Customer Reviews

Spyderco C66PBK3 Centofante III Knife

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been carrying this knife with me everyday for about 10 months and have used it for everything, from yard work to food prep in the kitchen.
The Good:
- Great blade steel, VG-10 has balance of corrosion resistance and edge holding, and it has a bit of Vanadium which allows us to sharpen the knife to a highly refined edge. Also the blade is very thin, adding to the slicing capabilities; VG-10 is a very rigid steel so the 2mm thickness doesn't make it flimsy in any way.
- Great deployment, The deployment is a thumb hole. This thumb hole makes it open similar to a thumb stud, only much easier to open if you have the following: Wet/slick fingers, big fingers, gloved fingers, or short nails. The thumb hole also lessens the weight a little bit without compromising the strength of the blade.
- Good pocket clip, The pocket clip is nice and stiff, yet easy to slip over a jeans pocket or thinner. The pocket clip slips on nice but takes a bit of force to get off; the way a pocket clip should be.
- Decent handle, the handle is curbed downward and gets a bit thicker, giving you a good grip on the handle because of the way it contours to your hand.

The Bad:
- The handle doesn't have much texturing, making the knife a bit slick, if this knife had good texturing then the knife would be perfect.
- Riveted together, for the price ($50 US) I think this knife should have screws so that as the years pass by, we can adjust it to desired tightness. Also if you get something corrosive in the knife and need to clean it to prevent rust, you are SOL.

Verdict
This is a near perfect knife, well worth the money, this knife will last you a very long time and will need little sharpening. Should this knife come out with screws then it will be the perfect knife.

I've had this knife for a couple months now, and I absolutely love it. For the role it tries to fill, I would dare to say it is close to being the perfect knife. It combines the great materials, great workmanship, and awesome functionality characteristic of Spyderco, with a truly beautiful and intelligent design by Frank Centofante.

It is a pretty significant blade, at +3 inches, and gorgeously designed. But at 2mm thickness, with FRN handle and no steel liner locks, it is LIGHT. Folded, it is a bit longer than some comparable knives (thanks to that 3"+), but its width profile is pretty small, so it really fits nicely in the pocket without getting in the way (though mine came with the clip oriented for tip-down carry, and if you carry it in your pocket that way you're likely to run into the gimping behind the thumb hole a lot. I changed mine to tip-up, which is far more natural for me anyway, but for that you'll need a little torxx screwdriver -- buy one cheap at home depot, for some reason they're a ripoff on amazon). Anyway, the thin hollow-grind blade is simply awesome for a variety of cutting chores (that thinness makes it a great slicer), and it's great steel - VG10 - the whole construction of the knife feels very tight and solid. If you were inclined to criticize this knife, you would probably say that with the thin blade and no steel liners, it's not really up to heavy-duty use. Well, for one thing, it's just not that kind of knife. But for another, with spyderco, just trust the materials, design and workmanship a little bit, because it's all top notch. You can definitely "use" this knife. Some will criticize the FRN handle isn't textured like most of spyderco's other FRN knives, but I, for one, don't really find great purchase on that "volcano grip" surface anyway, keeping a solid grip on the knife comes down 99% to ergonomic design, and in that area the centofante 3 is excellent. And the smooth handle looks beautiful, so I like it just the way it is.

Buy this knife, you will love it!

This knife is lightweight, easy opening, very sharp, good blade material, no 'blade play' (no up/down or side 2 side wobble), very easy to carry. It's not a heavy-duty tactical knife that you could drive thru a wooden door, but it's more that strong enough for anything that a knife is supposed to do. That's what i like about it. Good looking gent's folder/ everyday carry.

I was really disappointed with this knife. The VG-10 hollow-ground blade is beautiful to look at, but clearly fragile. It arrived with a nick on its edge, and clearly wouldn't stand up to determined use.

The handle doesn't contain steel liners, which makes it very lightweight and does nothing for the balance or durability. It is pinned (rather than screwed) together, which makes longer term blade tension adjustments and cleaning impossible.

It definitely doesn't look like a $50+ knife, being made from the cheapest-looking plastic. The tacky logo on the handle makes it look more like a teenager's toy rather than a gentleman's tool.

