Custom Shop Thoughts.....

[Marion David Poff]

Sal,

Is a custom shop a possibility?

For instance....

I want a Compression Lock Delica.

G-10 handles, ambi' Lil' Temperance clip etc.

Now, with CAD/CAM being what it is, a skilled operator can apply pre-engineneered design elements to create a knife.

That sort of thing would need some prep.

But, a left handed Lil' Temperance would need hardly any prep.

All of the elements could merely be transposed and assembled.

 

[boxer93]

Eye,
Interesting thought. I was thinking the same thing but simpler. Take a PE delica (or maybe the new 'paramilitary') and keep everything the same except for a different material handle. For example maybe in white G-10 with color inlay on one side and colored spydie on the other. I wanted a quality knife to give to new eagle scouts and what they sell today is a small SAK with 3 color scales and an emblem, I personally don't like it.
I just don't know if Spyderco would have the resources to acommidate all the requests, ours would be the tip of the iceberg. So unless there is a good price point to produce such a knife. I also checked out some custom makers and they make everything themselves and their time is $$.
I'm curious if the custom 'Q' knife was ever profitable to Spyderco, since this would basically be the same and they have history from that to judge how a custom shop may work.
My 2 cents.
Chris

 

[Burke]

I think the problem you run into here is "modularity." On a traditional knife with a double liner and lockback (Buck 110), switching handle materials, bolster materials, and blade is an easy matter. When you have a knife handle made out of one piece of FRN (e.g., Delica), you lose the ability to switch around pieces at will. Even changing colors would require a certain amount of preparation, as I'm sure there is pretty large number of pieces required for a single batch of a color.

That said, I think different color G-10 on scaled models (e.g., an OD Military), or several blade options (like with the Lil Temperance) are probably doable options. But Spyderco is so busy with new projects, I find it hard to believe it is worthwhile for them to invest in something like this, and the prices that would have to be charged to justify it are probably too high for the average consumer to pay. Sure, if a pink-handled Temperance is your ideal knife, you might pay an extra $50, but I doubt enough people would be willing to pay a high-enough surcharge to make it worth Spyderco's while.