Review: Spyderco Vallotton folding knife
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- ** Specifications **
Length closed: 12.5 cm (5 in)
Overall length: 22 cm (9 in)
Blade length: 9.3 cm (3.6 in)
Blade thickness: 4 mm (5/32 in)
Weight: 174 g (6 oz)
Blade material: CPM S30V stainless steel
Handle material: Polished G10
Lock: Liner
Price: 175 - 205 USD
** Pros / Cons **
High quality materials
Excellent fit & finish
Shaving sharp out of the box
Very sturdy blade and handle construction
Unnecessarily thick and heavy for a linerlock folder
Overly smooth, slippery handle
Not the most practical design for any specific category (EDC, self-defense, camping, etc)
** Verdict **
This was an odd knife for me to review because on the one hand I like it and appreciate the material and build quality but on the other hand the handle detracts from its usefulness as a tool.
As a collector's knife it's easy to recommend. It performs very well for light cutting tasks and would be more than strong and durable enough to handle tough tasks, but I don't think the handle is safe for that.
So it's a great knife quality-wise but could use some modification.
** Where to get it **
USA:
www.amazon.com/...
www.massdrop.c...
Canada:
www.amazon.ca/g...
www.warriorsand...
Online community for gear enthusiasts:
www.massdrop.com
********************************************************************************
My favorite online store for buying swords (worldwide shipping):
ww4.aitsafe.com...
Some recommended knife makers on Amazon:
www.amazon.com/...
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i know this is OLD, but i just got one of these, and i love it
I love your videos so much because you stick to the knife/sword you are talking about without going off on any tangents. I really appreciate that as I hope others do as well.
Skall idek how you do it. I have zero interest in knives and swords yet I'm addicted to your videos. So strange.. you're the best.
+Luis Hey the same goes for me.
+Luis i had no interest until i found this channel when it had about 4k subs.
+Luis
Thanks. What kind of video are you most interested in?
+Skallagrim Don't think about it. Just do what you do naturally.
+Skallagrim Well when i found this channel it was because of your dark souls video than i realized i enjoyed looking at knives then i bought a few knives. This video i loved because i have giant hands i cant even wear a watch, so a big knife that still looks nice is always nice to see
That Vallatton looks like trophy display knife. Beautiful piece of art
Skall, this is truly one of the nicest folding knifes ( in my opinion ) that you have reviewed. I usually prefer fixed blades, but this one is pretty cool for what it is.
Hope to see some more rambling videos, really nice to watch.
I don't disagree with any of your review points , but I still love it and it's been in my regular edc rotation for some years , it's a big thick heavy chunk , and I love it!
Great review
I had to choose between this knife and my Assisted Opening Benchmade Barrage. I went with the Barrage and have no complaints. I plan on getting this knife soon.
Great review, Skall. I found it very enlightening and I would have to agree with your assessment of the knife. That knife would be perfect for me if it were a bit thinner and if that nice finish was textured for extra grip. Build quality seems about right for the price and you gotta love that the blade actually comes shaving sharp.
Ooh folders, my territory. Please do more of these.
This is my favorite knife I carry it every day
I own one its a gentle men's knife also a good conversation starter.
"near the tip... where it counts" ... "the spine is very thick, and in fact the entire [REDACTED] over all is pretty beefy" are we still talking about the knife?
We were talking about knives?
this knife look awesome.great vid man
I agree with Skall! The only thing i don't like in this knife is that liner lock(it just misses the whole point of the thick blade and also gets in the way of the "sub hilt" and makes it less useful) ! It should have been lockback! If they change it i'll buy one! Keep up the job Skall!
This was a really, really nice knife rewiew! About the thickness of the blade, first I thought, no way, that is definitely too much, basically nonsense. But as the whole knife did made quite some sense there clearly must be a specific reason for that. There is this trick to open folding-knives with a sharp flick of the wrist, and for that the added weight comes in very handy. To present your blade that way also seems to be state-of-the-art in modern self-defence with a knife based on the fact that automatic-opening folders are illegal mostly everywhere. So just try out how it works.
Still one of my favorite knives.
Been using Massdrop a long time, great service!
