March 5, 2022

Spyderco pin

Meaning “American bison” in the Lakota Sioux language, “Tatanka” is also the name of Spyderco’s first “super-sized” folder. Its defining feature is its high-strength PowerLock™–a deceptively simple yet incredibly strong lock that at first glance looks like an ordinary back lock. Take a closer look, however, and you’ll see a secondary cam component that is the secret to the lock’s strength. When the blade is opened, the tang contacts a sturdy stop pin in the handle to stop its rotation. At the same time, the spring-powered lever in the back of the handle rotates the cam around its pivot, causing a finger at the bottom of the cam to wedge against a concave surface on the top of the tang. This wedging action creates an incredibly secure lock-up, yet allows the lock to be released smoothly and easily.

The Tatanka’s handle consists of two skeletonized stainless steel liners, a stout stainless steel back spacer, and textured black G-10 scales. Its screw-together construction ensures precise alignment of all parts and provides an extremely solid platform for the PowerLock mechanism. Measuring just over five inches in length, the Tatanka’s blade has a saber grind that combines a full-thickness spine with a partial flat grind for a superior balance of strength and high-performance edge geometry. A swedge (unsharpened bevel) on the back of the blade reduces weight and increases point utility, while jimping (textured grooves) on the thumb ramp and an opposing index-finger choil (finger groove) provides a solid purchase that allows you to “choke up” on the knife for increased control.

Despite its impressive size, the Tatanka carries easily by virtue of its four-position pocket clip. Together with Spyderco’s Trademark Round Hole™ in the blade and the PowerLock, this feature ensures that both carry and operation of this remarkable folding knife are completely ambidextrous. Although the Trademark Round Hole facilitates ambidextrous one-handed opening of the knife, because of the blade’s size and mass and the location of its lock release, it should be closed with two hands.

Overall Length

11.55" (293 mm)

Blade Length

5.05" (128 mm)

Steel

VG-10

Closed Length

6.50" (165 mm)

Edge Length

4.50" (114 mm)

Weight

9.2 oz (261 g)