2009 Catalog Supplement

[jill jackson]

I don't think the majority of people who bought multiples were trying to cash in in 6-12 months and profit. I know I didn't. I bought them because I felt they would do well for future trades and gifts. Everyone can find a black standard military, but gifting (or trading) a sprint orange one is a lot better.

Yeah I got 3 too under the impression they was limited. In fact I read the first information here on them and I read 600. They was advertised for months at 600. Why if they never was a 600 piece run was this allowed to stand so long? I mean everybody was selling these as a sprint run.
Now when I read a model is a sprint run and see it being sold as such, I guess I'll know they may not be.
Yes I got mine thinking they may be good to trade later, just as I bought 5 F/G Manix and used 2 of them to trade later. I may have bought one OM if they was regular production, at most.

 

[5.56]

They should have never said sprint because it has everyone confused.

Anyways the truth is that they said 600 pieces, regardless of how it was worded, i.e: sprint, limited, etc. they said 600 pieces and that is not true, so....

I'm hoping Sal does the right thing and cuts off production, to altleast show some respect for the "AFIs" that got stung by this whole ordeal.

 

[BugsBunny]

It started as a Sprint run and then everybody bought one and wanted an orange Military so Spyderco decided to make them standard production.

 

[5.56]

It started as a Sprint run and then everybody bought one and wanted an orange Military so Spyderco decided to make them standard production.

No it started as a "limited 600 piece sprint run" and then Spyderco decided to change their mind after many people overpaid and bought multiples.

 

[jill jackson]

I can't believe all the complaining about the orange military being regular production. Maybe it was originally only supposed to be a sprint run, but who cares. If it sells well and people like it, spyderco is happy, and more customers are happy. I don't feel sympathy for people who buy up multiple knives in a sprint run, so they can try and sell them for a profit.

Great, that's all good but you don't start selling a product as a 600 piece limited run and say oh well we can sell more now so we will just keep making as many as we please. Not if you want your customers to take you serious on these "limited runs" in the future.

 

[The Deacon]

Jill, did you by any chance get to read Kristi's and Sal's responses to this over of the Spyderco Factory Forum before the thread there, started by the same person doing most of the complaining here on this issse, was deleted by said person?

Paul

My Personal Website - - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting - - - - - - Kiwimania
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam

 

[jill jackson]

It's fine however they choose to run things at Spyderco.
And yes I did read that. Wondered why it was gone now.
What I got out of it was at first they thought 600 was enough. They wanted to make more, but 600 was what they decided upon. So, 600 was what it was, then the demand was high so it changed. No justification after advertising and selling them as a run of 600 in my eyes, but however they choose to operate is their business.

 

[Josh K]

Jill, did you by any chance get to read Kristi's and Sal's responses to this over of the Spyderco Factory Forum before the thread there, started by the same person doing most of the complaining here on this issse, was deleted by said person?

I wasn't aware that users could delete threads.

 

[The Deacon]

Jill, I think there was a bit more to it than that, but you're entitled to think what you wish. Just glad you at least gotten the opportunity to see it.

I wasn't aware that users could delete threads.

Users on that forum can delete threads which they started. That is to say that I, for example, could only delete a thread which I started, not one which anyone else started. Up until the last software upgrade, the deletion left no trace, now it leaves a "thread deleted" marker saying who started, and who deleted, the thread.

Paul

My Personal Website - - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting - - - - - - Kiwimania
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam

 

[jill jackson]

Jill, I think there was a bit more to it than that, but you're entitled to think what you wish. Just glad you at least gotten the opportunity to see it.

OK, I read that thread over rather quickly, not thinking it would be deleted.
That was basically what I understood the reason to be.
What reasons did you get out of it?

 

[5.56]

Let me clear things up, I deleted the thread after things got out of hand. That thread clearly backfired. Some members took it very personal and threats and infighting followed.
The thread was not directed at any particular member of Spyderco's team, but rather the companies decision regarding this matter.

If I caused any grief to any members of Spyderco's wonderful staff, I apologize, it was not my intention.

 

[Josh K]

I hadn't read it before it was removed, so I can't comment.

Spyderco did this on purpose! Kristi did this just so they could make more money! OMG Let's hang them all because they made more of a wonderful knife!



Come one. Spyderco has always worked towards the end user. That's you, me, Joe the Plumber who doesn't collect knives, just knows that this is a knife he likes. Why would they disregard the massive request for more orange millies?

For me it's easy to see how their business philosophy could override a "sprint run" label. It sucks for some of us because we bought multiples, heck some even paid a premium for them. That's not Spyderco's fault, that's our fault. Any yeah, it gives you this "f*ck" feeling that makes you want to bash the company for something they had no control over, which is your buying practices.

I'm in the boat with everyone who bought two or more (I got three). I did not pay a premium for them but I did sacrifice a good bit to be able to afford them. Take your ball and go home if you want. I'm staying right here. Spyderco just announced that the orange millies are in unlimited production. I might grab a couple more.