I love mine. It’s a toss up between which is my favorite the Vallotton or the benchmade crooked river
Cool to see a knife review from you. Would love to own this knife as a part of my collection but it wouldn't be something I EDC every day. Just bought a Benchmade 710 that's about the same overall length and much more suited for every day tasks.
Excellent review! Thank You Sir!
Damn, that knife looks beautiful!
Dig the look of this one. I want the Matriarch 2 though. Pure gnarlyness.
Why not have a big ol’ thick knife? The fact the spine is so thick is what makes this one of the only Spyderco knives I like. It is old school meets new... Stop thinking all knives have to be the same.
Finally; a Spyderco that isn't butt ugly.
I usually dislike folding knives but somehow this seems to be just what I want.
Beautiful knife! I have the Spyderco Bushcraft UK fixed blade with the polished G-10 and it has a great grip. Maybe it's because the shape is different and more ergonomic than this one. Thanks for the review!
I agree it's really a collectors safe queen. I buy Spyderco's, Benchmade's and many other brands to use not for show.
So regards the knife being thick on the backside, as a woman with very small hands, I would tend to use the hole to loop my first finger through and put my thumb on the back for added strength and precision on a largish folding knife like this. Having a wider back is an advantage to me, so my grip would be secure and more comfortable for any heavy whittling or paring I might do with this size and kind of a knife, especially if I needed it for detail work. JMO :)
wow its beautiful great looking knife
Hell, the thickness is perfect for me. I have large hands so this knife would fit me well.
Good review. I was thinking about getting one, but after this review I'll go with a slimmer knife. The pictures online don't give a good indication about how beefy that thing is.
First, this is only 175 on Amazon. I would not recommend Knifecenter under any circumstances. Regarding the knife - not very practical for anything at all, but very nice looking, well done and a good collectible item.
I would love to see you review the Spyderco Matriarch 2!
i found this article very helpful for understanding how the spyderco works com/knives/spyderco-autonomy-automatic-knife/
It's a beautiful knife.
you heard of Benchmade 940 Osborne I love it really fun looking too green aluminum handles purple spacer and reverse tanto really sweet I love mine
Love my Vallotton it is like Jack the ripper with an Italian accent and only becomes EDC when I am wearing a suit.
Hey skallag, could yopu make a video on different kind of grinds ect. i hear you using those words alot.
and i can see what they stand for but not the pro's con's ect.
+Mathijs Saccol You could have found the answer in half the time that you spent to write that comment. Well here you go anyway: www.nevadashooters.com/showthread.php?t=47619
+Alex Schmidtka Typical Internet user.
NecroBanana true.
Rule number 1) Full flat ground blades tend to give you the benefit of getting them hair popping razor ass sharp. The downside to them is the blades tend to be weaker, especially towards the tip. There. you learned your first grind rule.
If I had to hazard a guess I would say it's probably more on the thick side to appeal to amateur knife enthusiasts. A lot of the ones I have spoken to about the subject tend to have this impressions that a thicker, heftier blade is a sign of a superior knife and/or sword. Most of them don't seem to realize that different knives are generally meant for different purposes, but like I said that's just a guess.
Thanks for the review. But I don't care about how thick it is, that is a bad ass knife. I wouldn't mind if you reviewed Spyderco's Karambit. I wonder if that item is also as thick.
But damn.... That build quality is awesome for the price.
unlike cutlerylover you open up the knife right away thats why I like watching you videos but I also like cutlerylover
*Spyderco* EDC: Endura Lightweight ; fightingblade: Warrior
ve both and both are awesome ; my edc knifes are a pohl force alpha 2 and the endura lw
I have the same knife but the blade is 690 stainless steel ,. The knife is from Taiwan. Bought it in excellent condition used at a gun show for $65 👍. It is an awesome knife and the steel takes a wicked edge. The son of a b**** is built like a tank. Which I love for heavy duty outdoor work.
It's an extraordinarily thick knife from Spyderco. Up there with Benchmade Adamas
Got it, love it.
i collect spydercos
this knife is now around 240 us and not in stock ANYWHERE
I just started to look at Mass Drop, they have some pretty cool deals from time to time. The Vallotton is a very nice knife, and I have considered getting one from time to time, but in the end, I guess it is just not quite my style.
