MagnaCut - is the scarcity justified or just marketing?

ElementalBreakdown

ElementalBreakdown

Joined
Jul 14, 2020
Messages
494
I can't imagine that Larrin would purposely create "unobtanium", and hoping that someone who knows how steel production works will explain if there's a reason for the scarcity beyond greed.
Spyderco made 2000 Mule Team pieces which is the largest to date, so they understood the demand.
Why would they not make enough... even if they did a few separate runs with slightly different features for comparison purposes? They could have sold at least 10× as many and sold them all in a day.
And we are talking a fixed blade here which has zero bearing on how many subsequent flippers/folders they would sell in their lineup.

I'm disgusted by the artificial scarcity tactics that seem to be the go-to marketing ploy we just accept now with pretty much everything from Christmas trees to electronics.

It just encourages scalping on the secondary market. I have no idea how that benefits manufacturers. Obviously I am missing something because this is nothing new.
Can anyone explain why this tired old tactic is so universally abused?

Is it as simple as fueling demand later? It just doesn't make sense to me and seems completely dishonest and greedy.

Larrin, it seems like you could have made millions by patenting it and selling/licensing it exclusively through your own company. I make no pretense about understanding all this, but the raw materials and manufacturing seems relatively simple. Just on initial demand it seems like you could have built an entire small foundry around it.

And with your reputation I would guess that lots of people would purchase other steels from you too knowing that you have the expertise to get the most out of ANY steel.

Is it as simple as just generating buzz to sell more down the road or something else?
 
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/spyderco-2021-lists-delivered-upcoming.1767874/post-20873752 - Spyderco made more in this run of mules, than in any past run. I doubt they were trying to limit the production, to drive demand. But, they have other scheduled obligations and limits on what they can put out.

The mule team series has been hit or miss for Spyderco - some steels sell out fast, some don't.

I'd say Spyderco elevated there risk by making more of this run, and it worked out as they sold them all, but in the past it has not always worked so well.
 
I believe first batch also , think I have read there is more magnacut being produced to fill orders
 
Does Spyderco do multiple Mule Team runs on the same steel? They told me that this 2000 piece run was their largest ever. But it's been weeks, you would think that seeing people pay $200 for a $75 blade on Ebay would put a fire under them to make another batch. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's not like electronics where you are relying on exponentially more supply chains.
 
ElementalBreakdown said:
Does Spyderco do multiple Mule Team runs on the same steel? They told me that this 2000 piece run was their largest ever. But it's been weeks, you would think that seeing people pay $200 for a $75 blade on Ebay would put a fire under them to make another batch. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's not like electronics where you are relying on exponentially more supply chains.
Click to expand...
I can't speak for the company specifically.

If you think you've got a solution to your problem (artifically induced scarcity and human greed), and you imagine that it's not that hard for Spyderco to change their ways based on what you think is the heart of the matter (but can't really verify), post your plan in the Spyderco sub-forum and tag Sal.

He'd help you understand the actual ins and outs of what it takes his company to pivot production on a whim.
 
I think I made it clear that I don't understand this and the point was to understand it. A "whim"? Ridiculous. They obviously knew it'd be sought after because it was the largest run ever and why they settled on a seemingly arbitrary 2000 pieces is either a very bad miscalculation or done on purpose to create demand. There's really no middle ground that I can think of.
 
Certainly way more than one batch of MagnaCut has been made. I think last I heard it was 60k lbs. And way more than is on “order” to be made. If I had kept MagnaCut under my own company then even less would have been made because steel companies I would put orders into would be prioritizing their own product over mine.

But I know there are a lot of Spyderco exclusive knives that sell out quickly so maybe this is as much about Spyderco popularity as it is about MagnaCut. It is hard to predict demand, I suppose.

Edit: Here is a more official word on MagnaCut production:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...kthrough-in-knife-steel.1782546/post-20813715
 
ElementalBreakdown said:
I think I made it clear that I don't understand this and the point was to understand it. A "whim"? Ridiculous. They obviously knew it'd be sought after because it was the largest run ever and why they settled on a seemingly arbitrary 2000 pieces is either a very bad miscalculation or done on purpose to create demand. There's really no middle ground that I can think of.
Click to expand...
The whim I spoke of, is your need to have Spyderco placate your desire for a Magnacut mule - indeed, ridiculous.

