Spyderco "made in Taiwan"

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Don't know about you guys, but my visit to Taiwan was great. Cost a $0.25 to take a cab (10 NT's local) from one side of town to the other. A suite at a local very nice hotel was about $2.00. An overnight waitress was an additional $5. All in all a very modern clean city. (Taichung) Of course this was in 1965 when I was working on a Merchant ship hauling cargo to Viet Nam. Fun times for a young 20 something single lad. These people turn out some quality merchandise.

Blessings,

Omar
 
rororo64 said:
I feel that the Southard is worth every dollar of the $240 I paid for it. I've been using it since I got it a little over a month ago and have had no problems with it.

The fit and finish is better than most of my knives and the design has grown to be my favorite.

I'm from Canada and don't give a crap where a knife is made as long as the knife performs well, has a design I like and isn't crap. That being said, I own a lot (30+) of USA made knives ranging from Buck, to Chris Reeve, to Spyderco and Zero Tolerance, and find that my 6 Spyderco Taiwan models that I have aquired, beat every USA knife except for Chris Reeve in Fit and Finish.

I have 2 Gayle Bradleys, a Sage 1 and 2, a Southard and a Techno, and upon very close inspection of the knives, there is absolutely no dings, marks, blade play or anything I can fault with these knives.

I can find at least one thing wrong(F and F and/or bladeplay) with every single production knife I have made in the USA, no matter the company besides CRK, and that is no exaggeration. Am I super unlucky? Maybe. However in my experience, for the price you pay for these Taiwan knives you are getting a bargain and they will beat any other knife made in USA(f and f wise) for the price every time.

In conclusion, this is my real world experience with these knives and these are my findings. Do I hate USA made knives? Hell no, I will continue to buy a knife from any country(yes, even China) if I like the design. Don't like what I have to say about my personal experience with USA knives? Complain to someone who gives a rats donkey. :p
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I don't think the problem is the price for what you get. The Southard seems like a really overloaded knife. It probably would have been cheaper if it used S30V, thinner blade stock (probably cut better with a thinner blade too), a bead blasted frame, and a regular washer system (properly executed they're more than smooth enough, though a Sage 2 I've handled didn't feel very smooth). It also looks ugly, which doesn't help the price. I'd rather spend $385 on a Lionsteel Tispine than 250 on a Southard.
 
Free2game said:
I don't think the problem is the price for what you get. The Southard seems like a really overloaded knife. It probably would have been cheaper if it used S30V, thinner blade stock (probably cut better with a thinner blade too), a bead blasted frame, and a regular washer system (properly executed they're more than smooth enough, though a Sage 2 I've handled didn't feel very smooth). It also looks ugly, which doesn't help the price. I'd rather spend $385 on a Lionsteel Tispine than 250 on a Southard.
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I get your points, but don't take away CTS-204P and replace that with S30V. I suppose it could have been all G10 with a SS liner lock. It is an "overloaded" knife, premium steel, Titanium handles, flipper with a bearing system, and you get what you pay for. Sounds like you would like a lot of Kershaw's mid-priced flippers. Nothing too exotic, no bearings, but a great solid knife. A Blur maybe? Do you just think no Spyderco (or any regular production company) should ever offer a knife that expensive, or is it something else? If you change all of those, it is a totally different knife in a different price range. Anything wrong with having a couple knives in the $200-$300 range? That is where the TiSpy is, along with the Tuff, and the Ti Mili.
 
I have no beef with this, but remember that it's not a Spyderco design, it's a Brad Southard design, and his knives are what they are - that's why the Spyderco Southard has the specs it does. :)

Free2game said:
I don't think the problem is the price for what you get. The Southard seems like a really overloaded knife. It probably would have been cheaper if it used S30V, thinner blade stock (probably cut better with a thinner blade too), a bead blasted frame, and a regular washer system (properly executed they're more than smooth enough, though a Sage 2 I've handled didn't feel very smooth). It also looks ugly, which doesn't help the price. I'd rather spend $385 on a Lionsteel Tispine than 250 on a Southard.
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My brother sold surgical hardware for 27 years. Before electronic scapels and disposable scaples Taiwan produced the best scapels in the world.
I have never seen quality issues with Spyderco knives made in Taiwan.
 
Free2game said:
I don't think the problem is the price for what you get. The Southard seems like a really overloaded knife. It probably would have been cheaper if it used S30V, thinner blade stock (probably cut better with a thinner blade too), a bead blasted frame, and a regular washer system (properly executed they're more than smooth enough, though a Sage 2 I've handled didn't feel very smooth). It also looks ugly, which doesn't help the price. I'd rather spend $385 on a Lionsteel Tispine than 250 on a Southard.
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Some observations:
It would have been cheaper if it were a Para2. That has S30V and is made in the US. Did you ever stop for a moment and consider that the Southard, just like the Bradley is a collaboration knife? It's not Spyderco's design alone. They leave it up to the maker to determine what type of steel, grind, handle material, lock type, etc. so when you say all those things, "coulda, woulda, shoulda" - they mean relatively little in the overall scheme.

Whatever is changed on the knife according to your analogy would turn it into a different knife. Everyone has opinions and ideas of what they like. Knives just don't cut by how "tacticool" they look. Knifemakers and engineers both in design, mechanics, and materials carefully put these things together. Most folders don't happen by pure accident, or as a result of throwing a "pinch of this" & " a dash of that" together.

Finally, as to the price of any collaboration, there exists monetary compensation paid to the original maker/designer of the knife. What that is varies from one maker to the next, and it's no one's business but the parties involved.
 