List of Spyderco knives I WANT:
Spyderco Manix 2 XL - hd edc
Spyderco Grasshopper - Keychain edc
Spyderco Tatanka - why not?
Spyderco Szabo - hypothetical combat
Spyderco Centafonte 3 - edc
It's on my "to buy" list, but I'll have to get the Roc and a Yojimbo2 first.
I love Spydies ^_^
skalla, i suggest you the buck tops csar. it is a great folding.
In my experience Spyderco was only ever helpful if you merely needed a replacement pocket clip & clip screws. That's it. Now, because I carry my knives so much and use them so hard, I routinely inspect and re tighten all screws on my folding knives so they don't loosen up, or possibly have a screw fall out (which I've seen happen on other guys knives in my police department). Furthermore, I don't take my knives apart because I know this voids most makers warranties however simply tightening screws back down does not. I digress. When one of the frame screws stripped on my Endura 4, they gave me a nonsense excuse that because most of their knives are made over-seas now, they couldn't fix my knife or get a replacement frame screw....(Even though the Endura 4 happens to be about their single best selling model knife mind you!). So she was trying to tell me that even if I sent the knife into them for repair, that they were unable to get replacement frame screws for the Endura4 because all knives and parts are made overseas, and not in the USA, therefore they don't stock any parts for their overseas made knives except for replacement pocket clips and clip screws.... So after that nonsense, I shared my experience on all of the major forums, and once Spyderco caught wind of the fact that I was making my miserable experience known to the world, they magically decided to fix my problem.... But any halfway intelligent person would be able to see that Spyderco was merely doing this as a means of damage control and not because they actually gave a darn about me, their customer. How do I know Spyderco was merely conducting damage control you ask? Because if it wasn't simply a means of damage control, they would have fixed my issue when I initially had the problem to begin with...NOT after I start sharing my piss poor experience on the forums! They just wanted me to stop the bad publicity! Then after speaking with the rep, they actually tried to put the burden on me by saying, that if I had issues with customer service, I should have asked to speak with a manager. I took offense to this stating, why should it be MY responsibility to ask for a manager when YOUR customer service department can't properly do their job?! This just demonstrates poor customer service to begin with! And that's not MY responsibility or MY problem! At this point it had been about a month since my initial contact with Spyderco about my problem. During this time since Spyderco would rather dick me around than be of any help, the vendor of the cutlery I bought the knife from wanted to replace my knife after he found out what was going on. I know him rather well and he felt bad considering he was the one that recommended I buy the Spyderco from his store. This wasn't the end however. Once I got my new knife, I immediately realized that the lockup was off (the lock bar protruded about 2mm above the base of the blade where lock bar and blade meet when open) and that this also caused the knife to have a VERY scratchy, gritty feel when opening or closing the knife. This is because someone did a shotty job milling the knife, and left all sorts of grinding grooves in the steel. I informed the Spyderco rep that the knife I had initially contacted them about had already been replaced, and then explained that the replacement knife is defective. So she tells me to send it in and they will "take a look at it". About a week or two later, I get an email from the rep stating that they "examined" the knife and deemed that it was "within their tolerances", but that they would replace it for me anyways. (Mind you, any asshole could have picked up that knife and immediately come to the conclusion that it was all fucked up and defective). At this point I was like, "Don't do me any fucking favors! You guys can keep the fucking knife for all I care". It was plain as day the knife was not up to spec, however they just wanted to be assholes about it but then make it seem like they were making this big fucking exception replacing this obviously defective knife for me, like they're doing me some giant fucking favor! Yeah right! I just couldn't believe how unwilling they were to ever own up to ANY of THEIR mistakes, and if that weren't bad enough, they always were trying to find a way to flip it around and put the burden or blame on the customer! NEVER have I dealt with such a scumbag company!Anyways, after finally getting my knife back from them, I was angry, hurt, offended, and just plain old disgusted! I'm all done with Spyderco! After my experience, I did some homework and started to find lots of other people were having bad experiences with Spyderco as well, some even far worse than mine! So apparently it wasn't just a freak event or something. Either way, I'll never be doing business with Spyderco again! Their knives are nothing more than over-priced, foreign made junk with "Made in USA" price-tags. And they're ugly to boot!
