Jack
Markleton, PA

Mar 06, 2018

Pros: Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Just what I've been looking for

My idea of an ideal EDC for country living. Great heavy, stone-washed, s30v blade that opens and closes one-handed with equal ease. Contoured G10 handle is comfortable , and a sturdy pocket clip keeps this substantial and functional knife securely in my pocket. This has become my most-carried knife, preferred over my Blurple Para 2, Delicas, and Benchmade 940s -- all fine EDCs, but the Shaman is the one i slip into my jeans most mornings. Made in Colorado.

Jared M
Florida

Apr 11, 2020

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Favorite

I own ZTs, Cold Steel, Kershaw, and ESEE knives. This was my first Spyderco knife and I couldn't be happier. Once you learn how to finger flick and operate the compression lock it's very satisfying to use. It's buttery smooth and the blade steel is exceptional. I'm an electrician and I use this knife for anything from stripping wire to defending my wifes honor. One of the things I like the most is the finger choil which let's you really choke up on the blade for finesse work. Without a doubt, this will not be my last Spyderco

Ryan
Dedham, Ma

Oct 28, 2017

Pros: Ease of Opening, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Native meets pm2 perfection

This is by far the nicest spyderco I've had the pleasure of owning. Very happy to have this alongside my Manix2 and Pm2. It did need a little love out of the box, pivot was over tightened and the action was sluggish. But after a quick takedown and a little lubrication she's buttery smooth. Edge was hair popping sharp from factory per usual. I think Spyderco has an instant classic here, can't wait to see variations and sprint runs.

Mark
Europe Estonia

Oct 31, 2017

Pros: Pocket Clip

Cons: Lock Type

!!! +++

I dreamed of it for a long time. This is the son of Calypso and Military !!! ps I would just like to see it with Back lock.

Walker
MD

Sep 22, 2020

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Great knife for edc

It’s a great I would say mid size knife Great ergonomics The locking mechanism is fantastic The only thing that I would change is that little knob on the back of the blade catches your finger when you close it But you can definitely get around that A ++++

Jmed
Fayetteville, NC

Oct 30, 2017

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Excellent Knife

An outstanding addition to my EDC knives. Reminds me of the Spyderco Native on steroids with some distinct differences. This is a larger sized knife with an extremely comfortable grip. It's a solid feel without being too heavy handle delicate cutting tasks. I chose the plain edged style blade and feel confident this knife will prove to be a versatile performer. Great quality at a very reasonable price. The item description provided was right on the money leaving me with no unanswered questions. The Knife Center kept me updated regarding the statuspre-order) and once it was in stock they shipped it right out. I am a first time customer soon to be a repeat customer. (

Mike
Burbank, Il

Aug 16, 2018

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Very nice

I got this knife for my son,he loves it,only problem was I had to touch up the blade a bit,now no problem.Thanks again knifecenter as always fast as a bullet.

Michael
Chattanooga, Tn

Nov 27, 2017

Pros: Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

I love this knife.

I love this knife. I was looking for a new EDC and when this came out I wanted it. This is my first Spyderco (so far). Some people may think it’s a little large for EDC but I’ve got pretty large hands so it feels great to me. It is fairly heavy but the weight carries well, I do like being able tofeel that it’s there without being too heavy. The only thing that has been an issue is that at first the action wasn’t so good. I saw YouTube videos where people disassembled it, but I didn’t want to do that. I sprayed a little Simple Green into the pivot and worked it a little, then blew it out with air and oiled it. Works great now. I can do the middle finger flick and it has a nice solid lockup. The compression lock lets me drop the blade closed without putting my fingers in the way of the blade. And KnifeCenter service was excellent. Ordered on a Saturday and it was at my house on Wednesday, standard shipping. I will definitely buy more Spyderco products and buy them from KnifeCenter.

Ben
Rochester, NY

Jul 12, 2020

Pros: Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Weight

One of the best

I purchased my shaman a couple months ago and I have been very impressed. Fit and finish are perfect. I was very surprised that I was able to get such a fine edge on this guy. I’ve watched videos of guys getting knives hair whittling sharp but I’ve never been able to achieve an edge like that until the shaman. Without too much work I can get an edge to literally whittle hair. I do landscape construction and my knives get used-daily, Cutting open pallets of pavers, cutting strips of sod, geo fabric, tie downs and burlap. It’s expensive but this knife is ready to be used in real life work applications. The spyderco shaman will be your best friend.

Stuart
Madison, Al

Oct 30, 2017

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality

Cons: None

Great Upgrade to the Native!

