Sometimes less is more, and more put into the right places makes the product. This is especially true of the Minuteman / Southern Grind special edition Spider Monkey. The Special Edition Spider Monkey keeps things simple with a few twists which makes this knife particularly useful. I’ve been using this knife for the past couple weeks in various disciplines while out in the wilderness / tactical environments and it has held strong. I would put it into the excellent category of general use / utility knives for the following reasons.
The blade, the heart of the knife. Southern Grind makes a slick knife and they know their steel well. The Minuteman Special Edition Spider Monkey uses a 3.25 inch S35VN blade. I consider S35VN knife steel to be “top of its class”. It’s an excellent hard steel that sharpens with little effort and holds an edge. I found that the knife could be easily honed to make razor-thin feather sticks to start fires while in the field. Some people like serrations and other blade shapes, but I’ve always been a fan of the simple drop point. The knife features a conventional flat grind. A good choice for a utility knife, and while it sacrifices some durability it makes sharpening easy and painless.
I’ve found the finish on the blade to be outstanding. I’m a guy who wears the finish off of knives within a week of work. However the Minuteman Spider Monkey held up strong to the abuse I put it through. The locking mechanism is also robust and simple. The clip while short, secures quickly and easily. I never had the knife fall out of my pocket during long tactical movements through dense brush and foliage. The nylon fob on the knife is a good touch and it saves you some trouble when retrieving the knife from your pocket. In a pinch, it could used for a variety of different situations.
The Minuteman Southern Grind Spider Monkey features handsome tan G10 handles. G10 was a great choice as it doesn’t tend to shrink or expand, and has excellent resistance to water. Seeing as this thing will likely endure some harsh climates this was a sound choice.
I can’t give a solid verdict on a knife from a month of experience with it. But I will say that this knife has impressed me more than almost any other folding knife I’ve dealt with. I’ll be doing an updated and final review in the coming months. Be aware that this knife will be coming out in limited quantities. 25 dollars of each purchase will go towards the Red Circle Foundation charity. The “Red Circle Foundation is a rapid funding force that provides emergency assistance to the families of current and former Special Operators who have made the ultimate sacrifice or fall into other extenuating circumstances.” They offer 100 transparency and 100 percent of donated cash goes to those families in need. The Minuteman Southern Grind Spider Monkey retails for 240 dollars. As of this review, I have little doubt that this knife is a survive the end of the world type of deal. You will be well served by it. This knife can be purchased at the following link.
http://minutemanwatches.com/collection/minuteman_southerngrind_spidermonkey
http://redcirclefoundation.org/what-we-do-page/