You can always tell if someone is a knife enthusiast. Weird bald patches on arms. ;)
I would love to hear a Kiku Matsuda knife review :)
Couldn't help but think of my ZT 0452CF as I watched this. Skall, if you see this I'd love to hear your thoughts because it seems like it might have a few qualities that you would have liked in that spyderco. Still a great looking blade though.
I love the knife, but I would have wanted the handle to be MUCH thinner. Like each side be about half as thick. The black areas made much more textured or textured carbon fiber or Terotuf would be good alternatives. I really like kraton but it might be too grippy with the pressure on the clip to get in and out of your pocket without both hands, and the blade steel in S110V. I'm ok with the thick blade, but making it a little thinner would help too. All in all, I love the idea of it, but it just seems like it could have been executed much better
dude you should totally review cold steel espada xl
Hey Skall,
I've been wanting to get a Spyderco folder for a while now and I'm torn between the Vallotton and the Manix2 XL. I'd like a functional edc knife, that is durable, is relatively easy to maintain, and that is pleasing to the eye. These two are my finalists, and I thought that I'd get your input on it (since knives/swords/firearms seem to be your forte). Thank you in advance for any advice that you choose to give me, and I love your videos!
Hey skallagrim did you ever a good mold to use that ballistic gel ?
* find
+biohazardjackson63 *make?
+biohazardjackson63 Try a length of 3.5" ID PVC tubing. I'd thread one end, so a cap can be screwed off for better removal of products. Then just coat the inside with petroleum jelly and adding the necessary gels.
You should make a video, reviewing some budget but effective pommels, I'm low on money, but one has the desire to end their opponents rightly.
Ever considered being a hand model? You seem to have steady hands and patience.
not a big fan of spydercos except the delica i love that knife and i was interested in this knife because i thought it was carbon fiber and alot slimmer then what it actually is this knife reminds me of some long italian switch blade maybe that what they were going for but i agree its deffenately a collector knife
skallagrim should be in the next skyrim and be a blade master because he's a badass
Overbuilt is just trendy right now.
+1113jackson
Yep, and has been for a while.
+Skallagrim I was wondering if I could send you a package it would contain a sabre and some other things thanks
This is probably the best looking Spyderco I have seen. Too bad its so expensive and kind of pointless.
Not really a fan of folders for anything other than opening boxes, but that is a really nice one.
So we know people have made changes to their products based on Matt's suggestions at Schola, but has anyone done the same with your suggestions yet? I think a lot of these knives and so on would really benefit from doing so.
Skaaaaall. I know you're not a fan of Cold Steel, but could you do a review of their Tai Pan 3V?
Looks like a nice knife.
You should try the Spyderco yojimbo.
Can you do a vid on carving. I wanna learn how to do that so I can make my own wand.
+Shadow Lander Though I am sure a wood carving video would be great from him, there are some others on UA-cam already if you want to check them out. Wildernessoutfitters is a good one. He mostly shows wood carving for making tools, but he goes into great detail about techniques and I am sure you can use that knowledge for your needs as well. He will also show some carving tools such as the draw knife that can make the task easier. A small carving tool such as the spoke shave will cost less than $20 and will make small wood carving tasks even easier.
It's so thick and strong, except for the tiny linear lock.
Please do a review on a Bob Kramer knife!
Not a fan of Spyderco knives, but this one looks really nice.
who makes your favorite folders n what are your some of the favorites you've owned
If you take it and stab it into something the thick spine makes a giant triangular shaped hole. Makes me think of a rondel dagger or a stilleto lol. Also yes its smooth but if you have large strong hands its no big deal. If you put your pinky behind the butt while gripping it there's no way you can slip even if you have weak hands.
So the verdict may well be to wait for the inevitable mini version?
warriors and wonders is like crack for me. I used to have a Hungarian style spyderco that was the same price as this one but it fell out of my pocket somewhere. also had a spyderco that had the hook on the top for opening on your pants pocket as you take it out also fell out of my pocket. since got rid of those jeans.