I've owned dozens of Spydercos over the last 2 decades since 1997, starting with the Endura. I got the first Native when it came out at the end of the '90's and other variations of it since, including a couple versions of the latest Native 5. The Native is a pretty decent knife, but is really rather small and only good for light-duty stuff. The latest version 5, I have to be honest, doesn't feel/look like it should be as expensive as it is. I (and many others) have always wanted a bigger, beefier version of the knife that could stand up for more use and heavier-duty choirs. Spyderco listened and after 5 years of prototyping and testing, we have the Shaman! I pre-ordered and couldn't wait to get it. It finally shipped out and arrived today and I'm not disappointed in the least! The size is perfect! It's right in that Goldilocks sweet spot of "not too big, not too small". The Shaman is bigger/longer and thicker (of course!) than the Native but also just a tad thicker than most other Spyderco knives in that same category like the Manix 2. Same goes for the blade when compared to either of the aforementioned knives. I really like this as I've often thought that the thickness of some of the blades on a number of the pocket knives I own are just a bit thinner than I would like. (I'd be afraid to use the Native for any kind of prying action since it would probably break the blade!) The handle is pretty comfortable in the hand. A number of other early reviewers have stated that the handle scales are sharp around the inner edges and the back spacer isn't flush with the handle, but neither of these things bother me at all. I don't really have any (what I'd call) cons against this knife, just some very minor quibbles. I don't particularly care for the stonewash finish of the blade, I'd like it in a more "fine grind" (like on the Manix 2). The blade open/close isn't as smooth as I (or those other reviewers) would have liked and the sharpness of the blade could have been better. Both were easily fixable though. Just took the knife apart (real easy to do, need T-6, 8 and 10 torx head sizes), put a drop of machine oil on either side of the blades rings and put back together with adjusting tensions on the pivot/hinge screws (not too tight, not too loose). Then just sharpened the knife a bit with my Spyderco tri-angle sharpener. Now it's perfect (as it can be)! Really can't wait to see them do a sprint run with this model! Use a more exotic blade steel, carbon fiber scales and a flat grind finish!

Blade 14
Atlanta, GA

Feb 10, 2023

Pros: None

Cons: None

Outstanding large EDC

Pros: one of the sharpest knives I’ve ever seen OTB, very solid lockup, comfortable smooth G-10 handles, not lightweight but not overly heavy, typical Spyderco quality :) Cons: none yet

Jay
Woodleaf, Nc

Jun 11, 2024

Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Ease of Opening, Handle Feel, Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type, Overall Quality, Pocket Clip, Weight

Cons: Handle Material

Spyderco Shaman

If you are like me you probably own more than a couple knives. And every time you open the box of a new one you think Wow, that's an awesome knife! But this time was different. Okay yeah I still thought that but it is awesome. I prefer a good size blade and any minimalist is going to turn their nose up at this one but coming from a man that cut his teeth on a Buck 110 this is lightweight, slides easily into the pocket and I still have room to pull out my vape. What more could anyone ask for? Sharp edge? It slices through paper and takes hair off your arm right out of the box. Fit and feel? Okay you got me it’s awesome too but! For some people on this planet the scales may be a little too slick even though they do feel good. I myself ordered foliage green scales in my favorite scale material the same day that I purchased this knife. (Micarta!) Aesthetics? I have always loved a Stone wash finish on knives and this actually came with that. :) Durability? TBD but this thing looks and feels like it is built like a tank, A beast! Do I like it? Yes. Do I recommend it? Highly. Would I regret not buying it? Definitely! Am I sponsored by Spyderco? I wish! Am I partial to Spyderco? I definitely have my share of them. :)

Boxcar Jason
Cheyenne Wyoming

Nov 27, 2017

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material

Cons: Lock Ease of Use

The lock isn’t what I was expecting. The fit in my hand was good.

Ok knife. Shipping was fast. Knife center did good. I gave it away because I still prefer the native 5 much better.

Mark
Texas

Nov 14, 2017

Pros: Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type

Could have been much better

I agree with Mark (Europe, Estonia), this knife should have been made with a back lock. The compression lock is slower to operate under the best of circumstances and difficult to operate when wearing a glove or when fingers are cold. Additionally, I think the spine should be sharpened, because if you are carrying this big and heavy a folding knife, it may be that you are in the field, where using the spine to scrape wood, a fire steel, etc. can be important. And it could be debated whether 30V is the right steel for a working knife.

Buck
Wv

Feb 16, 2018

Pros: Handle Material, Overall Quality

Cons: Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type

Needs to be changed

Ill agree with Mark, the compression lock is pretty useless in the real world. Ok for cubical life, but not for outdoor, gloved hand cold finger use. Needs a back lock, Failsafe, and can be used with gloves on, in the cold and a back lock wont fail by getting full of fat or mud. Handle is good, could be better with a more textured surface, handle is straight enough to use knife in skinning/gutting mode, upside down. The blade profile is just ok, a straighter spine is always better, something like the pm2. But it works. Which brings us to the S30V steel, so many better steels this blade could have been made from, agreeing with Mark again in saying S30V may not be the best steel to make a hard use, utilitarian, outdoor edc knife from. Hopefully, a model or two from super steel, like M390, M4 ect... However S30V works and odds easy to sharpen. Overall, a good knife, that spyderco really needs in its lineup, but could be much, much better!