Why purchase Spyderco???

[Nimravus]

I was wondering why most of you purchase Spyderco. I know that they are fantastic knifes from the usibility stand point but do you not find that generally they are cheappy in feal and weight.



I do not own one but have had the chance to use a few. Good blade and great edge retention but just could not get used to the cheap plastic feel of the handle.

[fredswartz]

You probably just need to own a few in different handle configurations to appreciate them.

[connor]

Nimravus,

ever had a Military in your hand, then?

When I look at mine (plainedge, S30V) I see almost custom made knife qualities. Great design, material and workmanship and that rare kind of minimalistic beauty that some things possess. ;-)

Really, the G-10 handles are a blast. They look good, they feel good and they are rock stable. I think I understand what you meant by "the cheap plastic feel". I hand an Endura and the handles where good and all but I didn't like the FRN, personally.

The G-10 handles of the Military are classes beyond, tho. <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

-Connor

[aero_student]

try holding a few different ones, they don't feel cheap or look it. There is a reason that I have over 20 of them.

[leroys_45]

Just to chime in with the rest, you should really handle a few other than the FRN models. I guarantee that after you handle anything like the Police, Military, Gunting, Lil' Temperance, Chinook or something more of that persuasion, the last thing you'll be saying is &quot;cheap.&quot;

I don't mean this as a knock on anyone else, but the top of the line Spyderco's are right up there with the best of anyone else. Unfortunately, most people only see the cheaper FRN models and even then, they don't see the Native, which doesn't feel at all cheap to me despite the FRN.

[sam the man..]

ummm.... an age-old ripened question... reliability + performance = that's my reason! <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> Oh, BTW ~ Welcome aboard dude! <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

Sam

have scars will travel..

[rorschach]

&quot;Why is there air?&quot;

&quot;Have you ever tried breathing cool-whip?&quot;

But seriously, I have tried other blades. Agreed, the more substantial handle options are great (CF Police). But I like the lightweight ones as well (FRN Dragonfly!) Perhaps it is the hole, which, to me, seems like my knife is always &quot;looking out&quot; for me. :D



-Rorschach :][: &lt;a href=http://members.cox.net/gurban&gt;HOS&lt;/a&gt;

Edited by - rorschach on 6/11/2003 12:05:51 AM

[tique]

that name looks familiar from another forum <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> so I might know where you are coming from with the question.

I agree with the mention of the Military, it's one of my favorite folders, in the top ten, would probably be in the top 5 if I made a list, and damn sure would be there if I limited it to the standard production world.

I also am a fan of the Delica and Native, simplicity is sometimes a good thing, and those two knives to it very well.

I'd try to take a look at a few different models, a well stocked dealer would be worth a trip if it's not too far. You might just find a few you like, I know I have.

You should try a few, I've found several that have their own use that nothing else really fills. The Snap-It is one that comes to mind, never found another like it, and it makes me feel a little better when I need to carry it. The first time I saw it I wasn't impressed, but it grew on me, and now I'd never leave for a fairly serious outdoor excursion without it.

[ftkinney]

I know what you mean about handles and the “the cheap plastic feel&quot;. When I first held a FRN handle I hated it, I think that might have been a LST from Gerber in the early 90’s most of my Spydercos tend to be Steel, G-10 or Aluminum. But I also agree with Leroys I just got a BRK Native, which isn’t even the best of the Natives and some how, I don’t know if it is the shape or the texture but it tends to seem a bit less “plasticy” that other FRNs that I have handled or given away.

The other exemption is the small knives seem fine with FRN. I had a Gerber Mini-LST and thought that it was fine and I use a mini-dyad all the time. At that small of scale the FRN really don’t bother me.

[dialex]

Welcome to the Spyderco Forum.
&quot;Cheap plastic handles&quot;... hmm... I'd pick a FRN model over SS anytime. Not to mention there are also other materials like G-10 or Micarta. Spyderco's offer is quite wide, there should be something to match your profile eventually.

<a href="http://users.pcnet.ro/dialex"><font color=blue>(my page)</font></a>

[Sword and Shield]

Howdy Nimravus! Welcome to <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>Land! <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

I like them because they simply work. I can toss an Endura in my pocket, beat the heck out of it for 10 hours at work, and know it'll still be sharp and tight when I go home.

By the time you read this, you'll have already read it.

[Andrew]

What I most like spyderco is its edge made by the great steel,and the handle use 'cheap plastic',because I do not want waste my money on the titanium liner that is flashy and without subtance. for use a g10 handle is strong enough.

[sal]

Hi Nimravus. Welcome to the Spyderco forum. Glad you could take the time to &quot;drop in&quot;.

Spyderco's &quot;thing&quot; is Reliable High Performance. This is achieved through constant and consistant testing, both in our extensive testing lab and in the field. This builds trust in the customers.

Constant communication with our customers (ELU) helps greatly with the field testing.

Consistent innovation keeps interest aroused.

Fair prices for the product received.

It is surprizing to drive a truck over one of our &quot;cheap&quot; plastic knives only to find it still works well (even if it is scratched up).

Absoulute honesty with our customers. (That means no bullsh*t)

Very high quality manufacturing standards, both domestic and import.

