We’re big fans of cleaver-shaped blades on folding knives. While the size doesn’t really make it all that useful for the hacking and butchering you can do with a standard cleaver, it does make your erstwhile diminutive pocket folder look a lot more intimidating. You know, like a mini-machete for hacking miniature zombies or something. The Spyderco Stovepipe, a new cleaver pocket folder, definitely embodies those intimidating qualities, making it a standout addition to any EDC kit.
According to the outfit, it was inspired by a custom knife called Bill the Butcher, created by Kingdom Armory’s David Rydbom from a few years back. While we’re not that familiar with the original designed save for the few pictures we’ve seen online, it seems to have inspired a dramatic-looking pocket folder in this instance, making you look downright badass while you shave a pencil, slice a baguette, or tear through an Amazon package.
The Spyderco Stovepipe sports a 2.78-inch blade with a stout cleaver shape and a deep hollow grind that, the outfit claims, enables superior edge geometry. It’s a pretty thick blade, too, at 0.157 inches, making that ground edge look exceptionally pronounced from nearly every angle. There’s a wide curved section on top of the blade, allowing you to press down with your thumb (or your other hand) at whatever item you’re cutting, while the 20CV stainless steel build should be strong enough to let it slice through a whole host of objects.
The blade is paired with a 4-inch handle that’s made from two slabs of solid titanium scales that are joined together by a titanium backspacer. With no fancy patterns on the blade, it feels intentionally minimal in design so as not to draw attention away from the real star of the show, which is that cleaver blade. On the inner side of the scales, though, hide a machined surface that, according to the outfit, serves as the foundation of the folder’s locking system.
The Spyderco Stovepipe uses a Reeve Integral Lock mechanism, which uses the inner side of the scales as the lock’s liner, allowing for a lighter and slimmer handle without sacrificing any sturdiness. While they made the scales look plain on the outside, they did machine artistic accents to the oversized pivot pin, which prompts you to put your focus on the front half of the knife, all while serving as an overtravel stop for the lock bar. All the exposed parts, by the way, get an industrial-style stonewashed finish, giving the whole thing a uniform no-nonsense look from end to end.
If you like clean-looking folders with a dramatic-looking blade, this one should definitely be a candidate to find a spot in your pocket knife collection. It comes with a machined titanium clip on one side, by the way, designed for right-side tip-up carry, so you can keep it right on the pocket edge, ready to pull out and deploy at all times.
The Spyderco Stovepipe should hit dealers any day now. It’s priced at $420.