I did look up gouge. In my dictionary it means "To extort from." (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition © 1996). In no way does spyderco extort anything from knife buyers. Learn what the word means before you correct someone's usage.
My dictionary defines gouge as:
"To extort from, swindle, or
overcharge.
If your statements (including this latest one) are not intended to imply that Spyderco is overcharging for these knives, then you need to re-evaluate your writing, because that is what it is currently conveying.
I used the close-out price as an example of a base calypso price that still covers costs and some profit to the seller and possibly the manufacturer. Compare this price to the brick and mortar price of $114 and someone is pocketing some nice change. That's fine with me.
Either way, Spyderco (the company you're making the statements about) is making the same amount, whether the knife is being sold by a retailer as a "close-out" or by some shop at full MSRP. If Spyderco were truly interested in "maximum profit", they'd be selling to distributors for quite a bit more, which obviously isn't the case if the knives have street prices that are only $20 greater than their standard counterparts.
So spyderco breathes life into a tired design, makes some good change, but is the product "better?" You can look at it a different way, I bet that $35 close-out calypso will give better performance than the ZDP blade in all areas other than edge retention. I know how to sharpen...do you? However, it's a "cooler product" and that's OK too. It's just not a better knife.
Yes, the product is indeed "better" for certain uses. There are a number of attributes of ZDP-189 that easily warrant a mere $20 premium over a standard model, and if those attributes don't appeal to you, then obviously you aren't one of the intended consumers for these knives. By the way, I'm fully capable of sharpening, and yes, it is a better knife in some respects. If that's beyond your understanding, perhaps it would behove you to do some research.
The marketing strategy for all sprint runs is somewhat the same. Too bad you all are consumers with little insight into marketing. You may be able to make wiser purchases if you knew a little bit about how the seller is manipulating you. You buy the knife because it's cool and "collectible" (another advantage of a sprint run.) However, it's not a better knife and in 10 years who knows if anyone will collect ZDP sprint runs. Anyone collect delicas in GIN-1? That was hot once too.
First, I have a great deal of insight regarding marketing, and I am certainly not being "manipulated" by any knife company. Do not presume to know why drives the purchases I make. I buy each knife that I do for any number of reasons, and those reasons have no bearing whatsoever on your failing and unsupported argument. If you don't want to buy Sprints, that's your prerogative. To somehow imply that those who do are being "swindled" by Spyderco is, however, completely absurd.
