SPARTAN BLADES ENYO DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
By Dexter Ewing
Spartan Blades’ Enyo (pronounced “EYE-nee-yoh”) is the smallest, most compact fixed blade of the entire product line. It’s designed to be carried either inside the waistband (IWB) or neck knife carry. It’s a lightweight and compact fixed blade that is easily concealed yet, withdrawn quickly when needed. It also incorporates an interesting handle design that optimizes the positioning of the user’s hand for maximum grip for a compact knife. It also is manufactured from premium stainless steel. As a result, it has been a popular seller for the company. It’s been praised by Spartan fans and also is a great value dollar wise for a high end fixed blade knife with a premium blade steel.
Enyo in the mountains of Afghanistan
Spartan Blades co-founder/co-owner Curtis Iovito designed the Enyo with a focused purpose on being a highly concealable defense tool. “We had a few soldiers come by our old shop, when we were still in the barn on Mark’s [Carey, the other co-founder/co-owner] property,” Iovito begins. “They were a part of a Provincial Reconstruction Team or PRT in Iraq. They approached us with a very simple problem.” And that problem was when they had meetings with local leaders, they still had to be armed but they could not dress in their usual mode of dress with all the military guns and gear. The local leaders of the indigenous people took issue with this battle-laden dress code if you will, so the PRT had to find a way to shed all that gear but still, remained armed and ready to protect themselves if needed.
Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan CREDIT: SSG Brian Ferguson
‘They asked us to create a knife that has a very small blade (under 3 inches) and overall length between 6 inches and 6 ½ inches,” recalls Iovito. “This would allow them to keep a blade under their uniform top while appearing non-threatening.” Their long guns and armor would still be within reach, at arms’ length if needed. “Now, this might sound easy but let me tell you, it wasn’t,” muses Iovito. They asked for a knife that didn’t have any handle scales on it, so a skeletonized handle design. Iovito allowed the basic design percolate a bit, having to run through several design
Initial Pencil Drawing of the Enyo
iterations of the blade while keeping the overall knife within the required specs. It was through this percolation and tinkering that he discovered that the user’s grip was best maximized by placing the thumb onto the blade spine for a secure grip. “It’s kind of funny because the over-the-top thumb divot is something I have come to appreciate over time and have incorporated into other designs like the Phrike,” Iovito states. Even with the thumb placed onto the over-the-top divot, the Enyo didn’t quite fit the hand the way Iovito envisioned. As he states, he “cheated” a little bit. How? “The lanyard and Spartan helmet bead on the knife isn’t just for show,” begins Iovito. “It allows the pinky finger to grasp that final little bit just enough to give a secure grip.” The two cutouts in the handle resemble eyes somewhat, but they are present to subtract some weight of the handle, to allow the knife to balance out nicely in the hand. And thus, the Enyo design was born by meeting the strict requirements of the Provincial Reconstruction Team.Wearing it underneath a shirt is obviously the easiest most concealable method. The knife’s light weight makes it carry comfortably in this manner. And if you tend to sweat a lot in the warmer weather - the Enyo is available in either FDE or black PVD coating on top of the steel to provide additional rust prevention measures as well as for aesthetics. If you’re not familiar with neck knives, you can wear them underneath whatever you are wearing - T-shirt, dress shirt (just undo the button closest to the handle and reach in to pull it out), or hoodie. If you’re lounging around the house in sweatpants - carrying a folder IWB in that might be a bit too heavy. Solution? Neck knife! This is where the Enyo shines. And if you choose not to wear it as a necker, you can thread your belt through the belt loop and nestle the sheath inside your waistband, and wear your shirt untucked. The knife just disappears. Not too many fixed blades offer this versatility in carry!
Enyo in FDE
Because of its small size, ease of carry, and little knife/big attitude aura to it, the Enyo has become a great seller for Spartan Blades. There was also an all damascus version that was sold exclusively through Spartan Blades dealer Knifeart.com. This beauty takes a jump in pricing from the standard version of the Enyo but the beauty lies in the skeletonized handle, being able to see the grain of the beautiful damascus steel by Chad Nichols. How can this knife be further improved upon? Well, how about a lower cost version that will be in the Bronze/Field Grade Line?
New Bronze/Field Grade Enyo coming in August of 2020
Yup! Expect this to be ready around late 2020. More good things to come so stay tuned! For specs, pricing, and more pics of the Enyo, visit https://spartanbladesusa.com/shop-all/enyo-inside-waist-band-neck-knife-edc/