Should Spyderco stick to making folders?

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kgriggs8

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Should they stay away from making fixed blades and kitchen knives and everything except folders?

I am not against them expanding into other areas but I hope it does detract form the bread and butter knife line. When I think Spyderco, I think nice one handed open and close pocket knives with a clip. That is what got them where they are and I am afraid that if they spread themselves too thin, the folders may suffer. It is just that I have seen some companies try and sell and make things that they had no business making and it eventully hurt them.

Smith and Wesson comes to mind. They had a rep of making some of the best handguns in the world. Then they started making all sorts of things to cash in on their name. They made air guns, knives, rifles, shotguns and a bunch of other stuff. Some of the thing they just put their name on but many of them, they actually tried to make in house. Almost everything other than handguns that they tried to make, was a failure. I know that the airguns for example, cost them more to make then they were selling them for and repairs were killing them. They then decided to outsource the airguns and the quality went down the tubes.

I am not saying that Spyderco making fixed blade is the same as S&W making airguns but where does it stop? Is there a point where you water down your name and it hurts you? Will we ever see a Spyderco blender or a Spyderco line of coolers?
 
I agree with you. I just don't see myself buying a fixed blade or kitchen knife from the people who pioneered the opening hole, serrations, and pocket clip. They should do what they do best instead of trying to tap a market that's already full of excellent brands
 
I guess the main question I'd ask is this: do you feel their "bread and butter" products have declined in some way? Is there something in particular that prompted you to ask the question?

I do agree that things can get to a point where trying to put out a lot of divergent products can hurt a company if their core quality suffers and it becomes about "how many different things can we sell just because...." I don't feel Spyderco is a company that would do such a thing. They've always come across to me as folks that want to produce products that work, not stuff that's just a logo'd gimmick for the hell of it. While I don't yet own a fixed blade Spyder, there are some I'd very much like to get and I'd have every confidence they'd be of the same excellent quality as their folders.
 
I was just reading in the Spyderco forum, Sal Glesser saying they've never had a sucessful fixed blade yet.
 
I'd say that kinda depends on what you mean by successful, they may not have sold as well as their clipit line... but I dare you to get your hand around a temp and not respect their FB line. :)

Jordan
 
I'm more of a "fixed blade" person than a "folder person". Spyderco has been very successful in the folder market. All companys need to increase their market share on a regular basis or they will eventually go out of business. So the fixed blade market is exactly what spyderco should be going after. The new fred perrin fixed blade fb15 is what got me interested in spyderco knives I bought one and am considering buying more of them, because it is a beautifully made knife that is made out of excellent materials (vg-10 and micarta) and the ergonomics are second to none. I am also very interested in the Jerry Hossom and Ed Schempp fixed blades. And I am totally sold on the spyderco bushblade and it's still on the drawing board. I plan on buying at least one of each model of the bushblade when it comes out.
 
right on man... I don't think I'll be getting both bushblades, but the more traditional model is definitely going into my backpacking rig... I broke my Fallkniven and for some reason I can't get myself to put my old Buck 119 through any more punishment (at some point... this hobby got to a point at which I started feeling deep emotions for my knives... sad, really) :o
 
ZenIrish,

The traditional bushblade is going to be awesome. I can't wait for a scandi grind made out of 52100. How did you break your fallkniven?
 
kgriggs8 said:
Should they stay away from making fixed blades and kitchen knives and everything except folders?

I am not against them expanding into other areas but I hope it does detract form the bread and butter knife line....
Click to expand...
An awful lot of their folders are hardly what I'd call "bread and butter." I assume Sal knows what he's doing with such a diverse product line.
 
Absolutely not!!! I love all of my Spyderco knives: Folders, fixed blades, kitchen knives and all of the sharpening equipment that they offer.

I have not seen any quality being diminished in any of their products. They are relatively new in the fixed blade department for sure. But that fixed blade Temperance is already a real reliable standby for me.

Spyderco's sharpening equipment is also the standard of the industry.

Kevin I do consider you not only a great trading partner but I also consider you a friend. But I have to respectfully disagree with you on that outlook of Spyderco being only proficient with folders. And I bet I'm not the only one with that opinion either.
 
I broke my F-1 the only way I believe it's possible... being retarded :o

I was trying to get some firewood off of this gigantic tree trunk by prying chunks of it away. The knife performed way above and beyond, but ultimately the blade snapped about a half inch above the blade/handle junction. The really sad thing is that my hatchet was all of 30 yards away, I just hadn't wanted to walk back to my base camp and grab it. Lazy men do their work twice, and lose very good knives.
 
