Lum Tanto Folder Ever Again?

fulloflead

fulloflead

Joined
May 3, 2002
Messages
6,192
It was my favorite Spyderco (before the Manix) but I traded mine because of the ATS-55 rust.

Now, I know a guy in the coatings business, so I went out looking for one but alas...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...akeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:us

Do you think Spyderco will ever rerelease the Lum Tanto folder?

Oh, how I loved that knife model. (Snif. :( )

I could write epics about everything good about that knife but I don't want to break any more hearts.

.
 
On another forum, Mr. Glesser mentioned that due to Mr. Lum's signing with another company that "require[d] exclusivity," there would be no more Spyderco Lums after the upcoming sprint run of Chinese folders.

Sad news, as I had been holding out hope of a reincarnation of the Lum fixed blade, which is one of my all-time favorite Spydercos.
 
Well considering Mr. Lum now collabs with Benchmade, the chances of future Spyderco collabs is more in doubt than previously.
 
Sal also mentioned in the past that the Lum Tanto was a poor seller. While Tantos aren't my thing, I have to say that Spydercos was the only one that looked nice, the rest looked like someone snapped a blade in half to get the tip.
 
zenheretic said:
Well considering Mr. Lum now collabs with Benchmade, the chances of future Spyderco collabs is more in doubt than previously.
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Bummer, and disappointing, but understandable.


smcfalls13 said:
While Tantos aren't my thing, I have to say that Spydercos was the only one that looked nice, the rest looked like someone snapped a blade in half to get the tip.
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I agree. That was one strong and good-looking tanto. With Spyderco's modern backlock that could have practically been used as a chisel.

Oh, well. Guess I'll have to keep an eye on the used market.

.
 
I am a huge fan of the C-46 Lum Tanto. What I don't understand is that if Spyderco was licensed to make the C-46 with Mr. Lum's blessing then why couldn't they make more of them?

I even made a USER out of one of my C-46 Lum models I liked it so much in spite of the fact that it is a collector piece gaining value by the day. I am not a tanto fan per se but the LUM Tanto of Spyderco's was truly different in several aspects. For that reason I will keep the last 2 I have. It and it's fixed blade cousin are both very functional knives.

This is one blade that Spyder-heads will really talk about 5 years from now. Just another super classic in that GOLDEN ERA of Spyders ( 1998-2003).
 
Easy said:
Sad news, as I had been holding out hope of a reincarnation of the Lum fixed blade, which is one of my all-time favorite Spydercos.
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If Spyderco was licensed to make the fixed blade Lum Tanto then why on earth can't they make another run of them in VG-10 Blade steel. If I had one of them in VG-10 I would carry it in the timber instead of the FB Temperance. Why they didn't make that knife in VG-10 just really confuses me :confused: The C-46 Tanto folder is a superb design and so is the fixed blade. I just know that more people would buy the fixed blade if they made it with better steel than AUS-8> Just my thoughts on the fixed blade LUM
 
JD Spydo said:
If Spyderco was licensed to make the fixed blade Lum Tanto then why on earth can't they make another run of them in VG-10 Blade steel. If I had one of them in VG-10 I would carry it in the timber instead of the FB Temperance. Why they didn't make that knife in VG-10 just really confuses me :confused: The C-46 Tanto folder is a superb design and so is the fixed blade. I just know that more people would buy the fixed blade if they made it with better steel than AUS-8> Just my thoughts on the fixed blade LUM
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JD Spydo,

I agree completely with your assessment of the FB Lum - if it was made in VG-10 it would be much more popular.
 
i might even would buy a LUM if they brought them back out, imho it was onne of the best tanto style knives around, the blade was pretty long too, right around 4", great grind, i dont know why they were never any more popular.
 
SIFU1A said:
i might even would buy a LUM if they brought them back out, imho it was onne of the best tanto style knives around, the blade was pretty long too, right around 4", great grind, i dont know why they were never any more popular.
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Sifu1A I think that you had 2 elements that inhibited the sales of the C-46 when it was in the line up. First of all it was pretty pricey as I remember and there were very few dealers that stocked it. From 2000 to 2002 I can only remember seeing 2 of them at local gun/knife shows here in the Kansas City area.

Also I think it is another marketing victim of what I call the GOLDEN ERA of Spyders. During that time there were just so many premium designs in the Spyderco line that I believe that dealers for the most part were only selling the ones that would move the quickest. I also think to a large degree that the Lil Temperance was also a marketing victim for identical reasons.
 
JD Spydo said:
Sifu1A I think that you had 2 elements that inhibited the sales of the C-46 when it was in the line up. First of all it was pretty pricey as I remember and there were very few dealers that stocked it. From 2000 to 2002 I can only remember seeing 2 of them at local gun/knife shows here in the Kansas City area.

