This little review is about one of the probably least known Spyderco knives – the Pirka Knife. It is a model which is produced for the Japanese market only and sold by Mont-Bell, which is a store that sells outdoor clothing and equipment. I was wondering what “Pirka” meant and found out that it is a word from the Ainu-language. The Ainu are a minority among the Japanese and live on the island of Hokkaido. They have different cultural roots than the Japanese and also speak a different language. “Pirka” means “good” or “beautiful” in their language, so the Pirka Knife is literally a good/beautiful knife. Quite a fitting name in my opinion.

Interestingly Mont-Bell lists this knife as “Pilica” in their online catalog. One member of the Spyderco forum suggested that this may be due to the fact that the Japanese language always pairs consonants with vowels so “Pirka” would become “Pirika”. Given that and the circumstance that “r” and “l” are not distinct sounds in Japanese, this could be the reason why “Pirka” became “Pilica”.

For someone who is “into” Spyderco knives, this one might look a little bit strange at the first glance. The handle looks somehow familiar with it’s Kraton insert, the bladeshape is also looking – although totally different to any other Spyderco model – somehow familiar, and the integrated pocket-clip is well known from older models. Anyway, most people do not really recognize it as a genuine Spyderco when they only see a blurry picture on the internet. Most assume that it must be a blatant knock-off. So far with a first description. Let us now look a little bit more in the details.

Let’s start things off with the handle. To one who is familiar with the older models of Spyderco knives it should look familiar indeed. It’s in fact the same shape as the one that can be found on the Worker, Hunter, Standard, Harpy, Pro-Grip (both the C13 and C33) and aswell on the K-model. The handle of the Pirka Knife is made of Zytel (although the label on the box says „Sytel” – must be a typo) with a Kraton rubber insert.Looking at the clip-side of the knife reveals that it also has a molded pocket clip, just like the C33. One thing that is a little bit odd is the fact, that the writing on the clip („U.S. patent…”) is upside down compared with other Spyderco knives that feature this type of clip. I currently do not have a C33 as reference at hand, but a member (The Deacon) of the Spyderco forum provided a picture of the Pirka Knife and a C33 side by side showing the clipside. It was most clearly visible that the writing on the clip of the C33 is identical with the one that can be found on the Pirka Knife. This fact plus the absolutely identical look of the two handles suggest that the same mold was used to produce the handles of both knives. If you are interested in the comparison shot please take a look at this thread over at Spyderco’s forum.

The plastic clip might look a little bit old fashioned nowadays but it still can be found on knives of the current Spyderco lineup (i.e. FRN Dragonfly and Catcherman). Back in the 90ies this kind of clip was the standard for a couple of models but it was dropped in favour of metal clips. Using a knife with a molded clip can also have it’s downsides because if the clip catches on a doorframe or the like it rather breaks off than bending a little and once it’s off you can’t replace it with another one. Positive is that this clip will not eat up your pockets as fast as the metal ones tend to do and you won’t scratch your car with it when you hit it (yes, this might be an important issue for some).

Let’s move our focus to the blade of the knife. Although it is not explicit marketed as a Spyderco product, the tang of the blade is stamped with „Spyderco”. This and the fact that the box of the knife is bearing the Spyderco and Mont-Bell’s logo is at least for me good enough to consider it as a Spyderco knife. Interestingly the design of the box is somehow similar to the look of the older white boxes Spyderco’s came in. The fact that it is produced for Mont-Bell is also made clear with their logo being etched on the left side of the blade in quite big lettering. Besides the overall shape of the knife, this should make anybody able to idetify this model instantly when it is seen somewhere.

The material that was used for the blade is AUS-8. This steel is definitely not at the top end of blade steels but also not on the lowest end. I would call it a good steel for a user but I am aware that some people might not agree with me. My opinion is based on the fact that AUS-8 takes an edge easily and it can be resharpened using simple methods easily because it normally is not hardened too high. The downside of this is that it will get dull much faster than „better” steels. Thinking as an average user, I’d prefer a steel that I can sharpen myself easily over a steel that I don’t know how to sharpen it properly anytime.

The shape of the blade is something special. While the same handle (aswell as the shape but also the exact same materials)can be found on other Spyderco models too, there is no other Spyderco with the same shape of the blade. It is somehow a mixture of two different models. First it has considerable similarities with the C52 Calypso Jr. regarding the spine of the blade. The arc of it is almost the same and it also features a very small swedge grind like the C52 has.

The shape of the edge on the other hand is totally different one. Similarities can be found on the C13/C33 (approximately same size) and also on the smaller C32 Spur – just to name two. This combination seems to be quite a good one as you get the best of both. Especially the belly of the blade – which the C52 totally lacks – could be useful for tasks like skinning small game. Nevertheless you can find a pronounced tip on this blade which is always useful when you have to perform more delicate cutting jobs.

Overall the bladeshape resembles what I would call a multi-purpose blade. The PE model might be best for people who do not have to do heavy cutting while the CE model might suit the ones who want a little bit of both worlds. Unlike most other Spyderco knives the Pirka Knife is not offered in SE. At least not from Mont-Bell but as this model is produced for them, I don’t think that there exists a variation besides the two they sell.

So what’s the conclusion of this article? The Mont-Bell Pirka Knife is considerably hard to get since the US branch stopped selling them by request of Spyderco as it was never planned to sell this knife outside of Japan and the Japanese branch of the company does not ship internationally. If you want to have one, you’ll have to search a little bit so it’s not instantly replaceable as many other „regular” models. Not really an advantage if you want it as a „beater”. Shape, materials and workmanship are typical for Spyderco. That would be an advantage but there are other knives of their regular lineup that are equal in price. Mont-Bell sells them for JPY 7,875 which is approximately equal to USD 70 or EUR 55. For this price (MSRP!!!) you could also get a brand new Delica 4 which features better steel (VG-10) and a construction that is in my opinion better than the Pirka’s. From most dealers even cheaper than that.

Speaking as a collector, I only say get one if you have the chance! They are maybe not really rare but somehow difficult to obtain at the moment, widely unknown to most people (even to the ones who are fans of Spyderco) and a great conversation piece for everyone who is interested in Spyderco knives or even collects them.

Recapitulating: This knife is not really suitable for the average user but a nice addition to every collection.

I’d like to close this little article with special thanks that go to a U.S. member of the Spydero forum who helped me a great deal to obtain this model.

Thank you!

Cheers,
Rob

May 2006