And that's a dang good enough reason if you ask me. I appreciate you being honest and standing by it. If it is just because and it feels right, hey, go for it and stand by it.
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Are spyderco knives overpriced?
- Thread starter Penetration
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Le Off Topic:
Yeah! And they make some wicked styled running shoes, USA made too. I just picked up my new pair of workboots, it's an annual thing around my jobsite. This year I got Keens, as I thought all of them were USA made. I was mistaken, as there were select models that were entirely USA made. I got the wrong one on accident. I know for next time. Wicked comfortable work boot though, if anyone here is in steel toe/composite toe all day. Keen Sheridan (not USA) or Portland (USA). I got the Sheridan by mistake.
Yeah! And they make some wicked styled running shoes, USA made too. I just picked up my new pair of workboots, it's an annual thing around my jobsite. This year I got Keens, as I thought all of them were USA made. I was mistaken, as there were select models that were entirely USA made. I got the wrong one on accident. I know for next time. Wicked comfortable work boot though, if anyone here is in steel toe/composite toe all day. Keen Sheridan (not USA) or Portland (USA). I got the Sheridan by mistake.
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Hey man, to each their own! If for any reason you get the itch to try out some of the Taichung offerings, and after the fact find out you're unimpressed or don't like them, look me up and i'll buy them from you for what you paid.
I don't own a single Spyderco, but the prices don't seem out of line to me.
Their style doesn't appeal to me though.
My small collection so far has Hinderer, CRK, Curtiss, Benchmade, and ZT.
The style and where they were made is what had me open my wallet.
I can only vote with my wallet and that's enough for me.
Their style doesn't appeal to me though.
My small collection so far has Hinderer, CRK, Curtiss, Benchmade, and ZT.
The style and where they were made is what had me open my wallet.
I can only vote with my wallet and that's enough for me.
The Battlestation, Mike Draper, and Tatanka to name a few are at a higher price point than any Taichung Spyderco I own.
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just saying, their sprint runs are still usually VERY competitively priced. the only ones nearing three hundred dollars are generally the most sought after designs with the newest super steels. literally steels that you can't find outside of custom knives coating several times more.
my super blue spyderco cost seventy bucks, I think. and it has gotten scratched and dinged to hell every day since I've had it.
My sprint run military has cpm m4, titanium frame lock with steel insert, for $200. you just can't find that about anywhere for anything near that price. (which is why their price doubles on the secondary market)
I wouldn't be surprised if they barely broke even on half their sprint runs, they are usually a phenomenal value.
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OP, I agree that the prices are too high to buy. Consider the fact that equivalent products are made in the United States and sell for a similar price or less. Best example is the Starmate. That one would have been so rad coming out of Golden! Bummer.
With regard to Taiwan, sure they have a lot of great manufacturing facilities -not because superior manufacturing facilities are an innate quality of the island, but because companies invested there instead of other places.
Land a space ship in Siberia and... Siberia will have the best technology on Earth!
With regard to Taiwan, sure they have a lot of great manufacturing facilities -not because superior manufacturing facilities are an innate quality of the island, but because companies invested there instead of other places.
Land a space ship in Siberia and... Siberia will have the best technology on Earth!
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Make the Domino, Gayle Bradley or the Tuff with the same overall quality and fit and finish in Golden and see where the price ends up. The Taichung models set the standard of what a quality production knife should be.
Jim.
I only own 2 spyderco's both Mule Team 18's, one I already in my possession and the other is waiting to be shipped to me. Find me another knife for about the same price with S110V steel in it for this price. I bought these because chances are I will never drop enough money to buy a knife with such high end steel in it if it weren't for how "cheap" these were.
For their normal production line up of knives, I haven't owned one or even handled any other spyderco minus the Mule Team 18 I own. But I haven't heard anything bad about them either.
As for the OP saying the bug is overpriced I would argue they are priced where it needs to be if they are as good of a quality of a knife as I hear. 2 of my favorite EDC's are a Rough Rider Canoe with 440a and a Wenger Patriot, both were $10 knives and the steel isn't spectacular but gets the job done. If someone makes a quality knife for $10-15 which is what I see these bug's going for and the materials they used with even the 3cr steel with a proper heat treat it be good enough to EDC. I'd argue that's a pretty fair price for what you get. Saying you can get more knife by adding $5 more to it, isn't saying much considering you be turning a $10 to a $15 knife which is an increase by 50%, and a $15 knife to $20 which is an increase of 33% both of which is a substantial amount of of money if you look at it percentage wise.
