The Spyderco Respect is a truly remarkable fixed-blade knife with a history that reaches back nearly 35 years to the very first American Bladesmith Society (ABS) “hammer-in” in 1985. Spyderco founder Sal Glesser participated in that landmark event and learned to forge blades under the watchful eyes of legendary master smiths Bill Moran, Don Hastings, and Bill Bagwell. Although he was already a Bowie enthusiast, Moran, Hastings, and Bagwell also gave Sal a graduate-level education in the lesser-known aspects of Bowie and big-knife design.
Inspired by that extraordinary experience, Sal was determined to design his expression of the perfect Bowie Knife. He started with a series of hand-drawn sketches to define the knife’s basic shape and size. He then put steel to wood and began carving full-scale models of it. With each one, he dialed in the details a little bit more, fine tuning the shape and balance of the design until he was satisfied with the result.
Although Sal completed the final wooden model decades ago and always intended to bring it to life as a hand-forged knife, his busy schedule never seemed to allow it. It wasn’t until Spyderco expanded its U.S. manufacturing facility in 2015 that he felt the time was right to express it as an American-made production knife.
Like the original design process, the prototyping and development of the knife was meticulous. Sal insisted on a thick spine to replicate the strength of a hand-forged knife, but with a wide blade profile to ensure superior edge geometry and a lively balance. He personally tested each successive generation of prototype, making subtle changes and adjustments until he knew he had it right. Only then was the design finalized and the aptly named “Respect” was born.
The Respect is an homage to the classic American Bowie Knife that also elevates its form by expressing it with state-of-the-art modern materials and manufacturing methods. The heart of the design is its blade, which is painstakingly crafted from CPM® 154 stainless steel. A powder metallurgy form of 154 CM—which was introduced to knifemaking by the legendary Robert W. Loveless—CPM 154 has an extremely homogenous microstructure and a uniform distribution of carbides throughout the steel. While it is easier to grind and polish than conventional ingot 154 CM, CPM 154 is significantly tougher, making it an ideal material for use in a Bowie blade.
For maximum strength, the Respect’s broad, satin-finished blade is an impressive .300-inch (7.6mm) thick at the spine and ricasso. However, because it is just over 1.5 inches (38.1mm) wide, its full-flat grind has plenty of room to taper uniformly to the edge, shedding excess weight while creating truly impressive blade geometry. The long, straight, double-beveled swedge on the back of the blade is unsharpened, but ensures a strong but acute point. A generous choil at the ricasso accentuates the knife’s classic style and allows the user’s index finger to wrap around the guard if desired to create a locked, reinforced grip. To proclaim the knife’s Spyderco pedigree, the blade also includes an understated Trademark Round Hole™ near the spine.
To protect the user’s hand, the Respect includes a precision machined stainless steel double guard that is meticulously press fitted to the tang and shoulders of the blade. The guard is held in place by contoured G-10 scales that have matching machined cavities to envelop the knife’s concealed tang. The mirror-image scales are secured by four sets of stainless steel Torx® screws, creating a near-seamless, one-piece feel in the hand that highlights the handle’s refined ergonomics. For those who prefer to outfit their knives with lanyards, the handle also includes a generously sized lanyard hole.
In keeping with its classic styling, the Respect comes complete with a premium-quality, handcrafted leather sheath that includes both a conventional belt loop and a brass stud. The stud serves double duty as a traditional snap closure for the sheath’s leather retaining strap and to prevent the knife from slipping down when it is worn using classic friction-style inside-the-waistband carry.
A knife truly deserving of its name, the Respect is a fitting tribute to the iconic American Bowie. More than three decades in the making, it also reflects the rich history of Sal Glesser’s evolution as a knifemaker and industry-leading designer.
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