Spyderco Price Increase - Some Surprises

archieblue said:
Gas prices increase, drive less. Knife prices increase, buy fewer knives. The only real bummer is the unfortunate soul who is looking to buy that one good knife as a tool may be discouraged away from purchasing one of Spyderco’s fantastic offerings to save $10-20.
Click to expand...
Dead on except many of us have to drive to work, have to buy bread and milk, etc. Expensive knives are a luxury item that most of us don’t really need.

Are there forums like this where people go nuts over beer, cigarette, flashlight, DVD, Barbie dolls, plant seeds, etc. prices going up? Unreal.

BTW, I am a relative knife newbie, but curious if knife lovers went so bonkers a few years ago when Benchmade went to MAP?
 
Unfortunately I'll be spending less of my money on knives, to include Spydercos. Has anyone noticed if the politicians in Colorado made it more expensive to live and operate a business in Colorado - a rhetorical question. Some body has to pay for the utopian idea of redistributing peoples' income, but I prefer not to support.
 
I think we enthusiast knife consumers are expecting more every year, tighter tolerances, better materials, better fit and finish. So naturally, i think our demand for higher quality plays a role in prices going up too. It feels like we become a little more picky about what is acceptable and what is not every year. It seems to me that manufacturers are trying to keep up with this demand.
 
There are two knife companies that I'll pay the full asking price for their products: A.G Russell, and Spyderco. I measure their value in terms of the quality of their service, products, and people.

Blacplastik said:
If there employees got a raise for the increase in price of knives I would be fine with it, but I'm willing to bet there just lining there pockets.
Glad there are so many more companies to spend my money on.
Click to expand...

I absolutely disagree with your statement. I know of no other company that does what Spyderco does, and is so well connected with their end users. And it's not just some marketing person who answers the occasional email - Sal himself regularly participates here. And if the price on one of their knives is out of your range, they have something else at a lower price point that will get the job done as well.

How Sal runs the company is, to put it bluntly, none of our business. That being said, the fact that he is humble enough to connect with us end users, put up with the general daily lunacy here, listen to our gripes & preferences, and is willing to create and/or alter products according to our tastes, says something about why he (and Spyderco) is so successful. And Judging by the quality of every person I've had dealings with at Spyderco, I don't think any of them are just watching the clock for a paycheck.

IMHO, We've seen the whole MAP price increase issue before, with other manufactures. In my experience, the overall effect on pricing to the end users didn't seem that severe.

~Chris
 
If you only bought once, would it matter? Most people get offended because they want to buy as many as they can.

Spyderco knives could have cost twice less ten years ago but they still were costly to buy then.

Material costs, machines, maintenance, advertising.. everything becomes more expensive all the time.

Business must get good profit in order to become sustainable.

If you can’t afford the knives in retail market anymore then maybe buy less knives and save for those that will surely work for you.
 
I know Sal Glesser didn't come to this decision lightly. To retain good employees that give us the consistent quality was mentioned as part of this decision.
Price increases are painful especially when you're on a fixed income but in the end it's just a fact of life. I thought it was pretty cool that he gave us a heads-up in advance and explained how he had come to this decision. I'll certainly continue to purchase Spyderco knives, maybe just not as many unless I hit the lottery. :)
 
archieblue said:
Gas prices increase, drive less. Knife prices increase, buy fewer knives. The only real bummer is the unfortunate soul who is looking to buy that one good knife as a tool may be discouraged away from purchasing one of Spyderco’s fantastic offerings to save $10-20.
Click to expand...

Gas is generally considered an inelastic good actually.

I haven't bought a modern knife in a couple years. I really wish I'd bought a Shaman, Sliverax, Police 4, and maybe a Native 5 variant before the increase.
 
A.L. said:
...Spyderco knives could have cost twice less ten years ago but they still were costly to buy then.
Click to expand...
I agree with this statement or what I think it says. I hesitated to buy any Spyderco knife initially because they looked funky and were expensive. My first was the Native from Walmart like 10 years ago. I wanted something that I thought I would like and was representative of the product line. Honestly didn't even handle the Native before I bought it.... just bought it. I was pleased.
 
Bought my first Spyderco decades ago. It was the Delica with the "patent" writing on the plastic clip. Looking at that knife, much has changed but a lot has stayed the same. Hundreds of variations of the same knife design since then.

It's a great way to build a brand. The product is instantly recognizable. Fine tune what you do best - what you're known for. It's what customers expect from any brand or product line.

