Spyderco Knives Spyderco Yojimbo 2 Custom Folding Knife 3.2″ S30V Titanium Handles

History of the Yojimbo’s: When Michael Janich designed his first knife for Spyderco nearly 20 years ago, most personal-defense knives had traditional martial blade profiles, like spear points, Americanized tantos, and variations on the Bowie theme. Janich’s design—the first-generation Ronin fixed blade—challenged that convention and literally pioneered the concept of the “tactical Wharncliffe.” Today, Wharnie-style tactical knives are everywhere, but the roots of that trend can be traced directly back to Janich’s early designs—and Spyderco’s willingness to take a chance on them.

The original Ronin (literally “wave man” in Japanese, a term for a masterless Samurai) actually began as a collaboration with custom knifemaker Mike Snody. Janich had written an article on Snody’s knives that became the tipping point for him to become a full-time maker. As a gesture of thanks, Snody invited Janich to design “the ultimate neck knife,” which he would make as a custom blade. Although Janich had designed other knives previously, including the Tempest folder for the Masters of Defense knife company, he was determined to approach the design process from a fresh, empirical perspective. 

He had already begun incorporating a demonstration called “Pork Man” into his knife self-defense courses to illustrate the cutting capability of small knives. Pork Man—a hefty pork roast tied around a wooden dowel and wrapped with multiple layers of plastic—not only demonstrated the cutting power of typical carry knives, but it also quantified the significant performance differences between different blade shapes.

As Janich dug deeper, he realized the secret of the Wharncliffe blades was their perfectly straight edges cut with full power all the way to the point. Conversely, the cutting power of blades with upward curving edges and lots of “belly” diminishes near the point. The Wharncliffe’s needle-like point also penetrates almost effortlessly during thrusts. Despite their elegant demeanor, Wharncliffes are tactical cutting and thrusting machines.

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