FOG HORN April 2019

Twobirds Flying Publications

Spyderco ATONOMY 2

Copyright 2019, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.

 Spyderco ATONOMY 2 2019

Spyderco ATONOMY 2 – the Spyder deployed even with a heavily gloved hand, not
susceptible to rust from salt water use, easily
strikes again!
maintained and cut with extreme authority.
By: Sal Palma 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.

ATONOMY 2 features a full-flat ground 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.
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.


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.
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.
Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved
Spyderco ATONOMY 2
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!
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.
 Spyderco ATONOMY 2
2019
Final Impressions

The ATONOMY 2 is the exemplification of a Manufacturer Specifications

superb general purpose EDC knife, but its
balance, right at the locking button, makes the  Overall Length 8.44" (214mm)
tip very fast, which combined with its  Blade Length 3.50" (89mm)
aggressive drop point also serves as an excellent  Steel LC200N
backup to your CCW firearm.  Closed Length 4.94" (125mm)
 Edge Length 3.37" (86mm)
The grip size and shape, along with its G10 scale  Weight 5.6oz (159g)
texturing, provide a very secure grip, be it a  Blade Thickness 0.114" (2.9mm)
saber grip, reverse or icepick the ATONOMY 2  Handle G-10
sits in the hand securely and is accordingly very  Clip Position Ambi
controllable. But, could one improve on its
 Tip Carry Position Tip-Up
design? Maybe.
 Lock Type Button Lock
I’d like to see an ATONOMY 3 with blade  Grind Full-Flat
jimping at the thumb shelf just forward of the  Sheath N/A
pivot point.  Origin United States
 M.S.R.P. $290
In closing, this is one of the best production
automatic folders I’ve seen. Materials, Know your local laws governing automatic
workmanship and design are all a cut above and knives.
classic Spyderco elegance.

The Spyder strikes again!

-SP

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