Spyderco Yojimbo 2 Semi-Custom Emerson Folding Knife 3.2″ Black DLC – C85GPBBK2

When Michael Janich designed his first knife for Spyderco nearly 20 years ago, most personal-defense knives had traditional martial blade profiles, like spear points, Americanized tantos, and variations on the Bowie theme. Janich’s design—the first-generation Ronin fixed blade—challenged that convention and literally pioneered the concept of the “tactical Wharncliffe.” Today, Wharnie-style tactical knives are everywhere, but the roots of that trend can be traced directly back to Janich’s early designs—and Spyderco’s willingness to take a chance on them.

The latest addition to this family is an all-black version of Janich’s current Wharncliffe folder design, the Yojimbo 2. But to fully appreciate that knife, it helps to know a bit of the history behind its evolution.

The original Ronin (literally “wave man” in Japanese, a term for a masterless Samurai) actually began as a collaboration with custom knifemaker Mike Snody. Janich had written an article on Snody’s knives that became the tipping point for him to become a full-time maker. As a gesture of thanks, Snody invited Janich to design “the ultimate neck knife,” which he would make as a custom blade. Although Janich had designed other knives previously, including the Tempest folder for the Masters of Defense knife company, he was determined to approach the design process from a fresh, empirical perspective. 

He had already begun incorporating a demonstration called “Pork Man” into his knife self-defense courses to illustrate the cutting capability of small knives. Pork Man—a hefty pork roast tied around a wooden dowel and wrapped with multiple layers of plastic—not only demonstrated the cutting power of typical carry knives, but it also quantified the significant performance differences between different blade shapes.

To determine which blade styles cut with the greatest effect, Janich invested a small fortune in pork roasts, crafted an army of Pork Men, and started cutting. To his surprise, of all the knives in his collection, the ones that cut best were a pair of Frank Centofante-designed “gentlemen’s” folders from Spyderco with classic Wharncliffe-style blades (the C25 and C50).

As Janich dug deeper, he realized the secret of the Wharncliffe blades was their perfectly straight edges cut with full power all the way to the point. Conversely, the cutting power of blades with upward curving edges and lots of “belly” diminishes near the point. The Wharncliffe’s needle-like point also penetrates almost effortlessly during thrusts. Despite their elegant demeanor, Wharncliffes are tactical cutting and thrusting machines.

Armed with this knowledge, the Ronin design Janich presented to Snody was pure Wharncliffe. Initially, Snody was not thrilled with it and began to backpedal on his offer. When he finally made one and cut with it, however, he was blown away. Ultimately, he not only made a number of custom Ronins but shifted the course of his own knife designs to focus heavily on Wharncliffe blades.

The Yojimbo 2’s more refined design—backed by Janich’s relentless promotion of the Wharncliffe as a tactical blade profile—have helped it earn a solid place in Spyderco’s product line. Since it was purpose-designed as a self-defense knife, the live-blade version was joined by a dedicated trainer model in 2017. In an interesting example of “reverse evolution”—and with the help of custom knifemaker Mickey Yurco—the Yojimbo 2 also inspired a near-identical fixed-blade counterpart, the Ronin 2.

Based on its enduring popularity and repeated requests from Spyderco forumites, we are proud to announce the latest addition to the Spyderco/Janich Wharncliffe family: the all-black Yojimbo 2. Like the satin-bladed version, it features a hollow-ground CPM S30V blade, Compression Lock, peel-ply-textured G-10 scales, and a four-position hourglass pocket clip. However, all parts of the knife—including its nested stainless steel liners and Compression Lock—are cloaked in non-reflective black coatings. The blade features a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating, and all other parts also have durable black coatings appropriate to their base materials. In addition to satisfying Yojimbo 2 fans who have been clamoring for an all-black version, this knife is historically significant as it is the first Compression Lock model to feature black-coated liners.

Although tactically themed Wharncliffes are commonplace these days, the evolution of this breed all started with the efforts of Michael Janich, Spyderco, and the spirit of collaboration and innovation that they have shared for more than 20 years.

Specifications:

• Blade Length: 3.20″
• Closed Length: 4.49″
• Overall Length: 7.69″
• Cutting Edge: 3.00″
• Blade Thickness: 0.145″
• Blade Material: CPM-S30V Stainless Steel
• Customizations: Emerson Wave Opener
• Blade Style: Wharncliffe
• Blade Grind: Hollow
• Blade Finish: Black DLC
• Blade Edge: Plain
• Handle Material: G10
• Handle Colors: Black
• Locking Mechanism: Compression Lock
• Pocket Clip: Tip-Up/Down, Right/Left Carry
• Model Number: C85GPBBK2 
• Model Name: Yojimbo 2
• Weight: 4.1 oz.
• Designer: Michael Janich
• Made in the USA