Spyderco byte October 2024- Featured Product Smock™ C240CFP

Spyderco byte October 2024- Featured Product Smock™ C240CFP​

Tech Specs​

• Closed Length: 4.53 in / 115 mm
• Overall Length: 7.92 in / 201 mm
• Blade Length: 3.39 in / 86 mm
• Edge Length: 2.89 in / 73 mm
• Blade Thickness: 0.118 in / 3.0 mm
• Weight: 3.7 oz / 105 g
• Blade Steel: CPM S30V
• Edge Type: PlainEdge
• Blade Grind: Hollow
• Handle Material: Carbon Fiber/G-10 Laminate
• Lock Mechanism: Compression Lock
• Carry Option: Left/Right Tip-Up
• MSRP: $304.00
• Origin: Taiwan

Kevin Smock’s fascination with knives goes all the way back to his childhood memories of hunting with his father. While those experiences taught him to appreciate knives as cutting tools, in 2012, his interest in them as works of art and pride-of-ownership pieces really turned serious.

Inspired by a TuffKnives YouTube video in which Geoff Blauvelt (aka “tuffthumbz”) modified a Spyderco Para Military® 2, Smock decided to try his hand at customizing a factory-made knife. He began cautiously with a Spyderco Tenacious® and was thrilled with the results he achieved. As he gained skill and confidence in his modifications, he began sharing videos of them on the Internet. Those videos not only generated some very positive feedback, but also prompted requests from viewers for him to customize their knives.

To meet that demand, Smock created Bower Bladeworks—a part-time business that specialized in modifying and embellishing production knives. At the time, Smock was still working full time as a product designer in industries unrelated to the knife world. However, with more than a decade of experience as a professional designer specializing in “outside-the-box” thinking, it was only a matter of time before he began to apply his unique design philosophy to the creation of his own handmade knives. Building on the skills he developed as a knife customizer—and with the generous guidance of Brad Southard, TuffKnives, Grimsmo Knives, and Christensen Knifeworks—Smock learned to craft knives from raw materials and quickly became a true custom knifemaker. He now makes knives full time, specializing in stylish everyday-carry pocketknives, but willing and able to tackle everything from camping to kitchen knives.

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THE SK23 AND THE SPYDERCO SMOCK​

In 2015, Smock contacted Spyderco to formally license our Compression Lock® mechanism and Trademark Round Hole™ for use in a custom folding knife design he called his “SK23.” To make the Compression Lock even easier to operate and enhance the knife’s “fidget factor,” he added a button release to the Compression Lock. Both he and his customers were extremely pleased with the result, so he decided to share it with the Spyderco Crew at the Atlanta Blade Show. Spyderco’s Eric Glesser was impressed with Smock’s painstaking craftsmanship and the uniqueness of the design and decided to display his custom sample with our other concept models and prototypes. Based on the positive reactions we received from our trade show visitors, a collaboration was born.



Faithful to Smock’s popular SK23 design, the Spyderco Smock is a slim, high-performance folding knife that proudly showcases several distinctive features. Its uniquely profiled hollow-ground blade is precision machined from CPM® S30V® stainless steel and offers both a Trademark Round Hole and an elegantly simple index-finger flipper for swift, ambidextrous, one-hand opening. Unlike most flippers, which protrude from the spine of the handle when the knife is closed, the Smock’s forward-positioned flipper is simply a corner of the blade’s tang that flows seamlessly into the lines of the closed knife. Despite its understated appearance, it provides outstanding leverage and, when stroked with the index finger, instantly propels the blade into the open position. The flipper action is supported by a pair of special ball-bearing pivot washers that ensure ultra-smooth operation and a dedicated detent mechanism separate from the knife’s lock.



The Smock’s handle combines full, skeletonized stainless steel liners and textured carbon fiber/G-10 laminate scales with matching skeletonizing holes. The liners form the basis of the knife’s stout Compression Lock mechanism, which is complemented by a unique release button in the obverse (near-side) scale. In most Compression Lock designs, the liner that forms the foundation of the lock mechanism is located on the obverse side of the handle. Once engaged, the lock is released by applying direct lateral pressure to the exposed tab on the spine of the liner. When viewed from the top with the point facing away from you, this pressure would be applied from right to left to release the lock.



Mechanically, the Smock’s button-release Compression Lock operates like a “left-handed” version of the lock in that the liner that creates the lock structure is located on the reverse side of the knife. Viewed from the top down, point away from you, releasing it requires moving the liner laterally from left to right. The critical difference, however, is the button, which passes completely through the obverse-side liner. The button is easily depressed by the user’s right thumb or, if operated left handed, the left index finger, to release the lock. This unique feature is complemented by a secondary detent mechanism to keep the blade closed and provide the perfect amount of tension for reliable flipper openings.



In addition to offering excellent ease of use, the button-release Compression Lock mechanism makes it even easier to close the Smock one handed without ever placing your fingers in the path of the edge. Its one trade off, however, is that the heel of the blade’s edge requires a “scallop” to contour around the button when the blade is closed. That design requirement also contributes to the Smock’s distinctive blade shape.
The handle of the Smock features an open-backed design style that minimizes the knife’s weight and simplifies cleaning. It also features a lined lanyard hole and a reversible tip-up hourglass clip to allow convenient, ambidextrous carry.



Introduced in 2018, the Smock was originally produced with standard Torx® pivot-pin hardware. In 2024, its design was updated to feature the current pivot pin assembly, which showcases larger screw heads and decorative machined accents.

Slim, innovative, and distinctly different, the Spyderco Smock faithfully captures Kevin Smock’s unique approach to knifemaking and knife design. It has rapidly risen to become a favorite among our customers and has also been a canvas for several Exclusive expressions showcasing distinctive combinations of blade steels, finishes, handle materials, and colors. We are extremely proud to have partnered with Kevin on this design and are confident it will remain a Spyderco mainstay for years to come.

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