Anyone else concerned?

sgt1372

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I've complied a pretty decent collection of Spyderco knives in a very short period of time but what attracted me most to buying Spyderco knives initially was its extensive line of "designer" and otherwise "unique" knives which set them apart from other brands.

As far as I can remember, the Ikuchi, Smock & Swayback were the last "designer" knives most recently released by Spyderco but Spyderco now seems to be focused mainly on making variations (exclusives, included) of established models, like the PM2, Endura, Endela, Delica, Resilience, Police, Rescue, etc.

There were also the Pattadese and Watu that were recently released but they were just knock-offs of the earlier Pattada and Chockwe (additions to the Ethnic Series) and not unique designs in their own right. There are also the Tuff and Slyze Bowie exclusives and the company's release of the SmallFly2 but they were just revisions of older models too. And, there is the anticipated 2nd Sprint run of the Ayoob, which again is yet another revision of an older model.

Of course, making what "sells" makes perfect business sense but there's nothing really interesting or exciting about this to me as a "collector."

Are there any NEW "designer" (or otherwise "unique") knives in the pipeline for Spyderco or is a rehash of older models all that we can expect to see for the foreseeable future?

If not, I guess I'll just resort to what I'm doing w/ZT and focus on collecting older vintage/discontinued Spyderco knives, as opposed to anything "new."
 
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I know they have another factory expansion in-the-works, and have decided to throttle back on the dealer exclusives until they get the production backlog cleared up. As far as new designs go, I have no idea what they may have coming. There are a lot of older models to discover, and the hunt to secure one can be very rewarding if you have the patience.
 
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I think that whenever the topic of design is considered, the practicalities of timeframe have to be recognized. A slight delay in one area can quickly compound into months of back-log. With supply chains being disrupted as they have been, as well as supplier uncertainties, I wouldn't be shocked if some things have been bumped by a year or so. Sure the effort could be put in to get something done and out the door, but for a company with the size and rep of spyderco, do they want to be dealing with an odd component in their supply chain, or do they wait until they have the stock from the known suppliers to maintain product consistency?
I'm sure its far more complex than even that, as I'm sure there are also agreements and contracts that have to be considered. It sucks that it feels like they are in a holding pattern right now, but I also feel like they copped a lot of criticism for missing a lot of release timelines. So I guess then the other choice is to produce what easily fits within the current workflow, and will sell, as well as announcing less "new" product. Not sure what other choices they have.
 
Pretty sure the pochi was a recent unique knife. Maybe not what everyone is looking for but maybe that shows they are still doing it even if slower,
 
Pretty sure the pochi was a recent unique knife. Maybe not what everyone is looking for but maybe that shows they are still doing it even if slower,
Yeah, you could call it "unique" but it's really a "novelty" like others Spyderco has produced in the past but is NOT something that I'd seriously consider a "knife."
 
With the state of global economies it probably makes sense to follow the path that Spyderco is on now. Catch up on backlogs and gain financially with the models that sell, not really the time to dump labor and development hours into a product that may or may not be a success, not only that if they're like most companies now the resources may not be available presently anyway. Crazy times
 
I have the same feeling, i have been saying this for a while now. No more exciting new collabs, no more thinking out of the box and "revolutionary" designs...when i found out about Spyderco in the beginning of the 90's they where different. Now they just peddle the same designs (PM anyone) with a slightly different "supersteel" and colour and everyone goes wild. Maybe because Eric has a different view about the company and the direction then Sal? Sal already said once that Spyderco was bigger then he wanted. Spyderco used to be hardcore working knives for professionals and now it looks like it turned into a fashion brand. I see the same thing with g-shock. It used to be worn by the military and law enforcement, but now they offer them in flashy colours to the Instagram crowd. I always wonder how those instagram colour coded EDC packages look so new. The forum is also only about "Sal can we have the PM in Magnacut and lime scales but with a slightly lesser choil"? The Spyderco i liked was a new Fred Perrin blade made to fight your way out of the banlieus or a professional lobster catching tool. Now it just seem to revolve around fashion accessories people flip to make a profit or post on Insta. I know there are collectors who like the same knife in a 1000 variations but not me. I want new MBC knives and hardcore tools. But maybe i'm just an old grumpy boomer
 
Damned if you do and damned if you don't. If they so much as mention something new in the works, everyone wants it NOW NOW NOW!!!. And then they raise hell when it doesn't magically appear RIGHT NOW! So they decide to stop announcing new models until they're ready to ship, and people go bananas because there is nothing new coming.

Entitlement and instant gratification. I must be getting old, becuse I remember a time before those things became woven into the very fabric of society.
 