I don't like spyderco but this one look great!
next knife review could you review a kramabit if you haven't already
would you ever consider reviewing something like a Mora knive a or a cheaper buck, reason I ask is two fold
A as a potential starter I'm gonna go for.. wel starter knives.
B because something like a Mora Companion Heavy Duty or a BuckLite MAX Large are realy the only starterblades you can get over here in this part of europe other than the always present cold steel.
I will have to disagree on one thing, I don't like multi position clips on hunting knives, it give holes for blood to get into and poking out 9 holes every time you get home isn't the most fun. I currently use a buck 110 as a hunter, no holes, but when choosing a knife, little blood collecting areas are things I like to avoid.
Definitely needs some deep texture on the scales before I would consider carrying it for a fighting knife.
Would it be fine if it was so thick but was fixed blade knife? From what i undestand it's that if you want folding knife you don't want thick ass blade right?
Do a review of the HF blade
Pocket knives aren't big enough to make effective covers anyway, what good would a guard do you in a fight?
dude if you get a chance try the spyderco para3. It does cost as much as the hanwei blunt norman sword but imho it was worth it!
How would you fight against somebody who uses sword and shield (and you use a two-handed sword). Would love to see a video about it
I would use a feint
Throw the pommel at the shield and then follow up by throwing the sword carefully at the opponent's hand, and then throw yourself into the air and elbow their face into the ground.
+crazyguywithasword You forgot to unsheathe the scabbard.
Lukáš Klečka Crap. No wonder I died when I tried it.
it's beautiful
how about making a custom guard and attach it via those three screws near the blade?
If I had to guess, in my opinion it's a self defense knife, and the slippery handscales are a design error. I'm no expert on knifes (in fact i know between nothing and jack shit), almost all i know was learnt in Skall's videos, but given how thick it is for a folding knife and the point shape/grind/geometry, it sounds like the most logical assumption.
It has a "too thick blade" and is "overbuilt" for a reason. It makes the knife a work of art FIRST, a cutting utensil = second. This is one of my top knives out of over my 250. As you stated it is as good as it gets for production type knives. Its fit-n-finish = flawless. I disagree it should have clip holes on the bolster sides. It takes away from the beauty. Pretty bolster, but ugly holes, my only negative about the thing. Not all knives need to be practical. Like a pink cadillac, we'll just park her out back and stare. I do agree that, I too took the clip off. So if you took yours off also...why have FOUR possible positions? It just adds ugly holes, where 99% of people arent going to carry it tip-DOWN anyway. and 75% SHOULD take the clip OFF like us. Nice review in general though.
Waste of money if you aren't gonna use it
nice blade
What type of steel do you think is the best for knives? Disregarding price
Have you thought about doing a few firearm review videos that are similar to your knife reviews?
+Krig Raseri
Yes. The only issues is I don't get a chance to go to the range very often these days.
+Skallagrim tell me if im out of line but i have come across a cheap sword that ive been wanting to find out if its any good for years now. the video on the website shows it being used but there is no test like a skallagrim test. www.budk.com/300-Spartan-Warrior-Replica-Sword-11170
+Jon J seems like its not a good quality sword, looking at the reviews
Well idk, and of all random people online i trust his word the most
Idk if I had a forge I'd make my own. Sadly I dont have the funds for such a thing
Skall can you review the scalpel knife???
Will you review any CIVIVI blades?
9:22 - What's that sound? Is it some background music or a microphone glitch?
As of 31/08/2015(Aprox.) Massdrop doesn't ship knives to Canada, or outside of the USA at all for that matter.
Super disappointing, as I had just started buying knives from them right before they changed their shipping policies.
Eh... it's okay I suppose. When it comes to folding knives, I'll never go with anything but a Cold Steel knife with the Tri-Lock locking mechanism. You simply can't beat Cold Steel for folders.
Skall, what is your opinion on Kershaw knives?
could you show us some scars of yours, you got from blades in generel, I love your videos!
Could you review the spyderco civilian?? Thanks.