Spyderco: truth in advertising?

diamdave

diamdave

Joined
Nov 29, 2001
Messages
3,301
Ok,I was patient, but now I'm kind of ticked. My quest for the VG10 ProGrip Zytel goes nowhere. The Spyderco 2002 catalog states VG10 as the steel, and shows the photo with VG10. I got that catalog last December, 2001. 2002 came and is just about gone and, guess what? No less than seven internet dealers tell me that all the available progrips are aus8. Now we all know aus8 is a fine steel, but if the thing is advertised as having VG10, but nobody, and I mean nobody carries it.. I find that deceptive business practice. Bear in mind many of these dealers advertise it as VG10 also, 'cuz that is what spyderco tells them, but.... If I adveritised a diamond as being "VS" clarity, and when you went to buy it, I only had a lower "SI" clarity, every time.... you'd have me over a barrel! Roger @ knifeworks, Greg @skylands, knifeoutlet, discountknives, toptexknives, ... I can go on and on. Why, if it is accepted business practice to buy knives through a discounted internet vendor, should I have to pay full list directly from Spyderco for something, which again, has been advertised for ALMOST A YEAR as having one kind of steel, but doesn't? Yeah, I"m ticked, and no, don't tell me I'm trolling. I've posted here a bit and I like Spyderco products, a lot! But even a superior product doesn't make up for this kind of 'marketing'.
 
Could this be a case of "Actual product may vary"?

Catalogs, at time of printing, aren't exactly known to be accurate.

Spyderco does list the Pro Grip Lightweight as AUS-8 on their website so I guess that's the most recent info.
 
FTC: Yes, I suppose it could be, but I just don't run into that problem with other highly regarded knifemakers.
 
Actually this problem is not only bounded to the progrip. The Native in my 2002 catalog says that they may come in VG10. The truth about the Native is that they're making a variation of the Native, the "3D" Native, which will use VG10 as its steel. It's not exactly out yet (at least I don't think so) because Sal and crew are still working on it, although I think Sal mentioned that it'll appear around 2003.
So it may be a case that the VG10 Progrip is still being worked on, and machinery getting tuned and stuff like that that caused the delay.
 
another thing might be that the progrips you've found are all older models, i know a lot of the internet dealers have a lot of old stock, maybe the progrips didn't move too well (i for one don't hear much about them so i'm assuming they aren't exactly selling like hotcakes, i could be wrong) therefore even though it's been a year already maybe the internet dealers still have the older aus8 progrips, but in fact spyderco has already been making the v10 progrips for a year already, i mean for example if you order a emerson commander over the internet theres a good chance you'll get a 2000 model even though it's already almost 2003
 
Having worked in retail, I can agree with Manji on the issue of old stock. Discount dealers may buy enormous quantites to keep the per-item price low. The dealer will then not order any new stock of that same model until the old stock is sold. I am not meaning any individual dealer is doing this; I mean this is MAY be applicable to this situation. For example, I recently bought a new Harpy at a local dealer known for low prices on knives. The blade steel was ATS-55, not the current production VG-10. This did not bother me, and I was happy to pay the lower price.
 
Hi Dave. I'm sorry that you are having so much difficulty finding what you are looking for. I know that I call out the steels for all models. I know that AUS-8 was replaced with ATS-55 and ATS-55 was replaced with VG-10. We ran out of ATS-55 in 3mm more than a year ago. Spyderco introduced VG-10 to the marketplace. Our competitors tested Spyderco's VG-10 models beforethe made their decisions (Such as Fallkniven). If would not serve us to not use VG-10.

I will personally go check the shelves at Spyderco on Monday and see what the current pro-grips are. Which model are you interested in, the SS or the FRN?

On the other hand, because you could not find VG-10 Pro-Grips where you happen to be looking, does not, IMO, mean that Spyderco is not honest in our advertising.

In my personal philosophy, truth is the higest value. Honesty is a commitment to a decision...a decision that I made many many years ago.

If I find on Monday that there has been some screw up in our production, I will apologize.

sal
 
Wow! I have to say I'm impressed Sal. I find it impressive that find the time and respond to internet questions. :D
 
Thank you Sal. I'm impressed as well. It's because I DO like your products so much that I was a bit, shall we say, bewildered by all of this. I appreciate you giving it your personal attention. I'd like the FRN plain edge version. Thanks, diamdave
 
Hi Dave, sal here. The SS version of the Pro-Grip is VG-10. The FRN version will be VG-10, but the current inventory is still AUS-8 and will be into the early part of the new year.

The FRN version has not sold as well as originally planned so the VG-10 version is also behind. For 2003, the catalog lists a combination edge only. There is no plain edge version planned. There is also no plain edged version of the SS Pro-Grip planned. My gues is that 2003 might be the last year for this model.

Sorry for your frustration and dead end. My suggestion would be to grab a plain edged version of the AUS-8 FRN Pro-Grip while there are still some out there, if you really want one. We didn't make very many.

We're not dishonest, just not perfect.

sal
 
Sal,

Thank you on behalf of us all, for your continuing commitment to the ELU.

All the very best, Jeff/1911.
 
I have an SS Pro Venator, as it was called when I bought it years ago, and I hate the thing. My major objection to it is the Kraton insert in the clip; the darned thing makes the clip stand out so far that it is ALWAYS getting caught on things. I was forever scratching things with it and/or bending the clip and I nearly lost the knife on more than one occasion, so I put it away in my drawer and generally forgot about it except when I see posts about it or about its descendent, the Pro Grip.
 
Hey Hugh. We replaced the Kraton clip with a standard clip years ago. If that's the only thing you don't like about the design, get a new clip? It's a popular knife with the cowboys because it's rugged. The original clip was developed to "hold the knife better" when on horseback. However, as you suggest, it proved to be a lesser solution.

sal
 
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