Why do people hate Spyderco?

I started out with Spydercos back in 93-94, with an Endura. I was younger then and thought the knife looked like a good fighting blade. Had a hole in the blade, wickedly scary serrations, and an integrated pocket clip; very very different from what I was used to (growing up with traditionals)

Anyway, after some time I started to think Spyderco was really only about "tactical and self defense". I turned to other companies I thought made knives for the everyday sort. I stopped using those Enduras I didn't like Spyderco too much. I thought all the Spydercos were serrated edge. And I grew to really detest serrations after those SE Enduras.

Furthermore, at that time in my life, I didn't pay much attention to materials being used. So, in my case I hated Spyderco because of the ugly factor and the serrations. For many years I thought they were the "gas station knives" of the knife community. All these weird designs that I just wasn't willing to appreciate or give a chance to.

In fact I disliked Spyderco all the way up until the end of 2012. I had stopped following the company and didn't know about cool knives like the Military series, Manix series and Native series. After I started paying attention to things like materials, ergonomics and usefulness did I finally go back and start looking really hard at Spydercos designs.

After my edge-u-cation, I realized Spyderco had never been the cheap "gas station" knife maker I thought they were. My perspective was changed, a lot. Spyderco makes, and has made quality knives for years. Once I knew a bit I could start to see usefulness within the ugliness. I came to appreciate, then like, then love the brand.

Let's also realize that Spyderco is perhaps the most copied brand of knives. I can walk into any gas station these days and find $1.00 Chinese copies.

So, if any one out there is like me, they might be hateful because of ignorance and ugliness.
 
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Spyderco is like Glock. They may not have the look but once you actually use it you understand why they are the way that they are. Some people can't get past the looks and will never "get it".

Sent from my S6.
 
Scooter70 said:
Spyderco is like Glock. They may not have the look but once you actually use it you understand why they are the way that they are. Some people can't get past the looks and will never "get it".

Sent from my S6.
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You're right.
 
I have never heard anyone complain about spyderco heattreat . Opposite actually . Compared to other production companies Spyderco consistently has better heat treats on steel across the board.

The other comment in the OP is BS as well.
 
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Yeah, the hole has something to do with it. I never liked this cartoon.
 

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I don't know about hate, but what one likes is a matter of personal taste. Spyderco was my "gateway drug" to the world of knives. After getting a few PM2s, and thinking there had to better quality knives, I moved on. As my education continued, I ultimately discovered that I'm really a Spyderco guy. Why? The variety(especially the collaborations), quality, customer service, and most importantly, the close relationship that Sal and Eric encourage with their customers. Nothing turns me off more than a bad relationship.

Today, I will collect one or two knives from other makers, but there's no end to my desire for Spydercos, with an emphasis on the discontinued models.
 
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I don't see Spyderco as Glock, more like S&W.

As for people hating Spyderco, most of the people I know don't have a clue what a Spyderco is. On here everybody does, but in the real world, people know what they see at walmart. So the ones I see hate on Spyderco are the fan boys of other knife companies, because they feel that others are fan boys of Spyderco. That and the hole in the blade thing.

I have to admit, when I first saw one, I was unsure, until I opened it and that was all she wrote. I've got more Spydercos than any other knife company now.


Back to the Glock thing, I think, back in the late 80s early 90s, maybe that analogy would work. Basically one handle design, and just a few different blades.

But in the early 90s, you get the collaborations and then the custom looking knives in the mid 90s, and late 90s. Basically almost custom shop stuff, new and expensive materials. Things that nobody else is doing, doesn't matter if its handle material, or blade design.

But you also still have the basics, Rescue, Endura, Delica, knives that are simple but well made.

Just like Smith, you can get the basic revolver Mod. 10, or the custom shop 625, the M&P, or the 1911, or anything in between, including AR style long guns.

if I had to compare Spyderco to a gun maker, it would be Smith.

I do carry a Glock, and a S&W revolver, so not a fan boy of either:D
 
i have yet to find anyone who hate's spyderco! this knife company has turned into a USA. icon,and i'm proud to own them.:)
 
I don't like how they are usually very wide to accommodate the hole. That said, I still recommend them to people looking for certain characteristics. Most of their knives are good, but just aren't for some in terms of style. I have thought about getting a Spyderco Southard or a PM2.
 
Not sure if it was outright hate, but I met a guy recently that really did not like Spydercos, to the point that he would probably never buy another one. Of all places, I met this guy at Smoky Mountain Knife Works and he was an employee. As I was looking at the Spydercos, specifically the HAP 40 Stretch, he started talking to me about how he used to love Spyderco until he started working there. He said he realized they were way overpriced and that you could get much better for considerably cheaper. He proceeded to show me his Kershaw. His reasoning was the "plastic" handles. I can kind of understand this, but if they were to use the same blade steel and some type of other handle material, such as I'm not sure what (titanium maybe?), their prices would be through the roof. Not to mention how strong the FRN and FRCP actually is. He also did not like G10. I didn't argue with him about it because it would have accomplished nothing, but I definitely wasn't comfortable checking out the other Spydercos. I don't care about what people think of what I carry and like, but I felt like I was being judged the entire time.

So to answer the OP, some people hate Spyderco because of the handle material and that plastic is "cheap."
 
I dont hate them by any stretch of the imagination, Im so close to really liking so many of their knives, but the hole just doesnt do it for me

(Okay maybe a Bradley2 or a Southard, or Positron....)
 
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mjpgolf1 said:
I haven't heard much hate at all for Spyderco. I will say that like a lot of people when I first got into knives I didn't much understand or care for the design. That however changed pretty quickly and it was off to the races. I have lots of higher end production knives and Spyderco offers hands down the best value. Similar knives with similar materials from other manufacturers are priced much higher than Spyderco. I'm now sitting on 15 Spyderco folders and am constantly adding to that.
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I hope for your sake that they are extremely dull, or not open! I hope you don't get cut from sitting on them.
 
I don't want to complain about a brand that I don't own, but the numerous Spyderco's that I have played with do however feel pretty silly in the hand. The dumb hole in the blade is enough to piss you off. So guess there not for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Howieee said:
I don't want to complain about a brand that I don't own, but the numerous Spyderco's that I have played with do however feel pretty silly in the hand. The dumb hole in the blade is enough to piss you off. So guess there not for me.


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hehehe....aiii, grasshopper. :)
 
I don't have a spyderco knife but have a spyderco knife sharpener kit. I really like it for a slow non tech solution to many knife kinds ...it's slick!
 
The hole has never pissed me off. What has is a damn thumbstud that gets in the way of sharpening. Unlike most, I was drawn to the look of many Spyderco's initially. To me, Spyderco's look good and brick looking designs that most like look wrong. I guess I just see function as so important that good looks are subjective on how well it functions. And while FRN is not my favorite, I don't consider crap or find it inferior in quality.
 
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Just this week I didn't buy a T-Mag, a Baby Goddard in white Micarta, a GB2, or a Blue Lava.

I"m not perfect though because I did cave in on a Manix 2 XL.
 
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