By Roy Huntington

You’d think it’d be hard to still offer surprises when you’ve been in the knife business as long as Spyderco, but the crew there continues to amaze. This latest is not only just plain fun, with loads of eye-catching whimsy — it also makes plain good sense. Of course, there’s nothing “plain” about the “Dogtag Folder” and the combination of splashy colors and innovative design simply makes you want to smile when you look at it.

The same size as a genuine G.I. issue dogtag, Spyderco’s version offers some surprises. The unique chisel-ground blade rests snugly and safely when closed against the titanium handle scale, and is held closed with a detent and ball bearing, but does not lock open, so be careful when you use it. Spyderco’s patented thumbhole makes opening easy, and the cutting ability of the blunted sheepsfoot blade belies its small size. Packaging tape, blister-packs, Fed-Ex boxes and hard salami beware — you’re no match for the Dogtag.

That’s a .45 ACP round in the picture for size, so you can see this is a tidy package. The unsharpened swedge around the forward top portion of the blade, along with the decorative fuller groove near the spine class things up. The anodized aluminum disk over the blade pivot adds stability and strength and an additional dose of spice.

I wondered why wife Suzi was hovering around while I took the photos for it, and once I said I was finished she smiled sweetly, distracting me. Later, I noticed the Dogtag was dangling from a silver chain around her neck. Suzi likes nice jewelry and good knives so I’ll assume the Dogtag qualifies in both categories. This little gem is a lot of fun and a boatload of practicality for only about $120 at full MSRP. For more info: www.amercanhandgunner.com/index, (800) 828-1925.

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