For their normal production line up of knives, I haven't owned one or even handled any other spyderco minus the Mule Team 18 I own. But I haven't heard anything bad about them either.
As for the OP saying the bug is overpriced I would argue they are priced where it needs to be if they are as good of a quality of a knife as I hear. 2 of my favorite EDC's are a Rough Rider Canoe with 440a and a Wenger Patriot, both were $10 knives and the steel isn't spectacular but gets the job done. If someone makes a quality knife for $10-15 which is what I see these bug's going for and the materials they used with even the 3cr steel with a proper heat treat it be good enough to EDC. I'd argue that's a pretty fair price for what you get. Saying you can get more knife by adding $5 more to it, isn't saying much considering you be turning a $10 to a $15 knife which is an increase by 50%, and a $15 knife to $20 which is an increase of 33% both of which is a substantial amount of of money if you look at it percentage wise.
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Spyderco started as an importer and probably will always be one. Without them dealing with foreign countries they wouldn't have a manufacturing facility here in the US. I have no problem with that as they work with the best makers.
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Overpriced?!?
What would you say if Spyderco went the way of BM, with the enforced MAP and all that? Hmmm.
Or what if they reduced every price to the point that you were paying for just the materials? You'd probably say they needed to find cheaper materials.
And really, if you sat down with some tools, some steel, and some G10, would you be willing to let your made-in-USA, premium material, almost perfect f&f, and the time that you put into it sell for a street price of only $115? Spyderco does. It is called the PM2.
What would you say if Spyderco went the way of BM, with the enforced MAP and all that? Hmmm.
Or what if they reduced every price to the point that you were paying for just the materials? You'd probably say they needed to find cheaper materials.
And really, if you sat down with some tools, some steel, and some G10, would you be willing to let your made-in-USA, premium material, almost perfect f&f, and the time that you put into it sell for a street price of only $115? Spyderco does. It is called the PM2.
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That is a great point. The Japanese knives, due to currency exchange are more expensive when looking purely at materials involved. The Taichung Spyderco's are higher priced, because Spyderco is giving their higher end knives to Taichung because they have proven themselves. Japan rarely deals with Ti, and when they do, the price sky rockets (Draper).
Also, keep in mind that the majority of the Taichung Spydies are made out components that are US made and shipped to Taiwan for manufacturing. The vast majority are US steels, US G10, Ti, and almost all clips are made in Golden. It has been stated over and over that increasing production overseas with a company that was ready to make knives is a way to increase cash flow and has lead to the expansion of the Golden plant. Buying a knife from Taichung has created and supports American jobs. What is wrong with creating jobs and even if minutely bettering a foreign country with similar ideals as us anyway? Spyderco may not be around right now if they didn't go the global route early on. Sal is one hell of a knife designer, creator, engineer (he has other knife patents not knife related), and business man. He knows business, and has built one very successful company unlike most that works. No offense, but people just repeating the same thing over and over but who are completely ignorant about the modern business world gets old.
Sorry for the rant, to the OP's question. I think the vast majority of Spyderco's represent some of the best value in the (higher end production) knife industry today. Some of the Japanese produced knives are borderline due to the exchange rate not maintaining the value of the dollar, but overall the value is good.
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Comparing buying U.S. made knives and buying China made iPhones is Apples and Oranges. It's an entirely different series of circumstances when a manufacturer ships jobs overseas producing textiles or tools (industries where there is extensive manufacturing facilities in the U.S.) and a company that is in the electronics business (which has always relied on the exchange rate, expertise and labor market in Asia to produce a competetively, or even a reasonably priced product).
That kind of reasoning is a symptom of the underlying directive of modern knife manufacturers, and the reaction from fans of those manufacturers that wish to support their decisions. Nothing has really changed, there has always been knives made in the U.S. and knives made in the Orient. Since the products are so simple, material costs and availability play a factor. Selling knives made in the Pacific has traditionally been a hard sale to collectors and enthusiasts, and Spyderco has used their clout to get the idea over with lots of people. Up until a few years ago manufacturers have overwhelmingly took the stance that knives produced overseas should be made as economically as possible to target the widest audience and get in at the lowest possible price point at the expense of material quality and reputation among collectors; the current demand for pricier modern models has allowed Spyderco and others to basically create this new market, and as everyone can see there are receptive buyers. They're disregarding the basis of U.S. made vs. Indo-Pacific made though; which is the general market. In the general American market, U.S. made goods enjoy a strong reputation, and oriental goods do not. Only an informed collector would even know that there are Asian manufacturers that are aiming to meet American quality standards and using materials that are of a higher quality. If knives were strictly a functional item then we would all own 1, but they are as much a collectible or an heirloom, so that plays into the market as well; until Asia as a whole reaches parity with western Europe and the U.S. in terms of overall quality, the sentimental aspect of U.S. quality will always make those knives more desirable in general for the average Joe or your grandson, and that means they're more desirable to us (because you want to leave your Grandson a knife he likes, and not Asian junk - and as an investment the home grown piece will retain its value better). Remember, they don't know Taichung quality, but they do know that knives made in Asia are junk (whether it's ignorant or true, or false, they know it).
