The Spyderco Kapara Pocketknife: The Full Nick Shabazz Review

Today, we're going to take a look at a very interesting new knife from Alistair Phillips and Spyderco: The Kapara.

[bach]

I adjusted my Kapara to be drop shutty with no play. It can be done. I love the rough edges on spydie holes. Way easier to get a good hold with your thumb or middle finger. Especially when wet

[drewestes]

Everyone in 2019 has the CQI version and it is a great drop-shut action now with the new pivot bushing. Everything is perfect on the Kapara now.

[mikesatteson]

I'm a lefty and very much appreciate a good looking functional knife that works well in my hand. I got myself a Kapara as soon as they became available because it looked so promising. The Kapara has delivered on that promise. My copy does drop shut nicely and got that way quickly without any need to fiddle with it. I do like the Spyderco compression lock and find it friendly enough to left handed use. (Though the very smooth scales on the Kapara make solo left hand closure a bit more difficult than it is with a G-10 scaled Para 2.) I'm happy with this knife and carry it regularly. It certainly gets a left handed thumb up.

[LieuantDan]

Love my Kapara. Tis a thing of beauty. After a few months of use, sharpening, tear down and spa treatment, better than ever. Drop shut smooth, yes. Extremely sharp with perfect even grind, yes. Easy to sharpen, yes. Cuts better than nearly everything, an instant fave. Try to put it down, just try. Try to forget it. My next may very well have to be an Alistair custom. Not sure if I want anything else. It’s really doing my head in.

[ottergt]

The Kapara is my first compression lock knife. I'm a lefty, and can easily operate this knife with the left hand...using my left thumb to disengage the lock and kicking the blade down. The blade shape allows me to use my pointer finger as a stop on the choil. Nice solid grip, no accidental cuts. I was expecting this to break in and drop shut...been disappointed and wondering how long the break in has to be. Know I know this likely won't happen without disassembly and polishing. Not something I intend to do though.

[jamesconroy]

I've just gotten into collecting (I always carried a nice knife, but wasn't collecting) EDC style knives recently. It took me a while to find a Spyderco that I like. Most of them have medium size blades with X large handles, and the big finger choyles on so many of them make it more noticeable. This one is nice, and slim to carry. The pocket clip is perfect, and the red spacer really sets it off.

[jojojaykay]

Got this knife just last week and it is by far one of the favorite in my collection; gives me quite the stiffy. Thanks again for a good review knife daddy.

[aaronwolfe]

"That back spacer really tied the knife together" -Walter

[liquidcobra]

I got the big fingers and do find the lock cutout a little small for my index finger. But I close it with my thumb most of the time so it works for me. Thanks for the review nick.

[TheCrunchyCrouton]

I haven't bought a knife with a blade over 3.25" since I was a teenager, but this is giving me second thoughts. Do you think this design would translate well to a mini version?

[turdferguson]

2 minutes of polishing the washers got the action dropping shut smoothly for me.

[rudolfsix]

I would love to see spyderco do M4 and micarta on this beauty as well!!

[SliceyDicey]

I 100% agree that this is not a knife you know you need until you have it.

[dunkanbee]

Ive been loving my kapara for the last few years.
Definitely one of the best all round edc folders.
So easy and comfortable for so many tasks. Plus its just damn fun to use.

[knottheory]

They finally came back in stock, got mine on the way. lol price went up like $40+ since 2019

[SliceyDicey]

I GOT YA GIGANTIC FINGER RIGHT HERE!!! (You asked for this)

[timnichol]

Hey Nick, I've had my Kapara for 3 days now. It's still not quite like the pm2 but it's good. It still ends up in my pocket now. Great video!

[anthonyp]

I’m liking how we all seem to favor the micarta. It’s the unpolished canvas in hand that’s hard to beat. High end makers almost have to stay ti for keeping their price tags justified. I solute makers who are also collectors or at least enjoy using their knives and strive to create more real world user knives. That’s where I see you shine the brightest Nick. This review backs this up. It’s a design you’ll use happily and carry often. Finding micarta scales for her shouldn’t be too painful. We need more guys putting in work out of their basement, shops designating their tools just for scale work.

[just]

I’ve got gigantic hands (XXL sized work gloves) & fingers (ring finger is a snug size 16) as I’m an enormous human being. The Kapara is one of my favorite knives from both an aesthetic and ergonomic perspective. I think it’s one of the best looking knives they’ve ever released and it’s supremely comfortable in my hands.

The way I typically disengage the compression lock is either with the side of my thumb or I’ll pinch the pivot area with my index finger & thumb then use the tip of my middle finger. When I got my first Kapara (the CQI pivot bushing CF & S30V version), I didn’t feel like I had less clearance than on something like the PM2 or the Sage 5. But the fact that the lockbar is just one big rectangular leaf spring instead of having a tab cut in it like the PM2 gave for a different feel. It sounds a little strange but sometimes it seems like the tab profile gives a bit more leverage. Or it could be the case that the squared off profile of the Kapara’s lockbar makes for a stiffer spring. It’s no trouble to manipulate the lock, but there is a tactile difference between the two ways to cut the compression lockbar. I’m not really sure which way I prefer, as I think the lockbar on the Kapara looks a bit better but the PM2 style is a bit more satisfying to use.

I really love my Kapara. Definitely in my top 10 all time and I’ve been a fan of Spyderco since I picked up my first Delica (a clip-it AUS-8 version) and a Q (their skeletonized knife with the wire spring lock) back in 1999. Used them for all sorts of tasks in every set of conditions except arctic tundra through a dozen countries across 4 continents. Spyderco folders have yet to let me down.

I recently received the S90V & burlap micarta knife center exclusive version of the Kapara as a gift and it’s even more impressive. The Taichung plant has been putting out incredible design after incredible design. Even the weirder stuff - while it may not always be my taste, they are beautifully made knives and stellar performers.

[bobbybridges]

Think I may have already commented? I got mine today and love it beautiful carbon fiber, great slicer. I wanted to mention that when I was researching the knife and maker I read that his inspiration for this design stemmed from a want for a food prep knife. When he was designing the blade he measured the foods he would be cutting and that's how the blade got its shape and size. So it many not be a legal carry in every place the design was to accommodate a specific need.