Also I think it is another marketing victim of what I call the GOLDEN ERA of Spyders. During that time there were just so many premium designs in the Spyderco line that I believe that dealers for the most part were only selling the ones that would move the quickest. I also think to a large degree that the Lil Temperance was also a marketing victim for identical reasons.
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I agree with you on both of these.

I also think it hurt that they never made it in anything but ATS-55. My Lums were the only ATS-55 knives that would rust on me for some reason.

Some people might not have liked the old-style Walker lock with the exposed (instead of recessed) liner. I liked that though.

.
 
fulloflead said:
I agree with you on both of these.

I also think it hurt that they never made it in anything but ATS-55. My Lums were the only ATS-55 knives that would rust on me for some reason.

Some people might not have liked the old-style Walker lock with the exposed (instead of recessed) liner. I liked that though.

.
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Oh no they did make some of the very last C-46 models in VG-10. I personally know 2 collectors that have C-46 models in VG-10. They are scarce and somewhat hard to find but they are out there. AS a matter of fact my 2001 Spyderco catalog even has the C-46 listed in VG-10 ( the final year they were produced).

Also my C-46 that I EDC has the BLACK BLADE coating. I do like the BLACK BLADE C-46 model for that reason of the rust problems I've heard reported about ATS-55 blades. But I have wiped my other ATS-55 blades with TUF-CLOTH and I've never had any rust problems with that steel. It kind of confuses me as to why so many Afi-s hate the black blade coating:confused: It truly is a functional asset and has little to do with the cosmetic appeal.
 
I keep hearing so often that the VG-10 models are more rare, but I'm not so sure about that. I own/owned more VG-10 models than ATS-55 models myself. Both are fine steels and I wouldn't attribute more value to one over the other.
 
Slatts said:
I keep hearing so often that the VG-10 models are more rare, but I'm not so sure about that. I own/owned more VG-10 models than ATS-55 models myself. Both are fine steels and I wouldn't attribute more value to one over the other.
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That's a good point SLATTS and an interesting observation. I recently talked to another trader/collector who told me that he has come across more VG-10 Lum Tanto folders than he did with the ATS-55 variation.

I wonder if geography has anything to do with it. And I totally agree as far as metal performance goes. I can carry about anything I desire with the knives I own. I have been carrying a big Dyad for slightly over 2 years and I have had excellent luck with ATS-55. Most of the blade steels that Spyderco has used are great performance wise. I even liked the older GIN-1 steel and I carried a Renegade for over a year and loved it.

I do disagree with you on one point. I do think that over the long haul that the VG-10 C-46 Lum tanto folders will be more valuable down the road because they are fewer in numbers.
 
Dang. This is one of those knives I've sold a few times and bought back a few times after having missed it.

Now I'm screwed - I'm in the looking buy-back stage. Now I blew it.

.
 
JD Spydo said:
I do disagree with you on one point. I do think that over the long haul that the VG-10 C-46 Lum tanto folders will be more valuable down the road because they are fewer in numbers.
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Well Joe, guess we'll agree to disagree. I just don't believe that there's fewer VG-10 than ATS-55 versions that were produced. At some point, Spyderco ran out of ATS-55 stock and produced the later ones in VG-10. I'd love to hear from Spyderco on this if they still have a record of the numbers produced in each steel.
 
The "Americanized Tanto" shape created by Bob Lum has a long and varied history. The style has been loved by many for the past 25 years.

It has been our experience that, for some unknown reason, Spyderco customers did not take to the Tanto as much as customers of other brands.

Those that loved the Lum Tanto's, really loved them, but the number was a smaller number than production demands.

Because a smaller number of people take to a particular design, does not make the design a bad design, just not as popular with a larger number of customers.

We tried the folding tanto in several variations (handle material, black, etc) and the demand was not great enough to sustain production.

the fixed blade Lum Tanto, was IMO, of of the best quality production tantos ever made. We used AUS-8 becaused VG-10 would have driven the price higher (it is a pretty big hunk of steel) which normally reduces demand quantities.

Bringing back a model that didn't do well has limited value. Now that Bob has an exclusive arrangement with BM, the likelyhood is diminished even more. Promoting Bob Lum's name, especially on a limited production piece would just sell more Lum BM's, which is not our intention.

The Chinese folder was already scheduled before we knew of Bob's BM deal, so we'll follow through, but it is probably the last Lum from Spyderco.

sal
 
Sorry if this has alraedy been covered...

Does that mean that a run of Lum Chinese Folders is coming out?
 
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