That said, product lines should get better at a lower cost over time. Especially when competition dictates. When I have $300 to spend on a new something, I'm looking for the best product my money can by first and foremost. Not from who.

The Kershaw Link is a perfect example of this. M390 for $80 in 2018.

Anyone watch AvE "vigeos" on YT? "Gentellllllmennnn, welcome to the shop." He just did a Porter Cable reciprocating saw, speaking of tools. It's not what name is on the product anymore, it's what it's made of. How it's put together and from what materials.

I think Spyderco offers good quality and design. For those who are not simply buying a brand (or custom), what else money can buy at a specific price point is a factor - as referenced by the OP.
 
Blacplastik said:
Because I live in America and am not blind to what companies/corporations have become.
I don't have any proof of anything but its not a big stretch as to were the xtra money may have gone.
Click to expand...

Ah, so you made up am outrageous claim about a respected member of the knife community and fellow member based on same vague notion you have.

Thanks for confirming.
 
Blacplastik said:
Because I live in America and am not blind to what companies/corporations have become.
I don't have any proof of anything but its not a big stretch as to were the xtra money may have gone.
Click to expand...
See, this is the problem. Your perspective is all wrong. Companies and Corporations aren't monstrous, amoebic entities that exist to suck the blood and cash from the communities where they exist. This outlook is flawed and wrong.

The VAST majority of Companies and Corporations are the sum of the individuals who work there to make it a successful venture. Those same individuals buy their milk and gasoline and underwear just like you do. They struggle with too little income to cover too many bills just like you do. Viewing business and commerce as the enemy is idiotic. It's people, just like you.

Small businesses, like Spyderco, are the backbone of America. They're where most of us earn a paycheck and spend some sweat. Those small businesses MUST value their employees and customers; it's simply too hard to find new ones. I don't fault any company for charging what the market will bear for their product, especially in the case of Spyderco when that product is brought to market with a significant impetus on quality and innovation. I have no idea what the employee compensation is like at Spyderco, and it's none of our business. They keep making knives and there were cars in the factory parking lot last time I visited Golden, so the "shackles" can't be that heavy.

As I said earlier, I don't like the higher prices but I accept them. It's a business decision. If it results in Spyderco having fewer sales, then they'll be faced with a another business decision. But still a business decision...not some "Dr. Evil" plot to bilk the knife community of their last dollar to pad the pocket of an decrepit oligarch. It's simple economics. Nothing more complex than that.

My apologies to Sal for contrasting him against a decrepit oligarch :).
 
A son-in-law's brother works for The Economist. I'll have to see what he thinks about this situation.
 
SharpieB said:
BTW, I am a relative knife newbie, but curious if knife lovers went so bonkers a few years ago when Benchmade went to MAP?
Click to expand...

A loud portion of people on this forum went nuts over Benchmade going to MAP and have used every opportunity on a daily basis since then to disparage the company for doing so. The difference with that and now Spyderco is some of those same people are explicitly justifying Spyderco doing it. Passionate fandom rarely makes logical sense. You’re either okay with MAP increases or you’re not. The company name shouldn’t change whether you argue for or against it, but that’s just my opinion.
 
I will continue to buy Spyderco simply because I am sick to death of framelocks and liner locks. The high end Chinese companies lack innovation, and although the put out high end products with lockbar inserts, bearings, and Ti, they are simply piggybacking off successful American knife companies. ZT makes great knives, but again, I am tired of flippers and framelocks. Spyderco at least has options.
 
I hate price increases, but it happens. With minimum wage going up, the market is going to respond with price increases.
 
Last edited:
I think everyone here should also keep in mind that we're buying knives that are built to last for generations with proper care and maintenance! And they are backed by kick-ass warranties! I spent $240 CDN on a Kershaw Shallot with combo edge ZDP-189 almost 10 years ago and carried and used it almost exclusively for 5 years! Its still in great condition! If it went up to $275 just before I bought it, should I scoff at that and buy a couple lesser knives just because I can get two for the same price?o_O

If you're buying them for an investment, or to try and flip them....well, keep whining then!:rolleyes:
 
uxo2 said:
This......
Click to expand...
Not sure how minimum wage works in the USA in general, but in the UK, the minimum wage is there to protect people who are, well, in minimum wage jobs: flipping burgers etc.

I wonder how many Spyderco employees would be on minimum wage? I guess on the packing and despatch side, possibly, but even junior admin jobs here pay above minimum, as does warehousing.

Anyway, I think it is a matter for pure speculation, no? Unless you have facts to share...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top