GOLDEN ERA Of SPYDERS 1998 to 2003>> Maybe 2004?

[sportingspecialist]

Lum Tanto.

 

[adamlau]

2015-Current. We saw the introdution of M4, 52100, CRU-WEAR, Maxamet and S110V and the CQI of the Military.

 

[BilboBaggins]

I get that you're talking golden production era, but the best part about today is that we get all the goodness currently coming out of the factory and if we look hard enough can dig up the best from the past to have as well. One of the great parts about how long Spyderco has been on top of their game is the sheer variety of quality we knife knuts have to pick from!

 

[dtoad]

OK I know that not everyone is going to agree with my own pick of what I deem to be Spyderco's GOLDEN ERA but I also like hearing about everyone else's pick of what they feel the best time period was in Spyderco's product evolution over the years. What is your pick of a GOLDEN ERA of SPYDERS? Which models did you like the best from that era. What blade steels and handle materials highlighted the Era you like the best?

JD, can't overlook the Military, while these are older than 98, Im still digging the ATS34 & 440V with the heavy choils. Great thread. Mag pic is Knives Illustrated - Spring 1997......

 

[JD Spydo]

For my good Spyder Brothers D-Toad and Colubrid I can say for the both of you I'm really glad you both brought up the C-36 Military model which was indeed introduced well before the 1998-2003(4) Golden Era>> but do keep in mind that the Military really catapulted and became much more popular during the GOLDEN ERA. I didn't get my first Military model until about a year before I joined this forum ( 2003 or thereabout). Actually it was the great results that I had with some of the other great models I bought from the GOLDEN ERA which aroused my interest in the C-36 Military.

You guys are preaching to a very devout choir when speaking to me about the C-36 Military model because my current favorite EDC is my M390 Military model and it has been my main favorite EDC for at least 18 months or better. To me it would be impossible to include all the older models I liked into one ERA and the more I looked over my collection and took into consideration the models I actually used the most when I first became a Spyderco fanatic/afficionado I found that it was mainly models out of the 1998-2003 time slot that had most of my all time favorite users models and favorite designs.

I can see why a lot of the newer guys who have joined up in the past 8 years or sooner have gravitated toward the present models and to tell you all the truth I'm also liking what I see on the horizon. But I still can't help but believe how great some of these older models would be like in newer/better blade steel and newer handle materials along with any other innovations that have came on the scene. It's funny that so many of the guys that have chimed in on this thread seem to have a negative, condescending attitude toward my pick of a favorite ERA>>> but when any of these models come up for sale or trade they sell extremely well and still garner much respect from many of the guys who have been here for a long time as I have.

But in all fairness I never expected everyone to agree with me>> but I don't post negative disrespectful things on their threads. I rest my case. I don't care what anyone else thinks because that ERA 1998-2003 produced many of the models that catapulted Spyderco into being the great company they are today. Oh yes the newer stuff is looking great>> but they were also proceeded by some great models as well. AGain I thank D-Toad and Colubrid for bringing up the C-36 Military model because it has become a super icon of Spyderco's greatness IMO.

 

[GIRLYmann]

I first became a Spyderco fanatic/afficionado I found that it was mainly models out of the 1998-2003 time slot that had most of my all time favorite users models and favorite designs.

I don't care what anyone else thinks because that ERA 1998-2003 produced many of the models that catapulted Spyderco into being the great company they are today.

Amen to that!
The collaborations then was timely for spyderco's development.
It definitely was the period which hailed the brand for greater things.

 

[sportingspecialist]

J.D.Smith.

 

[twinboysdad]

I think we are currently in a second Golden era. It's as good as it could be right now, look at the 2017 delivered list. We have a Wharn Delica that came about from the forums, not sure how much of that happened back in the day

 

[JD Spydo]

Amen to that!
The collaborations then was timely for spyderco's development.
It definitely was the period which hailed the brand for greater things.

Yeah and that's mainly what I was trying to get across to everyone here. Oh I definitely agree that there's been a huge improvement of newer materials and newer designs that definitely are paving the way for better things to come from the Great Spyder Factory.

It was collaborations between 1998-2003 that really set the bar as high as it is today. JD Smith was just one of many collaborators that really put Spyderco high on charts in the world of commerically produced knives. Many Spyderco models actually show quality that you normally only see in custom made blades.

I still would like to see many of the old school models with newer/better materials which have recently been made available in the past five or six years. Also during the GOLDEN ERA there were also many IN HOUSE models which set the standard for Spyderco's own designs. They've only gotten better since then. The GOLDEN ERA was the "launching Pad" that set Spyderco in motion and put them where they are today IMO.