$tarmate, what's up with the price?

[crispy]

The price can be justified based on the costs associated with the tooling, currency exchange, raw materials, etc. This in no way means every consumer has to be satisfied with it. It also does not mean it should not be discussed. Not every business decision is the right one, not every product meets the needs of the market. And compounding the issue is that other products from the same company can be said to offer better features or a better value. If that is the case, then certain models are going to be on the discontinued list. Maybe these knives are a hit, maybe they are priced too high for the market. Either way, it is the consumer side that sets the price on goods and determines what actually sticks around.

It isn't about what something cost to make, it's what people are willing to pay for it.

Now this is the type of answer the OP was looking for. To the point, no sarcasm and full of sense. No need to attack the guy for asking a question.

[RevDevil]

Now this is the type of answer the OP was looking for. To the point, no sarcasm and full of sense. No need to attack the guy for asking a question.

There is the matter of previous threads and posts with the same tone to consider. The horse has already been beaten to death.

[Nullity]

There is the matter of previous threads and posts with the same tone to consider. The horse has already been beaten to death.

It's Halloween. The horse is undead and back for revenge.

On a serious note, I just saw this on a well-known dealer's site for $179.
That says to me that this thread worked!

[Nixelplix]

No, retailers often sell under MSRP.

[RevDevil]

MSRP on this one is $299

[jill jackson]

I see them for 179, so that's not bad. But, I went with the Szabo I already have an original Starmate.

[JudasD]

I can understand the OPs question. I do agree that the OPs tone made it sound more like a criticism than a question. There have been times where i have also asked why is a price XYZ for a knife. For me i usually ask it more along the lines of if there is a feature about it that i am missing. It is a very difficult question to ask and word properly to not offend.

JD

[FCM415]

Lets all not forget that there was plenty of clamoring from us for Spyderco over the years to rerelease the Starmate, so much so that Sal felt compelled to do so and even produce what was an American knife overseas,with all new tooling etc. just to make us happy. That shows me the extra effort theyve made just to make the new Stamate a reality as we all know that Golden is swamped. Yeah theres vg10/g10 knives out there for less, but its just not that simple.

Thanks Spyderco for bringing back the Starmate. I hope it is successful enough for sprint runs in the future.

[bh49]

Pretty sure it's a regular catalog item http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=784
Compare that to, for instance, the damascus Caly 3, which is listed as a sprint http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=783
Wouter's page on it when it was still a proto also mentions it is production.

I am little surprise if this is production for the reason mentioned above. But nothing permanent, except taxes, any policy can be changed. May be somebody just forgot to put #2 after the model name.

[JudasD]

Lets all not forget that there was plenty of clamoring from us for Spyderco over the years to rerelease the Starmate, so much so that Sal felt compelled to do so and even produce what was an American knife overseas,with all new tooling etc. just to make us happy. That shows me the extra effort theyve made just to make the new Stamate a reality as we all know that Golden is swamped. Yeah theres vg10/g10 knives out there for less, but its just not that simple.

Thanks Spyderco for bringing back the Starmate. I hope it is successful enough for sprint runs in the future.

This is a very good point that i had not realized. This makes 100% sense. I figured there was something that i was missing.

Thanks,
JD

[duro]

Not much has changed since the last one of these threads. Do some research and you can find out exactly why they cost what they do. You probably won't like it, but basically its because it is expensive to make. Should Spyderco make knives and charge what it costs to make them and not make any money? If they don't make money they will go out of business if you are really worried about their welfare. Spyderco uses a fixed pricing structure. So they mark the knife up a set percentage no matter where it is made. If a knife is expensive its because it was expensive to make and they make the same 10 percent profit margin (or whatever it is) as that Endura that is such a good deal. Shouldn't Spyderco be able to make some money for all their hard work?

Maybe instead of asking Sal why a knife is so expensive, you should ask your boss why you don't make more money. That at least involves you. I'm sure you wouldn't be getting harsh replies if your original post didn't have the same tone.

And just in case you haven't noticed, everything costs more these days. Not just luxury items like knives. The economy sucks, it is the world we live in for now.

It's a tone that I posted reminiscent of Seinfeld, in which Jerry would be on stage doing a bit. It may sound harsh, but it's not a hate type of harsh. Remember, "..What's up with that?"

As for not making enough money, I'm a logical person. I own a lot of folders already, I need to be able to rationalize, and justify the expense. It would be different if I didn't own so many knives....Even if I had a million dollars, I would still be acting the same way.

[RevDevil]

Sell one of your folders and buy three of these. Why over complicate things?

[duro]

HAH. I can tell you one thing; I will be buying the Brad Southard Spyderco, without hesitation.

[Nullity]

HAH. I can tell you one thing; I will be buying the Brad Southard Spyderco, without hesitation.

[jtoler_9]

Lost interest

[brownshoe]

"I doubt seriously, very seriously you'd have it if you'd had to pay for it!"

I collect a lot of different knives, but especially two makers, one Terzuola and the other Boye. I have cutom and production knives from both makers. The most recent spyderco I bought (6 months ago) was the BobT SlipIt. With spyderco I usually wait until (a) I can handle the knife to see how it "fits me" and (b) the price bottoms out. I waited so long to buy the BobT because I really wanted to see how good the lock was before I bought it. It took awhile before I got to see one in person. With Bob's designs, I know the ergonomics will be good. If I had seen one earlier, I would have bought it earlier.

Jill, so, no doubt, I would have purchased one.

[Sal Glesser]

Hi Duro,

thanx for your input. Our prices are based on our costs and are pretty consistent. The Yen is stronger than the dollar and this maker is expensive.

sal

[chris0827]

Hi Duro,

thanx for your input. Our prices are based on our costs and are pretty consistent. The Yen is stronger than the dollar and this maker is expensive.

sal

Sorry if this has been asked before, but if Japanese production is more expensive than USA, why manufacture there (since we all know you guys do VERY high quality in Golden)? Does a third party make your knives in Japan or is the Japanese maker a part of Spyderco? If the Japanese maker is a third party, wouldn't a US maker be a less expensive option? Do US makers with sufficient capacity for Spyderco's offerings even exist?

I only ask because I am legitimately curious as to how manufacturers balance production quality and output speed with price point and the feel good factor "made in the USA" generates?

[kreole]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but if Japanese production is more expensive than USA, why manufacture there (since we all know you guys do VERY high quality in Golden)? Does a third party make your knives in Japan or is the Japanese maker a part of Spyderco? If the Japanese maker is a third party, wouldn't a US maker be a less expensive option? Do US makers with sufficient capacity for Spyderco's offerings even exist?

I only ask because I am legitimately curious as to how manufacturers balance production quality and output speed with price point and the feel good factor "made in the USA" generates?

Sal has posted plenty before on how their Golden plant is at capacity, they're adding more as fast as they can, and they haven't found other US plants to use, so having models made elsewhere is a necessity. Also, I might be confusing Sal with AG Russell with this one, but I believe it was Sal who said there are few enough quality manufacturers world wide that once you find one, you don't drop them.

Sal also had some specific details on why the Starmate is being made in Japan rather than the US in one of these Starmate threads. I can't remember precisely what was said, but I'm sure you could find it searching.

[Turbo Tension]

I believe he said was production capabilites + cost + quality + timing. Seki knives are very nice.

I want a Starmate but at the price for me I'm going to get a sore backside sitting on the fence between the Starmate and a Gayle Bradley while the weight of a second hand Vallotton is pushing me down