I am not so much a collector as a user, so most of the odd designs don’t do much for me. I appreciate the established, tried-and-true models like the pm2 and manix2 coming out with new steels to try out in models that work well. I suppose so am more a collector/user of steels than actual designs.
 
Well, there was the cucumber last year, and the Pochi. But generally I agree with you. Wouldn't call me "concerned" over it though. Got tired of the various reruns and exclusives a while ago.
 
Maybe its like the cars, movies and TV Shows. Ran out of ideas, there are only so many permutations of anything. Kidding but.........
 
There is an article on KnifeNews from awhile back interviewing Liong Mah about using Reate for his production. He drops in there that Spyderco takes three years or more to release a knife because they like to get feedback from trade shows.

With the pandemic restricting those, I imagine Spyderco felt they had to slow down on the r&d side.


Here is the quote and link:
“Spyderco takes the product to different shows for feedback which makes it at least a 3-year process,” he says. “Working with Reate, I have a better timeline right now. Projects take anywhere from 5 to 12 months.”
From https://knifenews.com/liong-mah-reate-knives/
 
Not concerned, mostly because so many of the “unique” and “designer” knives were borderline novelty and fantasy. Which didn’t do it for me at all, but I understand they constantly want to push what’s new and hopefully it moves the market.
 
I totally agree. I’ve been watching the same knives go up in price every year and I just stopped following Spyderco. They’ve come out with the drunken, that pickle knife, the dog knife… each of those seemed way over priced, limited to purchase, or downright silly. The brand just hasn’t reached me like it once has. I do not follow the sprints any longer either.. Spyderco was the ultimate brand for me in terms of value years ago, but they’ve been replaced. they do more with steel to change it up now and I’ve not so big on steel. i guess steel sells. I rather buy a great design with 440c then same knife I own in the next steel.
 
Damned if you do and damned if you don't. If they so much as mention something new in the works, everyone wants it NOW NOW NOW!!!. And then they raise hell when it doesn't magically appear RIGHT NOW! So they decide to stop announcing new models until they're ready to ship, and people go bananas because there is nothing new coming.

Entitlement and instant gratification. I must be getting old, becuse I remember a time before those things became woven into the very fabric of society.
What’s wrong with being an inveterate griper? It enhances my crusty personality.
 
I don't like most of the models coming out now. I do like the idea of offering different steels in the same knife. But, it looks like my favorite, the Military, is left out in the rain and gets no love lately. It would be great if they would do some more sprint runs in 52100, Cruwear, Maxamet, etc. I'd buy all I could get.

I have a PM2 and I really don't like it.

If you look at the way TVs and other stuff is marketed now you see one company put out 20 products that have basically identical specs and mostly not even any cosmetic differences. So if somebody looks at 10 products it could be 5 of them will be from one company so they compete against themselves instead of other companies. It feels like Spyderco is doing this so that there is always some model to compete with what another brand is offering.

I really hope Spydero gets back to basics. They obviously have the chops (pun intended) to put out the best stuff but it feels like there is no direction anymore. I'd like to see all the classic models constantly available and forget about all the crazy variations and wierd shapes.
 
What are you doing with ZT if I may ask?

Just what I said in what followed -- focus on buying/collecting discontinued/vintage models of that brand -- because I don't like the type of knives that they are currently producing which does not live up to its motto of making "proudly overbuilt" knives, like the 0300 and others.

The only current model comes close to living up to ZT's earlier (and now apparently abandoned motto) is the 0308 which I haven't purchased (yet) mainly because it's not much different to me from the many other ZT's that I already own and I'm not fond of the trend in the company of putting "holes" in their handles which seems a matter more of style than function.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't, right? LOL! ;)

They are still making knives in the tradition of the older but not discontinued models, like the 0452 & 0562 and other lesser "built" models like the 0350 and 0770 which arose out of that tradition, but this seems more due to the continuing demand for and profitability of those models as opposed to a real commitment to them.

So, I have been just as concerned w/the current manufacturing direction of ZT, as I am w/Spyderco.

BTW, I own 1 or more examples of all of the models previously mentioned (plus many more) and just bought another 0770 variation -- one in M390, which is no longer being made.
 
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Aren't the knives you're referring to usually Taiwan models? Seems like supply lines could indeed be the issue there, but that's just uneducated speculation. I agree right now is not the time to reinvent the wheel, but without new innovations stagnation occurs, and too much stagnation often results in demise. All things in balance, a season for all things. I would rather them take some time and research and correct any issues with the next few models they plan to release, that's part of what gives Spyderco its reputation.

Doesn't really concern me any, more interesting things will come in time. I trust they know what they're doing.
 
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