Brilliant & Terrible Ideas! Custom Makers & Models for the Next Taiwanese Spydercos?

Sikael

Sikael

Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
1,097
While it seems like many of the knife-makers who end up working with Spyderco use the Spyder-hole, and perhaps make the connection when getting permission to use it, that's not always the case. Now that a couple of my favorites have had excellent Taiwanese production models released, or soon to be released, I'm wondering what knives I'd like to see them take on next. I love this new direction: the Slysz Bowie, K2, Southard, Gayle Bradley, and Rubicon have all been bold, very high end knives that were exciting to see, a completely different tack.

From what I've seen of the Southard Ion, the Gayle Bradley 2, the Myrtle, the incredible Brend Mamba, and the absolutely brilliant Rassenti Nirvana, pretty much anything is possible. The revelation that with the Nirvana they're making their first integral titanium frame-lock, along with a sculpted, contoured 6Al4V handle, and a CPM S90V blade, was mind-blowing. Or mind-wobbling, at least. Now, it seems, a Spyderco can be almost anything... once you punch a lovely hole in the blade. Nice.

Why not a Spyderco Direware? A Solo, or Hyper 90. A Spyderco Beggatti (there's already holes, they just need to be bigger). A Spyderco GTC. I'm actually stuck on the Direware. That would be great... maybe. It only works if you use the same ridiculously thick slabs of titanium and carbon fiber, but I think it could happen. If you build it, they will come... and buy it. My upcoming favorites:
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The Nirvana and Tighe Stick look sick ! I want them both. I'd also love to see a smaller version of the original Spyderco Szabo folder.

Any word on a release date for the Nirvana ?
 
Nothing yet... vague and disappointing mentions about 'the end of the year'. I'm hoping for 'end of the month', myself, but I don't think it'll happen.:confused::(
 
The Nirvana looks great. I also like the Bradley. It looks like it fixes some of the problems with the previous model.
 
DocT said:
The Nirvana looks great. I also like the Bradley. It looks like it fixes some of the problems with the previous model.
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Definitely. I'm not sure what problems you felt it had, but my only objections were aesthetic. It looked too weird at first, but I got over it. The design is perfect for the Spyderco 'function first, looks a distant second' philosophy. It wasn't pretty, but because it was such a good performer, it's looks were first tolerated, and then became iconic. I don't find it ugly, especially with some of the beautiful Kevlar and whatnot scales other members have added, but it's not 'pretty'. It doesn't have to be. That said, I think the Bradley 2 is a much more attractive version, and I doubt it will lose anything in terms of performance. It'll please hardcore fans of the GB1, and make fans of customers who passed on the original. This could be a repetition of PM1<PM2 history.

But the Nirvana is far more exciting, IMO. I think the Rassenti Nirvana (and the Tighe Stick) might be the first of hopefully many Canadian-designed Spydercos, but the integral titanium, the size, the S90V... it's the coolest regular production blade I've seen.

Wolverine666 said:
Ugh ! End of the year ? I wonder how many knives I'll buy in the meantime to "tide me over" ?
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I hear you. Very discouraging, and I'm sure I'll end up doing the same thing, buying a few knives I want much less in the interim. It could get bumped up... it looks ready for the spotlight now, and I'm not sure how much truth there was in those 'end of year' estimates. They were just the only ones I could find.
 
There will be more Szabo collabs.

I would bet we'll see collabs with American Kami and Poltergeist Works.

Frankly I am kind of surprised we haven't seen collabs with classics like Emerson and Elishewitz. An Emerson/Spyderco collab is a no-brainer, and I'm not talking about Spyderco putting a wave on a knife. I'm talking about a COLLABORATION. Why is this not already a thing?
 
Is it just me, or do the Direwares look like a cartoonish exaggeration...?


Love many of the Poltergeist models, I remember when he posted up some on the Spyderco Forum.
 
SpeedHoles said:
Is it just me, or do the Direwares look like a cartoonish exaggeration...?


