Taking a first and quick glance at the Centofante III reveals two things: It’s a very well built knife with a nice overall shape and it looks very fragile too. Charging it by the first impression it seems to be a gentlemen’s folder only, incapable of doing hard work.

Not only the shiny Palladium bug that is inlaid into the handle supports this impression. It also the overall width of the knife in relation to its length. Also the blade supports the impression of a weak knife. While most of the blades on Spyderco knives are around 3 mm, the one on the Centofante III is only 2 mm. Actually it’s the thinnest blade that I’ve ever had on a quality pocket knife. In my opinion most of the people will be disappointed if they handle it the first time and see the weak looking blade.

If that first few words seem harsh and totally against this knife, I have to negate that impression fully.

If you think about the design and measurements for a while you (or at least me) come to the conclusion that the 2 mm blade is definitely the best solution for a knife that is meant to cut things. It’s indeed no foldable prybar like the Manix for example (although you should never use a knife to pry things open) but it’s one of the knives with the most cutting power in the Spyderco lineup that I know. I even would go so far to set it above the Calypso Jr.

Let’s take a closer look at the C66. It’s overall length is 19,2 cm with a blade of 7,9 cm and a cutting edge of 7,6 cm. The used materials are more than OK for the price (MSRP ~ $ 67,-): VG-10 and FRN. Unless other FRN handled Spydercos this one shows no texture like the Volcano type of the Endura et al. or the fishscale type that can be found on the Calypso Jr. for example. Instead it just shows a surface that appears to be rough to the eye but it is very smooth in the hand. Compared to other common surfaces that can be found on knives, the texture could be compared best to a bead- or sandblasted surface. To add some grip to the handle, two channels are cut into it. This plus the inlaid Palladium spider adds a lot to the Gentlemen’s knife appearance of the Centofante III. Click to enlarge!

The flat backside of the handle holds the pocket clip that can be changed from tip-down to tip-up carry. To enhance the strength of the handle and to support the screws that hold the clip in place, a single liner is nested in that same half of the handle which is something you will not notice immediately when you see the knife but it adds definitely more safety to the knife. Just think about stripped screws or warping handles.

The blade features a good positioned thumb-ramp with very narrow cut traction grooves. These fulfill their purpose very well but when you pull it out from your pocket, they grab the edge of it almost always. The traction grooves are rather aggressive so if you don’t take care your pockets will wear down really fast.

Also important to mention is the lack of a choil or a longer ricasso which both can usually be found on almost any Spyderco knife in order to be able to close it safely one handed. If you tried to close the Centofante III one handed you’ll most likely end up with a bandaid on your index finger.

Cheers,
Rob

September, 2005