knifejuris
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2005
- Messages
- 315
I've been collecting and using Spydercos for the last 20 years. Besides their own unquestionable designing ingenuity, I think the idea of collaborating with reputable knife makers to develop new models has been nothing less than brilliant. It allowed custom designs to be offered to the public in a factory knife. This trend remains strong, and the new factory offerings from Spyderco not only mirror custom designs in appearance, but have also improved significantly in breaching the quality gap.
I've also designed some of my own throughout the years, a few of which have been commissioned to some great makers such as Joel Chamblin, Warren Thomas, Pat Crawford, Johnny Stout, and David Broadwell. It takes a considerable effort to develop a good knife design, but the satisfaction of bringing it to life by a top notch maker raises the hobby to a whole new level, IMO.
It occurs to me that there should be a number of loyal collectors/users like me out there that can also design a knife. So, in light of Spyderco's visionary nature as a company, why not tap into this enthusiastic resource and develop a "Customer Design Contest". Without going into detail, sketches could be received during a limited period of time, and the winning design, to be selected by Spyderco, could be developed into a limited production model. From the designer standpoint, it would be a contest just for fun and potential bragging rights (i.e. no money for the winner).
I'm throwing out the idea here and on other forums (...on the assumption that nothing like this has already been done before) to see if it draws some interest. In the meantime, here's a pic of one of my own designs incorporating the Spyderco hole in the blade made by David Broadwell back in 2007. Feel free to comment, bash, and/or post pics of your own designed pride and joy!
I've also designed some of my own throughout the years, a few of which have been commissioned to some great makers such as Joel Chamblin, Warren Thomas, Pat Crawford, Johnny Stout, and David Broadwell. It takes a considerable effort to develop a good knife design, but the satisfaction of bringing it to life by a top notch maker raises the hobby to a whole new level, IMO.
It occurs to me that there should be a number of loyal collectors/users like me out there that can also design a knife. So, in light of Spyderco's visionary nature as a company, why not tap into this enthusiastic resource and develop a "Customer Design Contest". Without going into detail, sketches could be received during a limited period of time, and the winning design, to be selected by Spyderco, could be developed into a limited production model. From the designer standpoint, it would be a contest just for fun and potential bragging rights (i.e. no money for the winner).
I'm throwing out the idea here and on other forums (...on the assumption that nothing like this has already been done before) to see if it draws some interest. In the meantime, here's a pic of one of my own designs incorporating the Spyderco hole in the blade made by David Broadwell back in 2007. Feel free to comment, bash, and/or post pics of your own designed pride and joy!
