Just got my FB01 "Bill Moran"...

T

ThomasH

Joined
Oct 5, 1998
Messages
117
Hi folks,

Just got my (well you know) and it's impressive. May be the sharpest knife I've ever taken out of a box. It's a little smaller than I thought it would be despite all the descriptions and pictures I've looked at. But it cuts fantastically whether I'm slicing paper or carving hardwood. And it's very comfortable to hold and use. And it's a honor to have Bill Moran's name on the blade!

The leather scabbard (or sheath) that it comes with it is a little scary, the sides are such thin leather, and the knife so sharp and fine, that I keep thinking if I am not really careful, I'm going to slice the thing in half (and probably do something to myself) everytime I put the knife away. And it seems easy for the blade to find it's way into the seams of the scabbard, between the sides and the thicker center piece, too. Hey Edge Works, hurry up with those Kydex sheaths okay? -grin-

Now, what I'd really like to see, is a "Bill Moran" _Heavyweight_! A slightly longer blade of heavier VG-10, with a larger handle? This one seems a bit small for my hands. Kindofa "Ed Fowler" Pronghorn sized version? -grin- Say for about $150? Doesn't have to be polished either.

Excellent overall design, in my humble opinion, a comfortable handle, with several ways to hold it comfortably, and an excellent blade. I'm putting it next in line as my "fixed blade" carry knife. Now I just want another one in the "Jim March" size, please!
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I'll wait, Sal. Just think about it....

Thomas

P.S. Thanks James Mattis! Great Knife! Great Price! Thanks bald1, you helped me decide too!

[This message has been edited by ThomasH (edited 12 February 1999).]
 
Thomas,

I'm quite happy that you are so pleased with your acquisition. I keep saying that the little Spydie Moran is a real "sleeper". It is a great little knife. Those Edge-Works sheaths will round out the package perfectly too.

Unfortunately I very much doubt Sal and Spyderco would consider a "big" fixed blade. James Mattis will tell you that those Fallkniven blades also in VG-10 are real sleepers too. Mission is offering its MPK in A2 now. Those are just a couple to consider out of all those great blades out there. Then there are customs in Talonite.....oh well
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I'm on a high with my project blades in hand (see the knife review forum).

Take care!

-=[Bob]=-

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-=[Bob]=-

I did NOT escape from the institution! They gave me a day pass!

 
Dear Sal (and bald1),

Re-reading my original post, it sounds much too "I want...I want", for which I humbly apologize.

The FB01 is a great knife, and you deserve a lot more "Thank you...Thank you!" than I said.

You deserve huge Miller vats of credit for making a plain bladed fixed blade, when you are so famous for your serrated folders. You must be a brave, independent person! (Duh.)

I've been using it all week-end, and I'm having a wonderful time. I'm cutting, carving, you name it! This knife is very cool! I even used to portion this morning's Pecan Danish Ring! Ummmmm.

And now that the scabbard is getting broken in, the blade has much less tendency to slip between the layers. I'm kinda getting to like the cross draw, in the sense that I now wear two fixed blades on my belt! Sheesh, what a knife geek! (Of course, then there's the Photon MLII clipped to my over-shirt's collar too!)

So, I apologize for my whiny "I want..." post above, hopefully you are away, and will read both of these together! I thank you very much for producing this knife, it is my very first Spyderco purchase, and I am very (very) satisfied! I'm thinking of getting one for my Mom! (But that's a whole different story.)

Thomas
 
Thank you - Bill Moran said that he had a very refined small fixed blade that he carries daily. He felt that he would like to see this knife in production so anyone could have one and appreciate the maturity of the design (40 yrs of Moran refinement).

He said that he had had some quality issues with previous collaborations and that he trusted only Spyderco to "Do it really right". Quite the honor, we thought. We promised him that we would make a production version of his "Featherweight, every day knife" that was "as good as it gets". Unfortunately, pricey.

Current sale price is below acceptable margins, but we don't want to kill the model "Simply because it isn't making any money", when it was such a great piece for those that can appreciate it. We'll probably raise the price incrementally over the next few years until we reach an acceptable margin. In the meanwhile, Buy it while you can, cuz the price aint ever gonna be lower.

We could build a larger Moran, such as his "Camp Knife" or "Fighter" with the same quality and materials as the current model, but not for less than $250 retail (with kydex). I don't think the market is large enough at this time to invest the tooling.

The Bill Bagwell Bowie (7" blade) was to be made to the same quality standard. The early sales were so slow on the Moran when it first came out that we felt we had perhaps "goofed" by going into the plain edge fixed blade market. This lowered the price on the Moran and slowed down the Bagwell project. Bill is now collaborating with Ontario on his Hell's Bells" model (larger than we had planned). The piece I saw at SHOT was very nice, though I wouldn't put the quality in the sme grouping as the Moran. They will probably be more successful (dollars earned) at the more "affordable" price, than the "Optimum" quality price that we would have built. We are still in the learning stages. Thanx for appreciateing the effort that Bill Moran and the Spyderco crew put into the model.
sal

 
Sal,

The idea of a larger Moran, is interesting, but for the retail price you've estimated, you're right about the current lack of market. Maybe finding another collaborating designer is a possibility?

