Redefining "Forum Knife"

[uhiforgot]

From what I have read, there is a great deal of collective knowledge among the forumites, and everyone knows EXACTLY what they like and don't like about every knife they've ever used. Nearly all of this collective knowledge is put to good use in the form of feedback that, sooner or later, we end up seeing materialize in production :spyder: 's. It is for this reason that I am proud to be a part of this forum.

It's unclear whether this has been done before, but what if :spyder: was to design a knife from scratch based entirely on input from the forums?

I am NOT saying in any way, shape, or form that Spyderco can't satisfy the needs of those using their knives. The concept here is that all day long, knife makers and designers think about "what kind of knife would really work well for [something]" or "how could I improve the design of [some knife]"

While these people are wracking their brains trying to achieve the greatest design, someone in a workshop/warehouse/construction site/garage/battlefield/forest is saying "you know, if my knife had a [somethin] or would do [somethin] or was a little more [somethin], it would be perfect!"

Well, it seems like a simple enough idea, and maybe a little redundant and unnecesary, but often it's the most intuitively obvious and mundane little thing being manually written down or verbally said aloud that REALLY brings it to life.

This is an opportunity to spit out a few ideas that you've had but never really thought were worthwhile, so drop 'em here, and let everyone ELSE chew them for a little while. Who knows, it might turn into another awesome knife!

-Jeff

P.S.

There's a few ideas in sketch on my desk that will be posted in a few days that might turn a few heads as they are "designed in the dark" and as a result are pretty "fugly."

[smcfalls13]

It's unclear whether this has been done before, but what if :spyder: was to design a knife from scratch based entirely on input from the forums?

While we seem to have Sal's attention some days, I think it would be nearly impossible to design a knife from the ground up using input from the forums, for two reasons.

One- Everyone always wants something different. Always. Read the most recent forum knife threads, from back in october I believe, and you'll see what I mean.

Two- It's hard to explain a lot of things on the forum, just because it's hard to communicate well through this medium.

Some knives have been designed based on forumite input, but the design was Sal's, and the forumites simply provided feedback. The Rescue SWICK is a good example of this. It was designed in response to a forumite's request for a whitewater rescue knife.

There are forumites who have submitted designs to Spyderco that have come to production. Dialex's Adventura is one and DAYWALKER apparently has one that no one has seen yet.

Looking forward to your sketches, as long as they're functional, I wouldn't worry about them being "fugly"

[Rob]

...what if :spyder: was to design a knife from scratch based entirely on input from the forums?

Well, not on this forum but on Britishblades: Wasn't that done with the UK Penknife?

Cheers, Rob

[Hannibal Lecter]

My Dear Friend Scott,


One- Everyone always wants something different. Always. Read the most recent forum knife threads, from back in october I believe, and you'll see what I mean.

Not true! I would be perfectly happy with ANY forum knife, so long as it is a hawkbill with S30V steel and purple G-10 scales and skeletonized liners and a compression lock... :D

--------
Hannibal

[zenheretic]

Never been to Britishblades but I got the impression Sal went there asked what knife can I make for you that is legal? and it was born...but it had a Sal parameter or two....but like I said I don't know how that went down.

Theoretically, there will be a Hawkbill based mostly on forum input. http://spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?p=209867#post209867 but still it is a Sal knife and we don't yet know what he listened too..if anything. That thread took months and a very enthusiastic JD Spydo to keep it alive in its fragile early stages of development (average threads usually have a few days of life at best) just to get to a point where Sal responded in the positive.

That thread also had a parameter of a Hawkbill. Just a bald "lets build a knife!" thread is high mountain to climb indeed.

But I will play along: It should have a compression lock.

[dialex]

My Dear Friend Scott,



Not true! I would be perfectly happy with ANY forum knife, so long as it is a hawkbill with S30V steel and purple G-10 scales and skeletonized liners and a compression lock... :D

--------
Hannibal

Purple G-10 scales! :eek: Looks like I missed that ;)

[catamount]

uhiforgot,

think about what you're asking for; a knife designed by committee :eek:

[Andre V]

I have been on the forum for some months now and i don't think that we could come to any design conclusions. There seems to be too many likes and dislike to be able to design a knife that everybody would like.

I think that the way Sal and the :spyder: crew ask for ideas on the forum is about as close as we will get to a forum design.

In any case they are obviously doing a fantastic job.

[J Smith]

It could be done by someone at Spyderco running polls one at a time for just a week each and come up with a design from that.
Poll 1..blade steel
poll 2..blade shape
poll 3..scale shape
poll 4..scale material
poll 5..scale color
poll 6..lock
poll 7..clip style
Take the most voted for from these and you should have a new knife designed by the forum.

[Andre V]

It could be done by someone at Spyderco running polls one at a time for just a week each and come up with a design from that.
Poll 1..blade steel
poll 2..blade shape
poll 3..scale shape
poll 4..scale material
poll 5..scale color
poll 6..lock
poll 7..clip style
Take the most voted for from these and you should have a new knife designed by the forum.

Great idea, it would work.

[ghostrider]

Seems to me that that is how the Endura/Delica 4 came about.

[Axlis]

It could be done by someone at Spyderco running polls one at a time for just a week each and come up with a design from that.
Poll 1..blade steel
poll 2..blade shape
poll 3..scale shape
poll 4..scale material
poll 5..scale color
poll 6..lock
poll 7..clip style
Take the most voted for from these and you should have a new knife designed by the forum.
That a pretty good idea. Even if a knife never came out of it(we are quite demanding as it is, sorry Sal :rolleyes: :p ) it would be interesting to see what design came out of a forum vote like this.

