Spyderco domino flipper

[throwback8]

Ditto. Well said. There must be reasons that almost all the premium collaborations come from Taichung:

• Bradley (Gayle Bradley, CPM-M4)
• Southard (Brad Southard, CTS-204P)
• Techno (Marcin Slysz, CTS-XHP)
• Tuff (Ed Schempp, CPM-3V)
• Vallotton (Butch Vallotton, CPM S30V)
• Horn (Des Horn, CPM S30V)
• Szabo (Laci Szabo, CPM S30V)
• Domino (Eric Glesser, CTS-XHP)

I am going to have to concur. Initially I had hesitation purchasing the Southard, yet it has become one of my favorite knives. The fit and finish on display in my Sage 1 and Southard have alleviated any and all concerns about the pricing of the Taiwan Spydies. I now look at Taichung knives as a steal for the quality you receive.

 

[xICEMANx]

Wish it had better handle to blade ratio and real carbon fiber not this glass weave laminate stuff. I'm sure it will be a quality folder but I'm not sure why Spyderco has an issue with blade to handle ratio. Case in point Military, Para Military, Domino, etc. The southard is the only one I can think of that truly has a good handle to blade ratio.

 

[NeverMore1701]

Wish it had better handle to blade ratio and real carbon fiber not this glass weave laminate stuff. I'm sure it will be a quality folder but I'm not sure why Spyderco has an issue with blade to handle ratio. Case in point Military, Para Military, Domino, etc. The southard is the only one I can think of that truly has a good handle to blade ratio.

I very much agree.

 

[blixxx]

Spyderco adding flippers!!! I need to get in on that action!!!

 

[threeson]

Iceman, you are discounting the practical usefulness of finger choils.

 

[rexromic]

Some of the very best and highest quality Spydercos I have are made at the Taichung, Taiwan plant: Bradley, Southard, Techno, Tuff and Vallotton. I have no doubt that the Domino is in that esteemed group.

Well said.:thumbup:

 

[evilgreg]

Iceman, you are discounting the practical usefulness of finger choils.

Finger choils are great on small knives--nothing turns a too-small knife into a usable cutting tool like a nice finger choil (e.g. on a Dragonfly or a Kopa or whatever). On a bigger knife they're IMO a big waste of space, like on the PM2, a knife that's the same size as a Benchmade 710 in the pocket, but has an inch less sharpened steel . . .

 

[RamZar]

... real carbon fiber not this glass weave laminate stuff.

I'm pretty sure the scales on the Domino are the same Carbon Fiber / G-10 Laminate like on the Bradley folder just in a different pattern. Good-looking grippy texture.

 

[NeverMore1701]

I think the handle looks fantastic.

I think the choil is pointless.

 

[Pharmagator]

I like the Spyderco emphasis on a good, grippy choil... I must not have as much manual dexterity as many here... but the choil makes hard use a lot safer for me... (i.e. using my Military to lay waste to a series of over-sealed and over-wrapped packages... Huzzah!

 

[xICEMANx]

I'm pretty sure the scales on the Domino are the same Carbon Fiber / G-10 Laminate like on the Bradley folder just in a different pattern. Good-looking grippy texture.

May be which is also not true carbon fiber. It's a peel ply over g10.

 

[RamZar]

May be which is also not true carbon fiber. It's a peel ply over g10.

The top / outside layer on the Bradley (assuming that Domino is the same) is carbon fiber and it feels awfully good.

However, I agree that a really good all carbon fiber handle with texture cannot be beat - for me at least.

Think Zero Tolerance 0560CBCF and even better 0777. Their texture give you an assured grip with none of the slipperiness of polished / smooth CF and of course none of the coarseness of new G10. New G10 gives the most grip but it's rough on the raw hand and over time it smooths out too much. CF ones stay pretty even.

 

[zl1]

I am ready mcrad

 

[PURPLEDC]

You articulate my perspective perfectly. I believe that it is "on par with every USA produced production knife in its price range," which is exactly the thing which doesn't make sense to me. I am no economist and perhaps I am reading this wrong: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ichcc.pdf . What do you think?

We've all seen the parrotted comment that Spyderco margins are kind of, sort of, basically, mostly, about the same. The discerning reader will note that that means nothing. I dig Spyderco and have nothing against Taiwan production [for political reasons will not buy Chinese when presented with the option]. If the Spyderco branded Taiwanese knives carried about 65% of their price tag, I would have a Vallotten in my pocket right now -really, if the Taiwanese company which makes the Vallotten branded it as their own I would be more likely to purchase it. I guess outsourcing is no great and respectable feat to me.

Anyway, all of this is merely my perspective. I will not be purchasing a Taiwanese production knife at a USA production price because it would make me feel unhappy, and that feeling is not what I seek when I buy knives.

This is only my personal opinion. I sincerely hope that all who purchase any knife enjoy said knife.
Live long and prosper \\ //

So you say that the fact that Taiwan production and USA production cost the same that it means relatively nothing. Yet you seem to feel that the Taiwan knives should be 65% cheaper? For what reason? If you have two knives that ONLY differ with each other in respect to which border they were manufactured why is the USA made knife more valuable by default? Dont get me wrong man, I love being an american. But tend to have this misconception that they only support americans by buying american. There are plenty of USA jobs that depend on overseas manufacturing. If we only bought and sold USA made goods you would have a lot of lost jobs in the USA. Life is a balance.

