Perfect for Slow Rolling
13:19 The Obvious Part of the Exceptional Closing Action
14:59 The Hidden, Brilliant Part (Disassembly!)
15:33 Clever Part #1: The Tiny Washers (Physics!)
17:34 Obvious Hidden Part: Polished Surfaces
17:56 SUPER Clever Part #2: The Asymmetric Stop Pins
20:10 WHY and HOW I Think This Works
25:49 Why/How Summary
26:52 Final Thoughts
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Shop at Urban EDC and want to help support my channel? You can use my affiliate link! It doesn't cost you anything, and I'll make a small commission off your order that'll help fund the channel.
bit.ly/3qO6lTh
If you're interested in the tools I use and recommend for disassembly, maintenance, repair, or just nerding out, check out:
amazon.com/shop/KnifeNerdery
If you shop at White Mountain Knives and want to save 10% on basically everything on the site, you can use code "nerd10" at checkout! whitemountainknives.com/
You can get 15% off my favorite minimalist utility blade knife (and a bunch of other cool products) by using code "knifenerdery" over at Aerocrafted: aerocrafted.com?sca_ref=3959214.oP8FUmhzXQ
Gil-Tek makes some of the other best EDC utility knives out there, and you can use code "knifenerdery" to save 15% off! gil-tek.com/shop/
#spyderco #slysz #swayback #edc #knifenerd #knifenut #pocketknife #edcknife
You have some of the best videos. It’s a crime that you are not as well known as the others. Keep nerding on you beautiful beast of a nerd
I appreciate your attention to detail, I think like that too.
Excellent! Always love meeting folks who notice the small stuff!
The amount of detail you put into this video is incredible.
Very informative.
This video and explanation were so enjoyable to view. I snagged the swayback for $200 recently and have been super impressed. I thought about a bladechop spearpoint mod. Cool stuff
Thanks for the kind words! And yeah -- they sadly discontinued it this summer, and so a lot of retailers slashed the price to clear inventory, but last time I checked they were still available at plenty of shops. That $200 clearance price is a fantastic deal on these things! Send me a pic (@knifenerdery on IG) if you ever do the blade shop -- I'd love to see how that turned out!
Oh bro I really geeked out with ya on this one. Learned some physics too. Win win. Hell of a good video my friend 👍👍😎🤘🤘
I gotta say, I watch a lot of knife reviews and most of them make the swayback look boring. But none of the other reviews that I've seen even took a look at the stop pin system. This knife is discontinued and discounted and now I'm thinking of buying it while I can because of your breakdown.
Awesome work and thank you!
Haha, same -- I think out of all the videos I'd seen on it, maybe only one or two even noticed that it had a strange stop pin configuration, but no one ever stopped to wonder why. I honestly have no idea if the folks in the Taichung plant had this exact idea in mind when they worked that up, but they had to have had *some* purpose for doing it this weird way, right? If you dig through Spyderco's robust patent portfolio, quite a few have been filed by folks from their Taichung location, so they're definitely an innovative set of folks over there.
And yeah, it's a shame they discontinued the model, but being able to snag one brand new at the steep discount is a nice little bonus for folks. At the time I posted this, they had them still at WMK, and "nerd10" brought it down to $175! I really wish it were s smidge smaller, 'cause I would absolutely snag one at that price!
@@KnifeNerderyseriously considering it at that price. Very tempting
Always like Martin's designs, though I would say for Spydercos that came out around the same time I preferred the *Kapara* --- Slimmer, lighter, slicier, easier to work with & carry.
Yeah I can definitely understand that -- the Kapara is a great knife!
I think this is such an amazing and underrated knife. I’ve had mine since week 1 when it was released and it’s one of my all time favorites. I find the most comfortable way to hold it is “backwards” with the edge facing toward me and my ring finger sitting in the dip of that spoon clip. It makes it super comfortable for cutting rope and string. I thought I hated the spoon clip because it didn’t match the Bowie and spydiechef (and you forgot to mention the Techno 1 & 2!) but now I see it as very ergonomic for that holding position.
Also I love the physics explanation linking the normal force and friction to the torque of the blade movement! And the explanation of the side-to-side dampening system makes me appreciate this thing even more. I noticed it was odd and interesting when I took it apart, but I didn’t think through the details of why it would be good.
Now I think they just need to make a Slysz Bowie 2 with the beautiful mirror stone finish plus all these updated features (the cool split stop pin and the overtravel stop) and they’ll practically print money with selling those. The m390 satin finish of the reissue Bowie just isn’t anywhere near as luxe feeling.
Some next level nerd stuff with those physics formulas. Love it!
Rock on! 🤓🤘
Hahaha yeah, I got really excited when I realized I'd get to talk about physics for this video! 🤓🤓🤓
Excellent instruction manual. Special thanks for visualizing the use of this knife by a left-handed person.😊
Haha, yeah, I should practice my left-handed flicks more often! I'm passable at best. 😅 But with a knife like this, where the hole is completely covered up, I *immediately* tried to Spydie flick it lefty!
Would be interesting to see an attempt at this idea of internal stop pins above and below the pivot, but the pins go out on both sides so there are 4 points of contact for the stop pin. Would require some messing with like a track for the bottom pin on the lock-bar side. But side to side movement should then be non-existent, right? Idk, I suck at physics but the concept sounds cool
Wonderful video! And its so excellent that youre not just following the latest news, but just talk about what’s worth talking about, old or new👌🏼👌🏼
Haha, I plan on taking the channel probably _too_ far down this direction this coming year with all the weird old historical mechanism knives I've been finding. I probably need to sprinkle in some modern stuff here and there to keep the normies still on board. 😝😅
Great review! Perfect balance of explaining pros and cons of the piece while appreciating the designer and manufacturer's work.
