New Spyderco ATR is exactly what I've been waiting for!

peacefuljeffrey

peacefuljeffrey

Joined
Feb 24, 2001
Messages
1,308
Knifecenter.com has a preview page for the Spyderco ATR (At The Ready), a titanium-handled "integral compression lock" folder that seems to be what I have been waiting for in a Spyderco!

It's a very techo-looking knife, with a rather strangely shaped blade. It has Spyderco's recent "cobra hood" around the thumb hole, presumably for easier opening. Most important to me, though, is the fact that the handle scales finally are not PINNED, but REMOVABLE with torx screws! Also, I have been waiting for some sort of frame-lock from Spyderco.

Alas, the item is not yet available and Knifecenter does not have a price listed. I'm expecting about $125, given that the frame scales are titanium. That is merely a wild guess, though, people. Don't go thinking that I have any information at all about this knife's suggested retail price. I sure hope it costs less than that when it's available.

This is what the website said:
C70 A.T.R.
Blade Steel .....................CPMS30V
Blade Thickness .............1/8" 3mm
Diam. Blade Hole .........1/2" 13mm
Weight.........................9.75oz 135g
Length Blade...........3 7/16" 87mm
Length Closed.........5 1/8" 130mm
Length Cutting Edge..............3 1/4² 82mm
Length Overall .......8 7/16" 213mm

Check it out here:
http://store.knifecenter.com/pgi-ProductSpec?SP70P

I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one who is wowed by this knife.
:eek:
---Jeffrey
 
I think retail price on the ATR is around $290-300. I have picked one up and played with it and quite frankly I think it's going to be a great knife for Spyderco, it fits the hand very well , the blade shape and indexing possibilities are great, it feels rock solid. The one I played with was a proto but pretty much what is coming. I look forward to them also!
 
I sure hope you're wrong about that price. what the hell would they want to make a great knife and then price it out of the range of 75% of their fans for?!?!

I sure as hell won't be spending nearly $300 for the thing, if that's what it costs. "Let them rot on the shelves," I say. I'd go as high as $150 MAYBE, and that's a big maybe, because I could be typing in my credit card number and then realize, ", I'm gonna blow 150 bucks for a knife I'll want to keep pristine?!" and then stop. But THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS?! I'd have to be crazy. A $50 knife I would use. A $150 knife I might buy and then *dream* of using. A $300 knife will end up belonging to someone else, because I can't see myself buying something that expensive that will just sit in a box in a drawer.

Any idea when the release date is?

:mad: I'm pretty off about that price prognosis, y'know...
Edited for language by Double Edge Dave
---Jeffrey
 
$290-300 is not out of line when you consider the materials and manufacturing methods involved. For example, compare it to the price of Sebenzas and the new Buck Mayo folder. The price seems to be in line w/ other similar knives on the market.
 
"You pays your money and you makes your choice"; if you think it's overpriced, don't buy it. Titanium and S30V don't come cheap. Also I expect the overall fit and finish will be a cut above the average Spyderco.
 
Peaceful Jeffrey,

That's only the MSRP. Keep your eyes on all of the forums for the first year or two after the ATR finally comes out. Someone's going to buy it, have buyer's remorse, and take a beating when they resell it. Maybe you'll be the guy helping that person in his/her time of need.

Until then, there are the Lil Temperance knives, the Gunting, and the titanium handled Salsa for Spyderco compression locks.
 
peacefuljeffrey, there wasnt too much peaceful about that second post. lets try to keep the language appropriate for some of our younger members and audience.
 
Hi Jeffrey. Thanx for your interest in the new model. It has been a long and difficult project. Actually, based on our costs, the model should be much more expensive than it is. We are pulling very short margins on this piece. It will also be limited production because of the high cost.

I don't think that it is too expensive for what it is, perhaps you just can't afford it? I can't afford a Ferrari (although I would love one), but I wouldn't say they are too expensive for the product.

What other USA made kife would you compare the ATR to? And how much is the comparison? The ATR is a very sophisticated design. Certainly more difficult to build than the Buck Mayo, or the Chris Reeve Sebenza.

