Spyderco byte November 2023 - Featured Product: Canis
C248CFP - CANIS™
- MSRP: $340.00
- ORIGIN: Taiwan
All the best knife designs come from expert knife users. If someone doesn’t have an intimate understanding of the application of the tool, his or her opinions are only theory. And when it comes to edged-weapon design, the keys to achieving that understanding are intensive training and real-world operational experience. J. Kelly McCann, the designer of the Spyderco Canis, has both of those in spades.
Kelly McCann is one of the world’s leading experts in counterterrorism, anti-terrorism, close combat, and all aspects of personal and corporate security. The specifics of his decades of operational and training history are detailed below, but suffice to say, he truly “walks the walk.” Every carefully calculated aspect of the Canis’ unique design reflects that.
Canis History
The roots of the Canis design go back to Kelly McCann’s work with Paladin Press (publishers of the now-classic book The Spyderco Story) in the late 1990’s. Paladin’s Video Production Manager, Michael Janich, convinced McCann—then writing under the pseudonym “Jim Grover”—to allow them to become the exclusive source of his instructional books and videos. That ultimately led to an impressive library of materials on all aspects of personal defense, a close working relationship between the two men, and many in-depth discussions about edged-weapon design and tactics.In 2004, Janich left Paladin to take the helm of BlackHawk Products Group’s two knife brands, Masters of Defense and BlackHawk Blades. Shortly thereafter, he reached out to McCann to see if he was interested in bringing some of the knife concepts they had discussed to life. McCann agreed and worked with Janich to produce his Crucible series, which included a stout folding knife, a folding trainer, and a fixed blade that were all dimensionally and ergonomically identical.
McCann’s Crucible designs reflected his longstanding preference for a thrust-oriented, spearpoint blade with a stout, well-centered point. During their development process, Janich gifted McCann one of his first-generation Yojimbo™ folders—arguably one of the first “tactical Wharncliffe” designs. Janich explained the logic of the Wharncliffe’s perfectly straight cutting edge and likened it to a “box cutter on steroids.” Although that resonated with McCann, he had reservations about the blade’s point strength and whether the lack of a centered point would affect thrusting accuracy. Nevertheless, the Yojimbo’s design piqued his curiosity.
McCann’s real-world experience taught him to relentlessly test every piece of personal equipment before he trusted it. A talented craftsman and tinkerer, he also modifies most of his kit to optimize its fit and function. After putting the Yojimbo through its paces, he was convinced of the cutting power of the Wharnliffe’s straight edge. He felt, however, that the blade design could be even better with a stronger tip and paired with a handle that better fit his personal ergonomic and carry preferences. Ultimately, McCann put his considerable design skills to work and created the concept of the Canis.
Named after the genus containing wolves, coyotes, and jackals, according to McCann’s original written proposal, he conceived the Canis as “a lightweight, thin, yet very strong and reliable fighter that could be used as a point impact weapon or pain compliance tool when closed.” His detailed description explained that the blade grind was an inverse of custom knifemaker Bud Nealy’s Pesh Kabz design, which featured a hollow-ground bevel and a reinforced, convex-ground point. The Canis, instead, would have an unsharpened “reverse hollow grind” on the spine and very short primary edge bevels that would allow the crest of the grind to meet the tip at a reinforced “bullet point.” In its original configuration, it would also include a short, sharpened false edge to maximize its penetration when used to thrust.
Kelly presented his proposal for the Canis to Janich in 2009, around the time that BlackHawk decided to de-emphasize their knife manufacturing efforts. To save him frustration, Janich suggested that McCann validate the design by having it made by custom maker and seek another manufacturer that specialized in tactical knife designs. McCann did just that, commissioning renowned knifemaker Jeremy Krammes to craft handmade versions of the Canis and proposing the design to Ernest Emerson of Emerson Knives. Although Emerson prototyped the design and Krammes did make a limited number of custom versions, unfortunately, the Canis faced challenges in fulfilling its destiny as a production folder.
In 2017, a fixed-blade expression of the Canis made by South African knifemaker Xavier Knox was featured on the cover of Knives Illustrated. Using that as fodder, Janich decided to pitch the folder design to Spyderco’s management and see if Kelly was interested in giving the project another try. This time the stars aligned and the Spyderco Canis was born.
Construction and Materials
The Canis is a no-nonsense folding knife that is unapologetically optimized for personal protection. The heart of the design is its dramatic blade, which is crafted from CPM® S30V® stainless steel. Its unorthodox shape features narrow, hollow-ground bevels and a perfectly straight edge that cuts with unrelenting power all the way to the point. The deeply ground bevels not only create excellent edge geometry; they also lower grind line, allowing it to meet the tip where the blade is thicker and significantly stronger.The spine of the blade features a unique mid-blade swedge (unsharpened bevel) that helps reduce weight and minimize friction during cutting. The swedge stops short of the blade tip to leave it full thickness and create a reinforced structure McCann terms a “bullet point” or “ballistic point.” To ensure swift, positive, one-handed opening with either hand, the blade also features a fully accessible Trademark Round Hole™.
True to McCann’s design goals, the Canis’ ergonomic handle flares at both ends, while providing a tapered butt and a hand-filling palm swell in the middle. This refined shape “brackets” the user’s hand, locking it in place, providing a highly functional integral guard, and allowing the butt to serve as a focused-impact tool. A section of jimping (textured grooves) bridges the junction of the handle and blade to provide a solid thumb purchase for users who prefer a saber grip. The jimping also complements the peel-ply texture of the carbon fiber/G-10 laminate scales to ensure a secure, non-slip grip.
