Rise of the Blingblades

I'd love to hear the OP explain how his Szabo is manly, but the Mamba is an embarrassment, because of how girly it is.

Just explain that rationale to me please.
 
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Sal Glesser said:
Frankly speaking, even we don't know how a model will sell. We are gambling on every one. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I will say that some of them are quite difficult to get to the marketplace.

sal
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Kinda makes me feel better hearing you say that Sal, I know sometimes I come out with something I'm sure folks will love and ... they don't, and other times I'm not expecting much and sell out in nothing flat. Is there a science to it? I reckon not!
 
Larry Turko said:
I understand where you're coming from. I'll be honest and admit that I'm vulnerable to that myself. The US economy and consumption-orientation of the materialistic social culture really encourage it too. A Bic lighter will do, or a beat-up old Zippo, but instead we are just as likely to have a Zippo collection, or maybe even a collection of Dunhill and Cartier Rollagas lighters. It's not just about materialistic, flashy excess though. It's about profit too. They're trying to sell a knife which for practical purposes could sell for $30, for nearly $300 because that leaves a lot more room for a healthy profit margin. To do this, they need a super-steel blade, sophisticated materials technology in the frame, exotic surface coatings, and a celebrity designer. For practical purposes, an imported folder from Home Depot will do all the jobs anyone who buys this knife will ever do with it, but the margin on those knives can't be more than pocket change. Of course for the buyer there is arguably less satisfaction as well. My personal solution to this is to embrace small, traditional folders. My EDC knife is from Case. It does all I'll ever practically need from a knife outside the kitchen, yet it's classy enough that it is suitable for any situation, without being pretentious. It will never by itself satisfy the chronic knife collector, but no knife ever will.
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FriarPhenn said:
While I understand your opinion, and recognize that others' opinions differ, and acknowledge that difference in opinion can generate feelings of irritation, there really is no call for this kind of consistent assault on other forum goers. Particularly from someone who's been around for a few years, no? I genuinely don't understand the need for it.

I'll just leave this from our esteemed mod here:
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Friar, have you read all the posts on this thread? If anyone is assaulting anyone it's some of the members who disagree with me, by the tone of their posts you'd think I'd called for the execution of Sal and Eric Glesser and the burning of Spyderco factories. Instead I praised the design of the Mamba and TigheStick but had the temerity to lament needlessly expensive and, to my eyes, aesthetically unpleasing elements of both folders. I'll bet I've been a Spyderco fan far longer than most people on this thread beginning with a purchase of an all steel Police model more than a quarter century ago. That knife is still one of the most wicked looking folders of all time and is totally devoid of any bling. I'll bet I also have more Spyderco knives that most people on this thread. I've listed some above, I'll list a few more; Perrin's Street Bowie, Schemp's Rocksalt, Spyderco's biggest knife so far; the Hossom Forester, Spyderco's prettiest fixed blade ever, R.J.Martin's Kumo. Anyway this is my last post on this thread. In fact I hardly ever post. I just end up getting a headache trying to deal with the obtuse, illogical and irrational responses.
 
Wow, so you're a victim now Turko? Reminds me of when my ex wife would tie a scarf around her chin like a babushka and go into the "poor Mrs. Flanagan" routine. ( she was Irish and it worked well with her accent)

Have we fallen so low in our culture that a 1st world person with an expensive hobby and all the other perks you get can casually play the victim card whenever they want?

My ex wife's skit was funny. Yours isn't so much. Have all the opinions you want but don't become a victim when people have other ideas that differ from yours.
 
Last summer there were no new knives Spyderco offered that I wanted or didn't already have. I'm buying strictly retro Spyderco and they're making no money from me.

With their new line of Bling I now have a list of new Spydies I'll be buying this year. After that they'll need new Bling to get me to buy again.

So the only way for Spyderco to make money is to bring the Bling. LOL
 
Larry Turko said:
I just end up getting a headache trying to deal with the obtuse, illogical and irrational responses.
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I have to admit, after reading all the posts you've made in this thread, this one made me LOL and I'm not laughing with you :P
 
Larry Turko said:
I just end up getting a headache trying to deal with the obtuse, illogical and irrational responses.
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I have to admit, after reading all the posts you've made in this thread, this one made me LOL and I'm not laughing with you.
 
Rasco said:
I'd love to hear the OP explain how his Szabo is manly, but the Mamba is an embarrassment, because of how girly it is.

Just explain that rationale to me please.
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Manly/girly is obviously a bit much, but does no one else think that that the Szabo looks like a fighting knife, and the Mamba more of a styling exercise? I reckon they'd both hurt the same, though!
 
chrisinhove said:
Manly/girly is obviously a bit much, but does no one else think that that the Szabo looks like a fighting knife, and the Mamba more of a styling exercise? I reckon they'd both hurt the same, though!
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They both look like fighting knives to me. Both designers do combat/fighting knives almost exclusively, so I don't think one is more "fighty" than the other.

As usual the issue boils down to someone getting all weepy about an artist's personal expression of a knife as interpreted through the Spyderco lens. I think it's cool that the design is so polarizing as to make a grown man's shorts wad themselves into a Gordian knot. It must be one hell of a knife.
 
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