A couple of weeks ago my girlfriend Beth (SandraD. on BF) and I took a trip out to Colorado to, among other things, visit the folks in Spyderco. If your kids have already seen Disneyworld, might I suggest this as your next big family vacation? (Heck, never mind what the kids want, go there first!)
Here (finally) is a write-up of our trip:
We began in Bradley Int'l in Connecticut and flew to Atlanta (ugh!) and then Denver on a pair of Delta Boeing 757s. On the trip we watched "Entrapment" - it wasn't free, and it still wouldn't have been good if it were. Passing over the fields over middle America was quite a sight. In my head I knew that humans "own" every square foot of our country's land, but seeing it all divided into neat rectangles really brought this home - we have nowhere left to go if we can't make do with what we've got.
Anyhow, the flat, monotonous miles of fields ended when we reached Denver. The land is beautifully rolled into constant hills by the same forces that raised teh nearby mountains. The air is light and clear (you're a mile up!) and even when clouds filled the sky they were clean and beautiful:
The first day was spent visiting the Bel Rea vet-tech institute which Beth will be attending next year. We also visited nearby Alameda East, a veterinary hospital featured in the show "Emergency Vets." At the end of the day we followed directions to Spyderco to make sure we could find it. The area does not have the same blanket of trees we have in the Northeast, so it was amazing for us to spot Golden 5 miles before we entered it.
The next morning we arrived at Spyderco at 9AM:
They have a gorgeous building they've only been in about 2 years. In the lobby, a coffee table is literally overflowing with Blade Show awards!
Patrick (metallurgist and knife tester) gave us a tour of the building beginning with the production side. Here several models are produced (C25, C36, C41, C50, C55) and all import models pass through QC. We watched the assembly of several models and learned that a new finishing method is being used on the Militay and Starmate which gives a smoother action. Patrick showed us the machinery which mills scales for the U.S. G-10 models and also the machines that hollow-grind or flat-grind the blades. We also got to talk with the finishing crew and see firsthand the technique that produces that scary-sharp edge every time - cool stuff! Finally, we said hello to Keith in the repair shop - with a room full of benchtop tools and a hard-working Sharpmaker, he's the fellow who gets your Spydies fixed and sharpened.
Across to the "business side" of the building, we saw Spyderco's extensive magazine library for tracking their product reviews and ads. They have an in-house design group that produces their advertisements and catalogs (many of which decorated the walls of the building). This side also houses the good folks at Customer Service, who were hard at work taking calls and handling the trash-can sixed load of knives UPS delivers each morning. We cruised through accounting and sales and headed up to the attractive second floor where the coolest folks are
The walls of this area are lined with plaques, each one representing a Spyderco patent! In one corner of the floor is Sal's office and four cases full of prototyes, concept knives, and other companies' knives Spyderco has helped with. This was heaven - Patrick gave us free reign to examine the contents and while we were doing so Sal and Vince came by as well. The topic of greatest interest was the SpyderWrench (both were carrying pre-production models), but we talked about and handled a number of knives from the case as well as a few knives and drawing's I'd brought. This was a real thrill - these three men (Sal, Vince, and Patrick) are the heart of Spyderco's R&D effort and their combined creative abilities (only hinted at by the four cases of knives) are truly awesome. We as customers only see the tip of the iceberg in what reaches Spyderco's final production.
