Why Spyderco??

umc

umc

Joined
Feb 24, 2008
Messages
20
Hey all I'm not a huge knifeaholic but have picked up a few blades recently, a BM 615 (for EDC) and a Gerber Hinderer (for work) in doing these things I've been spending quite a bit of time on this site reading as much as possible about the various knives out there and in that I see a lot of Spyderco love out there. I'm wondering why?

I'm not trolling here and am genuinely curious as to why Spyderco knives are so highly rated here. I bought a Spyderco Remote Release II quite some time ago because I could clip it to anything but don't think I would rate it for its "quality" and don't like how everything uses rivets.

So, what is this n00b not seeing when it comes to Spyderco.

P.S. I picked up a Sharpmaker and love it to death.:)
 
Spyderco makes GREAT knives. They also very much listen to their ELU's (End line users.) They cater to knife nuts by providing sprint runs of knives with different steels; such as S90V. They have an outstanding warrantee as well. Sal also participates in forums here. They are tough and sharp knives. Spyderco also makes a wide range in price of knives; from their lower cost Byrd line to higher end knives like the Military with S90V blade. To each his own. Spyderco's aren't for everyone.
 
1)A lot of us are simply "steel junkies", and Spyderco experiments with more new steels than any other company I have seen.
2) Most of their designs simply have to be tried to be appreciated, and you may have to handle more than one to find the model that really speaks to you.
3) Personally, I prefer pinned construction as I see no real need to take my knives apart, but Spyderco is using more screw construction these days for those who do.
4) They offer a pretty wide range of knives. There is a substantial difference between your Remote Release II and a Manix.
5) Sal Glesser, president of Spyderco, posts here, asks for our input, and listens to our answers. How many other CEOs do that?
I could go on, but I have to get back to work. :D

Edit to add: TKC types faster than I do!
 
Mmmh, not sure that the Remote Release was the ideal entry to the Spyderco line. In general Spyderco offers the best bladesteels and the best ergos in a very affordable package. Example: ZDP-189 Endura for about $80. Top end steel that is usually only found in high-end knifes. The Endura/Delica line offers a very reliable workhorse (probably THE workhorse in the knifeworld). The Salts are the first completely corrosion proof folders, with a steel that takes an excellent edge. Then there are the oddballs which may look weired but really only show the brilliance of the design when held in hand, like the Dodo, or the Dragonfly. Then there is the uncompromising cutter: the Delica Jr. or the hard use folder: the Manix with the best ergos (my $0.02 of course) found on any production knife. Very solidly build, featuring one of the strongst lock on the market......and the list goes on and on.

Spyderco simply continues to stretch and explore the envelop and it takes feedback from the ELU very seriously. There is, for example, the Lum ZDP which is supposed to come out this year, which is essentially the result of a thread started here in the Spyderco forum on BF.
 
I can explain why I like Spydercos and why I collect them. I can't speak for anyone else. Spyderco knives are designed for utility. They aren't art pieces. They are practical cutting tools. Everything about the designs deals with cutting performance and ergonomics. The choice of steels fits into that definition as well. "Form follows function" was the old architectural saw. How they look relates to how they work. That is the appeal they have for me.
 
With regrettable exceptions, (Military) Spyderco doesn't treat left handers like second class citizens.

The Endura 4 is the perfect compromise between toughness and light carry for a reasonable price.
 
I think with Spyderco's products you have to actually handle and use one for a couple of days before you really appreciate how deep the design & quality goes. The knives are designed to be used, not looked at.

There is a problem with this though; you'll start looking at the entire Spyderco range and seeing them in a new light, and your wallet can take a beating.

Does anyone actually own just one Spyderco? ...and aren't planning on buying another?
 
Actually, a better question would be; Why not Spyderco?

Quality knives, meant to be used. Quality steels, catering to us steel snobs. Generally affordable pricing. Great people running the company, etc... The list goes on and on.
 
When a company puts performance and ergonomics and reliability before everything else combined with excellent pricing and great leadership it's hard not to love the tools. Try one of their flagship models like the Military or Caly 3 and you'll understand too.
 
spyderco, benchmade, and kershaw are my favorites.

i only bought spydercos, and it lead me to discover kershaws and benchmades.

spyderco has some wacky looking knives, that are totally functional and high quality.

spyderco also makes awesome fully serrated folders. i dont think kershaw or benchmade make any fully serrated folders.

if you are looking for a spyderco to order here are a few models i can recommend

delica/endura
military
chinook
centofante 3 and 4
d'allara drop point
native3(walmart carrys older version of native for $40, made in america knife with good steel)
 