 

[jazub]

So you say that the fact that Taiwan production and USA production cost the same that it means relatively nothing. Yet you seem to feel that the Taiwan knives should be 65% cheaper? For what reason? If you have two knives that ONLY differ with each other in respect to which border they were manufactured why is the USA made knife more valuable by default? Dont get me wrong man, I love being an american. But tend to have this misconception that they only support americans by buying american. There are plenty of USA jobs that depend on overseas manufacturing. If we only bought and sold USA made goods you would have a lot of lost jobs in the USA. Life is a balance.

Yo Man,

I really don't want to bring down the wrath of the Mod-gods for being political so I don't want to get into a big debate about this here. Maybe we can pm. But here is my point, again:

Manufacturing in Taiwan is significantly less expensive than in the USA and, all else being the same, Taiwanese products should reflect that price difference for the consumer.

I never said production costs are the same between Taiwan and the USA; I said the opposite of that -and provided a link to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report to support my case (it is linked in my previous post). Also, I said I would try the Vallotton if it cost 65% as much as it does, not 65% less.

I wish Spyderco the best; I am just not one of the consumers who will play along at the price point they are asking, as I think it sets a lame precedent of asking USA mfg prices for Asian production cost goods. I know that the materials are not Taiwan sourced but little made for export there is. Calling the materials a "feature" is a distraction.

In reading this and the Spyderco subforum, it seems I am not the only person of this opinion. It also seems that the standard response to this reasonable point of view is "you are missing out, Taichung knives are the best Spydercos". That is fine but it avoids the point.

Anyway, I hope everybody enjoys their Dominoes. Here is some Domino that I can get down with:

[video=youtube_share;bQQCPrwKzdo]http://youtu.be/bQQCPrwKzdo[/video]

All the best to you. No hard feelings, dude. :thumbup:

 

[xICEMANx]

Oh I haven't been the biggest fan of this knife UNTIL I handled one at Blade HQ today. Needless to say it's now MINE! Very smooth flipper, great ergonomics, lightweight, etc. Really think those who are skeptical like I was aught to take a chance and order one. Blade HQ has them in stock. They got 39 and while I was fondling one they sold 22 of them!

 

[evilgreg]

Mine came and I'm not in love with it

It's pretty, and flips great (right there with the Southard and 0801), but it's bulky and short-bladed in that very Spyderco sort of way.

I should probably quit comparing it to the Southard, though. I suppose it's not really fair but it's hard not to. The Southard is smaller in the pocket and has a bigger blade . . .

Quick photo of mine (I posted a bunch more, with comparison shots, over in the Spyderco subforum):

Update: after careful comparison, I think the Domino has the best flipping action of all the manual flippers I own. Also, the scale is really, really nice. It's not just pretty, but it's got a really nice texture as well.

 

[PURPLEDC]

Yo Man,

I
Manufacturing in Taiwan is significantly less expensive than in the USA and, all else being the same, Taiwanese products should reflect that price difference for the consumer.

I think this is where you may be slightly mislead. From what I have been able to gather "labor" costs are lower in taiwan. This isnt the same thing as manufacturing costs. Manufacturing costs include the price of raw materials, labor, etc. I think there is a savings in the taiwan spydercos. Its just not dramatic because the knives utilize a large amount of high quality and many times USA sourced materials that not only cost the same no matter where the product is made but actually have to be shipped to spyderco in golden and then shipped again from spyderco to taiwan to be utilized for making the knives. Sal has said many times over that its a misconception that the cost of manufacturing to the same quality standards in taiwan is substantially less than in the USA and that its simply a matter of their golden plant being at max capacity that they use Taiwan as much as they do and the fact that the quality level is so high and the materials they use are what they are that you dont see a dramatic price difference. If you feel Sal Is lying that is simply another area we will have to just agree to disagree. Sal has a reputation of being one of the most honest and up front guys in the business and I think he would rather not comment at all rather than make a flat out false statement. I think its easy for us as consumers to look at issues like this as black and white because we have a very simplified view of much larger picture. We see it simply as asian products should cost less because thats the way its been for many years on countless items. Yet we forget that the majority of Asian production does NOT follow the same business model that spyderco follows with how they utilize asian manufacturing. Can you save money in taiwan and china? Yes but if that is the objective. But if you look at the materials going into the taiwan spydercos it should be pretty apparent that saving money isnt the top priority. If you compare spydercos taiwan models with knives made in the USA out of the same materials 9 times out of ten the USA made product is more expensive than the spyderco. Bottom line your arent going to get titanium, carbon fiber (glass or whatever it is) CTS-XHP and high quality manufacturing for $150. Its just not possible.

 

[jazub]

I think this is where you may be slightly mislead.

Purple,

I accept your offer to agree to disagree -but be sure that I am not mislead in my understanding.

I have read the arguments you state within these forums before. We perceive the situation differently. Your opinion in favor of this particular company's business practices appears to be quite strong and there is nothing I wish to add to try and persuade you otherwise. I am happy that you like Spyderco so much.

Be well and enjoy your Domino.

 

[RamZar]

My Domino looks, feels and flips great. The only minor gripe I have is that the blade is too wide so it doesn't have a slim profile.

Here's a picture alongside a few other Spydies (top to bottom): Southard, Domino, Bradley and Para2.