We also got to see Patrick's "test shop." This contains the fabled braeking machine, whose victims lay about in an information-packed knife graveyard. Spyderco also has a computer-controlled cutting machine that uses uniform blanks in various steels to make controlled cuts through a specially-made highly abrasive paper medium. This lets them measure initial cutting performance and edge-retention for a whole host of blade materials. Finally there is a laser setup which allows Patrick to examine edge bevels and ensure that they are being ground properly. In addition to working on prototypes and new steels, Patrick snags knives from every batch and brings them to this room to check the bevels and break the locks, making sure that they meet Spyderco's standards. Interesting to note that they have also tested the knives of most of their competitors
We went to a very nice lunch with Sal, Vince, and Patrick, and Sal brought his "black bag." This contains all of the prototypes and pre-production models that he is carrying or evaluating. As we dined and talked about AKTI, the forums, and other knife topics, we passed knives around the table - the patrons seemed to be used to this sort of thing
Of note were the Martial, the large Native, the new Ti Police model, and a Matriarch Sal was carrying while the others were passing QC. This was without doubt the coolest meal of my life
After lunch Patrick took Beth and I to the factory outlet:
This building used to house the entire company, but now serves as the SFO and the workshop for South African knifemaker Owen Wood. Owen let us look around his shop and we talked a bit about filework and the new locks Spyderco is developing. Owen spends some of the week making gorgeous handcrafted folders (and some fixed-blades) and the rest assisting the Spyderco R&D crew. We also found out he's an avid hiker and birdwatcher and all-around gentleman. After meeting Owen we went to the store area to purchase some "souvenirs" for friends and ourselves, where we chatted with Gail and Charlie for the rest of the day.
Over the next few days we soaked up other Colorado attractions. We pointed our car towards the mountains:
and drove until we reached a Ski town called Winter Park at about 15,000 ft. the drive was absolutely gorgeous, and we stopped around 11,000 ft. to admire the view and snap these shots:
I'm the fat green speck on the left. Beth's the cute purple speck on the right
On Friday night we had dinner with Danelle and her hubby and pals. Her son and I had a nice time pawing through each others' collections and chatting knives, too. He's only 12 or so, but a serious knife knut in the making!
Over the weekend we saw the Denver Natural History Museum (cool dead stuff) and Denver Zoo (cooler live stuff). Lions and Tigers and Bears:
OH MY!
Wrapping up the trip we had dinner with Sal on Monday night and talked for hours on topics that got very far afield of knives. Sal was himself the highlight of the trip - not just a true knife knut and an honest, forward-thinking businessman, but an inventor, philosopher, and scholar. Dang fast with a Military, too
After dinner we asked if we might be able to get a Matriarch from the SFO before we left - Sal didn't think they'd cleared QC yet, but he offered to sell us the one he'd been carrying in his black bag. This made a very nice surprise to accompany us home!
Although our flight home was delayed 2 hours in Atlanta, it couldn't tarnish the glow of a fantastic vacation. OK, so maybe most folks would go to Bermuda or Hawaii, but we though Colorado was beautiful and a great destination. Thanks to the Spyderco crew for the generosity and hospitality they showed us; it was a great trip!
-Drew
[This message has been edited by Corduroy (edited 18 September 1999).]
Here (finally) is a write-up of our trip:
We began in Bradley Int'l in Connecticut and flew to Atlanta (ugh!) and then Denver on a pair of Delta Boeing 757s. On the trip we watched "Entrapment" - it wasn't free, and it still wouldn't have been good if it were. Passing over the fields over middle America was quite a sight. In my head I knew that humans "own" every square foot of our country's land, but seeing it all divided into neat rectangles really brought this home - we have nowhere left to go if we can't make do with what we've got.
Anyhow, the flat, monotonous miles of fields ended when we reached Denver. The land is beautifully rolled into constant hills by the same forces that raised teh nearby mountains. The air is light and clear (you're a mile up!) and even when clouds filled the sky they were clean and beautiful:
The first day was spent visiting the Bel Rea vet-tech institute which Beth will be attending next year. We also visited nearby Alameda East, a veterinary hospital featured in the show "Emergency Vets." At the end of the day we followed directions to Spyderco to make sure we could find it. The area does not have the same blanket of trees we have in the Northeast, so it was amazing for us to spot Golden 5 miles before we entered it.
The next morning we arrived at Spyderco at 9AM:
They have a gorgeous building they've only been in about 2 years. In the lobby, a coffee table is literally overflowing with Blade Show awards!
Patrick (metallurgist and knife tester) gave us a tour of the building beginning with the production side. Here several models are produced (C25, C36, C41, C50, C55) and all import models pass through QC. We watched the assembly of several models and learned that a new finishing method is being used on the Militay and Starmate which gives a smoother action. Patrick showed us the machinery which mills scales for the U.S. G-10 models and also the machines that hollow-grind or flat-grind the blades. We also got to talk with the finishing crew and see firsthand the technique that produces that scary-sharp edge every time - cool stuff! Finally, we said hello to Keith in the repair shop - with a room full of benchtop tools and a hard-working Sharpmaker, he's the fellow who gets your Spydies fixed and sharpened.