Love many of the Poltergeist models, I remember when he posted up some on the Spyderco Forum.
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No, it's not just you. They're freaking ridiculous. That's what I love... they're actually very sharp, use the best blade-steels and materials, but I can't think of one job or chore that would inspire a knife-user to say 'well, better get my Direware'. I don't care though. They are works of pointy, brilliant art. I'm not into Medfords or Crusader Forge, but Direware is different. IMO.

A bit more realistically, after the Nirvana, would be a collaboration with Gavko Knives, particularly a Spyderco version of his 'Mako' flipper. It's a great knife, and he does use an opening through the blade, though it's not very... round.;):thumbup:

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CapitalizedLiving said:
There will be more Szabo collabs.

I would bet we'll see collabs with American Kami and Poltergeist Works.

Frankly I am kind of surprised we haven't seen collabs with classics like Emerson and Elishewitz. An Emerson/Spyderco collab is a no-brainer, and I'm not talking about Spyderco putting a wave on a knife. I'm talking about a COLLABORATION. Why is this not already a thing?
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American Kami and Poltergeist Works are good picks. I think Emerson's association with Kai, first the budget Emersons through Kershaw, then the high-end ZT-collabs, may stipulate no other partnerships. Just a guess, because they're so heavily invested. Its the same with Hinderer.
 
I'd be all over a Spyderco Emerson.
 
Sikael said:
Definitely. I'm not sure what problems you felt it had, but my only objections were aesthetic. It looked too weird at first, but I got over it. The design is perfect for the Spyderco 'function first, looks a distant second' philosophy. It wasn't pretty, but because it was such a good performer, it's looks were first tolerated, and then became iconic. I don't find it ugly, especially with some of the beautiful Kevlar and whatnot scales other members have added, but it's not 'pretty'. It doesn't have to be. That said, I think the Bradley 2 is a much more attractive version, and I doubt it will lose anything in terms of performance. It'll please hardcore fans of the GB1, and make fans of customers who passed on the original. This could be a repetition of PM1<PM2 history.
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Very well said! Couldn't have said it better myself. The GB2 is such a different knife to the first that I hope they stay in production together. If not, however, I have plenty of original GBs. :) I do appreciate that Mr. Bradley admitted that it was the first knife he'd put together where he had no aesthetic goals at all. Pure function. Though he did admit that the proud liners were there partly 'cause he thought the looked good that way.
 
Charlie Mike said:
I'd be all over a Spyderco Emerson.
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What about the ZT and Kershaw Emersons? I'm not into Emersons, myself. The ZT 0620 looks pretty nice, but I skipped it. Even if Spyderco did one, I'd probably do the same. Emerson has a lot of fans, though, obviously.
 
FriarPhenn said:
Very well said! Couldn't have said it better myself. The GB2 is such a different knife to the first that I hope they stay in production together. If not, however, I have plenty of original GBs. :) I do appreciate that Mr. Bradley admitted that it was the first knife he'd put together where he had no aesthetic goals at all. Pure function. Though he did admit that the proud liners were there partly 'cause he thought the looked good that way.
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'...no aesthetic goals at all. Pure function.' There's not too many makers who can say that truthfully, and the only company who could see something like that through to a production model is Spyderco. The carbon fiber did dress it up nicely, though.
 
Looks like itll be built in Taichung, though we would all love for it to be in Golden this will undoubtedly be extremely well made and decently priced. The Taichung factory has been doing an amazing job on the GB's and the Southards so Im pretty happy about it. Spyderco cant get away from using ugly pocket clips on amazing knives though, wish they would match the clip to the frame and do a titanium pocket clip, but oh well guess Im nitpicking. Other than that the knife looks incredible and in S90V....want now!

Also a Direware/Spyderco collab would be out of this world! Make it their next flipper and watch them fly off the shelves. I have a custom Direware and its my favorite knife by far that Ive ever owned. I would buy at least 2 Direware/Spyderco collabs for sure.
 

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Is it just me or does that GB2 look hollow ground like the original? The liners sitting proud of the scales and the overall weight were the only things that made the GB1 a nogo for me. If they could fix that it'd be about perfect.
 
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