Nice knife. Had problems with screws holding belt clip staying tight. Had to locktite them finally to resolve the issue. Sharp enough, blade is not real heavy duty but for EDC; it does OK.

Though I wouldn't use this knife for any heavy duty work, it is more than capable for everyday tasks. The weight is superb at only 2.5oz. I will say that the fit and finish of the blade is not what I expected- there was some minor flashing on the FRN handle, and I wish the spine was beveled. The blade is particularly thin (certainly nothing I would want to do any wood chopping with) but don't let that deceive you VG10 is plenty strong and wouldn't have any trouble with slicing. And speaking of slicing- the hollow ground blade is easy to maintain and does slice very well. Holds an edge adequately. The FRN is acceptable but not overly "grippy" and I wont use it in water seeing that not only would the smooth FRN be slick and the construction is riveted (so if I get salt water in there is no way to dry it by disassembly). The clip is adjustable for tip up or down carry- but not ambidextrous. I don't like that the spine of the handle is filled (I prefer pillars, then perhaps, I wouldn't be so cautious around water). for everyday use it is great- thanks Spyderco for not fully lining (unnecessary at this weight and with this intended use). As has been stated it is a particularly handsome knife- my wife calls it my churchin' knife, but keep in mind it is up to most daily tasks for the average citizen. Might I also add that with this weight and intended use the spine lock and heavy jimping seem a little unnecessary but do add to the coolness factor.

I am very pleased with the Spyderco Centofante 3. The knife is so beautiful that I never want to use it, even though I bought it for EDC. The knife is everything good I heard about it, extremely sharp, stylish, and light. Just to list something bad about it, I will say that for someone like me with small hands it is hard to open and especially to close the knife. The belt clip paint comes off very quickly, as well. The first time I took the knife off my belt it removed paint. Overall, it is a amazing knife that I'm very happy with. Looking for a EDC knife, BUY THIS KNIFE!!!

I figured I was taking a gamble on this knife when I ordered it for a couple reasons: Riveted pillars and pivot pin don't allow for any adjustment of the knife whatsoever, and obviously you can't inspect your exact knife before you order it to make sure it's put together decently. Well, I guess I was right to be leery. The pivot is WAY too tight and can't be adjusted, the blade is so uncentered that it nicks and rubs the plastic handle when it closes (again, can't be adjusted), the thumb hole is tiny so my thumb can't get a good bite on it, and the edge grind was horrifyingly uneven and was actually ROLLED 3/4 the lengh of the blade. I've got more sharpening equipment than I know what to do with so the edge could have been an easy fix, but I still can't forgive that lack of quality control, particularly since the rest of the knife is also completely unsatisfactory.

I've got 4 other Spyderco's, 3 of which were ordered from internet retailers assuming the same risk of receiving a lemon, but they are all perfect. This is the first let down Spyderco's ever given me. Returning this knife.

I've bought several knives so far in my young life, and by several i mean hundreds. From Chinatown knockoffs to costa rican hand made knifes, I've done quite a lot of shopping in this particular area. I've got to say, this is my 2nd time giving spyderco a try, and it was well worth it. My original knife that I carried with me everywhere was a Benchmade Stryker. I have now replaced my everyday knife with the Spyderco Centofante III. This knife is somehow very light and slim, yet durable and classy looking. It definitely doesn't feel like a cheap knife, yet it's 1/3 the cost of my stryker. I usually use knives to open boxes that contain other knives, but once in a while I need to cut wood or straw (when I lose my arrowheads to trees) or other kinds of hard objects. So far I haven't gotten a scratch or chip on my knife, it's definitely very good steel, and very comfortable to grip or use. Did I mention that it's extremely pleasant to look at, and classy enough that no one gets disturbed when I bring it to public places? I love this knife, buy it.

This blade is quite light and is of quality construction. I find myself choosing it to carry most of the time during the work week for these reasons alone. Sharpens well and retains edge. I also like the fact that it is far less visually threatening than many of my other knives upon presentation. This is a concern in my workplace, but not in public (where I generally cary a more substantial EDC knife). In all I would reccomend this knife as a gentleman's folder or a more classy choice for sensitive work or social environments.