Spyderco knives??

FMJ Hunter said:
I have nothing against spyderco and yes, I am rather new t othe knife world. Actually, I was watching a SHOT 2011 video with the Spyderco knives in it... this little one, about a 1 inch blade, for $200. I know nothing about Spyderco really, so I saw this and was shocked.

No trolling here, just trying to learn ;)
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Understand that there is a an MSRP for all knives. That $200 balance is more like $130 or so. People that have bought one seem to love them.
 
FMJ Hunter said:
I have nothing against spyderco and yes, I am rather new t othe knife world. Actually, I was watching a SHOT 2011 video with the Spyderco knives in it... this little one, about a 1 inch blade, for $200. I know nothing about Spyderco really, so I saw this and was shocked.

No trolling here, just trying to learn ;)
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Good, in that case here is a little info that will help inform (I hope). No need to apologize for wanting to learn, no one here (except maybe 2 people) were born with all encompassing knife knowledge in their DNA.
That price for that knife was the MSRP, that is rarely what someone ends up really paying. That knife the "Spyderco Balance" is a limited run knife. Meaning that once the initial amount produced is gone, that's it. it will more than likely never be made again. The location that the knife is made in also effects price considerably.

The most common reason knives cost what they do is due in part to materials used, blade steel, and overall craftsmanship. Carbon fiber is more expensive than G10, or FRN/Valox. The milling process adds to cost as well. Some steels are more exotic than others, and it will reflect in the cost because of difficulty in machining and availability.

Limited edition knives (for example a run of 100 knives) will usually cost more than the standard model, especially if it is something that is out of production. These items are also more collectable and arguably hold or increase in value as time goes by. Hope this provides some sort of framework. :)

If you like large knives and really want to try Spyderco and see for yourself what the fuss is about I will make a recommendation. Try the Military or the Endura. Both knives are solid and are worth their price.
 
haha^ I suggest he watches a sebenza video and then a byrd knife video and pay close attention. Not that Byrd knives are bad, I had a Cara Cara and it was a good value, but he will be able to see the differences.

If your serious about learning then browse the the forums a good amount more and get general knowledge on steels, handle materials, lock types and understand how much R&D costs compared to how many knives of that kind they produce. This will also answer you future question why do custom knives cost so much when you finally get a quality knife and think its best knife you ever held. I have a spyderco paramilitary2. You will be very hard pressed to find a knife with the same quality materials and thought put into it by another maker. Not saying it cant be found but it will have to be searched for.

Things that alter a knife's cost:
balde material: cheaper would be 8CR13MOV, a common quality steel would be S30V, a super steel would be S90V or ZDP 189. The difference in steels to sum up is hardness, edge retention, rust resistent, brittleness, and type of edge.

Handle material
cheap---FRN i.e strong plastic. It is good but cheaper. Average is G-10. Higher price is Titanium or Carbon Fiber.

Also the amount made can influence price. If you spend 10K on R&D and produce 100 knives then the R&D cost adds $100 per knife, if 1,000knives were made then its only a $10 addition.

Also, more quality pivot systems for a knife can change the price. I am not that knowledgable about this so I will let you learn from someone with the correct terminology. Basically you can slip the blade on a screw and then slap the handle slabs on or take time and make the spacing perfect and put low friction washers in between the blade and handle. Watch a chris reeve's sebenza break down video on youtube or a Bradley Alias breakdown video.

Another thing, notice tolerences on knives, if the blade is centered, how close are the handle slabs to the blade, how perfectly do the parts match up i.e handles to liners, handles to blade (spyderco does that extremely well).

This forum and youtube were big teachers for me. Just be courteous and spend some time. There is a search button on this forum that will work well when wanting info about something and not just making a thread that already probably exists.

Happy learning and the best way to learn is to get the knife and be hands on. If you can afford it get a knife around $100 and you will notice why it costs that.
 
Spyderco makes quality products along with other makers like Kershaw, Benchmade, Emerson, ESEE, and so forth. They're also run by quality individuals who frequently interact with members here in the Spyderco sub-forum and on their own company forum - not that many manufacturers are willing or able to do that.

Are some of their products overpriced? To me, no. To others, it just depends on what a person perceives as either "money well spent" or "money wasted" and making their own conclusion. As others suggested, it might be worth buying a Tenacious and see what it's all about...
 
FMJ Hunter said:
I apologize. I have seen it everywhere, and have heard lots of bad things about spyderco... obviously not from very reliable sources.

