Spyderco Assisted Opener

Spyderco doesn't release things without doing their homework, and they generally have forty to fifty projects "in the works" at any given time. It may take a couple of years to get to market, but it will be right when it does.
 
I'm sorry if it's come up before, I did a search and didn't find a thread about it, perhaps I wasn't thurough enough.

I see that there are reasons Spyderco hasn't ventured into ao knives. That doesn't mean there isn't a market for it though. It just means I buy another ZT instead.
 
Actually, I think the last two or three times it has been in General rather than here. It only comes up a couple of times a year.
 
yablanowitz said:
Legal gray area is right. The way the law is written in Kansas, they are lumped together with switchblades and butterfly knives. The law wasn't enforced yesterday, but that doesn't mean you won't get arrested for one today. Colorado laws are even more restrictive (it has been colonized by California), so they have to tread carefully. Odds are they would have to sell an assisted opener as a restricted item, same as an automatic, which limits their market considerably.

Personally, I see no advantages to AO, but plenty of liabilities.
Click to expand...

Uhhh I was kinda following you until the line I put in bold...you do realize that in probably most of the country they are not even in a gray area? They don't fit many state definitions of an automatic at all. I know in my state CT a switchblade has to have a lever or switch on the handle to qualify as an automatic. No button on the handle? No crime. No restrictions.

Nor do companies like Kershaw seem to have any trouble importing, manufacturing or selling them.

I have no problem with Sal or Spyderco in general having no interest in making an AO knife, but to claim it would be financial or legal suicide is just silly.
 
But they aren't manufacturing them there. Due to a past ruling (which cost them a bunch of money in fines), Spyderco no longer imports either whole knives or components for their "restricted" line. They are made entirely in Golden, CO. That means they have to comply with local laws. If those local laws lump AO in with switchblades, then that is the reality they have to deal with. It wouldn't matter if Colorado was the only state in the U.S. to do so, if the place where you make them says they're restricted/illegal, then they are. Companies like Kershaw (owned by Kai of Japan) aren't operating in Colorado. They also are a LOT bigger, with more financial resources to feed lawyers when the court cases roll around.
 
Deviltooth said:
I'm sorry if it's come up before, I did a search and didn't find a thread about it, perhaps I wasn't thurough enough.

I see that there are reasons Spyderco hasn't ventured into ao knives. That doesn't mean there isn't a market for it though. It just means I buy another ZT instead.
Click to expand...

I do not recall anyone stating the was no market for it. What Sal's exact words were was quoted in the post he wrote. There are companies that pretty well have that aspect of folding knives covered, no need for Spyderco to dive in. They could make knives with the same tolerances as Sebenzas, but that isn't their thing. It's like asking why Land Rover doesn't make a sports car. Because Ferrari and Porsche already have tht market covered. They stick to what they do best. Would it be cool? Would it sell? Maybe, maybe not.
 
RevDevil said:
I do not recall anyone stating the was no market for it. What Sal's exact words were was quoted in the post he wrote. There are companies that pretty well have that aspect of folding knives covered, no need for Spyderco to dive in. They could make knives with the same tolerances as Sebenzas, but that isn't their thing. It's like asking why Land Rover doesn't make a sports car. Because Ferrari and Porsche already have tht market covered. They stick to what they do best. Would it be cool? Would it sell? Maybe, maybe not.
Click to expand...

That logic doesn't really work. Spyderco competes in the same arena as Kershaw (KAI) with similar products appealing to similar buyers. True there are places such as this where you can find hard core brand loyalists, but they make up a tiny percentage of buyers.

Also, a company like Ferrari is owned by Fiat. Fiat brands itself for the lower end of the market and aims Ferrari at the higher. Similarly Spyderco has the Byrd line which is means to be competing with lower end knives.

If Spyderco can't manufacture ao blades in Colarado they still have other options. I've noticed that my Spydercos also come from Japan, Taiwan and China.
 
I have a few AO knives but generally prefer non-AO.
However i would love it if Spyderco made some flipper knives!
The Gayle Bradley design could easily become a flipper with a slight design change, just little bit of steel left in the right place on the blade.
 
This is one those questions that comes up every now and again The response is consistent from Spyderco and the large part of Spyderco loving forumgoers. Unfortunately we can't always have the things we want exactly how or when we want them, e.g., a Spyderco made AO knife. If things change then maybe your itch can get scratched. Until then we make due.
 
Deviltooth said:
That logic doesn't really work. Spyderco competes in the same arena as Kershaw (KAI) with similar products appealing to similar buyers. True there are places such as this where you can find hard core brand loyalists, but they make up a tiny percentage of buyers.

Also, a company like Ferrari is owned by Fiat. Fiat brands itself for the lower end of the market and aims Ferrari at the higher. Similarly Spyderco has the Byrd line which is means to be competing with lower end knives.

If Spyderco can't manufacture ao blades in Colarado they still have other options. I've noticed that my Spydercos also come from Japan, Taiwan and China.
Click to expand...

You're right, they do contract production in other countries. They also got nailed with a huge fine and had to recall the Spyderfly due to legal issues as a result, despite trying to comply with all the laws. Maybe they should pack up their factory in Golden, sell their homes and move the whole thing to a friendlier state. :rolleyes:
 
Deviltooth said:
That logic doesn't really work. Spyderco competes in the same arena as Kershaw (KAI) with similar products appealing to similar buyers. True there are places such as this where you can find hard core brand loyalists, but they make up a tiny percentage of buyers.

