The Lava’s form follows function approach piqued Spyderco’s interest and a collaborative knife design was the result. The Spyderco/Los Banos Lava has a long curving handle paired with a short blade.
The blade’s cutting edge drops downward creating a negative blade angle, a positive feature when holding the knife. The negative angle positions the blade’s cutting edge lower than the user’s index finger so the wrist is in alignment. When the blade and wrist align, you can cut longer with less fatigue and better leverage.
My design philosophy was not to force the hand to fit the knife, but have the knife conform to the hand- any sized hand be it large or small.
I kept the blade under two inches to keep it legal in most municipalities which Spyderco manufactures it in VG-10 stainless steel, PlainEdged and flat-ground. The stainless steel handle curves ergonomically with a cutaway finger choil, pronounced enough to seriously wrap a hand around and solidly grip. A backlock with a Boye safety dent, locks the blade open and a steel pocket clip positions the (closed) knife, tip facing upward, in the pocket.
The Lava is definitely a "Spyderco looking knife", and I think only Spyderco could have pulled this one off. IMHO, it is one of the nicest Spyders, and as my friend Ed Schempp said, "This knife has to be used to be appreciated." The Lava was supposed to be a bit bigger than what it is, but I was not about to argue with the father of ergonomics, Sal Glesser! It took three years to get the green light on production of the Lava, and I am still very excited to this day, to have gotten one in with Spyderco!
Specifications:
- Overall Length (inches): 5 5/16" (135 mm)
- Blade Length (inches): 1 7/8" (48 mm)
- Blade Material: VG-10
- Weight: 3 oz. (86.5 g)
- Handle Material: Stainless Steel
- Carry System: Clip
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