Don't beat yourself up over the fallkniven, it just gave you a good excuse to buy another knife.:)
 
True that, wish I had timed it better though. Ever since I heard that Spyderco was going to make their bush knives I haven't wanted to buy anything else, and we all know how long it can sometimes take these folks to get something from drawing board to production. I'd be upset about it if they didn't put out such consistently good product.
 
Spyderco should certainly expand his fixed knives.
The ones I have are splendit, better than knives twice their price.

Spyderco is known for its folders.
1) their line of folders is much bigger as their line of fixed blades.
2) most knives sold (urban environement) are folders

Therefore their fixed blades don't get the attention and respect they deserve.
Spyderco makes fine knives in new designs with new materials folders AND fixed knives.
 
"I guess the main question I'd ask is this: do you feel their "bread and butter" products have declined in some way? Is there something in particular that prompted you to ask the question?"

I don't feel the quality or selection has declined at all. In fact, I think it is just the opposite. I think the quality is at an all time high and the selection is the best it has ever been. It is not about what is going on now but rather what I am worried might happen in the future.

The fact is, I will probably buy at least one Spyderco fixed blade and maybe two in the near future. I can trust Spyderco to produce a knife that is designed to work first and foremost. The Temp is a good example, it is not the most flashy knife but if I was in the market for a fixed blade knife of that size, that would be at the top of a short list. The blade and handle design look really useful. I am interested in the new dive knife as well.

I guess what I am asking is, where is the line? At what point does expanding your lines of fixed blades and kitchen knives take away from your folders? Lets face it, people look to Spyderco folders not fixed blades or kitchen knives or anything else. How many new folders are we missing out on right now and how many will we miss out on in the future so that Spyderco can concentrate on the fixed blades and kitchen knives and other products? Maybe none, it is just a question.

It has happened to a bunch of different companies. I think Spyderco has done very well and I wish them well. I want to continue to see the best and most inovative folders come from them for as long as Sal is at the helm. If the fixed blade line gets dropped, it is not a huge deal. If the folders start to decline, it will be over for Spyderco before you can say 'Calypso'.

I have seen Sal state in several threads that they can't produce all the folder designs that they want to because they have a lot of other projects to deal with. How many of these projects are not folders? I am probably just being paranoid but I thought it was worth while to pose the question. On one hand, I want to see more varied products from Spyderco because it is a name and a company I know I can trust. I would also like to have Spyderco hats, coats and floor mats for my car but not at the expense of the stuff that made them great.
 
well, considering that I will only buy Spyderco's folders (I live in suburbs, never had the need for a fixed blade), it is best to my interests that Spyderco invests more money/time into folders than fixed blades. My greedy opinion.
 
I'd need another job to keep up with everything they put out now. I'm not too worried about how much more they could come up with if it weren't for those "other projects".

Besides, Sal posted somewhere that they are working on sharpeners right now, and how many people have been suggesting improvements to the Sharpmaker?

I think that as long as Sal or Eric is at the helm, Spyderco will continue to do it right. Buyers will eventually catch on to the quality of Spyderco fixed blades. That is a large, crowded market on some levels, but I think there is room at the level where Sal and company compete.
 
Keep in mind, most of the fixed blade models are inspired by requests from spyder users, if they abandoned that entirely then they would leave a number of loyal customers feeling somewhat disenfranchised. Myself, I have uses for FBs and folders... and my favorite manufacturer is by far Spyderco. Therefore, I hope that they make both side by side forever. Between the two bush knife models that should be coming out, say, in 2030 or so, the new Hossoms, the kumo, the temp (not to mention the rumored full tang temp), and the new kitchen knives... I think they are going to break into the outdoors and household FB markets in a significant way in the next few years. Who knows, maybe there will soon be a thread entitled, "Should Spyderco just abandon the whole folder thing and switch to fixed blades entirely?" :p
 
DRider said:
I was just reading in the Spyderco forum, Sal Glesser saying they've never had a sucessful fixed blade yet.
Click to expand...

I read the same thing a while ago, but forgot... Did he say that in comparison to the sales of folding knives?

I don't buy fixed blades, but I do hope they continue to make them. Anything that helps the company grow.
 
I think they might be releasing a bit too many models at once now, but I'm going to buy a few of them:D

Their fixed blades have been very high quality, just like their kitchen knives, but haven't sold well AFAIK.

It will probably take some time to become a large actor in these fields. They are well established as a great maker of folding knives and I hope they will eventually be the same as a maker of fixed blades and kitchen cutlery as well.
 
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