A New Spork

I had another birthday last month, and one of my friends got me a pair of sporks for a present. I like using sporks when camping, and I've written about my titanium sporks in the past ( I still have one in my GHB), but these were a little different.

This is the Ka-Bar 9909 Spork/knife. Mine were a gift so I'm not sure what they cost, but I found them on Amazon for less than $10 apiece. The handle separates to expose a serrated plastic knife, while the traditional combination spoon/fork end provides a way to eat without getting your fingers in your food. I tossed one into my lunch box and took it to work for a week to give it an initial test and here are the pros and cons that I found.

Photo by Chaplain Tim

Pros

• Made of food-safe plastic. I'm still trying to track down information on the specific plastic (Grilamid FWA LV-50H ), but it's a fiberglass filled plastic designed for water and food applications.
• Lightweight but still fairly sturdy. Not quite as light as my titanium sporks, but still lighter than carrying a set of silverware.
• Long handled. The long handle makes stirring hot food more convenient and makes it easy to get the last few bites out of the bottom of a pouch of food.
• Rounded edges don't get caught on things. Handy for not poking holes in plastic bags and backpacks.
• Handle is properly shaped and solid enough to act as a kubotan. Since they were made by Ka-Bar, it doesn't surprise me that they can be used as weapons.

Cons

• Sharp mold lines. Sharp enough to slice into my lip when I first used it. 5 minutes with a piece of sand paper took most of the sharp lines off, but check before you use it; cut lips hurt and bleed all out of proportion to the size of the injury. They heal quickly, but are sensitive to salt and acids in your food until they seal up.
• Combo spoon/fork. Compromise isn't always a good thing. By putting fork tines on the end of a spoon, you make an implement that is less effective than either a fork or a spoon.



Photo by Chaplain Tim

• Plastic knife. The serrated knife hidden in the handle is almost worthless. Good idea, but poor execution: it's not sharp enough to cut through the plastic baggie the spork was shipped in (I tried both the tip and the edge of the knife) without a lot of force, and being plastic it isn't really something that you can make sharp. This is a gimmick that will do nothing but make the TSA confiscate your eating utensil if you try to fly with it in carry-on.
• Drain holes located just above the spoon. They're small and I didn't notice them until after I had stirred my hot chocolate, which then proceeded to dribble out of the hollow handle and make the table sticky. I can see why they are needed for the molding process, but they make a great place for food to get into that is difficult to clean. I usually try to avoid getting mold and bacteria in my food, these holes make that harder to accomplish.

My Verdict: Not Worth It
While it will work as a way to get food from a container to your mouth, the poor construction and design leave it seriously outclassed by even the disposable sporks you can get at KFC.