My Dad likes five things: his family, pizza, concrete, Corvettes, and making stuff in his workshop, probably in that order, though concrete could leap frog pizza on any given day (like the day of pure hobby synergy when he poured the 6 foot deep (!) concrete foundation for his new granite and brick pizza oven). His love of Corvettes is really fun to watch because I get to see the enthusiast bug at work in someone else. When the C8 was released we traveled about an hour away to go see one in person at a release event. On the way there, I asked my Dad if he wants one, seeing as he has a C7 already. To my surprise he told me: “No.” Without hestitation or reservation, it was a flat no. The word among the Corvette enthusiasts, what with their New Balance sneakers and cellphone belt holsters, was that the first model year of a new Corvette is never the model to buy. Instead, you wait for the second year, once they have worked out all the bugs.

The Flytanium Arcade is my second Shark Lock knife, and like the second model year of a new generation of Corvette, they seemed to have worked out all the bugs. Here, the lock, instead of being a weird add on, is a star performer on an otherwise interesting knife. While my AD 20.5 was good, it wasn’t I knife I would buy other than to try out the lock. The Arcade stands out as a knife I would buy regardless of the lock. And therein lies the difference between the two knives. Let’s get into it.

Here is the product page. There have been two generations of Arcades, one with three or four inlays and a silver frame and the second with a blue ano or gunmetal gray frame. This is obviously a second generation Arcade. Here is a video review. Even though this knife is over a year old, I don’t think there are any written reviews. Notably, this is me circling around and reviewing knives I missed when they were released (the Protech Malibu, and Luft Avant, are on this list too). Here is my review sample (paid for with my own money):

Quick Review Summary: A Shark Lock knife is better the second time around.

Design: 1

So the debate is to take the one point off for the massive exposed rear tang here or in the lock section. I decided to drop the point here because I think it is possible to design a Shark Lock without an exposure rear tang, probably through implementation of a large “guard.” I am not sure what that knife would look like, but this knife ain’t it.

In case you have missed my rant against exposed rear tangs, it goes like this. First, they attract gunk that could prevent lock up, something I have had happen a few times on Tri-Ad equipped knives (another Demko designed lock). Second, when they are exceptionally large, like this one, they can be a snag hazard when the knife is pulled from the pocket. Third, they are ugly, the knife equivalent of a prominent bucktooth. Some, like the one on the Delica, aren’t bad, but this one is just kinda silly. Besides that, I find this knife to be pretty attractive as a design with wide flat chamfers, a tasteful inlay, and a nice, conventional blade shape.

Fit and Finish: 2

I am not sure who the OEM is for the Arcade, but it is pretty clearly the same person Demko uses for his production knives as the machining and sizes of the Shark Lock on the AD 20.5 and this knife are identical. Flytanium lists the OEM as being in Taiwan, and that seems about right. Some of the best Spydercos come from Taiwan, specifically the Taichung maker. I don’t think the Arcade is QUITE at that level of polish, but it is close. The blade finish, in particular stands out as quite nice (the edge is amazing too, more on that later). I also like the pivot. Mine came a little loose, as most pivots do nowadays, and one quarter circle turn of the screw and it has remained on lockdown ever since. This is a well made knife and easily a 2, sitting right below the rarified air that Reate and CRK occupy.

Grip: 2

This isn’t the grippiest knife in the world, but its shape and size make it quite good in the hand. I would not want to gunk this up with some jimping that serves more as a bullet point on the feature list than an actual upgrade. Not every knife needs to be an Emerson or Cold Steel. I will note that the blasting, like on a brand new Sebenza, adds some texture.

Carry: 2

The Arcade is thin, thankfully. Because a knife this tall that was thick would be virtually impossible to carry easily. Its hard to convey how tall this knife is. It feels like about 60% of the knife is covered by the handle and the rest is just sticking out. I think it has to do with how the Shark Lock works, but I’d love to see the knife tucked in a bit more. Still, the entire knife is pretty darn thin, so it is nice in the pocket

Steel: 1

S35VN:2024::AUS8:2010.

Its still a good steel, but it is not close to being state of the art. Spyderco is releasing a Mule in Gen 2 VG-10, called V-XEOS. There is Vanax here and there. The Sage 5 will have a REX 121 version (the steel nerd inside of my head just beat up the practical guy in my head because I certainly need two versions of that knife). Magnacut is pretty much everywhere. In this world, S35VN represents the bare minimum in terms of competitive steels. Anything less, and there is a problem if you are making blades for enthusiasts. All that said, this is still a steel that will work for ages and get lots done for you.

