"To show or not to show"

Sal Glesser

Sal Glesser

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Dec 27, 1998
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I was going to post this on the general forum, but then I decided that Spyderco is a "liitle off from general" and many of our associates (friends, customers, etc.) are also a "little off from general", which is whose opinions would have more value on Spyderco products, which brought me back here.

It has always been my pattern to use the opinions of show visitors to help develop the finer points of our new models. I take them to about 6 shows a year and get the hands on opinion from potential customers.

Most companies generally keep their traps shut until the product is released.

What is your opinion on this subject? Would you rather know about, discuss, (even without pics) upcoming models? or would you rather that Spyderco kept mum until release, then do the surprize?

sal
 
Yeah Sal, let us poor slobs who can't make the shows drool a little too.:D

Paul
 
Sal, I think it is nice of you to let us know ahead of time what is in the pipeline and in turn get some preliminary feedback from those on the forum. It makes me feel like we have some input into the new knives you produce (we may or may not have any direct influence, but it makes me feel like our opinions are of value to you and in a small way we have a part in the knives Spyderco produces). When you post about an upcoming knife or even a prototype it is pretty exciting to us enthusiasts, but at the same time the daily barage of posts pushing you for release dates or more information etc. must make you sometimes think twice about sharing. I hope you will continue to share information about future releases and products and in turn, hopefully, people will respect what you are trying to do and not use this information to cause you to much grief. Your posts, openess and honesty on the forums are part of what sets Spyderco apart from other manufacturers and a large part why I have grown to choose your products over those of your competition...Ed.
 
Lets just use the two Eric Glesser designs as an example. The Dodo was much talked about prior to release, even without pics. Some folks had handled the proto at shows etc, and just raved about the design. Interest was peaked.

The Scorpius on the other hand just appeared all of a sudden one day. It seemed like New Graham had them in stock before anyone knew what was happening. I don't even know if the collector's club had much of a lead on these. Anyway, the Scorpius is a wonderful design (every bit as good as the Dodo, just in a different way) yet it didn't seem to "take off" as well. Maybe because it wasn't pumped up prior to release???

The official sales numbers will speak volumes, but if I had to guess I'd say the Dodo outsells the Scorpius by a substantial margin (both in the short term and in the long).
 
And sales, of course, dictate what models can stay and which ones must go...
 
I'd say opinions and hype are what make the sales. I'd probably put a substantial wager that is the para can be done for about 120usd(full millie is 157usd on my last list), it'd get close to outselling the delica/endura line. It's been hyped up for a while now.

whereas the salt was a rumor and the scorpius came out of left field.
 
I love to hear about upcoming models, even if we cant' see pics. :(

And as has been pointed out, it might help sales to "hype up" the model before it comes out...

-G
 
Of course we would want to know more earlier ;)

The main trouble is that you don't really know a Spyderco until it is in your hand. Take the Dodo, I couldn't really make sence of it until it was in my hand, in fact when I first saw a picture of it I didn't like the look of it. Reciently I got to try it and it really made a heck of a lot more sence, in fact I now think it's great.

Likewise, I think it could be why the Calypso Jnr didn't do better. To some it might have looked quite plain and boring, but it wasn't to you actually tried it that you realised how great a cutter it actually was.

Without sitting on the fence too much, I think this could be a two edged sword. The benifits are obvious, we feel a bit more involved, the down side is that it doesn't take much for hype to turn bad. Take the Spyderfly, a really great design that is really going to struggle to live up to the user generated hype.

The main benifit of this will be advanced marketing and making us ELU's feel more involved (no bad thing). But to improve an initial design you really can't beat having someone who has no previous involvement with the design give it severe critique, something I'm sure you do a lot of already.
 
Sal

Part of what makes Spyderco Spyderco is your presence on line. Both yours personally and the company's.

Another is your presence face-to-face at the different shows. I missed the chance to spend some time at your booth at the last Blade. Getting the chance to talk to someone is great.

There are few companies that listen to the ELU like Spyderco does. I know I own a few Spyderco's that you took a bath on. But you listened, gave it a shot and gained a loyal following of Knuts.

Thanks
 
Is there a customer who does not want to know what is forthcoming?

Advance notice of new products seems to work well in many industries: automobiles, movies, video games. I bet it serves to boost sales of new knives as well. Enthusiasm makes everything more exciting and desirable.
 
I like it that Spyderco lets the customer know ahead of time, and takes geedback from them on whats going on.
As a customer, who carries Spyderco not to be "cool" or whatever, but because I know they are solid, reliable, products that I can trust my life and livelyhood to, at home on the ranch, or out and about in town, and someone who moderates internet forums and has done some writing about knives, I appreciate knowing what Spyderco is working on, and that I can speak up about it and I will be heard.
I value that highly - keep it up :)
 
I'd like to see the product, and give you my opinion, but I doubt I'd tell anyone I had seen it. If I did say I had seen it, I wouldn't give a public opinion.
 
I dont know what the percentages are, but Id say the people here count for the majority of the purchases and re-purchases. I think Sal is smart for asking advise here, after all we are the retail market. And for us it is great, we get to have contact, and maybe even input in the knives we use on a daily basis. So, I say hell yeh, we'ed like to be able to see the upcoming knives, since in reality we are the ones that are going to be purchasing them...and purchasing them...and purchasing them. Im sure there is a great R&D at every major Co. But some guy in an office cubical, isnt the one who is going to be buying thousand, upon millions of dollars worth of knives, we the consumers are. Sal is a wise man.
 
I too like to look at upcoming models even though most of my 'viewing ' is here on the forums.
A couple of points however I'd like to note:
1)If we detect flaws in the design or engineering or an obvious suggestion, it's greatly appreciated when the Manufacturers look closer.(man in the cubical isnt using the knife)
2)It is a good gauge of acceptance on knife knutts, but how do you guess what the average shopper is going to buy? Thats got to be the hardest part of R&D.
A short example: Buck (no brand war here) showed us the ECCO, a two bladed liner lock economy knife. Many voices said it needed a clip. It didnt get one, The knife lasted 1 season.
Second example: Buck/Mayo TNT, Greatly accepted even though it hit a couple of bumps in the road.This knife was not necessarily geared to the wal-mart shopper and still, beginning production couldnt keep up.
Plus the fact that we are nosey and plan our budgets around new stuff.
Thanks, Sal for listening.
guy
 
One of the things that I like about Spyderco is the Communication between the company and its fans/customers.I really enjoyed talking to Sal and the gang at Blade, and playing touchy/feely with the new models(which I wound up buying most of.) I say Show 'em!
 
I for one would like to hear of upcoming models or changes. Even without pics and knowing that things might change on the way to production the info is fun.
 
I personally would rather not hear about a knife unless I could see it as well. With so many companies producing so many designs for various uses, aesthetics plays a large role. We all already know Spyderco makes quality blades, and introduces new ones regularly. I'll have a dozen options no matter what blade steel, handle material, or lock option I'm looking for. So it's the look that does it for me.
 
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