The best way you can support the combination market (US quality and material and Indo-Pacific labor) is by continuing to buy them. Insinuating that other collectors are racist because they prefer American made knives is a terrible way to show support for those products because there are reasons why American made products are more desirable, even if those buyers can't convey those reasons. It often sounds like the biggest proponents of Taichung knives are trying to convince themselves more than anything. If you like them, buy them. Keep in mind though that you adopted your view of those knives earlier than the market, and that when you leave your collection to your son there is a chance that he sells them for a fraction of the amount he would have sold American made knives because even though that sentiment isn't always true, it's very real and there is a value to it. Spyderco enjoys that value as well with their Golden stamp, so they're really getting the best of both worlds as long as buyers still consider them primarily an American company.
That kind of reasoning is a symptom of the underlying directive of modern knife manufacturers, and the reaction from fans of those manufacturers that wish to support their decisions. Nothing has really changed, there has always been knives made in the U.S. and knives made in the Orient. Since the products are so simple, material costs and availability play a factor. Selling knives made in the Pacific has traditionally been a hard sale to collectors and enthusiasts, and Spyderco has used their clout to get the idea over with lots of people. Up until a few years ago manufacturers have overwhelmingly took the stance that knives produced overseas should be made as economically as possible to target the widest audience and get in at the lowest possible price point at the expense of material quality and reputation among collectors; the current demand for pricier modern models has allowed Spyderco and others to basically create this new market, and as everyone can see there are receptive buyers. They're disregarding the basis of U.S. made vs. Indo-Pacific made though; which is the general market. In the general American market, U.S. made goods enjoy a strong reputation, and oriental goods do not. Only an informed collector would even know that there are Asian manufacturers that are aiming to meet American quality standards and using materials that are of a higher quality. If knives were strictly a functional item then we would all own 1, but they are as much a collectible or an heirloom, so that plays into the market as well; until Asia as a whole reaches parity with western Europe and the U.S. in terms of overall quality, the sentimental aspect of U.S. quality will always make those knives more desirable in general for the average Joe or your grandson, and that means they're more desirable to us (because you want to leave your Grandson a knife he likes, and not Asian junk - and as an investment the home grown piece will retain its value better). Remember, they don't know Taichung quality, but they do know that knives made in Asia are junk (whether it's ignorant or true, or false, they know it).
The best way you can support the combination market (US quality and material and Indo-Pacific labor) is by continuing to buy them. Insinuating that other collectors are racist because they prefer American made knives is a terrible way to show support for those products because there are reasons why American made products are more desirable, even if those buyers can't convey those reasons. It often sounds like the biggest proponents of Taichung knives are trying to convince themselves more than anything. If you like them, buy them. Keep in mind though that you adopted your view of those knives earlier than the market, and that when you leave your collection to your son there is a chance that he sells them for a fraction of the amount he would have sold American made knives because even though that sentiment isn't always true, it's very real and there is a value to it. Spyderco enjoys that value as well with their Golden stamp, so they're really getting the best of both worlds as long as buyers still consider them primarily an American company.
Some spydercos are over priced I think. Some of them are just average priced. I haven't really ever seen anything of an amazing value, anything they have I think can be matched in value by other companies. Some of their japan stuff I think is too much though like star mate vs military, star mate is more money but has a lesser quality steel.
Ive been watching for a deal on a para2 for a bit not since I got a cheaper Spydie Ambitious, I love the ambitious and from what everyone says on here I had to have a para, got it for 118 shipped on amazon for the black g10 and satin blade, I just hope it beats out my bm mini barrage, which I love to death, #1 for me when I can afford it is MADE IN AMERICA 
cant imagine anything else I can spend 120 bucks on with better value than that.
cant imagine anything else I can spend 120 bucks on with better value than that.I've actually started thinking about this a lot lately. Considering my small attempts at knife making with simple materials and cheap tools, it puts things in perspective. It's really amazing what you can get for your money in the knife market, the only problem is ponying up the cash.
Do you mean that they are over priced?