A few years ago I had a Spyderco Squeak and was very impressed by it. Since then, I've always had an interest in trying more of Spyderco's slip-it knives which is where the Pingo comes in. I like the design as a whole, though there are a few major issues that make it a less than optimal EDC option for me.
The Pingo is collaboration between Anso/Voxnaes that I love the look of. The orange is an awesome color too! They came in black FRN and titanium as well, though it has been discountinued so I'm not sure if they're as easy to find anymore. It was designed to be Danish legal due to restrictions on locking knives/blade lengths and knives that can be opened one-handed. The size is perfect for a smaller EDC option and one of my favorites aspects of the knife. This particular one does have a quality issue that ruins the knife for me. For some reason, it takes an insane amount of pressure to close the knife. I know it's not normal since I didn't have the same experience with the Squeak. There's no way it's an issue of the knife still needing to be broken in either. You should be able to see what I'm talking about in the video that's coming soon. If this was my knife, I'd send it in to Spyderco to see if they could fix it. Other than that, it didn't have any other quality issues. The Pingo is a Maniago, Italy Spyderco which is neat.
Getting onto the blade, you're getting a 2.35" N690Co blade with a cutting edge of 2". That's the perfect size for most basic EDC tasks. It's a good slicer, and the sheepsfoot blade looks good/performs well. With this being a two-handed opening knife, the Spyder hole is for cosmetic purposes. I've seen people do the zip-tie mod to make a thumb stud, but honestly I don't see the point. It's not that big of a deal to open the knife two-handed. Since this particular one is so tight, I've never had any worries that it'd accidentally close on my fingers. There is a half-stop which seems as strong as the Squeak's.
FRN is probably my favorite handle material. I love how lightweight it is, and all the color options. Spyderco used their checkered texture for the FRN opposed to the bi-directional texture that most of their other FRN knives use. I like both variations of FRN, but I do think I like this checkered texture more. It's more subtle than the bi-directional texture and still provides good grip.
The Pingo isn't the most comfortable knife in the hand for me. The big problem is the pointed part where the curve ends and the butt end of the knife begins. My fourth finger hits right where the point is which is insanely uncomfortable. Spyderco should've smoothed out the curve some more. The handle is reminiscent to the CRKT's Pilar, where the Pilar's curve is more subtle but is still slightly too pointy for me. This problem with the ergos is probably due to the fact that I've got smaller hands. My first three fingers are slightly too cramped in the curve, yet two fingers in the curve is too spread out. The length of the handle is long enough for a four-finger grip for me, but I imagine it's more of a three-finger knife for those with larger hands. I'm not going to want to use a knife that has bad ergos, so the handle design is a huge flaw for me.
There is about a quarter-inch section on the blade before the handle that I suppose you could use as a choil of sorts. It does have some jimping on it, but I'd still be afraid that my finger would slip into the edge during use.
The Pingo uses Spyderco's infamous wire clip which is probably my favorite clip. It doesn't scream that you're carrying a knife and rides very deep in the pocket. The knife carries extremely well thanks to how lightweight (1.9 ounces) and small it is (3.45" closed). I haven't had any problems carrying it in the waistband.
Like I mentioned in the beginning, Spyderco discontinued these so I don't think you can find them as easily anymore. When they were still being sold, they were priced around $50 which is fair enough for what you get.
I like the idea of the Pingo, but the flawed ergos mean I'd never want to carry it. I'm not that bummed that it was discontinued; however, I'd still like to see them do more slipjoints. The Roadie has been on my list to try for a while. If you have to carry a non-locking knife due to laws, this might be worth a look. I personally liked the Squeak a lot more. Otherwise, if you're just looking for a smaller option, go with something like the Dragonfly or Cold Steel Mini Tuff Lite. I don't personally recommend it but at least it was fun to try. Thanks for looking!
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