Lava Blue price, why so expensive.

D

david childers

Joined
Sep 20, 2013
Messages
75
I really like small knives. I was looking at the new lava blue sprint run and thought it was a pretty cool looking knife. I don't see the justification on the price though. I know its a sprint run but when I look at the blade steel, handle material, etc, I just don't see almost $150 worth of knife. I am not knocking the knife itself, just the pricing. Am I alone here? I am crossing my fingers in hoping that Para 2s will be finally be plentiful again soon.:)
 
You gotta remember spyderco isn't as big a company as others so their sprint runs are pricier than others. That being said, buy a ZDP-189 dragonfly and be forever happy :)
 
spyderco lover said:
You gotta remember spyderco isn't as big a company as others so their sprint runs are pricier than others. That being said, buy a ZDP-189 dragonfly and be forever happy :)
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You're right about the dragonfly zdp189. I have one and I am happy. I don't know about forever. I'd be happier if the lava was under $100.
 
I think the same thing. If the lava was a cool newer steel like maybe v3 or k390 or m4 or zdp-189 etc than I'd be happy to spend the 150-180 people have them priced for. But when you can get a Spyderco Rock Schempp that's a huge piece of Vg-10 steel for $125 I mean come on. I could build an entire lava using the vg10. Liners too. Ill probably still buy one. But when they are closer to 120.
 
For a small knife, I find the Dragonfly to be plenty capable especially if you get one with the steel listed above like the other members suggested. The Native might be a little bigger than what you want, but is still a very nice knife and comes in a fairly compact size. Many knife companies or operations are much smaller than we think also. But still I do feel that it is a little pricy, but if I feel that way I just decide not to buy it. Some people can justify the price for the collectibility or specialness of Spring Runs.
 
To the best of my knowledge Spyderco has a fixed percentage of profit across the board with the exception of Mules, which is a lower percentage. The profit is not as high a percentage as some might expect. If a sprint comes out and costs more than an older model ( same steel, same grips, etc) that means the cost of production has gone up.

Over the last 3 years my pay has remained the same yet my living costs have gone up tremendously. It's amazing the cost of these knives hasn't gone up as much as beef, for instance, or any of a number of different commodities.
 
david childers said:
I really like small knives. I was looking at the new lava blue sprint run and thought it was a pretty cool looking knife. I don't see the justification on the price though. I know its a sprint run but when I look at the blade steel, handle material, etc, I just don't see almost $150 worth of knife. I am not knocking the knife itself, just the pricing. Am I alone here? I am crossing my fingers in hoping that Para 2s will be finally be plentiful again soon.:)
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I'm sure you're not alone. However, I'm also sure there are those of us who can understand why it costs what it costs and are willing to pay the price.

I will say that, if $150 is the best price you've seen, you really haven't looked very hard, $125 to $135 is what I saw when shopping for mine.

As for the "why", there are a couple factors involved. The original Lava was all stainless, so the G-10 version required at least some new tooling. Since it's just a Sprint Run, the cost of that had to be amortized over a relatively small number of knives. The Lava is also a collaboration model and, like all collaboration models, the designer gets a royalty which adds something to the cost. What's important to remember, IMHO, is that a fair number of members here and on the Spyderco Factory forum begged and begged for a G-10 Lava, and Sal delivered. The original Lava wasn't exactly a barn burner in terms of sales, so producing this knife says a lot about Sal's dedication to his customers. However, if you were not among the group lobbying for this knife, I can understand you not having the same level of desire.
 
Thanx Deacon,

david childers said:
I really like small knives. I was looking at the new lava blue sprint run and thought it was a pretty cool looking knife. I don't see the justification on the price though. I know its a sprint run but when I look at the blade steel, handle material, etc, I just don't see almost $150 worth of knife. I am not knocking the knife itself, just the pricing. Am I alone here? I am crossing my fingers in hoping that Para 2s will be finally be plentiful again soon.:)
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Hi David,

Our pricing is based on our costs and our margins are pretty consistent with a small range. If a knife cost us X, we ad Y, which is a percentage of X, X + Y becomes the final price. X is based on the cost for us to get it to the shelf, and Y is the gross profit necessary for us to cover expenses and grow.

Much of the variation in cost is based on the materials and labor (eg; G-10 is more expensive that FRN as it must be machined individually) if from the same place. (Country of origin). The majority of variation in costs is created by the differences in money between countries. (eg; if a knife cost $50 to make in Golden, it would be closer to $10 to make in China. The Chinese Yuan is about 5/1 to the dollar. Of course there are differences in the steels used.

Our Japanese and Italian makers us US made G-10., which adds cost. Our Taiwan makers use US steels (except when using cast or MIM'ed 440C) which also adds cost.

Hope that helps.

sal
 
david childers said:
I really like small knives. I was looking at the new lava blue sprint run and thought it was a pretty cool looking knife. I don't see the justification on the price though. I know its a sprint run but when I look at the blade steel, handle material, etc, I just don't see almost $150 worth of knife. I am not knocking the knife itself, just the pricing. Am I alone here? I am crossing my fingers in hoping that Para 2s will be finally be plentiful again soon.:)
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I would guess that royalties to the designers involved in collaborations need a cut of the proceeds as well. The Lava is a Chad Los Banos design I believe.
 
RevDevil said:
I would guess that royalties to the designers involved in collaborations need a cut of the proceeds as well. The Lava is a Chad Los Banos design I believe.
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Furthermore, I would guess that said royalties are not set in stone and some negotiations happen where some designers are making more than others.
 
I appreciate that if Spyderco thinks someone is worth collaborating with, they are also worth compensating fairly.
 
I just got one of these little gems in the mail today. I am very happy with it. :)

Note this is an aftermarket clip.

hONU0dC.jpg
 
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