I really feel the need "say" something here. As has been said before, we all have different tastes so it's not to be expected that everyone will fall head over heels for the same product or model. I'm fairly new to Spyderco knives (I've only owned three and still have two). Spyderco's knife designs generally never interested me much in the past, so I didn't pay much attention to them at all. I was too obsessed with the axis lock. That's OK though, different strokes for different folks. Within the last year, I've traded into three spyderco knives, two of which I've kept, and I must say I was pretty blown away with their quality. One is the Perrin and one is the Calypso. I traded a Goddard lightweight not so much because I didn't like it but more because I found a deal on something else I wanted more (and I can't afford to own everything I'd like have simultaneously). I was so impressed with my Spydies, that I started coming to this forum to understand a bit more about Spyderco's fans, and the company. What I've learned here has impressed me very, very much. I'm not criticizing any other companies, but I must say that I've not seen any other "factory operation" display the kind of sincere interest in it's fans opinions, nor have I seen a company director display as much integrity as I've seen in how Mr. Sal Glesser conducts himself on this forum. Anyone half knowledgeable in the industry realizes the dollar influence limitations that we knifeknuts have in the cutlery market, yet Spyderco goes through the effort of tapping into the valuable technically knowledgeable opinions of their hard core fans here and they appear to weigh that knowledge accordingly and with sincerity into their product development and improvement process. Also, Spyderco is "transparent", as Mr. Glesser stated, in how it shares it's product development knowledge with it's customers/fans. How many other companies do this? I've not encountered any that are as "up front" as Mr. Glesser. I sincerely appreciate that kind of informational honesty, which has it's inherent risks among the masses who are generally not all that objective/compassionate in their thought/judgement processes. Who among us does not make some mistakes in our job, our home life, in our friendships...? Within reason, it's not a big deal really, it's part of being human. On the other hand, who among us openly admits and evaluates problems and mistakes when we make them, without regard to ego, in an effort to improve ourselves and the world around us....in society at large I'd generally say not too many. From what I've seen around here however, Spyderco strives to achieve this higher standard of existence and that's pretty damned impressive to me. It's a quality I look for in all my close friends, associates, and business partners.
In short, although I previously didn't give the Spydie product line the "time of day", due to my own aesthetic values, I have since come to truly appreciate them as high quality products. Mr. Glesser's and Spyderco's professional integrity, as evidenced in this forum, have further elevated my esteem of their offerings to the point where I have redefined my previous aethetic tastes. Spyderco has greatly assisted in maturing the tastes of this knife user. Thank you very much.
P.S. A lot you fans seem to be pretty impressive people as well. Thank you too.