I am not a cheap knife fanatic, and am more experienced with fixed blades. Maybe I will go pick up a Spyderco and see.

Again, i'm sorry.
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FMJ Hunter, I kind of understand where you're coming from in that I used to view Spyderco knives as ugly, overpriced and rather cheap looking... Then back in 1995 I decided to see what all the fuss was about and I bought an FRN Dragonfly for $32 bucks and the rest is history - I now own over 50 Spyderco's.:D Try an entry level Spydie like an FRN Dragonfly or a Persistence then the quality and the superior functionality will become apparent to you.
 
FMJ, I see where you're coming from. You happen to pick a model that's unusual.

First, street price of a typical Spyderco from a typical online dealer is around 60% of the MSRP. There are 3 types of classes of knives in Spyderco. The normal model and variations, some premium versions of the model, and Sprint runs.

Let me give you an example of perhaps the quintessential Spyderco folder, the Delica. The Delica is available with FRN handles (molded fiber-reinforced nylon) and VG-10 (a high quality ingot stainless steel from Japan) blade steel. This is the "regular" model and retails around $50.

There is a FRN version with ZDP-189 (powdered metal steel from Hitachi that's extremely hard and has great edge retention) that is around $75.

There was a G-10 handled version with VG-10 steel that went for about $110.

And there are some very special bone scaled Damascus versions of the Delica that was around $200 - $250.

The blade steel, handle material, number of copies made, etc. all contribute to the wide range of price in a single model line. There are good reasons why some are $50 and why some others are over $200. Learn about the differences and decide for yourself if the premium models are worth the price for you.

Spyderco is one of the best knife makers available today that delivers tremendous options for us knife junkies. The fact that they are willing to take the risk of making a low demand, highly priced specialized folders specifically for us is something you can't find outside the custom knife world.

If you think Spydies are pricey, try a custom knife, made to your specifications. That's essentially what we get from Spyderco.
 
FMJ Hunter said:
Maybe I will go pick up a Spyderco and see.
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Its not possible to adequate judge the street price of a knife by simply looking at the MSRP, and its certainly going to be off if you judge the brand by looking at MSRP of a limited edition piece using high end materials that the designer himself calls expensive. Across the board Spyderco offers exceptional value.

Assuming your serious I’d recommend any one of the sage series to get to know Spyderco.
 
FMJ Hunter said:
Can someone enlighten my on the Spyderco obsession?
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I dunno if you'd call this obsession, but I've been carrying and using Spyderco knives daily for close to 15 years now and they've never failed me. Here's one from my EDC rotation, an all black fully serrated FRN Endura in G2 steel from the late 1990's. Hope that helps...
 

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Hi FMJ Hunter,

Welcome to the Bladeforums. Lots of good people here with good information.

Spyderco's margins are based on our costs. We work on relatively fixed margins. If a knife is high, it's because it costs more. Sometimes it's materials, sometimes country of origin. We can always explain the reasons for our prices.

We produce a wide variety of designs at a wide variety of prices. You might check out our web-site or call our outlet store and they can send a catalog to you.

sal
 
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FMJ Hunter said:
I apologize. I have seen it everywhere, and have heard lots of bad things about spyderco... obviously not from very reliable sources.

I am not a cheap knife fanatic, and am more experienced with fixed blades. Maybe I will go pick up a Spyderco and see.

Again, i'm sorry.
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It would be very wise, if you carry or intend to carry a folder, to buy a spyderco. In this way, you could save yourself alot of time and headaches of the "bargin" knives you must think are out there.

The fact that your willing to give them a chance, shows your not dumb as some may have implyed, just not yet enlightened.;)
 
Just pick up a FRN Delica and admit you will never really NEED another knife. Nothing over priced about that.
 
i have a lot of knives and a lot of brands and i think for the prise spyderco is one of the best band for the buck. the op must of never used a spyderco
 
These three= "budget knives"
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This badboy: Best bang for your buck in a large folder
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This dude= best value for a folder...ever:
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All those may seem "expensive" to you, but every dollar you spend you will get back in use.
 
OP shouldnt have to say sorry for anything. Lol. Some of you guys jumped down his throat a little. Anyway, spyderco is an awesome brand that makes a quality product, and you pay for quality. Try out a spydie and you will see. I am fairly new to spydies myself and have joined the cult. Also getting obsessed with bark river check them out too
 
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