Why do people hate Spyderco?

smills said:
Back to the topic of this thread, though. I do have some bad blood with spyderco (who got me into knives originally and I've carried any number of them for years with no complaints). But my last spyderco EDC was my tenacious (pic below), until one day I pulled my pants up and the tip had opened out from the handle just enough to stab me right in my hip. Quite a nice wound and I still have a scar from it. Haven't carried one since. Switched to Zero Tolerance. But I do still have a soft spot for Spyerdco.
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I had a large Sebenza, one of the most venerated folders, do that to me and won’t carry it again, not a fan of frame locks or liner locks personally. Quite a few people do like them though. But I am a huge fan of Spyderco and their back locks. I own several models in that class. The Chaparral LW is my supreme favorite, very easy to carry, has the movements and lockup of a custom knife many times the cost. They profile their full flat grinds perfectly for performance and with the convex edge I put on all my Spydercos are exceptional slicers, especially the Chaparrals. There is zero blade play in the Chaparral, no lateral movement or rock whatsoever and when I depress the lock bar the blade freely drops with no hesitation. I keep one in my pocket and one in my rucksack. Size wise they have a lot on common with a 91 mm SAK, about the same length cutting edge and spine width but far better ergos and seriously much finer steel that has better edge retention and wear resistance than MagnaCut. These things cut like nobody’s business, the perfect pocket knife imo. The Native 5 is another very solid lockup back locks and the Spy27 steel that is set in mine is seriously nice. There is a lot to choose between in builds, scale materials and a vast offering of steels in the Spyderco line.


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I didn’t like them for a long time. I just thought they were ugly. Then I got one on a whim. A Tenacious. I carried it and used it. It was only then that I saw what made Spyderco great - how they felt in the hand.
 
I don’t hate Spyderco knives. In fact, I’ve been hooked on Spyderco since seeing & handling my first serrated S30V Military at a local hardware shop decades ago 😊
 
I have two dozen folders. Production, midtech, custom. Spyderco simply never appealed to me.
 
marchone said:
I have two dozen folders. Production, midtech, custom. Spyderco simply never appealed to me.
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But have you tried any? If so do you hate them? I suggest a Spy27 or K390 Police 4 lightweight or a Military 2 in your favorite flavor of steel. To me they are end all knives, and I've tried many other brands too but not customs.
 
The thread is titled "Why do people hate Spyderco?", which I suppose invites negative commentary. Obviously, anyone who doesn't like Spyderco knives is just plain wrong, but I figure this thread is an appropriate place to voice their misguided opinions. It is probably for the best: detractors can identify themselves here so the rest of us can give them a wide berth. 😁
 
50th year anniversary of Spyderco next year

1976-2026

They must be doing something right?

I can't imagine a world without pocket clips and one hand opening knives.
(Spyderco inventions)

Most importantly, high performance knife edges in exotic materials. They have strived to make more unobtainable materials available in knives to the common man than anyone else.

Personally, I would have never gone down the rabbit hole if it wasn't for Spyderco.

Buying Spyderco knives helped me look at things at a deeper level than what I was seeing initially on the surface.

I found that there was excitement in the details and complex interplay between things of how blade and edge geometry, HT steel and sharpening work together at the edge to make an exciting and renewable experience.

IMHO, What makes Spyderco so unique is that it's the only production company I'm aware of that is run by knife folks at the top that can speak "one on one" about edge performance rather than just bean counters.

So, whether it's 50 years ago or the present you'll find Sal is still the same person that would ask to look at your knife edge and he still investigates it with the same vigor and curiosity as he always has.

I'm always in awe of that.

My point is, that top down passion flows throughout the organization and creates a production knife with unrivaled performance in that category; widely available production knife in exotic material with purposeful performance driven construction at a good price.
 
Nothing but love. Have yet to handle a model I couldn’t appreciate. Except the YoJUMBO. The internals of that knife are actually glue and tape. I think I saw a paper clip in there as well. I have a Brouwer coming and it may be the prettiest knife ive ever seen. I like spyderco because of their endless collabs. It seems like if theres someone out there with a good knife idea, they support the maker and put out something beautiful together.
-John
 
I was wrong.

Can't deny it.

Although, I was never really a hater. Dislike may even be too strong, because i knew there were features of Spyderco knives that I like a lot. I think for most of the time it was a reluctance to spend the money on something I didn't love the looks of. Even as one who appreciates that form follows function, I stayed with what I found most visually appealing. Maybe I resented that what Spyderco called a clip point didn't fit the definition I held dear.

My bad.

These are fantastic blades. Sometimes I still think the prices are high, but 1) that's true of everything these days, 2) the value is definitely there, and 3) there are stellar options across all budget ranges. Sometimes I still want to turn my nose at the weird duck head profile that I'll never unsee, but there is also a commitment to style and an importance given to design that I failed to recognize for far too long. Yeah, I still have a thing for trusty old lockbacks with brass bolsters and wood slabs, but it turns out I can pinch up and lay my index finger out over the straight spine of a PM2 just as comfortably without truly missing a concave dip at the end.

Call me a convert.

So, after I did get myself one to try out, got over my misgivings, and started casually shopping for another, I think what ultimately won me over was the people. I was vaguely familiar with company history before, but hearing and reading stories from Sal himself, seeing interactions with customers (both fans and detractors), and learning more about how the family runs things and supports others, etc. made an impression. No business is perfect. Most times I feel forced to choose which corporate entity I'll feel least bad about dealing with. There is no such compunction buying a Spyderco.

Guilt, however, comes from having gone overboard this year, and needing to be much more frugal in the future. Sorry about that.
 
Well I’ve had something of a minor epiphany. I confess, I can be shallow and was put off by the goofy look of many Spyderco models, mainly how some blade shapes accentuate the big hole to the point of cartoonishness. But I tried a few over the years nonetheless, with mixed results. First was a Manix 2, mostly to see what the Spyderco fuss is all about; but that didn’t click - a bit on the heavy side for daily carry, and mostly I wasn’t a fan of the lock. In fact, as it turns out, I’ve unloaded most of my axis-type locks because I just don’t care for them. It wasn’t ugly, but it ended up getting sold to someone who’d hopefully appreciate it more.

Next try was a Positron, used off the exchange, but in brand new shape. Beautiful knife, clearly not your typical Spyderco, but too nice to get used and abused, so it doesn’t get carried. But I liked it enough (and still do) that I kept it. It now sits quietly and safely with the rest of my too-nice-to-use collection.

Third try was a Smock, which I mistakenly purchased from that wretched hive of scum and villainy known as Amazon. It turned out to be a counterfeit - and a pretty good one that easily got past my untrained eye - but I didn’t find out until it was far too late to do anything about it. That got sold (cheaply) to someone who didn’t care that it was a fake. Long story short, that whole situation put a serious damper on the Spyderco experiment. Until last week.

One of the series that caught my eye during one of my too frequent strolls through the online retailers was the Sage series. The blade shape first got my attention - my favorite shape for the kind of cutting I mostly do. Size and weight were ideal for daily carry. Ah, but the price for new pushed down the list into ‘maybe someday’ territory. Then a Sage 6 appeared in the exchange, at a price too good to pass up. So I bit. It arrived a few days ago, no box but otherwise basically like new. Let’s just say it has revitalized my appreciation for the brand. Everything about it hits the sweet spot - size, weight, blade steel, fit & finish, locking mechanism, smooth action, overall feel in the hand, it just feels right. It’s everything the Spyderco fans extol that I’m finally experiencing for myself. This is a damn fine knife that is most definitely going into the daily rotation. Color me un-jaded. 😁
 
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