For me Spydercos didn't make a good first impression. I tried the Native, Salt, P'kal, Spyderfly, Mini Manix and Endura and traded most of them off in short order. I never carried them much b/c they didn't impress me. I found myself w/o my standard Kershaw EDC b/c of a short stint in warranty so I picked up a waved Endura I had recently picked up in a trade and stuck it im my pocket. After living with that knife for about 3 weeks I finally got it. Spydercos absolutely crave to be used and you can't ever fully appreciated one until you live with it for a while and realize that it will do exactly what it was made to do everytime without apology for the fact that it isn't much to look at. Now I wish I still had all those Spyderco's I had traded off.:(
 
yablanowitz said:
1)A lot of us are simply "steel junkies", and Spyderco experiments with more new steels than any other company I have seen.
2) Most of their designs simply have to be tried to be appreciated, and you may have to handle more than one to find the model that really speaks to you.
3) Personally, I prefer pinned construction as I see no real need to take my knives apart, but Spyderco is using more screw construction these days for those who do.
4) They offer a pretty wide range of knives. There is a substantial difference between your Remote Release II and a Manix.
5) Sal Glesser, president of Spyderco, posts here, asks for our input, and listens to our answers. How many other CEOs do that?
I could go on, but I have to get back to work. :D
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Ditto, ditto, ditto, ditto, and ditto. (Particularly Ditto #5. :thumbup: )
 
In the 90's I was a professional knife reviewer for several UK publications. Few knife companies have any use for second-hand blades, so for the most part I hung onto the knives I tested, and I could have virtually anything I wanted (that was available at the time obviously.) The first batch of Spyderco knives I received (in 1991 or 92) were the Mariner, Harpy, and Co-Pilot, along with 2 of their ceramic whetstones. I liked all 3 knives, but didn't really have a use for the Harpy or Mariner. I particularly liked the Co-Pilot though, the original model with stainless scales, and even though I was up to my ears in knives at the time, I purchased it from Spyderco's then UK distributor (Edgar Brothers.) That little knife is still my main EDC, and whatever else I'm carrying I'm rarely without it. Spyderco make great knives, and I love all the ones I own.
 
Awesome info guys, keep it coming, this is just what I wanted to see.

The military was mentioned in this thread and I've seen it mentioned a lot around this forum as a popular model. I was checking online and like the looks and idea of the Spyderco Military Carbon Fiber S90V ~ C36CF90 and may have to pick one up.:D

I have a question or two; with my recent purchase of the BM 615 that made a total of 4 Benchmades in my collection. The thing(s) I like about the 615 above any of my knives is the smoothness of opening and closing and the axis lock, very impressed with both of these features.

How would the Spyderco Military compare? Looks like a liner lock (not a big fan but not a big deal either) so we don't need to compare that but what about the smoothness/quickness of it's opening? Is S90V really hard to sharpen?
 
Spydercos are optimized to cut. Many other knives are optimized to impress mall-ninjas (they are not designed to be optimally accute). Spyderco started off making hones before making knives. As they say, "First we made things sharp and then we made sharp things". Sal appreciates that a knife needs to be optimized for cutting not for throwing or prying. He selects steel that takes a sharp edge and he selects designs with acute contours.

For me sharpness and cutting ability come first in a knife and so Spyderco comes first. Kershaw has recently done a lot of catching up.
 
if you like the axis lock, you might like the d'allara that has the ball lock. you push it back like the axis lock, and the knive is very smooth to open and can be flicked out if needed.
 
T.K.C. said:
Spyderco makes GREAT knives. They also very much listen to their ELU's (End line users.) They cater to knife nuts by providing sprint runs of knives with different steels; such as S90V. They have an outstanding warrantee as well. Sal also participates in forums here. They are tough and sharp knives. Spyderco also makes a wide range in price of knives; from their lower cost Byrd line to higher end knives like the Military with S90V blade. To each his own. Spyderco's aren't for everyone.
Click to expand...

You can't say it better than that!!:thumbup:
 
umc said:
Awesome info guys, keep it coming, this is just what I wanted to see.

The military was mentioned in this thread and I've seen it mentioned a lot around this forum as a popular model. I was checking online and like the looks and idea of the Spyderco Military Carbon Fiber S90V ~ C36CF90 and may have to pick one up.:D

I have a question or two; with my recent purchase of the BM 615 that made a total of 4 Benchmades in my collection. The thing(s) I like about the 615 above any of my knives is the smoothness of opening and closing and the axis lock, very impressed with both of these features.

How would the Spyderco Military compare? Looks like a liner lock (not a big fan but not a big deal either) so we don't need to compare that but what about the smoothness/quickness of it's opening? Is S90V really hard to sharpen?
Click to expand...


If you are buying your first millie, you may want to look at the other models first before deciding on the s90v. It is a great knife, no doubt, but for the price you could pick up 2 of the S30V Millies, or 1 S30V and 1 D2 millie (if you shop at the right places).

S90V is a harder steel to sharpen compared to S30V, and it's up to you if the benefits of the steel and handle (carbon fibre compared to pure G-10 slab, which I can't really feel a weight difference cause both do not have liners) in justification of the price.

Personally I have a black S30V, a D2, and a BG-42. I'm still tossing around the idea of getting the S90V, because it is much more expensive, and I can't really tell the difference between it and the BG-42.

Now if they released a ZDP-189 Millie............:D
 
I have had a Spyderco since 1992 and can say that I never much cared for it's looks (or those of any

Spyderco). However, it has worked so well that it has sort of ruined me for lots of other knives. I have

found it very hard to find a non-Spyderco replacement that I like the looks of that has not disappointed

me in an ergonomic or functional way (or that seems overpriced in comparison). Spyderco uses

unconventional design philosophy to come up with tools that work better than conventional designs.
 
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