Free2game said:
I don't think the problem is the price for what you get. The Southard seems like a really overloaded knife. It probably would have been cheaper if it used S30V, thinner blade stock (probably cut better with a thinner blade too), a bead blasted frame, and a regular washer system (properly executed they're more than smooth enough, though a Sage 2 I've handled didn't feel very smooth). It also looks ugly, which doesn't help the price. I'd rather spend $385 on a Lionsteel Tispine than 250 on a Southard.
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Hey man... you don't like it.... nobody is putting a gun to your head forcing you to buy it.
 
Free2game said:
I don't think the problem is the price for what you get. The Southard seems like a really overloaded knife. It probably would have been cheaper if it used S30V, thinner blade stock (probably cut better with a thinner blade too), a bead blasted frame, and a regular washer system (properly executed they're more than smooth enough, though a Sage 2 I've handled didn't feel very smooth). It also looks ugly, which doesn't help the price. I'd rather spend $385 on a Lionsteel Tispine than 250 on a Southard.
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Come on, you expect one of the most innovative knife producers who are going to break into the flipper game to just come out with some run of the mill flipper for their first one? Why? If you want run of the mill steel, safe aesthetics and design, and a better price go buy one of the dozens of good Kershaws out there that fit the bill.

IMO Spyderco hit a grand slam with this model. I don't like flippers and have no intent to buy this, but I think they truly achieved something special with this model.

Will they come out with more reasonable priced and designed flippers in the future? I don't know and don't really care, but I'm sure they have something up their sleeve.

Complaining about it being "overloaded" to me is pretty hilarious. Might as well go into a thread about Sebenzas and complain that they should just reduce their fit and finish standards so that they are more affordable to most people...
 
Spyderco's, in general, are good quality and reasonably priced for what they are. I think very few will disagree with that statement. However, I choose not to purchase any, but not because I don't like the design or the materials they're made from. There are many I like, although I could never feel good about owning them.

I work for an American manufacturer. We source all of our raw materials from US producers, and we distribute our goods all over the world - although primarily in the US. Purchasing products (not just knives) made in the US makes me feel better about where my money is going, and the people it supports. With the global economy we live in, it's impossible to buy US made for every necessity. However, making an effort, and being cognoscente of where the products we consume come from, can only help make our economy stronger.

With Spyderco, it's not just where a product is made, it's also the fact I can purchase something comparable from a US manufacturer - and I choose to do so. YMMV
 
My Taichung Taiwan knives are fantastic. I own Japanese and Taiwanese made Spydercos and both have impeccable fit and finish. Even my father's China made Spyderco and Byrd knives are of a very high quality. I think your "knife friends" need to be properly introduced to Spyderco, you might change their minds and open their eyes to a whole lot of excellent knives.
 
nccole said:
I get your points, but don't take away CTS-204P and replace that with S30V. I suppose it could have been all G10 with a SS liner lock. It is an "overloaded" knife, premium steel, Titanium handles, flipper with a bearing system, and you get what you pay for. Sounds like you would like a lot of Kershaw's mid-priced flippers. Nothing too exotic, no bearings, but a great solid knife. A Blur maybe? Do you just think no Spyderco (or any regular production company) should ever offer a knife that expensive, or is it something else? If you change all of those, it is a totally different knife in a different price range. Anything wrong with having a couple knives in the $200-$300 range? That is where the TiSpy is, along with the Tuff, and the Ti Mili.
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I don't think that changing the steel and the other things I mentioned would change the knife much. The southard seems like a $180 knife that got overdesigned into a $250 one.
 
The point I'm getting at is that the southard is nice in its materials and fit and finish. But its not very aesthetically pleasing to me and seems to be gimmicky with a special steel that probably doesn't perform for its cost. A grind that's too thick for my liking and an overhyped ball bearing system.
 
Free2game said:
The point I'm getting at is that the southard is nice in its materials and fit and finish. But its not very aesthetically pleasing to me and seems to be gimmicky with a special steel that probably doesn't perform for its cost. A grind that's too thick for my liking and an overhyped ball bearing system.
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So don't buy it? :confused: Have you seen Southard's own knives? This is a designer collaboration knife, not a designed-by-committee-to-a-price-point generic.
 
The Logical One said:
Hey man... you don't like it.... nobody is putting a gun to your head forcing you to buy it.
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I said that I didn't like it. Doesn't mean I can't say that people are buying into gimmick and hype still. It seems like people get really defensive about what they buy here. I think it's gimmicky and overdesigned. The forums are about discussion, not solely about just showing off what you bought. I'm just stating my opinion since it seemed interesting to me that so many people here were buying them.
 
goodeyesniper said:
Come on, you expect one of the most innovative knife producers who are going to break into the flipper game to just come out with some run of the mill flipper for their first one? Why? If you want run of the mill steel, safe aesthetics and design, and a better price go buy one of the dozens of good Kershaws out there that fit the bill.

IMO Spyderco hit a grand slam with this model. I don't like flippers and have no intent to buy this, but I think they truly achieved something special with this model.

Will they come out with more reasonable priced and designed flippers in the future? I don't know and don't really care, but I'm sure they have something up their sleeve.

Complaining about it being "overloaded" to me is pretty hilarious. Might as well go into a thread about Sebenzas and complain that they should just reduce their fit and finish standards so that they are more affordable to most people...
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I don't have any problem with the Sebenza. It's a beautiful user knife and that has appropriate levels of workmanship put into it and part of the appeal is that workmanship level. I just don't care for the way the Southard looks and think it has gimmicky features like a probably overpriced. The Sebenza is the opposite. it doesn't have a new fad steel, and it's smoothness comes from it's fit and finish, not some kind of complicated ball bearing system.
 
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