Why are Spyderco knives so ugly?

I think they look beautiful ... beautifully utilitarian - which I like.

My Harley Davidson Road Glide is in what Harley call "Denim Black" but everyone else my refer to as BBQ paint black.

I also like Becker fixed blades which also are utilitarian and look every bit the part.
 
I own a few Spydercos, and I think the majority of their products are ugly and not very ergonomic. To me, it is often the things that make them not ergonomic that also makes them ugly. I do think the blade designs and lock designs are generally very good, so they have that going for them.

I generally like the Marcin Slysz and Paul Alexander designs. I can see why so many people love the designs of other collaborators, like Gayle Bradley. Even with the collaborations, it seems like there is often not enough contouring of the scales and the there is no effort put into clip design.

The Glesser designs too often have humps and choils that are combined with flat, uncontoured scales that feel very uncomfortable, even in the one grip that the handle shape tries to force you into.

The ridiculous texturing and lack of contouring on their injection molded FRN scales is absolutely bewildering. There is a good reason why no other manufacturer is making similarly textured scales.

I have yet to try a Spyderco knife where the spoon clip did not create a hotspot. Putting that spoon clip on the Swayback is a prime example of how little they care about clip design.

I also find it annoying that they put non-functional / detrimental holes into their knives in addition to the brand logo, especially knives that are designed to cut food.

I also find over the top billboarding on some knives to be moderately obnoxious. My Native 5 LW has the brand logo in four different places. One on the blade, one on the clip, and two on the scales.

In summary, while Spyderco has some competitive advantages when it comes to blades, locks, and quality control, I think there are a lot of opportunities for improvement on scale and clip design.
 
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ok, I might agree with some of their models being on the ugly side - delica comes to mind... but don't tell me my gb2 is ugly, imho its a beauty

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Wil lRogers said:
Spyderco makes some of the most ergonomic knives out there. They feel great in the hand and cut like the dickens. But they're so ... well, ugly. Their blades look like someone took a pie-shaped wedge of steel and punched out as large a circle as possible in the wide end of the pie. Couldn't they do something to produce a more slim and elegant blade even with the S-hole? Or are they tryig to prove that esthetics has no place knife design?
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Sincere you stating your opinion, please post some pictures of what you find to be not ugly. I do find several spydercos to be on the odd side as far as looks go. There’s no denying functional beauty and I find several spyderco models to be real pieces of beautiful work.

Good looking knives-The military/paramilitary models, manix’s, shaman, native’s, sage, smock, kapara just off the top of my head.

Beauty is subjective. Beauty comes in different forms. And we’re all entitled to our opinions.
 
I own Spydercos…and I just ordered an cv20 endela from DLT trading
They are quality cutting instruments..for sure..!

But I tend to agree….They are homely looking things….from blade shape to industrial plastic scales look
and cannot compared to lets say my CIVIVI’s for asthetics in my opinion.

The guy who compared them to a Glock is so right. Glocks are ugly as sin but they are reliable every time in case of need and in the end thats what counts.
 

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I'll admit to being a bit "put-off" by that big eyeball sitting there...
But I got over it as soon as I appreciated how well they worked!
 
My problem with Spyderco knives is that they all look the same to me. I realize that this is a generalization and that there are different styles. I guess it’s that leaf shaped blade with the big hole in it that colors my thinking.
 
Yalius said:
You have a wildly different idea of "ergonomic" and "feel great in hand" than I do. I have yet to find a Spyderco that's remotely comfortable to use. I have a PM2, Manix 2, Endura, Tenacious, Cat, Native 5, and Ladybug. None of them have a remotely comfortable handle. Too thin, too angular, humps and grooves in all the wrong places. Would it kill Spyderco to fill out a handle a little bit to put some meat there to grip? Overly sculpted in 2 dimensions does not make an ergonomic knife, just one almost as sharp at the handle as at the blade.
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Here you go

Spyderco Vallotton Sub-Hilt G-10 Folding Pocket Knife (3.75" Satin) C149GP - Blade HQ

Butch Vallotton, like most knifemakers, started making knives as a hobby, had to start selling knives to pay for his hobby and before he knew it became a professional fulltime knifemaker in 1984 with a waiting list of customers at the age of thirty. A self-proclaimed gadget freak, a good part of...
www.bladehq.com
 
One has to remember Spyderco's origins.
When it first came out, EVERYBODY thought it was ugly!
What's the hole for?
It has a clip?
The first round of Clipits were groundbreakers and the Spyderco line shows it's roots.
First serrated blades I can remember.
It was a one hand opener back when there were only thumb studs and I think the first front flipper appeared around this time.
I think it was the first folder with a built in clip, hence the Clipit (the first ones actually came in right and left hand versions).
I believe from the beginning it was designed to be unobtrusive, the slimness was so that it wouldn't be easily identified as a knife (what's that you got clipped in yer pocket?).
I still the think the original Hunter and Worker are knives only a mother could love, but I carried an original Worker for a long time. I always liked the Mariner and would still be carrying it if I hadn't lost it.
Over time, I think folks got used to the aesthetics and began to appreciate the ergos more for when you really think about it, they look like no other folders on the planet.
 
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