The Temperance 2 knife is Spyderco’s newest evolution of their popular fixed-blade field-tested design. Spyderco is a company based in Golden, Colorado USA, that has specialized in producing high quality production knives and knife sharpeners for over three decades.
Many features which are today considered common among folding pocket knives have been pioneered by Spyderco, including serrations, the pocket clip and famous Spyderco opening hole. Their collaborations with over 30 athletes, custom knife makers and self-defense instructors guarantee constant innovations in design and quality of over 20 different blade materials. They make some exceptional folders that are very popular among knife enthusiasts, but their less common fixed blades are also a thing of beauty.
Continue reading our Spyderco Temperance 2 review to learn what additions and improvements have been made since the original Temperance was introduced years ago.
Blade Shape, Steel And Specifications
The Temperance 2 continues to carry on the good name of the Spyderco company with its leaf-shaped blade made from premium VG-10 stainless steel featuring a completely flat grind, plus a distal taper placed along its full length. Combining this excellent blade shape and steel choice with canvas Micarta scales and full tang construction (original Temperance was only partial tang) results in an incredibly strong knife with great balance, outstanding cutting power and geometry. Interestingly, the tang has milled out portions (skeletonized) for weight reduction concealed beneath the Micrata scales. This makes for a good compromise between heft and strength by providing the obvious benefits of a full tang without as much added weight (only 6.75 ounces total). A welcome choice for backpackers and those who prefer to travel light.
Spyderco Temperance 2 blade specifics:
- Knife Weight: 6.75 Ounces
- Blade Length: 4.875 Inches
- Overall Length: 9.8 Inches
- Cutting Edge: 4.812 Inches
- Blade Thickness: 0.156 Inches
- Blade Steel: VG-10 Stainless Steel
Handle Material And Ergonomics
The Temperance 2 handle features fully contoured Micarta handle scales which have been bead blasted in order to provide an enhanced texture for maximum comfort. The grip of the Temperance 2 has been mostly reduced when compared with the original Temperance, as this version of the knife has a slightly flatter design and thinner overall profile, making it easier to carry around for some. This loss in mass has been achieved by lowering contrast in the width and reducing the contouring. However, the new model does offer several important key improvements, such as the removal of the dimples; a little detail that many found quite harsh and uncomfortable in the handle of the original model. The position of the jimping/thumb ramp was also adjusted for a more natural hand position. The guard is also less flared out making the Temperance 2 more useful for pinch grips.
The durability of the handle is terrific and it being full tang with micarta slabs means that it is practically invulnerable to chemicals, heat or cold, cuts, general abrasion or impacts. Micarta has an incredible level of impact resistance that almost puts the handle equal to the tang when comparing what it actually takes to cause a significant amount of damage to them. The old model has a fully enclosed and partial tang while the new Temperance 2 has a full tang/slab construction. The full tang design of the Temperance 2 definitely offers increased strength and durability, but the actual practical benefits have yet to be demonstrated. The new “slabbed” design adds a bit more weight and also exposes blade steel between the handles, reducing the overall comfort slightly. In my opinion it is an acceptable trade off for the added strength of a full tang.
Sheath Quality And Features
The enclosed sheath is made out of high quality Boltaron (similar to Kydex) which provides optimum reliability and safety. Love seeing a sheath like this instead of the lower end nylon sheaths that often come bundled with cheaper fixed blade knives. The lightweight polymer retains its shape while continuing to be resistant to chemicals, solvents, temperature extremes, high-impact, peeling and shrinking. The Boltaron sheath features an option for strap attachment, belt carry and other portability options. The leveraging push-off point featured on the sheath allows you to safely position your hand and proceed to draw the knife from the sheath using your thumb.
The sheath is also equipped with a G-Clip system which can by affixed by spring clip in 5 various positions: horizontal, vertical, cross draw, inverted or small-of-back. This feature allows the knife to be safely and unobtrusively carried against a pack or the body. The Temperance’s sheath isn’t perfect by any means (belt attachment is a bit small for many tactical belts wider than a couple inches and it has no MOLLE compatibility by default), but a big step up from most stock sheaths. You could argue that should be expected from a knife in this price range, but that isn’t always the case.
Final Conclusion On The Spyderco Temperance 2
As you’ve probably already guessed just by reading this Spyderco Temperance 2 review, I find the latest evolution of the Temperance model one of the finest knives available for both collectors and every day users. Holding this knife in your hand feels great and it is very sharp right out of the box to a point where you could dress a wild boar with nearly surgical precision. It also wouldn’t be out of place in the kitchen or even a display case surrounded by a bunch of expensive, custom made knives. It is very easy to maintain thanks to Spyderco’s steel choice (Japanese VG-10 stainless steel) which retains an edge extremely well and only requires the occasional touch up to keep a razor sharp blade.
Overall, it feels like a perfect hybrid of survival/tactical/kitchen knife which can easily be used for food prep, while still remaining a true collectors piece like many products from Spyderco. Yes, it is somewhat expensive (around $180-$200) compared to the average survival knife of this size, but that is typical of higher end Spyderco lines which are mainly targeted toward collectors. If I were to nitpick, you might say the Micarta scales sometimes feel a bit slick in the hand and could use a rougher texture for the surface to improve grip. And the jimping on the spine of the blade could be slightly more pronounced and sharper as well, but these are just very minor niggles for an otherwise flawless knife.
The Temperance 2 is one of Spyderco’s more expensive blades for a reason, as it offers a razor sharp factory edge, premium VG-10 stainless steel, skeletonized full tang, a great sheath and distinctive polish/fit and finish found on very few production knives which will satisfy even the most demanding of customers.
