Spyderco Amsterdam Meet 2026: Prototypes, Prizes, and Community

As a Spyderco fan, what would you think of meeting up with a few like-minded knife nuts and having Eric Glesser show you all the new prototypes Spyderco is currently developing? Imagine getting a personal presentation of all the new knives Spyderco will release in the future. And what if you also had the chance to win some spectacular prizes? Even if you don’t win anything, you’ll still leave with a generous gift bag full of Spyderco goodies. On top of that, the event includes a traditional Dutch lunch and a happy hour. That sounds like a pretty good day for a Spyderco fan, right? In fact, this is a tradition Spyderco started some 20 years ago: the Spyderco Amsterdam Meet.

Each year, the Spyderco crew attends the IWA trade fair in Germany. During this trip, they also visit various European distributors. Since 2004, that trip has included a stop in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to connect with Spyderco fans. Last February, the Spyderco Amsterdam Meet hosted 70 guests.

Eric Glesser brought about 60 knives in various stages of development. Some were production samples expected to be delivered later this year, although some minor refinements could still be made before final production. Others were labeled ‘concept models,’ meaning they were still in development after the initial engineering process. Eric also brought a few knives straight from a custom maker’s workbench, submitted to Spyderco for possible production collaboration. In this way, attendees of the Amsterdam Meet got a unique look into the development process of a new Spyderco knife design, from its first prototype to its almost-final production version.

Eric opened the meet with a presentation of all the knives he had brought for feedback from the group. A minor detail of a particular design, along with the many great questions from the audience, led to all kinds of background stories. These sometimes turned into fascinating ‘mini-classes’ in knife design, manufacturing, and business. People walked away from the meet with much more than just an overview of the new designs. Eric shared Spyderco’s philosophies on design, production, customer relations, and much more.

During the presentation, Spyderco crewmember Lisa awarded a few prizes to participants in the meet. Among them were T-shirts, hats, mugs, and—naturally—a few very nice Spyderco knives and sharpeners. Everyone left the meet with something, though. Each attendee received a gift bag containing a commemorative Amsterdam Meet 2026 coin, pin, catalog, patch, stickers, and a C243 Spyderco Endela in CPM SPY27!

After lunch, which featured traditional Dutch ‘kroket’ sandwiches, Eric wrapped up the presentation and the Amsterdam Meet turned hands-on. Everyone got a chance to handle and discuss each new prototype. Their feedback was recorded in a special online form, which helps Spyderco refine the new designs for further development.

No photographs were allowed in order to keep the designs proprietary until their official release to the public. One member of the Spyderco Forums, Wouter, has been helping organize the meets. He was provided with a few Spyderco production samples to document, such as the upcoming WolfMouse, Small Kapara, Akro, and MuntjaX designs. There is also a sneak peek at an early version of the Spyderco 50th Anniversary knife. All photos and videos have been posted in this thread on the Spyderco Forums.

The Spyderco Amsterdam Meet started with a post on the Spyderco Forums, and at first it was a small gathering for a few Dutch Spyderco fans. Since then, the Amsterdam Meet has evolved into quite an international gathering. This year’s meet welcomed guests from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, France, the UK, and the United States.

If you’d like to attend the next Spyderco Amsterdam Meet, join the Spyderco Forums. Usually, the sign-up thread for the Spyderco Amsterdam Meet is posted on 27 December. Be quick, though, as seats are limited and registration for the meet usually fills very fast. We’re certainly looking forward to the next meet!