Anyway. I hope you have the opportunity to own one in the future.

sal
 
Hi Sal,

Thanks for joining this thread. It´s always nice to see knife manufacturers explain about their knives.

Could you explain in more detail what aspects of the ATR were more difficult to produce than the Buck Mayo and Sebenza? I´m not questioning that it is, I´m just curious...

Regards, Serge.
 
That's a fine looking knife, Sal. I'll be looking for them. A Spyderco Endura was my first strong folder. Now I just have a Cricket, but the ATR is looking great. Any plans on LE models with different handle material or inlays?
 
Sal, thanks for your input. I'm also curious why you say it's more difficult to build than the Sebenza or the TNT. I can see that the lock bar would need to be very high precision to prevent blade play, perhaps there is more that I'm missing? I haven't handled it yet so it's difficult to pick out anything else from the photo. I do like the overall design, maybe you could do a special run with anodized handles. I'm a big fan of anodized titanium.
 
The ATR uses a compression framelock. That would be more difficult to do.
 
Maybe this is Spyderco's overpriced answer to the way overpriced Sebenza?
I'm sure it will sell to its target market.
But don't expect the average blue-collar working man (the ones who actually use their knives) to shell out that kinda money.

Is that elitism I smell?

Allen.
 
I have been looking forward to this knife for quite awhile. Any idea when these may be available? I really don't think they are overpriced. It cost more to make it than the average Spyderco, so of course it is going to cost more.
 
Originally posted by allenC
Is that elitism I smell?
Click to expand...
What's the matter, aren't us elitists entitled to our very own special knives, too? :D You can't say Spyderco doesn't take care of the working man! This is a legitimate project, allowing them to move into a different market, satisfy long-time but older and choosier customers, and raise their own standards of design and manufacture. That's good business all around. And it doesn't cost you a penny if you don't decide to buy it. :p
 
Well now, I'd like to challenge you guys to build one if you think its such a simple matter.
S30V is premium stuff, I haven't even found it from a knifemaking supply house, but the other CPM steels seem to range $25-$30 PER FOOT, and buying bulk probably won't bring the price down too far.

Heat treating S30V is a very difficult process, I'd suggest you read some threads on it, I think there was one very long and detailed thread in the reviews and testing forum. Very far from the standard heat and quench routine you can do in your sleep with other steels.

Now take a look at that handle- you don't knock that lock tab out with a slotting saw by the dozen the way you do with a standard frame lock.The end of the tab has to be nested under the scale itself as there is no pin on top to serve as a stop. That means a really precise fit against the tang of the blade to get a tight lockup, room for wear, and not have the tab pop over so far that its out of the slot that keeps it from just bending out backwards. To my knowledge the only good way to make those scales is to laser cut them, which isn't cheap. Then you still have to finish all surfaces while keeping the right tolerances.

This is a brand new design with a lot of engineering and tooling behind it, and the projected cost isn't far from what the buck mayo's was, or a Sebenza.

Spyderco has been the best for quite a while at providing high performance knives for less than $150, but why does that mean they can't step into the high end market as well?
 
How is it elitist for a company to produce a higher-end knife? So if it's not affordable to a certain segment of the market, it's not right to produce? I think Spyderco is attempting to hit a broad variety of price points.

Nobody said Buck was elitist when they came out with a titanium handled, S30V-bladed limited production knife, that has an MSRP of $296 (street price around $200).

If you think it's overpriced, don't buy it. But don't insult the company over it.
 
Street price for Buck mayo is now $150 -> $185 so I would expect similar for the ATR.
 
Ahhh, a step in the right direction for Spyderco, the knife actually looks good. But, it's a little more than I want to spend, especially since it's for you right handers :grumpy:. Go figure.
 
allenc, I definitely fall into the blue collar working crowd as a PFC in the Army, and I'm interested in getting one when they're available, and using it too. I don't buy safe queens, I've used every single knife I own for something. Appreciation of a nice knife isn't elitism, some people just have different priorities, there's no need to put them down because of it.
 
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