Petzl Spatha Knife (Small)

Gus - 2005-11-29

Lightweight and Sharp
I am pleasantly surprised with this knife, and have to say that I like it. I was really just looking for something better than a swiss army knife for carrying in my backpack. Compared to other knives, the Spatha is difficult to open. You have to use two hands and hold the blue ring at the axis point, but I would argue that is a good thing. It is also a very sharp backpacking/climbing knife with serations good for cutting your partner loose.

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michael maclean - 2005-03-06

hiking knife
I use this knife for hiking in the Canadian north. It hasn't let me down yet. One down side, the lubrication from the blade tends to leak a bit. Nothing a quick wipe won't resolve. Great weight to performance ratio. There is no blade locking mechanism.

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Tim - 2004-12-09

safe and practical
This knife is perfect for what it is (mainly) intended for, climbing. It is difficult to open so that it does not open during a fall so you don't stab yourself. I have always wanted a knife to take climbing with me if I ever need to cut hair out of an atc or cut a rope (which it does suprisingly well). If you were in an emergency situation and needed to open it with one hand, you can. But rather than one hand it is one hand and another object. It doesn't lock, but the blade generally doesn't move unless you want it to.

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> Read All 20 Reviews

Gus - 2005-11-29

Lightweight and Sharp
I am pleasantly surprised with this knife, and have to say that I like it. I was really just looking for something better than a swiss army knife for carrying in my backpack. Compared to other knives, the Spatha is difficult to open. You have to use two hands and hold the blue ring at the axis point, but I would argue that is a good thing. It is also a very sharp backpacking/climbing knife with serations good for cutting your partner loose.

Was this Petzl Spatha Knife (Small) Review Helpful? - Yes - No

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michael maclean - 2005-03-06

hiking knife
I use this knife for hiking in the Canadian north. It hasn't let me down yet. One down side, the lubrication from the blade tends to leak a bit. Nothing a quick wipe won't resolve. Great weight to performance ratio. There is no blade locking mechanism.

Is this Handy? - Yes - No (1 of 1 liked this review)

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Tim - 2004-12-09

safe and practical
This knife is perfect for what it is (mainly) intended for, climbing. It is difficult to open so that it does not open during a fall so you don't stab yourself. I have always wanted a knife to take climbing with me if I ever need to cut hair out of an atc or cut a rope (which it does suprisingly well). If you were in an emergency situation and needed to open it with one hand, you can. But rather than one hand it is one hand and another object. It doesn't lock, but the blade generally doesn't move unless you want it to.

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King - 2004-11-21

Works Well
It is light, simple and economical. The statement that this knife cannot be opened with one hand is not true. Place thumb and forefinger on "doughnut hole" place handle tip against anything and flick open with one hand very quick.

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RRCase - 2004-04-29

Sturdy, lightweight and well made.
When you're keeping it light - this knife is a great choice.

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Anonymous - 2004-01-08

Diverse little implement!!
Sort of an all-purpose indoor/outdoor paring knife!!

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Anonymous - 2003-11-02

Great Knife!!
Although it does easily attach to a carabiner it is by no means a small knife...it is actually a lot larger than I expected, nonetheless..... it is an excellent deal and has proven to be a very useful knife..

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Anonymous - 2003-08-25

Never a Dull Moment
I've had this knife for about 3mos now and it's proven to be more reliable if not more convenient than other expensive knives I've owned. The blade is nice and fat for spreading your favorite peanut butter and the blade very dependable for most camp chores. Very tough knife! But I think what makes this knife so unique is the donut hole ring - which you can attach to your beener and keep close to you when you need it, and light as well. The color also makes it easy to find if misplaced. Definitely FUNCTION and PRACTICALITY is what this knife is all about!

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Anonymous - 2005-06-26

A great tool!
I use this knife every where I go. I work at a college theater and a good knife is a nesesity. THe Spatha is the one. the only thing that I have had problems with is getting my fingures used to the one handed opening technique. it is not a position that your hand is used to going. other than that it is just the knife any climber is looking for.

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Bryan McCravy - 2005-03-13

Strong knife
it did everything it says and more.its great to have around at all times not just on the trail or on a beaner.

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Anonymous - 2004-04-13

Not just for climbing
Handy for all outdoor occasions. Makes a great knife for boating, hiking, camping, etc.. The knife is lightweight but has a very usable blade. It takes two hands to open and close the Spatha, but it works easily even with gloves or mittens on. handle color also proved easier to find in the dark.

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Anonymous - 2004-02-24

Well Made Knife
This Knife is very well mad. It's a great pocket knife and as long as I don't lose it seems like it will last me a very long time. The structure of the knife makes gripping easy, but I only gave it four stars out of five because the blade doesn't lock.

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Anonymous - 2004-01-08

A handy knife with a unique feature
This is a well made knife that has the interesting feature of a carabiner attachment point built in. It attaches conveniently to bakpacks, rigging gear and belt loops.

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Brian - 2005-04-24

Nice knife
Very nice knife. Fits nicely on a small biner but not on larger ones. I personally like the reversed serations on the blade. only downside is that before its broken in it is hard to open onehanded, but when you do get it open it stays open when you want it to.

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Anonymous - 2005-03-22

sharp, seems like decent quality
Sharp blade, don't know about long-term; reasonably easy to open one handed if hard, non-delicate surface available, since tip of blade rather close to end of handle, otherwise risky.

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Bryan - 2005-03-13

Well built
Strong and steardy knife it does the job it was intended for and a few more. Great to have on the trail as well as on a beaner

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Anonymous - 2005-02-01

good general knife, would like one hand opening
i bought this knife because it was small and light and was able to be fixed to a 'biner for easy atatchment to a harness or gear sling. however, it's a bit impractical as a "climbing knife" because the blade is afixed to the handle in such a way that it requires two hands to open. even just a small ridge on the blade where the thumb could press against to open it would be a great improvement. i marked it down to 3 stars because a company like petzl should know what climbers need and if they are billing it as a knife for use with "climbing impliments" then it should be well suited for the task of climbing and built for climbers. Other than that, it is a good sturdy lightwight knife that should hold up to some abuse.

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Yes I have one - 2006-05-01

Lightweight, but doesn't lock off
This is a great lightweight knife, especially in wet places, but it lacks any safety precautions from opening in your pocket or locking while open. Look to this knife if your looking for a lighweight knife with a great blade, but maybe somewhere else if your looking for multiple uses.

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Rodney Rice - 2006-01-29

NEEDS SAFETY LOCK
DANGEROUS KNIFE, DOES NOT HAVE LOCKING MECHANISM

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Anonymous - 2004-02-03

Everything about this screams cheap
I was really disappointed with this knife when I received it. Everything about it seems cheap, the opening mechanism cannot be operated with one hand and remains akward with two. The blade seems very low quality. It seemed like too good a deal; I should have known. Gerber makes a similar product that is much better, but you pay for it.

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