Probably the most wickedly designed Spyderco…….definitely the “most likely to cut yourself”
Published: 2 years ago
When Michael Janich designed his first knife for Spyderco nearly 20 years ago, most personal-defense knives had traditional martial blade profiles, like spear points, Americanized tantos, and variations on the Bowie theme. Janich's design—the first-generation Ronin fixed blade—challenged that convention and literally pioneered the concept of the "tactical Wharncliffe." Today, Wharnie-style tactical knives are everywhere, but the roots of that trend can be traced directly back to Janich's early designs—and Spyderco's willingness to take a chance on them.
Armed with this knowledge, the Ronin design Janich presented to Snody was pure Wharncliffe. Initially, Snody was not thrilled with it and began to backpedal on his offer. When he finally made one and cut with it, however, he was blown away. Ultimately, he not only made a number of custom Ronins but shifted the course of his own knife designs to focus heavily on Wharncliffe.
At that time, Spyderco's fixed blade market was still limited, so Sal also asked Janich to design a folder as well. Janich had already been working on a rough prototype of a folding tactical Wharncliffe, so he quickly adapted the design to incorporate Spyderco’s Trademark Round Hole and delivered a set of drawings and his own handmade plastic concept model of the design. Although Sal liked the design, development of it happened slowly, so Janich decided to "tip the scales" a bit. He went back to Mike Snody and commissioned a special one-off of his design, which he had named the Yojimbo .
The Spyderco Yojimbo followed shortly thereafter, in 2003. Manufactured in Spyderco's Golden, CO factory, it featured a full-flat-ground CPM S30V Wharncliffe blade, nested stainless steel liners, blue or black textured G10 scales, and an early version of the Compression Lock mechanism. Its three-inch blade was purposely shorter than its tapered handle because Janich had originally designed it to be legal to carry on airplanes, even during heightened security alerts. After 9/11, that design feature was moot but still made the knife legal to carry almost everywhere.
While many dismissed it as a "box cutter on steroids," the Yojimbo gained more market traction than the Ronin. However, when Janich accepted a job managing another knife company in 2004, both he and Spyderco decided to remain friends, but discontinue the design.
Janich continued his Wharncliffe campaign with several other designs until 2009 when he joined Spyderco as a full-time employee. Although his duties focus primarily on technical writing and product education, he soon joined Spyderco's R&D team, as well. He was also invited to create another signature design that reflected his philosophy on personal-defense knives. Taking full advantage of the lessons he had learned since the first Yojimbo, he designed the Yojimbo 2, which was released in late 2011.
The Yojimbo 2's more refined design—backed by Janich's relentless promotion of the Wharncliffe as a tactical blade profile—have helped it earn a solid place in Spyderco’s product line. Since it was purpose-designed as a self-defense knife, the live-blade version was joined by a dedicated trainer model in 2017. In an interesting example of "reverse evolution"—and with the help of custom knifemaker Mickey Yurco—the Yojimbo 2 also inspired a near-identical fixed-blade counterpart, the Ronin 2.
Based on its enduring popularity and repeated requests from Spyderco forumites, we are proud to announce the latest addition to the Spyderco/Janich Wharncliffe family: the all-black Yojimbo 2. Like the satin-bladed version, it features a hollow-ground CPM S30V blade, Compression Lock, peel-ply-textured G-10 scales, and a four-position hourglass pocket clip. However, all parts of the knife—including its nested stainless steel liners and Compression Lock—are cloaked in non-reflective black coatings. The blade features a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating, and all other parts also have durable black coatings appropriate to their base materials. In addition to satisfying Yojimbo 2 fans who have been clamoring for an all-black version, this knife is historically significant as it is the first Compression Lock model to feature black-coated liners.
Although tactically themed Wharncliffes are commonplace these days, the evolution of this breed all started with the efforts of Michael Janich, Spyderco, and the spirit of collaboration and innovation that they have shared for more than 20 years.
Specifications
Blade Length: 3.20"
Closed Length: 4.49"
Overall Length: 7.69"
Cutting Edge: 3.00"
Blade Thickness: 0.145"
Blade Material: CPM-S30V Stainless Steel
Blade Style: Wharncliffe
Blade Grind: Hollow
Blade Finish: Satin
Blade Edge: Plain
Handle Material: G10
Handle Colors: Black
Locking Mechanism: Compression Lock
Pocket Clip: Tip-Up/Down, Right/Left Carry
Model Number: C85GPBBK2
Model Name: Yojimbo 2
Weight: 4.1 oz.