[J Smith]

I would like to see what come of it.
The polls would have to be run by an admin and IMO it would better better jsut to allow voteing and no posting so the poll could not turn into a flame war.

[uhiforgot]

uhiforgot,

think about what you're asking for; a knife designed by committee :eek:
Well, that was the initial thought that I had, but while typing that thought crossed my mind. If it could work, that would be great, but if all else fails maybe an original idea for a new feature or mod could come out of it. It was very late when I typed this, so it might lack a bit of aim for the moment. Just hoping it could turn into something bigger and better.

Polls came up in thought, but I know there was a time when polls ran rampid in this forum and for a time were looked down upon. Maybe if there is enough positive input for this thread a poll or two will come about. J Smith seems to have hit the nail on the head so far as the aim of the polls, though. Aside from building a knife from the best materials, there still needs to be IDEAS that make it unique, maybe even an uuberknife.

-Jeff

[4 s ter]

Great idea, it would work.

You must have joined after all the polls about a 2005 Forum Knife - it didn't work!

What finally did work is Sal offering a specifc model as a Forum Knife , that members could buy - or not - as they chose. It took similar action on Sal's part to get the two 2003 Forum knives (the blue Native III and blue PE SpyderHawk)

Trying to "make up" a Forum knife through polls results in something which would be a new model that requires the full engineering process. This results in high cost for a knife that doesn't sell well.

[BlackNinja]

While we seem to have Sal's attention some days, I think it would be nearly impossible to design a knife from the ground up using input from the forums, for two reasons.

One- Everyone always wants something different. Always. Read the most recent forum knife threads, from back in october I believe, and you'll see what I mean.

Two- It's hard to explain a lot of things on the forum, just because it's hard to communicate well through this medium.

Some knives have been designed based on forumite input, but the design was Sal's, and the forumites simply provided feedback. The Rescue SWICK is a good example of this. It was designed in response to a forumite's request for a whitewater rescue knife.

There are forumites who have submitted designs to Spyderco that have come to production. Dialex's Adventura is one and DAYWALKER apparently has one that no one has seen yet.

Looking forward to your sketches, as long as they're functional, I wouldn't worry about them being "fugly"
I fully agree with this post. My Forum model won't look anything like most others! Just as the good Doc points out on how he wants his Forum knife to look like, mine would be different. Different strokes for different folks!

[smcfalls13]

I fully agree with this post. My Forum model won't look anything like most others! Just as the good Doc points out on how he wants his Forum knife to look like, mine would be different. Different strokes for different folks!

Your's would look like a combo of an Ayoob, Chinook, and Lil' Temp.

I'd be in for one. :cool:

As for designing by the polls, I feel inclined to point out , that we're only a small portion of Spyderco's sales, and it is the average guy that keeps Spyderco in business. Not us. It could be done, but in the end, what we would be left with is a design by knife knuts, for knife knuts, and it may or may not appeal to the average user. That's a big gamble for Spyderco. Not to mention that those polls almost never come to a clear majority, it's usually two or three primary choices, all about equal in votes, and a bunch of lesser voted categories. Plus, once a design is finalized and pictures are posted, everyone is quick to say "I want one" until it comes time to pay for it.

Very tough to design by committee. I'll leave it in the capabale hands of those who do it for a living, because they know what works, whereas I most definitely do not. ;)

Just something to think about.

[5150]

this whole forum design concept might be redundant, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be fun. :)

[thom lambert]

I'm definitly in for one....as long as it is 1/17" longer than the last thing reccomended, has slightly different colored handles, the lock is different and it is the new combo edge - 1/8 SE, 1/4 PE, 1/2 SE, 1/4 PE. I want the choil slightly larger and the blade/handle ratio a bit more influenced by early rennaissance painters.

Good luck!!

[999]

I was beaten to it but I was going to reference the UKPK design thread. The only stipulations I believe were that it would be UK legal carry ie. a sub-3" slipjoint.

The fact that it was a full flat ground leaf-shaped blade, with a 50/50 choil in S30V and black G-10 with a subtle deep carry wire clip, (amongst other things) were entirely arrived at through (near enough) consensus decision. In general, it was very well received in the UK, and appears to have been so throughout the world. So much so in fact that I believe it is the basis for the so-called Calypso Jr. III, the main difference AFAIK being the addition of a lock and a steel upgrade option :eek:

It can work, just ask a UKPK owner ;)

[uhiforgot]

this whole forum design concept might be redundant, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be fun. :)
See, now. That's the idea. Even if the concept of a new design has completely flown out the window by now, maybe get a few new ideas out of it

-Jeff

[navman]

The following statement is *not* dirrected at anyone.

Why does this thread immediately bring to mind the Simpsons Episode when Homer designed "the car of the future" ? ;)

[smcfalls13]

The following statement is *not* dirrected at anyone.

Why does this thread immediately bring to mind the Simpsons Episode when Homer designed "the car of the future" ? ;)

That was one heck of an ugly car... :cool:

[Jim Malone]

There were some polls in the past. I believe most votes where for a G10, 3 inch VG10 back lock knife.

So... a G10 delica :rolleyes:

:D

It really didn't work at all, we are to hard to please, everyone wanted a different knife, some even had the gutts to mention a hawkbill blade! :eek: