FOG HORN
April 2019 Twobirds Flying Publications
Spyderco ATONOMY 2
Copyright 2019, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.
Spyderco ATONOMY 2 Spyderco ATONOMY 2 – the Spyder strikes again! By: Sal Palma
2019
deployed even with a heavily gloved hand, not susceptible to rust from salt water use, easily maintained and cut with extreme authority. From this origin emerges the Spyderco AUTONOMY 2, a more general use automatic folder, in 2019. Unlike fixed blade knives, the folding knife has to be more closely scrutinized in order to evaluate a number of critical design characteristics. I’ll start with the gorgeous leaf blade.
This is my first review of a Spyderco automatic folder, so if I appear to be spilling over with enthusiasm kindly overlook the exuberance, which I’ll make every effort to keep under control throughout this review. Spyderco introduced the ATONOMY 2 as a completely revised offspring of the original ATONOMY.
ATONOMY 2 features a full-flat ground blade sharpened to a razor’s edge. The leaf profile has a very slight belly to enhance its considerable slicing prowess. The edge terminates in a very aggressive point capable of easily puncturing through a variety of materials. The LC200N blade material is a nitrogen enriched tool steel with a high degree of hardness at HRc of 58 – 60. Compared to the more common tool steels, LC200N exhibits a high degree of corrosion resistance.
The original ATONOMY was developed in response to a request from the U.S. Coast Guard for a cutting tool that would meet the demands of its rescue swimmers. The knife had to be easily
Copyright 2019, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.
Spyderco ATONOMY 2
Moving to the handle, the two deeply textured G10 scales sit on a robust stainless steel liner. I generally don’t like grips with a lot of finger coils so the ATONOMY 2 did not disappoint, a marked improvement over the original ATONOMY, in my opinion. The grip size is generous and fits securely and comfortably in the hand.
2019
Spyderco did something on both the ATONOMY and ATONOMY 2 that I thought was a very nice feature, they engineered a patented removable module that encapsulates the spring, so In the event you need to replace the coil spring, simply use Spyderco’s optional tool and spring replacement kit without having to disassemble the knife. A great idea!
The handle is an open back design which makes for easy cleaning and removing any debris that may be collecting.
Looking through the handle there are two torx standoffs securing both sides of the grip. Spyderco moved away from the wire clip of the original ATONOMY and replaced it with a relocatable hourglass clip to accommodate left or right tip-up carry positions. The clip straddles an oversized lanyard hole that will easily allow 550 paracord, most fobs, etc.
On the flip side of the handle you have the safety, or locking button, the firing actuator and a pivot point tension adjustment torx. Although pivot tension is adjustable via a torx screw, I recommend that you leave it alone, unless there is a specific need to adjust the pivot point tension. Operating the knife is intuitive and easily done even with a gloved hand. When the safety is in the up position, the blade will not fire or close; in the down position, as shown in the picture, the blade will fire, with considerable authority, and will close when the actuator is depressed. When carrying the knife you should always engage the safety to avoid an accidental firing of the blade. When working with the knife, always engage the safety to ensure the blade does not accidentally close. Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved
Spyderco ATONOMY 2
2019
Final Impressions The ATONOMY 2 is the exemplification of a superb general purpose EDC knife, but its balance, right at the locking button, makes the tip very fast, which combined with its aggressive drop point also serves as an excellent backup to your CCW firearm. The grip size and shape, along with its G10 scale texturing, provide a very secure grip, be it a saber grip, reverse or icepick the ATONOMY 2 sits in the hand securely and is accordingly very controllable. But, could one improve on its design? Maybe. I’d like to see an ATONOMY 3 with blade jimping at the thumb shelf just forward of the pivot point. In closing, this is one of the best production automatic folders I’ve seen. Materials, workmanship and design are all a cut above and classic Spyderco elegance.
Manufacturer Specifications
Overall Length 8.44" (214mm) Blade Length 3.50" (89mm) Steel LC200N Closed Length 4.94" (125mm) Edge Length 3.37" (86mm) Weight 5.6oz (159g) Blade Thickness 0.114" (2.9mm) Handle G-10 Clip Position Ambi Tip Carry Position Tip-Up Lock Type Button Lock Grind Full-Flat Sheath N/A Origin United States M.S.R.P. $290
Know your local laws governing automatic knives.
The Spyder strikes again!
-SP
Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved