Did anyone else start out hating how Spyderco's look?

As a graduate of Industrial Design with more than 20 years of design experience, I must say that I cannot get passed their ugly looks.
Contrary to what others say, form should never follow function - form and function should have equal importance and should work hand in hand - especially when dealing with commercial products.

I just cannot bring myself to compromise on Spyderco aesthetics when there are so many other options out there.

To me, the only two Spyderco's I would ever consider owning are the Kiwi and Dialex Junior
I've come close but could never pull the trigger since although I don't think these look too bad...

C178G_L-550x550.jpg


Spyderco-Jr-300x300.jpg


... just the thought that they come from the same minds as these leaves a sour taste in my mouth:

spyderco-C79psor.jpg


C40G_L.jpg
 
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steppinthefunk said:
Contrary to what others say, form should never follow function - form and function should have equal importance and should work hand in hand - especially when dealing with commercial products.
Click to expand...

Well, that's not true. Obviously, depending on the product, form and function carry different weights. It's not always split 50/50.

For something like a knife, which is a tool, function is more important than form.

Regarding the commercial side, they're not exactly struggling as a business. So I don't think your theory's correct in that either.

steppinthefunk said:
I just cannot bring myself to compromise on Spyderco aesthetics when there are so many other options out there.
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Which is fine for you. But for those of us that want a knife that puts function first, we think otherwise.

Also, aesthetic preferences vary from person to person. Almost by definition there are no absolutes when it comes to taste, so I don't know how you can say the designs are compromised. Rather, they simply don't appeal to you.
 
Thanks for the reply Calc.
I would like to add that since this was a thread about "hating how Spyderco's look", I decided to give my personal opinion on the matter.
Otherwise I would not have given my rather harsh two cents as I have a high respect for other people's tastes and choices.
 
I'm a great fan of simplicity , and simplicity should initially be function driven . That being said once the function of a design has been decided upon there is often a little room to move , and maybe smooth out and work on the form without it effecting the original function .
One area of Function that doesn't often get to much attention is how the knife carries , by that I mean how comfortable and ergonomic is it in your pocket or clipped in your waistband etc .
For 99.9% of the people here a knife is carried all day and used for maybe 2 minutes in that day , the reality is most people won't even use their knife for 1 minute in total usage . I'm talking using the knife , not fondling and playing with it .
A huge amount of emphasis is placed on " hand friendly " and " eye friendly " but often " carry friendly " isn't even given a thought .
If your constantly reminded by the knife that's its there , then is not a comfortable carry in my opinion .

Sorry I've veered off track from the original topic , but this talk of " form " and " function " got me started :)


Ken
 
Lol, ya, I think the width of the knives were big on most models because of the spydie hole; but for the price they are well made knives offering great value, ergonomics, options, and price points that attracts varied tastes. Plus they all come consistently sharp out of the box. I own 12.
 
Before I really got into knives, what few Spydercos I'd seen (A friend had one in the mid 90s - most likely a Delica) looked goofy and unappealing to me. I always thought that spydie hole looked goofy, at least on the models with slim blades. Once I started seeing some of the taller leaf-shaped blades, especially those with 50/50 choils, I started to find them appealing. I ended up buying a Manix 2 and I've carried one now for a couple years, and absolutely love the ergonomics, and I find it to be a fantastic looking knife, especially the Stag sprint that I had (and lost). I find myself drawn to the asthetics of the Spydercos that have similar lines to that Manix... the Domino, the Sage series, etc. I think they're very nice looking knives. I still think that the knives without the leaf shaped blade still look goofy. Delica, Endura, Paramilitary, etc. No doubt fantastic knives, but from an asthetic standpoint, they don't do much for me.
 
I was kinda turned off by their looks at first. That being said...I have now owned 7 of their beautiful knives and I have another on the way. I guess the lesson to be learned is don't judge a book by its cover.
 
Here's another that didn't care for the Spyderco looks -- until recently. IMO, they appeared too radical in comparison to other blades. Then I did some more research (okay, okay -- reviews, YT vids, etc.), and I came to the conclusion that many of the issues I had w/ Spyderco designs had a functional purpose.

Now I STILL don't own a Spydie . . . YET. (I'd "shameless plug" the two threads I did on the subject recently, but they're not too hard to find here.)
STRESS YET. (maybe this coming month)
 
First time I saw a Spyderco knife was in the early to mid 1990s. I thought the hole looked pretty silly but there was no denying the utility of it. I believe it was the first time I saw someone open a knife one-handed, other than a switchblade. I went close to two decades after that before buying my first one. Now I have a dozen or two.
 
Another odd duck here, but I liked the look of their knives from the first time I saw them. Funky and intriguing. For a number of reasons, the brand is no longer to my taste. They seem to be well loved, though.
 
There are some models that make me cringe, but I'll not mention them as others probably love them. But I love how a lot of them look. Really like my Nishijin Dragonfly and I love the PM and PM2 look, although they are far too large for me to ever use/own.
 
My first nice knives were spyderco's. A police model followed closely by a copilot. They never looked weird to me just functional. Now that I've got quite a few knives of many different brands spyderco's still are among my favorites.

Mike
 
Same here. I always thought they looked... dainty?

Anyways, my brother-in-law only carries Spyderco for his EDC (Paramilitary 2). I have super old school "Mariner" but I plan on getting a mid-sized Spydie folder soon.
 
Not a fan. I cannot bring myself to buy one. There are too many other knives out there that are better looking. Only way I would own one is to be given it or win it in a give away. I am not putting the product down and that is my opinion. I do not like Smart Cars either, better looking Golf Carts out there.
 
Maybe I am shorting myself but I can not get past their look so therefore I have never owned one. I have friends that swear by them though.
 
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