It's clear you don't understand and it's clear you've made up a story, because you missed out. Yet, you could visit the Spyderco sub-forum and learn more than your imagination is presuming.

Good day to you.
 
ElementalBreakdown said:
I think I made it clear that I don't understand this and the point was to understand it. A "whim"? Ridiculous. They obviously knew it'd be sought after because it was the largest run ever and why they settled on a seemingly arbitrary 2000 pieces is either a very bad miscalculation or done on purpose to create demand. There's really no middle ground that I can think of.
Click to expand...
You can't conceive of the fact that 2000 might be the most they have capacity to make at a time?
 
Having jumped through the hoops to get the MagnaMules, I can tell you they remained in-stock and available for alot longer than the previous few.

The first hour killed their website but after the initial s***show the website actually remained steady for quite a bit (10-15m) before stock ran dry. If I was a dirtbag I could've easily bought another few pairs.

They can only make so much before production schedule obligates them to another batch of something else (like all those silly SMKW fat carbon runs). I work in medical manufacturing and let me tell you...its a frickin ZOO right now.

The fact they got a big run out so fast, is a testament to Spyderco's love for knife bros, something which I can't say the same for a few companies out there...dont get me started :D

Rant over lol thanks for reading.
 
It's funny how these threads only seem to appear when someone didn't get a knife they wanted. Just once I'd like to see a thread start with "I got the super limited knife I wanted, I just want to know why it's so limited..."

There's a lot more going on in the world than your inability to get a specific knife you wanted. Magnacut was introduced this year, and there has been high demand for it and other steels, as well as the raw materials that go into it. Between supply chain and transportation issues caused by global events, I think it's pretty amazing that it only took a few months for a company to fit it into their production schedule and produce a sizeable run.

Artificial scarcity? No. Artificial outrage? Yes.
 
No funny or greedy business going on here. The demand for steel has doubled over the past year so we periodically have been running out of basic grades like S30V and S35VN. Alpha knife supply, SB Specialty Metals and Pops all have inventory. Plenty of production companies have large orders they have already received so you should be seeing some available anytime now. Covid and supply chain issues have caught up with just about everyone. Doing our best to keep up.
 
Thanks for the replies, I started out by saying exactly what "Hurrul" and "Silent H" said- I was trying to say that I do NOT think Larrin would have engineered a shortage, not the other way around. And that I was ignorant about how it works. That was the whole point of me asking why it happens, I thought it was clear that I knew I was making presumptions and appreciate the replies explaining why it happens. My only criticisms were of the businesses in other sectors that do engage in these tactics. All of this was phrased more in the form of a question than anything else.
 
Not to fret. I’m guessing a few years from now MagnaCut will be everywhere, and it should be. If it is indeed comparable in pricing to something like S30V, then it will find it’s way out there and prices will go down once people starting getting their fill. I have two knives in it, and in my experience, it is indeed all it’s cracked up to be. Behaves very closely to 4V but it doesn’t seem to rust (or at least I haven’t gotten it to). Makers will want to use this steel, as it seems to be a perfect all-around steel for folders and small to medium fixed blades. Just have to give it some time. If you really want something in MagnaCut and missed a Mule, contact a custom maker on here. There are at least a few working with it.
 
I've seen tons of attractive , bleeding edge designs , materials and super duper steels on offer over the decades .

Customs , exclusives , sprint runs etc . Gotta have one , be the first one your block or be square .

I've never bought a single one . Not a necessary or great value type item , IMO .

Part of the game is to charge a premium and keep on doing so as long as possible . Scarcity is required . Being "special " is essential .

If you don't want to PAY , then don't PLAY . And always expect difficulty obtaining , aside from money . :rolleyes:

I do believe MagnaCut will become much more mainstream , much more available and cheaper ...with time . :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
I'm not sure I would ever say MagnaCut is 'scarce' in the context of how new a steel it is. On the contrary, we normally don't see production examples of a new steel for years, maybe a decade after they are introduced. It feels like MagnaCut is getting rolled out quite quickly to me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top