Mail Call: Spyderco Yojimbo 2

Today’s quick mail call brings us something a little different as far as production knives go. While doing some Instagram browsing and gear shopping recently, I noticed that Spyderco was going to be releasing a limited edition Yojimbo 2 in CPM-M4 steel through a particular online retailer, Blade HQ. This model was going to have blacked-out hardware (clip, screws, etc.) and a black DLC-coated blade, along with natural G-10 handles.

Along came the drop day, and at the scheduled time of 9:00 a.m., likely thousands of other folks and myself all added the knife to our carts and proceeded to check out. And that’s when the problems started… apparently all of the eager Spyderco consumers managed to overwhelm Blade HQ’s credit card processing system. Stuck in an endless loop of entering information and then having the site refresh, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen…

Eventually, after swapping cards, the order successfully went through. To Blade HQ’s credit, they were monitoring social media the entire time, giving live updates, and also sent out an explanatory e-mail. Kudos to them for the attentive customer service! (Amazingly, the knife sold out in 38 minutes’ time.) After that slight speed bump, I saw a shipping notification and was happy to know my first Yojimbo was on its way.

This knife was designed by Michael Janich and looks something like a razor on steroids. In fact, I passed on the Yojimbo a couple of years ago after handling one, thinking the design was a little weird and wondering what particular use I’d have for one. But after some time to think, it seems like a interesting combination — a Wharncliff blade, a handle that feels like it was inspired by the Manix, and a compression locking mechanism that draws from the PM2. What finally pushed me over the edge was this blacked-out CPM-M4 offering. Let’s face it — it just looks cool!

A quick comment about the scales on this knife — they are made of translucent natural G-10, which has a slight greenish tint (others might call the color jade), which is somewhat tough to photograph. In reality, they look awesome! Overall, I’m curious to see how the Yojimbo 2 does with mundane day-to-day EDC tasks. Once I have some carry time under my belt, I’ll report back and provide an update. Until then, enjoy the pictures, and if you managed to snag one as well, congrats!

Oh, and here’s a few specs. from Blade HQ:

Overall Length: 7.50″
Blade Length: 3.125″
Cutting Edge: 2.95″
Blade Thickness: 0.16″
Handle Length: 4.50″
Weight: 4.00 oz.
Model #: C85GM4PBK2
Made in USA

And here’s a link to their quick breakdown on CPM-M4 steel: Link