One to Watch: Spyderco Drunken
Tony Sculimbrene 06.18.18
Whispers went through the Internet Knife Community a few years ago. Rumors of a collaboration between one of the hottest custom makers, Dmitri Sinkevich, and Spyderco trickled through DMs, forum boards, and emails. Spyderco traditionally shows off a lot of stuff in the process of being made at a variety of shows, but a lot of these knives are strictly off limits to photo takers. Some knives are even more secret than that, shown, in private, to a select few. And from there the rumor mill got running.
The excitement stems from Sinkevich’s prior collabs include the ZT 454, a Blade Show Overall Knife of the Year winner and one of the most sought after production knives in the last decade. With a huge blade and of two different steels, a flipper that was butter smooth, and a handle of sculpted carbon fiber, the ZT 454 made a huge impact. It was not uncommon to see them for over a grand on the secondary market. Since then he has produced a number of highly sought after collabs.
For about two years now, I have waited to see the Sinkevich to show up at either SHOW or IWA. Time and again it wasn’t shown, but time and again folks drops hints that it was there. There were fewer photos of the collab (that would be zero) than there are annually of the Sasquatch. It’s a testament to the folks working the Spyderco booth that they were able to keep the knife under wraps despite huge interest from the public. This is the first collab Sinkevich has done with a company other than ZT and the overall design works well in Spyderco’s brand design language.
But at Blade 2018, finally, after many years, Spyderco debuted the Drunken, the long rumored, long pined-for collaboration with Dmitri Sinkevich. Dmitri Sinkevich has been part of a Eastern European boom in the knife world. From the Russian Shirogorov Brothers to a stable of designers working with Custom Knife Factory, Russians and Eastern Europeans have been putting out some of the hottest knives on the market.
The Drunken carries a lot of Sinkevich hallmarks. First, there is the blade. It’s not exactly a wharncliffe nor is it a drop point. It is something between. The handle is classically Sinkevich–sculpted carbon fiber. And of course, because this is a Spyderco, the steel is exotic, here the insanely hard-to-grind S90V. This is collab that brings out the best of both the designer and the production company.
Other details only add to the excitement. The knife is a Taiwan produced Spyderco, using an OEM that has long made some of the best production knives in the world. It also sports a 100% original clip, a 3.50 inch blade, and all of this awesomeness tips the scale at just over 3 ounces (3.08 ounces to be precise). The only bad part of this knife is the price. At over $400 it is pricey for a production knife. Oh and then there is the wait. Spyderco has us waiting for years for some knives. Let’s hope the Drunken won’t join the list.
Important Info:
What: Spyderco Drunken
When: TBA
Where: all Spyderco dealers
Specs: 3.5 inch blade, 3.08 ounces
Price: $409.95
Highlights: S90V steel, great blade:weight, Sinkevich design
