Overall, removing some titles from being visually present on the blade, can really do no harm, but quite the opposite, in that I do indeed think that this could expand the Spyderco consumer market, by appealing to a much wider, and broader group of people.
Those of us whom are already dedicated Spyderco enthusiasts, will most probably still continue to loyally purchase Spyderco products, and probably one of the main reasons behind Spyderco's success, is due to the high quality which goes into each and every knife, and as such, by removing a title from the blade, in no way does it reduce the quality of the product, and so we as Spydie' Fans, would still continue to purchase Spyderco knives. Then there are those individuals whom will be attracted to Spyderco knives simply due to the removal of certain words from the blade, and thus Spyderco's market will grow, which will overall be beneficial for everyone involved, from Spyderco as a company, to the consumer's alike. So my honest view is that this is indeed a smart move, and more importantly that in no way does it detract from the quality of which I have come to recognise as being Spyderco quality, and whether you personally prefer the change or not, the products will still be of the same high standard as Spyderco has come to be known for, and apart from a minor aesthetic change, Spyderco knives will still be Spyderco knives, and as such will still sell as well as always, if not even more than previous, and simply because of the change, which IMHO, is an "improvement".
I must admit, that when first informed of such a change, I was not sure whether or not I would prefer to have the titles removed from the blade surface. However, there is no doubt, that it is a positive change in the long run, for everyone affiliated with Spyderco, and Spyderco knives, and whether you prefer the change on a personal level, is your view, yet it is certain that it is only a minor change, which will only affect the knife itself in a minimal aesthetic way, and actually the change from a word to the symbol of the "Spyderco Bug logo", is infact very cool (take a look at the Calypso Jr. with the gold logo print, it sure looks great IMO
), and whilst some may still have preferred a word, others will prefer the new look, and then newcomers will come to know only the new look, but in the end, all will still love, and continue to purchase Spyderco knives,...... and so in my opinion, everyone wins!!!!!...... "nuff said".
