Spyderco Junior by Dialex

The folks at Spyderco are rolling out plenty of new blades this year, but this one impressed me so much, I couldn’t wait until next week for the Best Knives of SHOT gallery to share it.

This is the Spyderco Junior by Dialex. Looking at it the first time, I couldn’t imagine how it would be comfortable to use, but like many good knives, I understood the moment I picked it up. The deep choil or guard created by the large cutout in the handle , creating a block, effectively eliminating any possibility of the fingers sliding forward onto the edge, just as any guard should. However, this folder does that without adding the extra bulk of a traditional guard.

Romanian Technical Manager Alexandru Diaconescu developed the concept when his son asked for his first pocketknife. Wanting his son to be safe, Diaconescu designed the handle for small hands, but the G10 grip felt very comfortable in my big mitts, providing superb control over the razor sharp leaf-shaped blade.

Blade length: 3.2”; overall length: 7.25”; weight: 2.9 oz.; blade thickness: .125”; blade steel: VG-10. MSRP: $219 --DM