Also, a company like Ferrari is owned by Fiat. Fiat brands itself for the lower end of the market and aims Ferrari at the higher. Similarly Spyderco has the Byrd line which is means to be competing with lower end knives.

If Spyderco can't manufacture ao blades in Colarado they still have other options. I've noticed that my Spydercos also come from Japan, Taiwan and China.
Click to expand...

It's very clear from Sal and co. that an AO spyderco isn't going to happen, so why continue trying to push for one? Spyderco liner and frame locks open as fast, if not faster, than any speedsafe or other AO I have ever owned. My military flies out faster than most automatics with hardly any more effort than it takes to compress the auto button. That said, if you can open a knife that isn't AO as fast as if it was, again, if not faster, then what's the point of making an AO model, especially if you have to jump through certain legal hoops. Also, though there is a market, it's fairly easy to see that, in the knife community, AO knives don't attract too many people to a brand. What keeps Kershaw/ZT afloat is their great designs and craftsmanship. I'm sure many of the AO designs they have would sell just as well without AO.

My last point: the person who stated something about legal grey areas in CT. Spyderco isn't based in CT, they are out of CO. Most companies manufacture according to their bases of opperation, especially a company as personal as spyderco. Yes, they manufacture and distribute from other countries, but then they have to worry about possible customs infringements or paying certain fees to allow their product into the states. You also have to take into account any export laws.

To me, it would seem as though the juice is hardly worth the squeeze. Most of the Kershaw market are random, non-knofe knuts that purchase those blades for general everyday use. They probably make up any fees paid just from the amounts of walmart customers that Kershaw gets. There are a lot a variables that go into making the decision to create an AO knife, and I think spyderco has taken all those variables into account and just deemed it less than profitable, whether monetarily or in terms of professional relationships.
 
GundaManiac said:
Oooh. I don't intend to derail this thread, but whatever happened with that flipper knife project? I've never heard of it before, but then again I did only get into knives half a year ago. Did it ever go anywhere or did the project die? I am a huge fan of flippers and opening holes as opening devices. I'd be all over a Spyderco flipper.
Click to expand...

I believe Brian Southard, of Southard Knives, has made a custom piece employing a flipper with a Spyderco opening hole. I'm not sure if he has submitted it to Spyderco officially but it did generate some buzz on the Spyderco.com forums. Personally, I thought it was a cool-looking knife. If priced right, I'd probably pick one up to test it out. I've never owned a flipper before.
 
Just to stir the pot a little more, will someone who doesn't think that AOs are a legal gray area please share with me the rationale behind them that doesn't involve circumventing the Switchblade Act?
 
Yes it's true that in a typical moment most people who practice can open a Spyderco very quickly. However in a stressful situation fine motor skills go out the window. That's when an ao knife could be very helpful.

I also have to admit, ao is just plain fun. I like the way my Barrage or Blur snaps into place with a tiny thumb movement, it's satisfying. Some of us own a lot more knives than we need and ao is an excuse for me to snag yet another for the collection.

P.S. Love to see a Spyderco with a flipper.
 
Deviltooth said:
Yes it's true that in a typical moment most people who practice can open a Spyderco very quickly. However in a stressful situation fine motor skills go out the window. That's when an ao knife could be very helpful.

I also have to admit, ao is just plain fun. I like the way my Barrage or Blur snaps into place with a tiny thumb movement, it's satisfying. Some of us own a lot more knives than we need and ao is an excuse for me to snag yet another for the collection.

P.S. Love to see a Spyderco with a flipper.
Click to expand...
Guess this is one of those YMMV situations, but I don't see pressing my thumb into a depression and pushing as requiring any finer motor skills than triggering whatever releases the blade of an AO. I also suspect a Spyderco like the Stretch, with a 14mm Spyderhole, would be considerably easier to operate with gloved or half frozen hands than an AO.

I can, however, understand the toy/entertainment factor.
 
Deviltooth said:
That logic doesn't really work. Spyderco competes in the same arena as Kershaw (KAI) with similar products appealing to similar buyers. True there are places such as this where you can find hard core brand loyalists, but they make up a tiny percentage of buyers.

Also, a company like Ferrari is owned by Fiat. Fiat brands itself for the lower end of the market and aims Ferrari at the higher. Similarly Spyderco has the Byrd line which is means to be competing with lower end knives.

If Spyderco can't manufacture ao blades in Colarado they still have other options. I've noticed that my Spydercos also come from Japan, Taiwan and China.
Click to expand...
I get the distinct feeling that whatever answer you end up getting, you will still try and argue around it. Not worth the time, you have your answers, from several forum members and as quoted from Sal himself. If you have questions, call Spyderco in GOlden and ask them yourself. Post the response.
 
yablanowitz said:
Just to stir the pot a little more, will someone who doesn't think that AOs are a legal gray area please share with me the rationale behind them that doesn't involve circumventing the Switchblade Act?
Click to expand...
In Canada it ain't a grey area...because there's no botton.
(of course, if they can flick it, it's prohibited).
Get a Spyderco plant going in Windsor. We'll make an AO Spyderco here...we need the jobs!
 
I didn't think this was an argument. I thought it was a discussion about an interesting possibility (if improbable). The squeaky wheel gets the knife... isn't that how it goes?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top