The Spyderco Schempp Bowie is part of the “Ethnic” series of knives and is designed in collaboration with Ed Schempp. Ed wanted to convey an ethnic American Bowie but also wanted to have a coffin handled, clip-point bowie knife. Alas, the Spyderco Schempp Bowie was born!
Despite looking like a “heavy” knife, the Schempp weighs in at 136 grams and has a 3.7 inch blade length with an overall knife length of 8.3 inches. The blade is made from CPM S30V so it’s expected to last long, and be easy to keep sharpened. This is a knife built to be worn as a much smaller knife without being small, if that makes any sense.
For example, the wire clip is designed so that knife can easily disappear deep in a pocket but still be easy to draw. It is 2.5mm in thickness so you won’t have a giant bulge from it being in a pocket. With that said, don’t expect a quick draw as this is still a traditional folder that will require practice and training to increase speed.
I touched on the blade already, but the CPM 530V will come sharp out of the box. You can definitely thin it a bit more if you want to increase the sharpness but I don’t think anyone will be disappointed with it out of the box. The CPM-S30V can be difficult to sharpen as it’s a harder steel but with some time it’s definitely doable for even the amateurs. As far as fit and feel, I found it to be very comfortable even given it’s unique design. The curvature of the handle keeps the blade in line with the hand. It might look high adaptable but the design really forces one to use a sabre grip, which I don’t mind as it is better for both security and cutting. If you want more of a gentleman’s or collector’s knife, that can still perform as needed, this is a great bowie for you. 8/10.