 

[jill jackson]

All well and fine Josh, just if these runs are subject to demand then don't say limited to 600 pieces. Why say anything at all? Just say nothing about numbers and run what ever sells. Price and demand is subject to numbers produced. It's like that with everything.

 

[Josh K]

All well and fine Josh, just if these runs are subject to demand then don't say limited to 600 pieces. Why say anything at all? Just say nothing about numbers and run what ever sells. Price and demand is subject to numbers produced. It's like that with everything.

Perhaps this level of demand wasn't anticipated? Sprints are traditionally a minimum of 600 pcs.

 

[jill jackson]

Perhaps this level of demand wasn't anticipated? Sprints are traditionally a minimum of 600 pcs.

The only thing is they was introduced as a limited run of 600.
I read that everybody read that, dealers advertised them as a 600 piece limited run. It does not matter at all how many people wanted them after they was sold as a limited 600 piece run. You know that as well as I do.
If companies wish to state numbers they should stick to what they state. Either that or say nothing and run whatever they want.

 

[amen74]

This whole episode surely doesn't do any good for the collectors' that buy up Sprint run or limited production pieces. Everyone that was able to get these when they were first released thought they were buying a piece that was limited production. IMO it just doesn't instill a whole lot of confidence in trying to get Sprint runs when it can all turn around and become a regular production item.

 

[jabba359]

I don't own and don't plan on owning an orange Military, so I don't have any investment in this one way or the other, but thought I would pass this on. For those of you who missed the thread on the Spyderco forums, I'll try to cover what Sal said (going by memory, so I could be slightly off). Anyone who remembers better (or has corrections), feel free to chime in.

1) The "Sprint Run" designation was an error. Sal clarified that a Sprint Run is the re-issue of a previously discontinued knife model. Since the Military is a current production model, the orange version was merely a variation and should have just been called a limited production or something like that.

2) As for the 600 pieces, Sal had wanted to do a 1200 piece run or so, but it was decided that in the current economic climate, they would do 600 because they couldn't afford to have hundreds of Millies sitting around on the shelves if it ended up not being very popular. When it was seen that there was demand for more than the initial run, Spyderco decided to fill that customer demand by producing more. The knife is still made in limited quantities and, IIRC, Sal said he expects less than 1200 total pieces to be manufactured, so it is still a limited run; just not as limited as people thought it would be.

3) This was obviously a learning experience and Sal said they would be much more careful in the future about the terminology used and quantity promised. After the fiasco that this created, and the understandable irritation this has caused for collectors and speculators, I'm sure that Spyderco will do their best to stick by their guns and I have no problems whatsoever in keeping complete confidence in the company and the people who work there.

 

[Josh K]

I don't own and don't plan on owning an orange Military, so I don't have any investment in this one way or the other, but thought I would pass this on. For those of you who missed the thread on the Spyderco forums, I'll try to cover what Sal said (going by memory, so I could be slightly off). Anyone who remembers better (or has corrections), feel free to chime in.

1) The "Sprint Run" designation was an error. Sal clarified that a Sprint Run is the re-issue of a previously discontinued knife model. Since the Military is a current production model, the orange version was merely a variation and should have just been called a limited production or something like that.

2) As for the 600 pieces, Sal had wanted to do a 1200 piece run or so, but it was decided that in the current economic climate, they would do 600 because they couldn't afford to have hundreds of Millies sitting around on the shelves if it ended up not being very popular. When it was seen that there was demand for more than the initial run, Spyderco decided to fill that customer demand by producing more. The knife is still made in limited quantities and, IIRC, Sal said he expects less than 1200 total pieces to be manufactured, so it is still a limited run; just not as limited as people thought it would be.

3) This was obviously a learning experience and Sal said they would be much more careful in the future about the terminology used and quantity promised. After the fiasco that this created, and the understandable irritation this has caused for collectors and speculators, I'm sure that Spyderco will do their best to stick by their guns and I have no problems whatsoever in keeping complete confidence in the company and the people who work there.

I thought that they had designated it as a 600 pcs. Sprint Run, but decided to change that to a Limited run after the demand was realized. Weren't the CF/S90V-BG-42 models Sprint Runs?

 

[jill jackson]

Clearly the best thing to do if they want to have an open ended run of a model is to not say it's a limited number in the first place. Of course then they may sell a bit slower at first, but you cannot say here this model is a limited run of 600 pieces sell it as such and decide later, we can sell a lot more so the heck with what we said. At least you can't and expect people to not be wary about any limited numbers in the future.

 

[Josh K]

Clearly the best thing to do if they want to have an open ended run of a model is to not say it's a limited number in the first place. Of course then they may sell a bit slower at first, but you cannot say here this model is a limited run of 600 pieces sell it as such and decide later, we can sell a lot more so the heck with what we said. At least you can't and expect people to not be wary about any limited numbers in the future.

I can't recall this ever happening previously, can you? I'm not wary about future sprints and limited runs, if I overbuy it's my own fault. Greed - one of the seven deadly sins.