Educate me on Spyderco.

[cb51]

They say an old dog can't learn new tricks, but I'm curious.

I've long been a fan of the old style traditional pocketknives, and a Case peanut, small Buck stockman, small SAK's, have been my knife of choice. I've never been a fan of the plastic handle single blade knife, but I can see an advantage. Lighter weight in the pocket, simple construction that is more rugged. Simple is good, and lighter weight is always appreciated.

Many years ago, I had an operation on my left hand, and it was nigh impossible for me to open a traditional slip joint pocket knife like my Case. A family member 'loaned' me a Gerber LST since it was easy to open, and I used the heck out of it. I hated the black plastic handle and single blade, so I abused the knife. It was a beater to me, no loss if it broke and I'd just toss the pieces in the creek and keep on going. I was wrong.

Grudgingly, I came to respect that little knife, and it never quit. It stood up to everything I used it on, and came up grinning. So my view on the 'modern' knives became a bit more open. I still carried my little Case jackknife once my hand healed up, but the Gerber LST actually became a working member of my edc pocket knife rotation. Much to the amazement of family and friends.

The Gerber, like the Buck Bantam line seemed to be a good knife and priced under 20 dollars, sure didn't break the bank if it got lost or destroyed. But people kept talking about the Spyderco's, and looking at them, I couldn't see why a little black plastic handle knife the same size of a Gerber LST or Buck Bantam, would be more than three times the price. Both Buck and Gerber are made in U.S.A. and both are made from 420HC with a very good heat treat.

So…why should I spend 3 or 4 times the price for a Spyderco man bug over the Gerber or Buck. ?

Or…if Victorinox can make a tinker, with many blades and functions, ship it half way across the world, pay import tariffs and sell it for 20 dollars, why is a plastic handle single blade knife made in Japan with only a single function, sell for almost 3 times as much?

I am genuinely not trying to start a war, but am seriously curious as to the why of it? Why is a little Spyderco that much more? I spent the last half of my life working in production as a machinist in a production shop, so I know how this stuff is made. I know the injection molded polymer handles are made in huge gang molds for pennies a pop, and the VG-10 blade is maybe a dollar more per knife if that.

So, educate me. I'm curious about the man bug, but the price is a turn off knowing how the components are made.

It took me 20 years to wear out one of these, and they are still going for less than 20 bucks.

 

[dreadpirate]

There are some great value Spydercos, IMHO. The Tenacious, Endura, Delica, and Dragonfly, to name a few. Even a small Spyderco Clipitool.

 

[Boom Boom]

Mostly boils down to getting what you pay for. Some people appreciate the craftsmanship, aesthetics, and quality differences and are willing to pay accordingly. Other people would rather get something cheap to save money for other stuff. Neither approach is wrong. On the other hand, the same mental acrobatics can be used to talk yourself down from a black 4x4 truck into a gold minivan. The minivan has "lots of utility" and "doesn't look that bad", after all.

 

[smokering]

Wish I could tell you, I don't own any plastic handle Spydercos......

 

[randyho]

There are some great value Spydercos, IMHO. The Tenacious, Endura, Delica, and Dragonfly, to name a few. Even a small Spyderco Clipitool.

Nailed it.

 

[alucard0822]

There might not be much difference in the cost of steel stocks needed for a blade, but the difference in cutting, heat treating and working it can be substantial. One of the more significant is that 420 blanks can generally be stamped out, and most higher end steels, especially in thicker stock can't, high vanadium steels can have several times the wear resistance and use far more abrasive material to finish. There probably are some differences in automation and setup between the different designs, differences in hardware, fitting and quality control, fundamental differences in the business model, and designs. Ultimately it comes down to weither you think a product offers value in line with the cost or not, and IMO spyderco tends to be one of the better values in knives. Personally, I like higher end knives, and carry several costing a couple hundred that I think offer a great value, the design, materials, ergonomics, locks, premium steel attributes, looks and utility are just plain better.

 

[joppaj]

Wish I could tell you, I don't own any plastic handle Spydercos......

Poliwog?

 

[smokering]

Poliwog?

Yes....had the G10 took a long while to find the stainless steel

 

[5.56blaster]

I've carried a big stainless one for 25 years. I think it was called a paramedic model or something like that. It's held up to everything Ive done to it. Lots of deployments and all that good stuff. I paid about $100 in 1990 and it was worth the cost.

 

[303_enfield]

Go here an start reading:
http://www.spyderco.com/forumII/index.php

 

[Boats]

You actually just missed the blade show in Atlanta, could have asked Spyderco directly there. But here goes:

Spyderco uses (typically) premium steels. Elmax, S30V, H1, ATS34, CPM 440V, S90V etc. Using these premium steels is the primary reason for the price gap. Additionally, all of the high end models are either made in Boulder, CO or Seki-City, Japan. Again, adding to the price. There is a lot more variation in blade grinds, lock mechanisms, and steel choices, allowing you to choose a knife that will fit your needs perfectly.

Spyderco does have a value line made in taiwan with the spyderco name and a line of even cheaper knives made in taiwan called the byrd line. If the price of a higher end (read US or Japan made) Spyderco is daunting, mayhaps you can whet your whistle on one of the cheaper ones. (The byrd line starts at around 25 bucks)

I would recommend listing what you want in a knife by priority, e.g. toughness, corrosion resistance, edge holding, etc. Then you can choose a blade steel that suts your preferance, then you can choose a knife that fits your needs.

Example: "I want a knife that has superb corrosion resistance and toughness, but edge holding is not as important" Which would put you solidly with H1 steel, which means the Spyderco Salt line is what you need

Example: "I want a knife with superb edge holding and toughness, but corrosion resistance is secondary" Which would put you into the D2, O1, A2 and other tool steels, then just pick a spyderco model that fits the ticket

Example: "I want a knife that is equally good at everything" Which means a "super steel" like S30V, ATS34, 154CM, Elmax, or M390. Note, all of these steels command a premium.

If you need a truly one handed knife I would recommend a spine, liner or axis lock over the traditional lockback style (Spyderco makes all of these style locks and a few more too) but it is up to you.

Additionally, I would look at Benchmade, specifically the griptilian with the opening hole. They make great knives too.

Hope this helped.

 

[joppaj]

Yes....had the G10 took a long while to find the stainless steel

I think they're great looking knives. I know EBay was flooded with fakes a few years ago so I was never comfortable buying one without being able to handle the knife in person first.