The Spyderco Shaman is the big brother of the Native. If you’re a fan of slightly larger EDC blades, then you’re going to love the Shaman!
The Spyderco Shaman is a modern design, lock blade, folding knife. It is built with premium S30V blade steel and G10 handle scales, making it suitable for heavy-duty use. It uses several popular and use-proven Spyderco design features.
- Open Length: 8 1/4″
- Closed Length: 4 1/2″
- Blade Length: 3.58″
- Weight: 5.2 oz.
The blade is held open with Spyderco’s compression lock and the knife fits well in most hands. Overall, it’s a great knife for almost anyone.
Who should be Interested in the Spyderco Shaman?
If you’re in the market for an EDC knife that comes in on the larger side and can handle some heavy work, then the Spyderco Shaman should be on your shortlist of knives to consider.
It’s large enough to do the hard tasks and still small enough to be comfortable after carrying it all day long. In our opinion, it’s a great blade that fits most people’s EDC needs.
- High-Quality Blade: Features a 3.61" leaf-shaped blade made of CPM S30V stainless steel, ensuring...
- Ergonomic Design: Equipped with a contoured black G-10 handle for a comfortable and secure grip,...
- Advanced Locking Mechanism: Incorporates a reliable Compression Lock for enhanced security during...
- Versatile Carrying Options: Comes with a four-position reversible pocket clip, allowing for tip-up...
- One-Handed Operation: Features Spyderco's trademark round hole for easy, one-handed opening, a...
Features
The Spyderco Shaman has an 8 1/4″ overall length, comes in at just over 4.5″ when it’s closed and weights 5.2 ozs.
The blade is made of S30V steel and is 3.58″ long. The sharpened edge is 3.12″ which leaves enough room at the bottom of the blade for a good-sized finger choil. At a little over 1/8″ thick, the Shaman’s blade is on the hefty side yet it still has a sharp, fine tip for more delicate work if needed.
Spyderco claims that the blade has a full-flat grind but it isn’t a true full-flat grind. The top of the blade has enough of a flat edge to make locking it into certain knife sharpeners possible.
The handle is made of G-10 and shaped to make it feel great in the hand. The compression locking mechanism is located on the back of the handle.
The inside of the G-10 handle is strengthened by steel inserts that have holes cut out to help keep the weight of the knife down, and prevent the G10 from flexing or breaking under heavy use.
You can carry knife in either a tip-up or tip-down position and on the left or right side. So no matter how you prefer to carry your knives, you’re in luck.
Most Popular Spyderco Knives
Spyderco Shaman Pros
The Spyderco Shaman is easy to open and close with one hand like most Spyderco Knives.
Available in serrated and straight blade designs and either a stainless steel finish or Spyderco’s Diamond-Like Carbon Coating. The Diamond-Like Carbon Coating is strong and holds up well under hard use.
The handle is smooth enough to feel great in the hand but still has enough texture to make it feel secure when you’re working with it.
The jimping on the blade and finger choil allows you to choke up on the knife so you can do finer work when needed.
Made in America.
Spyderco Shaman Cons
For some people, the Shaman is probably a little on the large size. If you’re looking for a dainty little pen knife then this isn’t going to be for you. If you want a smaller knife that’s going to mostly be used in the office it will still work for you, but it’s going to up to personal preference.
The Benchmade Griptilian is another great option for EDC!
The main drawback of the Shaman is the sharp edge of the pocket clip. The handle itself feels great in the hand, but it’s ruined by the pocket clip in most positions. There are other clips available from third-party manufacturers that will fix this problem but it’s something that you shouldn’t have to worry about with a knife that runs around $200.
Conclusion
Overall, the Spyderco Shaman is one of the better knives available these days for EDC. (It’s my current go-to EDC knife.) It’s made in America, has a good-sized blade that’s thick and strong enough for tough work yet it can handle smaller jobs that require finesse just as well.