Blade Shape: 2

I am a sucker for simple blade shapes and the Arcade has a dead simple, beautiful drop point. I look at all those multi-faceted blades and think—that will be a bitch to sharpen. Tanto—hell no. Recurve—why bother? Some silly duplex grind—nopity nope. There just isn’t enough additional utility to opt for a crazy blade when you do your own sharpening.

Grind: 2

If filthy knife causals love to talk about the flipping action or materials, then knife nerds love to talk about steel. It is the true knife aficionado, folks that, for example, have had dreams about a flipper Sebenza (::raises hand awkwardly::) that really love the grind of a knife. And the grind here is superb. While this is not the peak of sliceyness, it is not because of the grind, but instead the stock thickness. The edge here is as keen as you will find and while I am not a proponent of “out of the box” sharpness as a measure of a knife manufacturer, its certainly not a bad thing. And the edge here comes out of the box absolutely screaming sharp. The rest of the grind is a by-the-numbers affair that is pretty solid. Notably, the blade finish with its stonewashed finish is pretty darn nice—wear is basically invisible.

Deployment Method: 2

The thumb stud is a little weird, maybe a bit different from the normal spacing. As a result, it took me a bit of time to get used to the spacing. Before that, I missed a few coin flip opens. After, I could nail it every single time. The action here is quite good and the knife’s lock makes opening and closing the knife really, really fun.

Retention Method: 2

I like the clip here, though it is not particularly exotic—a stamped steel, deep carry clip. But not everything needs to or can be exotic on a $200 knife. This is basically the stock clip from something like a Civivi Elementum or a cheaper Bestech, and that ain’t bad. It stays out of the way and doesn’t snag. Honestly, a more complex clip than this is just for IG.

Lock: 2

The Shark Lock, other than the form factor changes it requires, is basically a perfect lock. It is easy to engage, disengage, and it can be adjusted to have zero blade play and still allow for kinetic almost telepathic deployment. But the exposed rear tang and taller blade are real drawbacks. The lock is amazing, but it imposes design costs on a knife. I am willing to pay those costs in terms of design impacts. Put another way, as Thomas Sowell noted, “there are no solutions, only tradeoffs.”

Other Considerations

Fidget Factor: MAX

If you got into knives because you wanted a fidget tool that was also useful, this is the knife for you.

Fett Effect: Moderate

The aluminum gets scratched up and the blade will show some wear, but nothing impressive or outrageous.

Value: Moderate

The knife is very good, but the S35VN steel holds it back at $200.

Overall Score: 18 out of 20

This is a really great knife that just happens to run a Shark Lock. That makes it better than the overwrought, must-place-fingers-here AD 20.5. The classy colorway and materials make this knife feel more luxurious than it should at the price. I still wish it sported better steel, but I think steel must be a weakness of this particular OEM. This is, after all, a step up from AUS-10. I’d love to see a Shark Lock without an exposed rear tang, but maybe the lock’s geometry prevents that from being possible. Either way, this is an excellent knife and quite good for $200. Only the very best out there is better.

Competition

In the enthusiast price range, competition is brutally fierce. Let me put that brutality into perspective—the TRM N2 costs LESS than this knife. By $20. The Bridgeport Knife Co 395 was basically the same price. And those two knives have better steel and elite design. But I can see reasons someone would prefer this knife over those knives, mainly due to the lock’s supposed strength. I don’t, but I can see folks that would. And that means that this is a good knife. It is, unlike the N2 and 395, much easier to buy. There are no drops you need to wait for and no restock that you need time perfectly. This is a readily available knife and as such, it made the 1+Done list this year, while the N2 and 395 didn’t.

Compared to the AD 20.5, this is revelation. That knife, especially the FRN handle AUS-10 version felt primitive. It felt cheap. It also has a very bossy handle design, like the Manix II, it tells you how to hold it, instead of the other way around. Here, everything feels like it is a premium design open to multiple grips. It also feels like this is more of a knife that incorporated the Shark Lock than a lock with a knife thrown in for good measure. If the AD series represented the first gen of the Shark Lock, this is the second gen and like with new Corvette designs, it pays to wait.

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