Newb question about Sprint Runs

A

Amaranth

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Jul 19, 2009
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My understanding of a sprint run that it's a finite production run of a current model that has been slightly modifed from the original.

Is that pretty much the case with Spyderco?

What are some of the more successful sprint runs of the past, as far as the creation of a collectible knife that has held its original value over the years?
 
You are correct about what a Sprint Run is. I'm not familiar with any older sprints, so I don't know which have held their value for many years. The CPM D-2 and BG-42 Military sprints are certainly going for more than they did originally, but they are fairly recent runs.
 
I think most of them are the ones you hear nothing about, because everybody that has one is hanging on to them.
 
anti-torsion said:
A sprint could also be an older model brought back for a short run.
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Usually some change will be made to differentiate between the sprint and the original so as not to dilute the value of the originals. People get really bitchy when Spyderco makes more of something they bought as an investment.
 
yablanowitz said:
Usually some change will be made to differentiate between the sprint and the original so as not to dilute the value of the originals. People get really bitchy when Spyderco makes more of something they bought as an investment.
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True, but I think A-T's point was more along the lines that Sprints are not necessarily variants of current production models as the OP's question suggested they might be.

Quite a few of them have been successful. The one which started it all, the grey FRN Calypso Jr., was so successful Spyderco produced a second and third batch of them, identical to the first, without anyone crying foul. The later burgundy FRN Calypso Jr., which was the first Spyderco ever in ZDP-189, was also wildly successful. The CF Harpy, R2, S30V CF Military, pink FRN Delica IV, and black bladed PE FRN C41 Native are few others which come to mind, but by no means an inclusive list.

Paul
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Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
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I believe Sal asked what colors his customers would like to see handles for some future sprint runs.

Personally, I'd like to see more subdued but rich colors like the purple, burgundy, dark blue, or anything that 1)Stands out from the regular production runs and 2) Is not so bright that it stands out like a beacon in your pocket. Examples of this are the Toxic Green, pink, and bright yellow colors. While they are definitely distinctive and may appeal to some, for EDC they are too eye catching.

Would it be possible to mix a swirl pattern of two or more colors of the FRN handles? That would be pretty interesting.

Anyone care to throw in their two cents on handle colors?
 
Black is fine by me, but battleship grey, US flag blue, kelly green, boxcar red, the tan used on the OEF and OIF Natives, and walnut brown would all work for me.

As for swirls, at least one other maker has done "plastic" handles that way. However I'm not 100% sure they were FRN and even less certain whether they were injection molded. So maybe, maybe not.

Paul
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My Personal Website - - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting - - - - - - Kiwimania
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
A swirl pattern is made in CPL composite (e.g., bowling balls) via injection molding. Given that CPL is a precursor to nylon, I have a feeling that it could be done with FRN as well. However, it might not be commercially viable if, say, only 40% of the handles had a decent pattern.

Here on the forums, sprint runs are quite popular - probably because we're the ones always begging for them. Sal really does these on faith that we, the lunatic fringe of the knife-buying public, will buy that new 15th variation on the Endura. And we keep doing it. :D
 
Phil Brown said:
A swirl pattern is made in CPL composite (e.g., bowling balls) via injection molding. Given that CPL is a precursor to nylon, I have a feeling that it could be done with FRN as well. However, it might not be commercially viable if, say, only 40% of the handles had a decent pattern.

Here on the forums, sprint runs are quite popular - probably because we're the ones always begging for them. Sal really does these on faith that we, the lunatic fringe of the knife-buying public, will buy that new 15th variation on the Endura. And we keep doing it. :D
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Phil, I'm not disagreeing with you, but to clarify what I said, this Beretta is the knife I was thinking of. New Graham's description calls it Zytel, so looks like it's a form of FRN. Still not sure how the handles are formed or how the pattern gets there, but it does seem to prove multi color FRN is feasible. Not my cup of tea, but I can see it might appeal to some.

Paul
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My Personal Website - - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting - - - - - - Kiwimania
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
I would guess they put the pattern on the same way they do guns and bows.

Basically its a sheet of camo pattern, when dipped into a warm water bath becomes sticky, then you place the item into the tank and out comes a camo pattern.

This is the full process
 
It's true that Spyderco has to be carefull not to cross the line into tacky. My personal opinion is that they, unlike the other major makers out there, haven't crossed that line with any of their knives yet.

That's what makes them able to retain their cool factor. I don't think Sal would ever put out anything that wasn't classy. Swirled handle colors? Maybe, maybe not!

It's been proven that anything "different" and limited will sell for it's perceived collectible value. I'm thinking that just about every possible color has been used, so the only thing left is combining them in some way.
 
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