Across to the "business side" of the building, we saw Spyderco's extensive magazine library for tracking their product reviews and ads. They have an in-house design group that produces their advertisements and catalogs (many of which decorated the walls of the building). This side also houses the good folks at Customer Service, who were hard at work taking calls and handling the trash-can sixed load of knives UPS delivers each morning. We cruised through accounting and sales and headed up to the attractive second floor where the coolest folks are
The walls of this area are lined with plaques, each one representing a Spyderco patent! In one corner of the floor is Sal's office and four cases full of prototyes, concept knives, and other companies' knives Spyderco has helped with. This was heaven - Patrick gave us free reign to examine the contents and while we were doing so Sal and Vince came by as well. The topic of greatest interest was the SpyderWrench (both were carrying pre-production models), but we talked about and handled a number of knives from the case as well as a few knives and drawing's I'd brought. This was a real thrill - these three men (Sal, Vince, and Patrick) are the heart of Spyderco's R&D effort and their combined creative abilities (only hinted at by the four cases of knives) are truly awesome. We as customers only see the tip of the iceberg in what reaches Spyderco's final production.
We also got to see Patrick's "test shop." This contains the fabled braeking machine, whose victims lay about in an information-packed knife graveyard. Spyderco also has a computer-controlled cutting machine that uses uniform blanks in various steels to make controlled cuts through a specially-made highly abrasive paper medium. This lets them measure initial cutting performance and edge-retention for a whole host of blade materials. Finally there is a laser setup which allows Patrick to examine edge bevels and ensure that they are being ground properly. In addition to working on prototypes and new steels, Patrick snags knives from every batch and brings them to this room to check the bevels and break the locks, making sure that they meet Spyderco's standards. Interesting to note that they have also tested the knives of most of their competitors
We went to a very nice lunch with Sal, Vince, and Patrick, and Sal brought his "black bag." This contains all of the prototypes and pre-production models that he is carrying or evaluating. As we dined and talked about AKTI, the forums, and other knife topics, we passed knives around the table - the patrons seemed to be used to this sort of thing
After lunch Patrick took Beth and I to the factory outlet:
This building used to house the entire company, but now serves as the SFO and the workshop for South African knifemaker Owen Wood. Owen let us look around his shop and we talked a bit about filework and the new locks Spyderco is developing. Owen spends some of the week making gorgeous handcrafted folders (and some fixed-blades) and the rest assisting the Spyderco R&D crew. We also found out he's an avid hiker and birdwatcher and all-around gentleman. After meeting Owen we went to the store area to purchase some "souvenirs" for friends and ourselves, where we chatted with Gail and Charlie for the rest of the day.
Over the next few days we soaked up other Colorado attractions. We pointed our car towards the mountains:
and drove until we reached a Ski town called Winter Park at about 15,000 ft. the drive was absolutely gorgeous, and we stopped around 11,000 ft. to admire the view and snap these shots:
I'm the fat green speck on the left. Beth's the cute purple speck on the right
On Friday night we had dinner with Danelle and her hubby and pals. Her son and I had a nice time pawing through each others' collections and chatting knives, too. He's only 12 or so, but a serious knife knut in the making!
Over the weekend we saw the Denver Natural History Museum (cool dead stuff) and Denver Zoo (cooler live stuff). Lions and Tigers and Bears:
OH MY!
Wrapping up the trip we had dinner with Sal on Monday night and talked for hours on topics that got very far afield of knives. Sal was himself the highlight of the trip - not just a true knife knut and an honest, forward-thinking businessman, but an inventor, philosopher, and scholar. Dang fast with a Military, too
Although our flight home was delayed 2 hours in Atlanta, it couldn't tarnish the glow of a fantastic vacation. OK, so maybe most folks would go to Bermuda or Hawaii, but we though Colorado was beautiful and a great destination. Thanks to the Spyderco crew for the generosity and hospitality they showed us; it was a great trip!
-Drew
[This message has been edited by Corduroy (edited 18 September 1999).]
