PETITION: Save the Amphibian!

T

Trent

Joined
May 4, 2000
Messages
79
I'm not here to point fingers but some very very bad things have happened to what was set to be a real contender for strongest and slickest folder ever. This is a petition to tell Microtech what you think about the major compromises they've made on what was a breatkthrough design. So far they've nixed the plunge lock for the microbar, replace the sculpted teardrop thumbstuds with round ones and replaced the titanium handle with kraton inlayed aluminum. Check the pics and see for yourself. I'll be sending signatures to Microtech. There is another
petition going on in the authorized Microtech form at knifeforums.com. So far we have 33 signatures in 1.5 days!

For your reference, here are links to pics of the old Amphibian prototypes:

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum41/HTML/000294.html

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum41/HTML/000380.html

vs. the new and (dare anyone say improved?) version which can be found here, under manual folders (sorry there is no direct link).

http://www.microtechknives.com/

 
Please sign below! Even if you don't give a rats a** about the amphibian, consider it a protest against mediocrity!
 
The best way to protest mediocrity is to refuse to purchase mediocre products. If this compromised design doesn't sell well, they'll get the message.

-Razor

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AKTI #A000845
And tomorrow when you wake up it will be worse.
 
I have to agree. When I saw the prototype I was really looking forward to buying one -- now there no longer appears to be any reason to do so.

I probably could have lived with the initial in-house changes (25% smaller & krayton inserts in Ti handle), but once it was Turberized with Microbar lock, round thumbstud, and Al handle it was no longer an Amphibian, but something else.

It was a great vision of an ultimate folder, and now it is no more.

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Carlos

"..And in those days the mad prophet Glesser did come unto the knife knuts, and He did speak of The Hole, and the knife knuts did see that The Hole was good, saying 'Yea, and verily shall we carry holes all the days of our lives!'"
-- The Hole Bible, by Ken Cook
 
I emailed MT a while back. They sent me a very polite, open-minded responce that said that my email and other emails are being circulated around MT, cause they care what we think. If you want the proto, tell MT, and the petition is a great idea...



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William Callahan

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without
hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd
never expect it."
-Jack Handey

I'm one of those wierdos who likes Zytel.
 
Ya,you got my vote for the prototype.THe plunge lock I would prefer.In fact,the whole design shape etc,really is impressive.I would have purchased one.
 
They should at least try a limited run of the original design. That way, they could see how well it sells and get a good indicator of demand. Maybe they could make an Amphibian I with the microbar and an Amphibian II with the plunge lock.

Its not like Microtech has a huge problem selling expensive knives. Going the cheap route doesn't seem to be their style.
-- Rob

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Me fail english? That's unpossible!
 
OK Before you all burn me at the stake lets please keep things in context and perspective.

Here is where it all began.
http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum14/HTML/002136.html

Read the thread folks and pay close attention to what was actually said by several people including SOF knives.

Do you want Microtech to go out of business or something just so you can get your Amphibian the way you want it?

Keep in mind that we are NOT the average consumer here. With that in mind consider the following.

  • With the cam lock mechanism the knife would have cost considerably more
  • With the cam lock there would be no auto version which accounts for a large portion of Microtech's business
  • If the average consumer can not figure out a lock fast enough or if they think it is confusing they will most likely not buy it
  • At the size of the original, the knife would be to heavy and not appeal to the average consumer
  • Titanium costs a lot more and takes longer to machine than aluminum (I also want the sculptured look and NO KRATON BTW)
  • Micortech really needs a series of winners right now and the Amphibian, in it's older form, is WAY to much of a gamble
  • The Amphibian is designed to compete with the Commander and to do so it must remain within a reasonable distance price wise, period
  • With the mods you will see the knife hit the market much faster and since the knife is now a simpler design MT will be able to produce more per day

If any of you would have attended the Shot Show and actually watched people handle the knife in person you would have seen why I asked for the changes. Tony did not have to make the changes but I think it was a wise business decision and I applaud him for taking the heat right now. Now for all of you who want the original design I am fairly certain you will get your knife down the road so chill out for now and let Tony make some $$$ so he can get the original design out.

More later.....

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Best Regards,
Mike Turber

Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
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Mike:

I can't speak for other people here, but my intent is not to "burn you at the stake," or discredit what you say. I'm trying to make my concerns and wishes as a customer known to the people at MT. I for one applaud your efforts to make MT aware of the risks and help them understand the market, and while it is absolutely true that we are NOT the average consumer, the average consumer is not going to pay over 150 dollars for a knife. The average consumer is going to buy a cheap knockoff, and if he's lucky a buck 110 or endura. I would say that the average forumite is representative of the average MICROTECH customer. It seems obvious that at least the internet savvy portion of MT's customer base prefers the original prototype overwhelmingly, and would be willing to pay higher prices for it. Not to mention the benefits for MT of saying, without any doubt or contraversy, that the amphibian is the absolute strongest folder in the world. As it is right now, the new amphibian is about the same price/ better quality than the commander, but doesn't offer anything more. Please take this as one man's opinion. Mike, you know more about this stuff than me, and no mater which design is settled on, I'm sure the final product will end up in my pocket eventualy, if for no other reason than my trust of MT for quality.

