The Strelit had another thing going for it, premium materials at a reasonable (not cheap) price. M390, Titanium frame lock, Marbled CF inlays, bearing washers. $220. A good value for the materials, and much to my chagrin the quality was definitely there on this knife. Yeah, this is just the reality...
I think price increases in kind of inevetable, especially with the cost inputs going up. This inflation argument has been brought up a few dozen times in this thread, which is why I pieced together a graph of prices vs inflation in this comment . The only products on that graph tracking inflation a...
I never bought the Southard when they were all the rage. But I did score a Positron when they discontinued them. Very cool if flawed knife. It’s a weirdly stout blade in a gents knife package — an office shiv if you will.
Somewhat tangential to the discussion, but have you read Larrin's recent Knife Steel Nerds post on 8Cr13MoV ? His testing & analysis has it performing very similarly to Nitro-V (8Cr13MoV has virtually the same level of wear resistance & stainlessness, and is only slightly less tough). And i...
eg; the Polestar and Alcyone are very functional patterns, in a good size, but sales were soft. So we changed the handle color and steel to CTS-BD1N, and sales are still soft. 'Tis a puzzlement? It might just be the higher price due to the BD1N? Might be the Linerock? Don't know. Still searching. I...
How can we know if prices are at or have risen beyond “what the market can bare?” From individual consumer's point of view, we can't. Well, when you see Spyderco decrease their prices that's some indication. To that same point, how can Spyderco know when or if prices reach that level? Sal touched o...
I’ve always thought MAP was stupid but it turns out all kinds of knife brands have MAP. I don’t know why, but I can only assume it’s for good reason if everyone does it.
Thanks Sal for the very detailed post. Spyderco makes knives in China ... We still have difficulty because the Maker is charging us his cost plus his profit. ... Companies like Civivi, or Kizer are not working through American companies as OEM manufacturers so they have no 2nd profit to deal with or...
Again, the cost of quality knives has dropped dramatically over the last decade while the cost of Spyderco has only increased. Inflation is a component but it’s a constant amongst all manufacturers. Why have Spyderco’s prices tripled instead of decreased? The availability of low cost quality knives...
When a Presidents spends $4 Trillion in less than two years it causes terrible inflation. And first year business major who has taken economics knows that. Again, the cost of quality knives has dropped dramatically over the last decade while the cost of Spyderco has only increased. Inflation is a c...
Sure I can´t actually proove that, but I figure that not many really assume Spyderco just uses "cheaper" materials and charges higher prices in order to make more money than other companies and "rip off" their customers - ?! I certainly am sure that this is NOT the case! I think...
The CPI Inflation Calculator says $43.00 in October 2006 should now be $65.72 but it's priced at $102.38. Meanwhile the knife industry radically changed. Knives are CNC manufactured which drove costs way down. And Chinese factories perfected their production methods so that what was a $300 knife is...
Did a little deep dive at Metal Complex over on YouTube. He has a nice list of budget knife reviews. Eye opening what all is out there in the $30-$75 range. He reviewed the Astute and Efficient a while back. High praise on the design (obviously) but he has a problem with the 8Cr13MoV steel. It seems...
I like supporting this company but it gets tougher each year. Last year was the first time in nearly a decade I bought a single blade folding knife that wasn't a Spyderco, but it's also all I've been buying since. I hear you. One thing Spyderco has a bit of a monopoly on is serrated blades. I guess...
I have to admit: While Spyderco to me represents good value, I haven't looked into any other brand for years now indeed when it comes to quality folders. You should buy something. $50 is a cheap education :). The trouble is what to buy. The Metal Complex YouTube channel seems to have some good reco...
/ I honestly think though that one does not "get much higher quality elsewhere for much less money" - No offense but I think this is pretty out of touch with the modern knife market. I picked up a Civivi last year for a friend that blew my mind. You have to put your hands on what the good...
- A philosophy that is exactly NOT about making "the quickest and cheapest" money - look how long it often takes before a model hits the market, I think you’re misinterpreting this a little bit. Spyderco is a fine upstanding company, nobody can dispute their reputation. But this whole thr...