What seperates knife model "Generations"

[EDCanAdamas]

Bladeforums guys,

I am curious about what you think the standard that the production companies use to seperate one knife generation from another is.

For example, the ZT 0550 Generation One with the old style pocket clip and the lockbar cutout facing the blade and replaced by the Gen Two with the new style low carry clip and lockbar cutout facing away from the blade. Now if you go on KAI/ZT's website the 0550 is shown with a torx screw in the lockbar, so is that a Gen Three? Or do minor alterations not count?

Heres another example; the Spyderco Manix, a lockback, was replaced by the Manix 2 with the Caged Ball Bearing Lock (CBBL). Now Spyderco is selling the Manix 2 with a full flat ground blade, so shouldn't that be a gen three knife?

What changes warrant a knife being reclassied as another generation? Blade steel/Shape changes, scale redesign, or must it be an almost total redux of the original.

Your thoughts?

 

[benchwarmer380]

I don't think there is a standard as not a whole lot of companies do this.

After thinking about it, the differences inbetween Gen1 and Gen2 of the 550 are relatively minor which is why they are different generations. The difference between the Manix 1 and Manix 2 (Para1 and Para2 as well) are more of a redesign, which makes it a new knife.

 

[The cow]

Some companies make rollings changes to their products. Usually they won't call it generations.
Others will do all those changes at once. Some may or may not call them a "gen 1" or just call it a new product like the HEST2 or the paramilitary2.

Of course, I bet there are many more that don't make that distinction.