------------------
William Callahan

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without
hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd
never expect it."
-Jack Handey

I'm one of those wierdos who likes Zytel.
 
You know, we don't know who is going to win the next-generation lock wars, but one lock I feel definitely is already out of the running is the Microbar. It's up in the air in my mind as to whether or not it's even an improvement over the liner lock. If the plunge lock is too expensive to be Microtech's answer in the lock wars, I hope they come up with something else soon. I'd like to buy a Microtech someday!
 
I personally think it is NOT an improvement over the liner lock. More parts to fail. Little coil spring inside, pivot pit.....too many small parts.

I personally thing a thick well made liner is a great lock. Simple and effective. Integral locks are even better. Has ANYONE ever heard of a sebenza failing? I haven't.

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Marc
 
People who purchase Microtechs are NOT average consumers by any stretch of the imagination. Your average consumer has probably never even heard of the name Microtech; it's not exactly a household word.
I buy Microtechs; I currently own 4 high-end MT's. I fork out the cash for these because I appreciate quality. I would pay twice the retail price for the Amphibian in prot-type form because it is unique, attractive, BIG, and seems to personify the evolution of MT's reputation.
In my mind, the current production Amphibian seems fairly run of the mill. Will I buy one? Probably. But if they ever produce the proto I'll ditch the production version very quickly in favor of the real thing.
Mike, I hope that you're correct in saying that they will eventually produce the proto. It seems that it will be well worth the wait.
And Mike, since it seems that your input helped to transition the proto from something magical to something mediocre, you can make it up to us by creating the worlds most awesome bali for our flipping pleasure.
biggrin.gif



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Eric - Usual Suspect
"The best toys are the ones that you can put an eye out with."
weaver.gif
 
I like the proto versions better than the current version. I think the higher price of the proto version would be worth it.
 
Well, at least from Mike's post, it looks like the plunge lock version will exist someday. I guess we'll just have to wait. Still looks like an awesome knife - I'll probably get one myself. It would be a shame for Microtech to go out of business - few compete on their level.
-- Rob
 
I can understand that MT needs a moderately priced knife that will sell well, but why was it necessary to dumb-down the Amphibian to do it? Why not create a new knife for that market? Indeed, if they want big sales numbers then they need to head to even lower price points that this.

The Amphibian was supposed to be MT's vision of the ultimate hard-use manual-action folder, and not just another manual version of one of their autos; but as others have said it is now just a "bent SOCOM."

I will be one of many that will wait for the original Amphibian concept to hopefully resurface one day.
 
Mike, can you tell us wether MT has talked of producing the original version later on, or if you're just speculating that they will.
Thanks
smile.gif
 
I don't understand this at all. Microtech is the Rolls Royce of knives and now the concern is not selling as many units as other knife companies??? That's how it works! If you make the best (most expensive) you limit your market, and make enough per unit to offset the low volume. But you can't have it both ways! Someone PLEASE explain how the title "world's stronget mechanical folder" would'nt have been a HUGE selling point, something that would've caught even the mythical "average knife consumer's," eye.
I also want to know where the store is that Microtech's are sitting on the shelves unattended for customers to become befuddled with. I just don't think that's a realistic scenario! I'm not an expert but if you put a folder in my hand (even a year ago when I thought paying over $60 for a knife was ridiculous), showed me how the lock works and told me it was the strongest mechanical lock in the world I would've opened up the wallet. What Microtech needs is to be able to say "we have the best." Most importatntly, to the "average consumer," they have to be able to justify their high price point with something more tangible than "fit and finish."
Obviously nobody wants Microtech to go out of business. But is that really going to happen? Doesn't it seem like there might have made an error in judgement when you had people pre-ordering this knife months ago and now there are threads popping up all over the place with people saying "I don't want it now!"

 
By the way, the thread Mike Turber mentioned above had 13 posts. Of the 13, four were for changing the prototype-most vociferously your own, and five wanted the knife in it's then current form!

 
I planned to buy one, based on the prototype. I do not plan to buy one now.

IMO, they took (what appeared to be) a great design and "fixed" it until there was nothing left.
They made it smaller
confused.gif

They put those horrid inserts in the handles
rolleyes.gif

And then they killed it with the lock.
 
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