This is the first video I’ve seen from you and man o man you are amazing at explaining this stuff. Love the nerdery
Oh awesome, glad you found the channel! And I'm glad you like these nerdy deep-dives!
Wow, what a great review. You really nerd out. Love your detail. I learned a lot. Thanks!
Hahaha, yeah, I always get really excited when a knife is doing something bizarre and innovative! Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video and I appreciate the explanation of how it’s set up internally.
Glad you enjoyed it! I get excited any time I get to take a knife apart and nerd out about something weird inside.
Again………Great Video bud👊🏼
Haha thanks!! Glad you liked it! These nerdier ones where I get to talk through some kinda physics concept or unique design are always my favorite to make.
Great video on a a great knife! Very interesting points about the lockbar dampening too!
it is a gorgeous knife...I'd love to handle one..I don't personally go for frame locks myself and I would constantly be wanting to finger flick that thing lol...Love the swayback pattern though
Haha, yeah, same -- not being able to reverse flick a spydie-hole knife is a _huge_ knock against it for my own personal fidgeting preferences! 😅😅 But lots of folks don't care about that the same way we do, and luckily the thumb flick is fantastic.
I just received mine today from the retailer, I bought it because of your review
Nice!!! I hope you love it! They break in incredibly.
What a fantastic video. I wish you a very happy and prosperous new year. 🍻
I love everything about this knife with the exception of the clip. It's in my rotation for sure.
Did you end up replacing the clip with a better one?
@@KnifeNerdery no, not yet. I haven't seen any aftermarket clips that are specifically made for it. I make knives (fixed blades) so I'm going to pick up some titanium and make my own soon.
@@PatheticPeasant It's their standard 3-hole pattern, so most Spyderco replacement clips would likely work. Rips Garage Tech makes some of my favorites, but their 3-hole is curved, and this knife probably needed a straighter clip. MXG sells a nice, straight one (as well as a ton of deep carry options), but if you're capable of making your own, that'll definitely be the coolest route possible. True custom clip! Send me a pic (@knifenerdery on IG) of the finished product!
Coming from MetalComplex, Nick Shabazz, Neeves and a few others, your videos are way nerdier, and I LOVE that. Keep it up, you deserve lots more recognition!
Hahah, I appreciate the kind words! I enjoy all 3 of those channels, but they definitely all serve different purposes. Nick's are definitely the nerdiest of the ones you mentioned, but there's no physics equations in his. 😅
Great info and perspective. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
NICE!
I really endjoy your explanations, thanks a lot
the best Spydercos come all from Taichung, Taiwan
I just ordered a Swayback, this 7/5/24
Many of my favorites definitely come from that factory!
Bro that was a fantastic breakdown of that knaf. Great piece of work- don’t stop.
And now I want one more than I did before.
I appreciate the kind words! And if you choose to give in to that want, they're actually still available at their discontinued clearance price at a couple of retailers. They're still expensive, but way cheaper than they used to be.
Great video and explanation on the function of a great knife. Thank you so much 🙏🙏
Oh nice, I'm glad you liked it! This was definitely a fun one to film. Very interesting and cool knife!
FASCINATING!! I absolutely loved the break down!! Great work bud!
Oh I'm glad you saw this! I knew you in particular would get a kick out of this one.
Excellent review!
Great breakdown. Swayback was misunderstood. I just ordered one before they're gone.
Kind of forgot about this knife. It's still on my wishlist though. Soon enough i hope to snag one before they're gone.
Yeah, this is the perfect time to get one if you can -- several retailers still have them at the discontinued markdown of ~$200 or so. White Mountain Knives still has some at $194, but "nerd10" gets you 10% off that, making it $175. Spectacular price on them!
Bro, this video was awesome! Are you a mechanical engineer?
@@aaronmaurer6874 I'm glad you enjoyed it! This was a fun one to film. Oh, and I'm an engineer, but in computers not mechanical.
@KnifeNerdery I just ordered one, as they are now discontinued. It reminds me of my titanium Viper Key and my K390 Delica wharncliffe. Kind of a loose amalgamation of the two knives. I think I'll love it.
@@aaronmaurer6874 Yeah, I can see that comparison. I expect you'll like it quite a lot!
Some people have some complaints about this blade, but it is bar none one of the slicest blades Spyderco has ever made.
Yeah, I was honestly really impressed with just how dang slicey the grind really is!
🤙🤙
His Spyderco designs are my favorite. I have four Swaybacks and three Texhno 2 knives. I don’t care for the Spydiechef or the new Knife Joy Bowie. I wish Spyderco would bring back the original Bowie design. The thing prints money.
Agreed completely on all fronts! I couldn't get into the Spydiechef, and I'm not a fan of the Knife Joy Bowie's scale or blade finishes compared to the original. Just bring back the original!
Just picked one up 125$ bnib couldn’t be happier
Oh nice, that's a heck of a deal!
This ain’t ya grandaddies swayback
@@seanlowkey9388 that's for sure!
Looks like a talon
I like but it's $198 - $200 ouch and it's made in Taiwan
Yeah, that's definitely a whole lot of money, and I understand how that will make it inaccessible to a lot of folks. It was actually a $300 knife (and competes well with others at that price point), and only dropped down to $200 this last summer when Spyderco officially discontinued the model, and retailers slashed prices to clear inventory.
In my experience, the Taichung Taiwan Spydies have always been some of the highest-quality ones in the lineup! They *do* have a well-earned reputation of having lighter detents, but at least this one I had in had a perfect detent.
It's worth every penny. You should be looking at sencut, qsp, civivi, etc of you think $200 is expensive. Maybe even cheaper brands from the Wally mart. 😂