SKU Reduction Revisited

K

Kysa

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This topic has been kicked around before a few times, but here's another try at possibly helping our Golden, CO friends reduce their schizophrenia over so many different knife options. To bring in new designs, old ones much go, so post your suggestions for Spyderco SKU reductions below.

And here are my own Top 10 nominations for SKU retirement:

1. Toad - CoPilot - Pegasus (Keep Navigator)
2. Calypso - it's elegant for sure (Keep the Jr.)
3. Two of the Goddards - u pick
4. Michael Walker C22 & C37
5. Snap-It or Remote Release
6. Worker (I'm deaf, but I can hear your screams!)
7. Standard (great knife, but too similar to the Delica.)
8. Wegner Jr. (Pro-Grip can handle this work.)
9. Black Hawk & Renegade
10. Jess Horn Lightweight or Howard Veile

These are my tough choices. They're worth 2 cents is all, but maybe we can help Sal if we come to a consensus on a few of the SKU's.

[This message has been edited by Kysa (edited 29 May 1999).]

[This message has been edited by Kysa (edited 30 May 1999).]
 
No, not the Calypso Jr! Please anything but that one. And not the Viele or the Jess Horn Lightweight. Anyone but those......it's gonna be a tough decision Sal!
smile.gif


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~Greg~

 
Kysa,
I respect your views on knives, but the Calypso and Wegner Jr???? The Wegner Jr is one of the best knives Spyderco has ever made and one of the best production linerlocks on the market. Both Calypsos are some of my favorites. I've heard rumors that the big Calypso is going bye bye. Since the worker was the (I believe) first clipit I doubt it will go anywhere. My $.02.
 
I would have to vote for the following:

1. JSK (I think it is already at the end of its run.)
2. Toad (It is aptly named)
3. Snap-its
4. Renegade
5. Just about any of the light weight collabarative efforts. (Why take a really nice knife and cheese it up?)

Keep the Viele!!!
 
I really like the Michael Walker lightweight. It's perfect for carry.

I would also say the lightweight collaborations, as above, are not that cheezy. But, that is all Spyderco offers. I just got a Michael Walker Experimental that has aluminum handles that is pretty substantial. Sigh...I wish that Spyderco would offer more knives like this.

Just another opinion,
Jeff Jenness

P.S. Kysa, I see you are a student in Conway. I am a professor in Jonesboro. Nice to see a neighbor here.
 
Man, I feel like Steve Martin's character in the "Jerk"...
"I only need this Military and that's all,well, the Military and the Calypso but thats all I need. Oh, and this Native too, just the Military, the Calypso, the Native, the Blackhawk and the Renegade..."
I guess you see where this is going
wink.gif
 
I may be wrong, but I think a lot of what we're discussing is already in the works:
Toad - limited production
Calypso - decision to be made soon, maybe going
Micarta Goddards - in their last run or finished
Black Hawk & Renegade - already discontinued (?)
Howard Viele - Danelle says getting scarce, discontinued?

For my $0.02, I think the Snap-It should go - it's been obsolete since the Remote Release. I think there's a place for a knife like the G-10 Standard, but they should make things simpler and just make it a G-10 Delica (maybe with a G-10 Endura, too?). A liteweight Calypso would fill the role of the Police in the Zytel line without messing up the Police itself. And I agree with the sentiment that custom collaborations have no place in the Liteweight line. That's how I feel, anyhow.


------------------

-Corduroy
(Why else would a bear want a pocket?)
 
Cord, now you're talking - G-10 versions of the Delica/Endura would make a nice upgrade for sure.
 
Well James at least we are willing to make room for those new ones.
wink.gif
I think the Pro Grip should go. I rarely see anyone buy them and few dealers I have seen even bother to carry them. The Worker should go and I have a feeling it will. Lets face it just becuase it is the first does not mean they should keep it in the line up if the sales are not there. One does have to pay the bills after all. Oh yes I told the lady's at work about the upcoming pink Delica's. They all want them. Sal please make lots of those! That could be my best seller since 50% or more of my sales are going to women.
smile.gif
I would say it is time to think of more knives that are geared to a woman's taste. They all time me fancy handles and colors other than black would sell like crazy! Who am I to argue?
biggrin.gif


Regards,

Tom Carey

Regards,

Tom Carey

------------------
IF you are a knife maker interested in free space on the web.
Check out. CGA online

www.anova.org/cga/

 
No Pegasus!!
frown.gif
Bummer. And its such a great little knife. Better then the Navigator in my lowly opinion. Oh well.


Blades
 
Maybe it would be easier to decide which to kill off by drawing the amount that is to be kept from a hat filled with the name of all the knives.
smile.gif



Regards,

Tom Carey
 
The decisions have been made for the most part, with announcement coming 1 JUL. I would however, be interested in your choices. We did a survey among Distributors, dealers and ELU in order to come up with the choices, but this group seems to be very knowledgeable.

A Model is a pattern, like the Delica. We will still carry 5 variations (SKUs) of the Delica (3 FRNs & 2 steels). Eventually this will change as well, but we had to begin somewhere. Also, changes are constant.

