Spyderco Techno 2 Frame Lock Knife Titanium (2.55" Stonewash) C158TIP2

The very first pocket clip folder I ever owned was a Spyderco Delica (I think?). There weren't a lot of options in those days, and I carried it for years. The tip eventually broke, so I went looking for something new and passed the Spyderco along to someone else. I've not owned one since...until now. I don't normally go in for knives with titanium or aluminum handles, simply because they tend to get scratched up. However, something drew me to this one. I like the Marcin Slysz designs, and I missed out on the Bowie. I wanted to add at least one Spyderco to my collection and decided to give this a chance. I really, really like this knife. The action is silky smooth, and the overbuilt look and feel is very appealing. It's a little chunk of lead, be prepared for that.

I recently had a chance to pick up the original Techno after years of hemming and hawing over the purchase. I liked it so much that I decided to pick up the Techno 2 within a couple weeks of carrying the OG. Simply put, the Techno 2 is everything you want in a small but incredibly sturdy package. It takes the "overbuilt" trend and does it right, scaling it down so that you don't feel like you're carrying a titanium brick around in your pocket. It feels substantial in-hand and the sheepsfoot blade is perfect for cutting. The blade is thicker than your average Spyderco, with none of the concerns of fragility that can come with a thin spine and tapered tip. My favorite aesthetic element are the green standoffs. The original Techno had a blue g10 backspacer there, the bright green standoffs pay homage to that while being a bit more subtle. My only concern about the knife is the saber grind. While I don't have any issue with the idea of a saber grind in and of itself in terms of cutting geometry, I just don't have the skills on the sharpening side to properly maintain it. Thankfully, CTS-XHP can hold an edge so I imagine it will be a long while before I'm in need of a touch-up.

Context: I think Spyderco is my favorite knife maker. I own a lot of Spyderco, Case, GEC, a few Benchmade, Hinderer and CRK. I primarily carry a PM2 or Delica to work and a GEC or Techno in more dressy outfits. I love the original Techno appearance and feel in the hand, but dislike its thick blade stock. I bought the Techno 2 in hopes that it is slightly more slice-oriented with the thinner stock. My opinion of the Techno 2 is that it is a solid improvement on the original Techno. It has much thinner blade stock with improved blade shape (for slicing) and point. I appreciate that the thicker scales on the Techno 2 retain that "tanky" feel from the original Techno. The centering and lockup are perfect as expected from a Ti frame-lock from Spyderco. Scale shape is an improvement for grip (at least for my mid-small hand). Lanyard hole location is also improved. I like the green standoffs, but I like the blue back-spacer too. Clip is unchanged. I will be keeping my original Techno because I still think its a great piece for any Spyderco collection, but I don't see myself carrying it over the Techno 2 for any reason. The Techno 2 is a significant improvement in my opinion.