I have flippers, they aren't so much. You get to push the blade out with a "button" located in a place that reduces the grip on the knife - the index finger is on the back of the handle, which promotes holding the knife by the finger tips. I'd rather thumb it open, trapping it in the palm. I think it's more secure.
One thing left out of the discussion is the looks - just one or two comments on it, but no analysis. If there is much reason to design another knife in this market, it's all about what they look like. Style. That beauty is in the eye of the beholder, you either like this one, or don't. Something is attractive, or distractive.
What I see is an Osborne Rift blade married to a Hinderer handle. It's not detail for detail a copy, no. Neither are a lot of other knives that get demonized for being copies, ripoffs, or intellectual property thefts. I just see similarities, and in this market, those shapes are considered high end, quality, and desireable.
Priced where it is, considering the country of origin, it's a hit. Among some. Not all. We can wax poetically about the smoothness of it's operation, so far, so do Sebenza owners - but not everybody likes the looks of those, either. We buy knives for looks, and I would suggest, that's usually first priority. If not, any decent "generic" knife would do - like a Griptillian.
How long it might stay in production is much more related to how long the looks stay popular. How many have Spyderco Captains and are looking for more? The simpler knives with graceful aesthetics seem to hang on longer in many cases, the Southard has that look. It could survive long enough to get brought back to Golden and a line set up for it. Maybe. There are always newer fashions to follow, new designers coming up with a newer look. There's only so much production capacity, and the what gets carried into the next year is what sells. That's the only criteria. Who would have thought knives would look like they do today in the heyday of the Buck 110?
I'll just go ahead and say it, if I wanted a 950 or Hinderer, I wouldn't necessarily be looking to Spyderco for an amalgam. That doesn't make the result a poorly made knife by any degree - we've gone 8 pages on how wonderful it is, already. But that doesn't mean that the styling exercise is all that - picking up fashion cues from established makes isn't all that groundbreaking. It's following the herd, and having the knife made in Taiwan seems to be a hedge to dropping it easily with no interruption in plant scheduling here in the US.
If you like it and want one, I wouldn't worry, they'll be in the sale forums and auctions for awhile, especially when the next Great Knife comes out in a few more months. Flippers will be flippers.
One thing left out of the discussion is the looks - just one or two comments on it, but no analysis. If there is much reason to design another knife in this market, it's all about what they look like. Style. That beauty is in the eye of the beholder, you either like this one, or don't. Something is attractive, or distractive.
What I see is an Osborne Rift blade married to a Hinderer handle. It's not detail for detail a copy, no. Neither are a lot of other knives that get demonized for being copies, ripoffs, or intellectual property thefts. I just see similarities, and in this market, those shapes are considered high end, quality, and desireable.
Priced where it is, considering the country of origin, it's a hit. Among some. Not all. We can wax poetically about the smoothness of it's operation, so far, so do Sebenza owners - but not everybody likes the looks of those, either. We buy knives for looks, and I would suggest, that's usually first priority. If not, any decent "generic" knife would do - like a Griptillian.
How long it might stay in production is much more related to how long the looks stay popular. How many have Spyderco Captains and are looking for more? The simpler knives with graceful aesthetics seem to hang on longer in many cases, the Southard has that look. It could survive long enough to get brought back to Golden and a line set up for it. Maybe. There are always newer fashions to follow, new designers coming up with a newer look. There's only so much production capacity, and the what gets carried into the next year is what sells. That's the only criteria. Who would have thought knives would look like they do today in the heyday of the Buck 110?
I'll just go ahead and say it, if I wanted a 950 or Hinderer, I wouldn't necessarily be looking to Spyderco for an amalgam. That doesn't make the result a poorly made knife by any degree - we've gone 8 pages on how wonderful it is, already. But that doesn't mean that the styling exercise is all that - picking up fashion cues from established makes isn't all that groundbreaking. It's following the herd, and having the knife made in Taiwan seems to be a hedge to dropping it easily with no interruption in plant scheduling here in the US.
If you like it and want one, I wouldn't worry, they'll be in the sale forums and auctions for awhile, especially when the next Great Knife comes out in a few more months. Flippers will be flippers.
just kidding.