Although originally conceived as a frame lock or Reeve Integral Lock (R.I.L.) design, the Spyderco expression of the Canis showcases our high-strength Compression Lock® mechanism. The framework of that lock consists of skeletonized stainless steel liners nested within the scales. They complement the knife’s open-backed construction to reduce its overall weight while simplifying cleaning and maintenance. They also provide a solid anchor for mounting its four-position pocket clip, which is configurable for left or right-side, tip-up or tip-down carry. A generously sized lined lanyard hole completes the package, allowing the easy attachment of lanyards and fobs.
The Canis is a uniquely different folding knife that proudly achieves Kelly McCann’s demanding design goals. Although its development as a commercial design took nearly a decade, the result was well worth the wait.
DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
Kelly McCann
J. Kelly McCann is a word-renowned expert in counterterrorism, anti-terrorism, hostage recovery, personal and corporate security, and all facets of armed and unarmed close combat. With more than 40 years of operational and training experience in over 65 countries, his knowledge and skills are in a class by themselves.McCann began his military career in 1980 after earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and served as an infantry platoon commander, raid company commander, legal officer, and recruiter. During this time, he also provided specialized tactical training to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
In 1987, McCann was personally selected by General Al Gray, Commandant of the Marine Corps, to select and train the personnel that would form the counterterrorist force in III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF). A “plank owner” (original member) of III MEF Special Operations Training Group (SOTG), McCann was personally responsible for creating and leading their Special Missions Section.
Following his tour with the SOTG, McCann was ordered to the Special Operations/ Low Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC) section of the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Warfighting Center in Quantico, Virginia. Enroute from III MEF to Quantico, he was temporarily assigned to the Legal Attaché, London, England to interface with the 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) and the Royal Marine Special Boat Squadron (SBS), as well as specialized units of Scotland Yard in London.
At SO/LIC, McCann was responsible for standardizing all hostage-recovery and counterterrorism training, equipment, and tactics throughout the Marine Corps. He also served as the Marine Corps’ Counter-Drug Liaison Officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Now Major McCann, Kelly was ultimately assigned to the Intelligence Support Activity (ISA) (Task Force Orange) to assume sensitive duties in conjunction with national security objectives.
After that tour with “the unit,” McCann resigned his regular commission in 1990 and founded Personal Defensive Measures (PDM), a sole proprietorship. Under the PDM banner, and later as co-owner and CEO of Crucible Security Specialists, McCann continued his close working relationship with “the unit.” He also became one of the world’s most sought-after sources of training in high-risk-environment tactics, techniques, and procedures. In addition to training literally thousands of personnel in the Department of Defense, special-mission and direct-action units, and various U.S. government agencies, he also deployed to dozens of foreign countries to provide specialized training and operational support to allied governments. His company was responsible for screening and training all U.S. law enforcement officers deployed to Kosovo as part of the UN International Police Monitor program, and he was the subject matter expert for diplomatic security services for DynCorp. McCann was also selected as a key technical advisor to the U.S. Marine Corps during the restructuring of their combatives and close-combat programs.
In the private sector, McCann has served as a consultant and trainer to multiple Fortune 75 companies, providing specialized instruction in anti-abduction and personal security skills for high-profile personnel, as well as advanced protective services training for their security details.
During the 1990’s McCann began sharing aspects of his knowledge with the civilian community. Under the pseudonym “Jim Grover,” he served as the Personal Security Editor for Guns and Ammo magazine and a contributing editor to Handguns magazine. He also produced several groundbreaking video series on unarmed combatives and defensive handgun skills.
Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, McCann’s extensive knowledge of counterterrorist and anti-terrorist operations made him extremely sought after as an on-air commentator and subject matter expert. He served as CNN’s security analyst for two years and has showcased his dynamic speaking skills in more than 1,000 media appearances on FOX Network, CNN, CNBC, NBC, CBS, and other national networks.
After appearing publicly under his own name, McCann abandoned his “Jim Grover” pseudonym and continued to produce instructional materials for the civilian self-defense market. As one of Paladin Press’ most popular authors, he appeared in more than a dozen best-selling video titles on all aspects of armed and unarmed self-defense and wrote the book Street Smarts, Firearms, and Personal Security. He also became a contributing editor and columnist for Black Belt magazine and authored the book and video series Combatives for Street Survival.
Although McCann still provides specialized training to select military, private security, and corporate clients, he currently spends most of his time managing Kembativz Brand, LLC and the Renegade Combat Sports Club, which he co-owns with his partner Michelle Ly. As a USA Boxing certified coach, a Muay Thai kru (instructor), and a certified corner/cut man, he provides world-class training in boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jujitsu, and folkstyle wrestling to fighters who compete at the local, regional, and national levels.
Kelly McCann’s contributions to the special operations, law enforcement, and civilian personal-defense communities are unequaled. The training he has provided has literally saved countless lives and his accomplishments easily equal or surpass those of legendary close-combat figures like W.E. Fairbairn and Col. Rex Applegate. Spyderco is honored to have had the opportunity to collaborate with him on the Canis design and extremely proud to feature it in our product line.
Spyderco, Inc.
820 Spyderco Way
Golden, CO 80403
800-525-7770 (T - Toll-Free)
303-279-8383 (T)
303-278-2229 (F)
SPYDERCO.com