We've had a number of requests for a FRN "Worker" model from LEOs, in adition to Marion's Y2K model request (previous thread). (A proto is in the works).

We are down to 30 models at this time (excluding kitchen, FB (Moran) & Ladybugs. Knives with the same (or similar) pattern have been moved to one number. eg: C08 Harpy, C08SBKP is the Merlin. C13 is now the Pro-Grip in stainless (formerly Pro-Venator) and Pro-grip in FRN (C13PSBK - formerly C33PSBK). Probably cofusing initially, but will sort out in the long run.

Sorry about the Pegasus, Blades. Can't please everyone unless we have "too many SKUs". Demand can always bring up a "batch" or small demand may require that we carry it at the Spyderco Factory Store.

What models would you keep and why? Danelle will compile a list for us.
sal


 
Sal,
I just got the new price sheet with the new model designations. You realize, of course, now I have to go into the computer and change a bunch of numbers in my inventory listing. As if I didn't already have enough to do. :-) Seriously, though, I think this will make things a little simpler once it's all done with.

I like the idea of reducing the number of SKUs. I try to carry the full line of Spyderco and with so many models and variations that gets to be an expensive proposition, not to mention all of the space it takes up in my display counters. It's a small shop after all.

Like the others, though, I'm not sure which ones I would dump. Strictly from a sales perspective, I would say the Calypsos Large & small, (or convert them to LW versions like the Goddards) and the stainless steel ones too. The Worker could go as well. Pro grips, Micarta Horns and Walker LWs are also very slow movers. I guess Renegades and Blackhawks are already gone. Good!

I'm sure I could come up with a few more but that is all I can think of at the moment.

(Are we getting our Starmates, or does Ironstone have them all?)

Dennis

Dennis

------------------
Isn't it amazing how 2 cents worth of opinion takes up a quarter's worth of paper???

Please excuse the crayon. They won't let us have anything sharp in here.
wrightknife@ixpres.com



[This message has been edited by Dennis Wright (edited 01 June 1999).]
 
Sal - word of advice: keep the C36! Mighty useful knife indoors and out. 'Nuff said
smile.gif


------------------
Dexter Ewing
Knife Reviews Moderator

"The keystroke is mightier than the sword"

 
Model is a pattern, like the Delica. We will still carry 5 variations (SKUs) of the Delica (3 FRNs & 2 steels). Eventually this will change as well, but we had to begin somewhere.
Click to expand...

So there will be fewer variations?

Me, I had hoped there would be some knives in 50/50 <small>(or thereabouts)</small> serration patterns, with the serrations near the <strong>tip</strong>.
But of course I understand the need to keep the number of models and variations down.

------------------
www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/diverse/knives/

 
I'm sure this will cause howls of protest but I would get rid of most of the steel handled models.

They are too heavy and too slippy.

I have not bought a steel handled model for a couple of years now and am allways searching for lightweight alternatives, bless micarta and G10.



------------------
Harvey Wareham

Live Long & Prosper, so you can buy more knives :)


 
I think it's great that Spyderco has done so much in the way of small one-handers, what with the Ladybug, Dragonfly, Cricket, Pegasus, Co-Pilot, Navigator and Toad (did I miss any?). Still, I can easily see the duplication of effort.

The Pegasus, Co-Pilot and Navigator seem too similar to keep them all. All the others have much more distinction. Of these three, I'd probably keep only the Navigator (and it looks like that may be what you're planning). I bought a Pegasus (in its experimental, not-yet-named CX-01 incarnation) from a fellow forumite. It's a great little non-threatening knife. It may well become my new airline-travel knife. But I can imagine a plain (non-serrated) version of any of these as a suitable knife for that function. I may, in fact, decide to use a Zytel Dragonfly instead because it is so much more replaceable just in case I get a real jerk as a security guard. I've never had trouble yet, but I don't want to be carrying an Umfaan when I do get a jerk (not that I even own an Umfaan yet
smile.gif
).

I'd keep the lightweights, the Ladybug, Dragonfly and Cricket, one of the [Pegasus, Navigator, Co-Pilot] set (with plain-edge available) and the Toad.

At first, I thought the Toad was just too ugly to consider, but interestingly, it has been growing on me. I may even buy one someday. It's certainly different enough from the others to merit its own niche. It hasn't been out long enough that it is likely to have much of a following, but at least it ought to be worth watching for a bit more yet.

I am among the many here who would be very sorry to see the Micarta Calypso Jr discontinued. It's just a really pretty knife. A pink Calypso Jr (even in Zytel) would be even better (IMHO) than a pink Delica, but it would be better still in pink Micarta. I gathered from a comment in another thread that the pink Delicas would be available fully serrated only. I am not the only one present who thinks that a pink plain-edged Delica would find better acceptance as a present (to the recipient) than a serrated one. I could be wrong, but I would be more likely to give a plain one to my 22 yr-old niece than a serrated one, for example.


------------------
Paul Neubauer
prn@bsu.edu
 
FRN = fiberglass reinforced nylon

(Zytel or a similar material produced by a different company.)

David Rock

[This message has been edited by David Rock (edited 01 June 1999).]
 
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