Thanks,
Ken
 
The FB1 has a mirror polish and a convex edge that is unusual among factory knives, and a handle molded from two different kinds of plastic - hard and soft, which adds extra tooling and steps. Would a quality fixed blade in VG10 be more economical to produce if the handle was molded from one material instead of two? And if the blade was finished like the C54 Calpyso, which cuts very well?

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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
 
Ken - James is right. It is not the "Moran" part that makes it expensive, it's the tooling and quality. James you are also correct that a single handle material would save on tooling and a flat grind with satin finish would also save $, but then it is no longer "as good as it gets". We would still need a distal taper, which is what makes forged knives so light and "alive" in the hand. This is expensive on a 8" or 9" blade. But probably still within the acceptable Spyderco Quality range.

I would like to wait for a while and see what happens with the Current Moran. I would personally love to have a Moran Fighter made like the featherweight in quality. It would certainly be my first choice of carry in the "apocalypse" scenario on the General thread.

sal
 
Sal,

I truly apologize if I sounded like I was 'blaming' the Moran name, I was not.
What I was trying to convey was that since a more complex and demanding design, like the Moran and Bagwell, is so expensive(for maker and ELU) and thus a harder sell, designing a completely different knife, maintaining your high quality standards, with less expensive tooling costs is a future possibility. I'm NOT saying Spyderco should downgrade the Featherweight's design to be affordable. You promised 'as good as it gets' and I think you accomplished this and should maintain this position.

Now that many more people(including me) have been aquiring Featherweights and can see/feel the quality and craftsmanship of such a piece, maybe a $150-$200ish design can be more widely appreciated after more Morans have sold.

I'm enthusiastic about a future Spyderco fixed blade model and hope we forumites can somehow contribute later on.
Larger Moran Fighter? just the mental picture of it...WOW.

Thanks,
Ken
 
Don't change a thing about the Moran. It's outstanding.

Also, even though it has a trailing(?) point as opposed to a lowered point. Why wouldn't this knife serve well as a weapon for a city rat?

How does one maintain the Moran edge?

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Regards,
Ron Knight

Yeah I'm crazy, but what do you want me to do about it

[This message has been edited by RKnight (edited 15 February 1999).]
 
Ron - any sharp thing will serve as a weapon for a city rat.
Maintaining the original "Moran Edge" would have to be done on a buffing wheel. I've heard "tell" of those that can do it with a stone, but that is rare.

I maintain mine on a Triangle Sharpmaker and give up some of the "Moran" bevel, but performance is still excellent. I think you will be surprized by how long the VG-10 holds its edge.
sal
 
Sal,

This is a great knife, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. But just so my desire is accurately understood, I didn't (don't?) really want a different model "Moran", I just find the handle on the FB01 a teensy bit small in my hands. My hands are not what most people consider "large", but they are long enough and thin enough that I guess I get a lot of "wrap" out of what I have. All the handguns that people say have "large" grips fit my hands fine.

I was only thinking of a slightly scaled up version of the same knife. I find the blade shape very versatile, and I really like the shape of the handle, too. I was thinking of one with a blade maybe half an inch longer and the handle scaled to match. The only cost cutting measure might be to go with a single handle material.

And now that I've handled it, I certainly would have paid more than I did. I paid significantly less than what seems to be your MAP, but I think you should be able to sell them for your MAP. (approx $110?) Maybe more if the potential buyer could use it for a week! There's an idea for the forum, A "knife time sharing" or "knife lending" agreement, where we collectively buy "example" knives, and let interested parties "rent" them for evaluation!
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Of course, they'd have to drive to my house to pick them up! Or, it's the Nineties still, maybe you'd have luck "leasing" your knives!!

Anyhow, thanks again for producing a knife I _know_ will become one of my personal "classics". It's incredibly _useful_ as well as classy and beautiful. What more can we ask?

And I _am_ getting one for my Mom! (And my Dad is buying himself one, too!)

Thanks again and again....

Thomas


[This message has been edited by ThomasH (edited 16 February 1999).]
 
Just got my "bill moran" a while back, Mine has a ser.# 219..DO they all have #'s.. I love this knife and I got it at a great price, just love when that happens.This is one all around knife, let me tell you!!!
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Hi Bartman!

I'm one of the least qualified to answer your question, but I believe the first 1000 made were numbered. I also believe they were "more expensive", like $150-$140. Now, don't you respond and tell us how little you paid!
ferret.jpg


Just gloat quietly at home, okay!
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Was cruising through the old posts and saw this one.

Just got a Moran today, very cool.

So, is there any chance of seeing a Spyderco Bagwell Sal? Or is he going with one company at a time?

A Moran Fighter would be too cool. I could deal with street on $250.

Sal, how do you have so many cool knives? WOW

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Check out the future possible Spyderco Worker 2000 www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum20/HTML/000224.html

One may want to keep an Eye out for my review of the Bob Kasper designed, Kevin Gentile modified AFCK and interview of Bob Kasper. Sorry about the wait, my review and interview should be online shortly, luckily Spark has graciously offered to do the pictures, look for it right here at BladeForums.com.

Marion David Poff ska Eye, one can msg me at mdpoff@hotmail.com

"A journey of a thousand miles begins but with a single step" Lao-Tzu
 
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