If you know me at all, you know I love my tiny and small knives. When I saw these dog tag folders start to gain traction, I was always interested in trying one out. I finally found the Spyderco Dog Tag for a great deal on Cutlery Shoppe once they were discontinued. I like the concept but would probably like it better if it had the security of a locking blade. The Squareheads also from Spyderco seem more like what I'm looking for. It's a cool concept yet not my favorite as an EDC knife.
It's a very slim and light design. It is actually about the size of a dog tag which is cool. I personally would never carry it on the neck, though I could see it carrying well there. There are several variations of these dog tag folders, from Spyderco and other companies. The design is based on Serge Panchenko's custom dog tag knives. I'm happy Spyderco did a collaboration with him, since it brought something different to their typical 3" G-10 folder and titanium framelock line-up. This is the blacked-out titanium handle version, but they've also got blue/green titanium version and the carbon fiber/G-10 composite handle out there if you like those better. If I could've found the blue/green one at a decent price, that's definitely the one I would've gone for. Those colors look so good together. It's also the usual Spyderco quality. I've had no problems with it in that regard. It is made in Taichung, Taiwan for those that care.
You're getting a tiny 1.19" blade in this knife. The steel is CPM-S30V which is a very nice steel. It's not necessary on a knife this small in my opinion. This knife isn't going to be used for many serious tasks, especially with the weird ergos and no lock. I can see it doing letter/box opening primarily. I've been impressed with the sharpness, but I'm not a fan of the chisel ground blade. I've never understood why any companies would want to do that over a full flat or hollow grind. It just seems lazy to me. It actually has been easy for me to open and close this knife one-handed. That pleasantly surprised and convinced me to give it a real chance in my carry. If a knife can't easily open one-handed for me, chances are I'll never want to EDC it. I'm happy this knife passed that test. It's probably not something you guys with bigger hands will be able to do that easily. The thumb hole does make opening a breeze no matter how many hands you use. I dig the black coating on the blade. It's held up well so far.
As you can probably imagine, the ergos are pretty weird. I realistically would call it a two to three finger knife. You're not going to get the most comfortable grip on it due to the squarish shape and the thinness. With a 2" handle, there's just not much to grip because of the design obviously. For quick tasks, it'd be fine. Like I said earlier, you wouldn't want to be using this for more hardcore tasks anyways. Titanium is a great material for the handle, but I'm not the biggest fan of it in general. The handle is slick on this knife as you'd expect and doesn't feel the nicest in my hands. FRN is my favorite handle material, so that FRN Squarehead has been calling my name.
This is a slipjoint which means no locking blade at all. That's not the end of the world for a little backup knife. It doesn't take that much effort to close, but as long as you're not being stupid, you shouldn't have an issue with it closing on your fingers. I have seen better detents on other slipjoints. Spyderco had a lot of constraints to work with, and I think they did the best they could.
Also real quick on carry, I'd either just throw it loose in the pocket or throw it on a necklace or keychain. It'd be too wide for the keys in my opinion. Of course, the neck is the ideal place to carry this. It is light (less than an ounce!) and slim enough that you wouldn't notice it. If you want a neck knife, you can't go wrong with this over an actual fixed blade neck knife.
The titanium versions typically go for like $65ish at the lowest, while you can find the carbon fiber/G-10 one for about $55. No matter which one you get, you're not usually going to find them below $50 new. These specific ones have all been discontinued I believe, but there's also the newer Gen4 version that's going for $65. They do have nicer materials and the higher end steels, so I'm sure they're worth every penny. Personally, I would not have paid that much for one. You're not getting all that much blade or an actual user for the price. I'd rather get a mid-sized Spyderco for that much. It's hard for me to justify the price when it's not the best thing in the world.
I'm happy I tried one, but I don't recommend it. It's more of a novelty knife to me than one you'd actually seriously use. It was nice to see Spyderco do something different. Even as a backup knife, it's not my favorite option. I'd much rather have the Ladybug that actually locks, has a real handle, is cheaper, etc. I'm not turned off by the dog tag concept and will probably still try to pick up an FRN Squarehead. The price that the Dog Tags went for when they were more relevant was ridiculous. Honestly, I don't feel they're worth it even if you find one for a decent deal. There's so many better knives in all sorts of size ranges and designs that you can get for that much money or less. It wasn't terrible and it wasn't amazing either. It was everything you'd expect a dog tag sized knife to be. It has awkward ergos and is a decent cutter for lighter tasks. Check it out if you want, but I don't personally recommend it. Thanks for looking!
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