Constant Quality Improvement (CQI).

We try to cater to the knife user.

That's a few reasons.

sal

[Nimravus]

Well Thankx guys for being honest and so welcoming.

As you have no dought figured out I am a Benchmade fan hense Nimravus.

I think that part of the reason I have always been tured of at Spyderco for the CHEAPISH look is because the dealers out here only get the cheaper SPYDERCO knives.

I know they are great like I have said but maybe I have to try some of those fancy models like the CF handle ones. I love CF and that might just be the answer to my Aracnaphobia.

Thankx again for the welcoming and hope to post here with you guys and share more as I look to purchase my first Spyderco soon.

[glockman99]

...Because no-one else makes the Police, Endura, or Delica models.

Dann Fassnacht Aberdeen, WA glockman99@hotmail.com ICQ: 53675663

[JeffD]

I actually prefer the plastic handle because of the weight. I don't like heavy knives and Spyderco fits the bill - good steel, easy to sharpen, etc. As far as the &quot;look&quot; goes, I'm more into how a tool functions. But, the Spyderco plastic handles look nice to me. It's a personal taste thing.

[disorder]

at first ,welcome ,Nim,
then,from a design worker and collector, Spidyes ,after all those things stated before (all true), they HAVE personality, they have something MORE than any other knife, except a few custom made.
of course this means also that some could not love them..this is.
Sal Glesser ,as Morris in late 1800 did, or Depero in twenties, or Philippe Stark nowadays, placed a &quot;point&quot; in design.
Or you could call it a &quot;style&quot;..
This happens only when ergonomics, materials, research and -of course- art , mix together without any of them vanishing the others..
My 0,02 euros opinion. regards

http://www.gnm.it - graphic design

Edited by - disorder on 6/11/2003 3:17:11 PM

[dynaryder]

I carry Spydies for 3 reasons:no-one can touch the level of quality for the price,the performance,and the breadth of designs. Whatever you need to do,Spydie has a model for it.

As for cheap handles,I disagree. Spydie FRN feels much better than Cold Steel Zytel. And as for quality,compare lower end Spydies and Benchmades. I'm a fan of Benchmade(esp the Spydie-holed ones),but my old 830 Ascent feels much cheaper than my plastic clipped Endura. No matter how you adjust the Ascent's tension,it's not right. It either doesn't open/close smoothly,or there's too much play. The riveted Endura is spot on. Another annoying thing about Ascents;hold one upsidedown(tip up) by the pivot,and shake the base of the handle downwards. The blade will pop in and out of the handle. The spring tension snaps it back into place,but it still pops out. All my Ascents(820/30/34/40's) do this. None of my Spydies do it(not even the crappy BRK). I wouldn't trust carrying any of them tip up. Now don't get me wrong,I'm not jamming Benchmade(I love my 806 and 921,Axis locks rule!),but you can definitely tell the diff between higher and lower end Benchmades,while Spyderco seems to run equal quality all the way from their Ladybugs up to their custom collabs.

You know,I think that's the biggest thing. The only thing that really seperates the Spydie models is their price,not their quality.

&quot;Of course that's just my opinion,I could be wrong...&quot;

[GronK]

Oh, and one other big reason. The owner/designer (sal) sees your post and gives you a straight-up answer! Class act all the way.

[dialex]

Ditto!

<a href="http://users.pcnet.ro/dialex"><font color=blue>(my page)</font></a>

[jaxon]

If every small manufacturer had an owner like Sal I'd want to do business with all of them.<img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

Jaxon

[Vess]

Why purchase Spyderco?

Well, let me give you a good example. For once, just o-n-c-e, in my whole life I strayed away from Spyderco and purchased a Kershaw Leek. A friend wanted it, and I wanted to see what the SpeedSafe thing was all about. Well, it's been less than a week since I got the knife, and still a few weeks before my friend is in town to collect it, and the blade and the handle are already COVERED with rust. Nice, thick, bright-orange RUST!. All from air moisture, because I didn't play with it all that much. And all Spydies in the same drawer, as well as my EDCs which I haven't oiled in years don't show any rust at all.

This is one of the reasons to purchase Spyderco... <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

Just wanted to vent my frustration... SpeedSafe is fun, but rusting that much that fast is just ridiculous... :O

[SilverDragon]

Why buy Spyderc<img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>s?

Well, even though I am only a couple years old to the knife collecting world, these are some of my reasons why I buy and like Spydercos.

1. Price/Performance ratio can't be beat. Spyderco makes very affordable, well-built, working knives out of high-grade blade steels. Every Spyderco I have purchased has come very sharp out of the box and able to do all the necessary cutting I need. And it has never cost me an arm and a leg.

2. <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> Sal Glessar <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> He listens and responds to his customers. How many other knife companies do that?

3. Innovation/Variation amongst Spyderco has been very unique and interesting at best. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I like how many Spyderco's are unique in design with variants in blade/handle material.

my 2 cents,
-Silver Dragon

[cmassicotte]

Why buy Spyderco knives? For me, one simple reason - they work - and work well. The steel, blade design, handle material and handle design all come together in form and function.
Just my two cents worth

Chuck


There is no right way to do a wrong thing