Designer: Michael Janich
Made in the USA
Armed with this knowledge, the Ronin design Janich presented to Snody was pure Wharncliffe. Initially, Snody was not thrilled with it and began to backpedal on his offer. When he finally made one and cut with it, however, he was blown away. Ultimately, he not only made a number of custom Ronins but shifted the course of his own knife designs to focus heavily on Wharncliffe.
At that time, Spyderco's fixed blade market was still limited, so Sal also asked Janich to design a folder as well. Janich had already been working on a rough prototype of a folding tactical Wharncliffe, so he quickly adapted the design to incorporate Spyderco’s Trademark Round Hole and delivered a set of drawings and his own handmade plastic concept model of the design. Although Sal liked the design, development of it happened slowly, so Janich decided to "tip the scales" a bit. He went back to Mike Snody and commissioned a special one-off of his design, which he had named the Yojimbo .
The Spyderco Yojimbo followed shortly thereafter, in 2003. Manufactured in Spyderco's Golden, CO factory, it featured a full-flat-ground CPM S30V Wharncliffe blade, nested stainless steel liners, blue or black textured G10 scales, and an early version of the Compression Lock mechanism. Its three-inch blade was purposely shorter than its tapered handle because Janich had originally designed it to be legal to carry on airplanes, even during heightened security alerts. After 9/11, that design feature was moot but still made the knife legal to carry almost everywhere.
While many dismissed it as a "box cutter on steroids," the Yojimbo gained more market traction than the Ronin. However, when Janich accepted a job managing another knife company in 2004, both he and Spyderco decided to remain friends, but discontinue the design.
Janich continued his Wharncliffe campaign with several other designs until 2009 when he joined Spyderco as a full-time employee. Although his duties focus primarily on technical writing and product education, he soon joined Spyderco's R&D team, as well. He was also invited to create another signature design that reflected his philosophy on personal-defense knives. Taking full advantage of the lessons he had learned since the first Yojimbo, he designed the Yojimbo 2, which was released in late 2011.
The Yojimbo 2's more refined design—backed by Janich's relentless promotion of the Wharncliffe as a tactical blade profile—have helped it earn a solid place in Spyderco’s product line. Since it was purpose-designed as a self-defense knife, the live-blade version was joined by a dedicated trainer model in 2017. In an interesting example of "reverse evolution"—and with the help of custom knifemaker Mickey Yurco—the Yojimbo 2 also inspired a near-identical fixed-blade counterpart, the Ronin 2.
Based on its enduring popularity and repeated requests from Spyderco forumites, we are proud to announce the latest addition to the Spyderco/Janich Wharncliffe family: the all-black Yojimbo 2. Like the satin-bladed version, it features a hollow-ground CPM S30V blade, Compression Lock, peel-ply-textured G-10 scales, and a four-position hourglass pocket clip. However, all parts of the knife—including its nested stainless steel liners and Compression Lock—are cloaked in non-reflective black coatings. The blade features a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating, and all other parts also have durable black coatings appropriate to their base materials. In addition to satisfying Yojimbo 2 fans who have been clamoring for an all-black version, this knife is historically significant as it is the first Compression Lock model to feature black-coated liners.
Although tactically themed Wharncliffes are commonplace these days, the evolution of this breed all started with the efforts of Michael Janich, Spyderco, and the spirit of collaboration and innovation that they have shared for more than 20 years.
Specifications
Blade Length: 3.20"
Closed Length: 4.49"
Overall Length: 7.69"
Cutting Edge: 3.00"
Blade Thickness: 0.145"
Blade Material: CPM-S30V Stainless Steel
Blade Style: Wharncliffe
Blade Grind: Hollow
Blade Finish: Satin
Blade Edge: Plain
Handle Material: G10
Handle Colors: Black
Locking Mechanism: Compression Lock
Pocket Clip: Tip-Up/Down, Right/Left Carry
Model Number: C85GPBBK2
Model Name: Yojimbo 2
Weight: 4.1 oz.
Designer: Michael Janich
Made in the USA