What brings you to Spyderco?

[cobrajoe]

I'm sure this thread has been done a few times, but I'm curious.

What brought you to use, collect, or otherwise enjoy Spyderco knives? Why are they popular enough to warrant a forum only for the purpose of discussing Spyderco knives?


The reason I love the little bug on the side of my knives is mostly caused by my love of all things mechanical. I love the snicker-snack of precisely built machinery. It's hard to find quality at a decent price these days, but Spyderco pulls it off and still comes out with innovative designs and is ever watching to what the end user wants.

A big thanks to the great Spyderco!

[Senate]

one word: :spyder: spyderhole :spyder:

the best thing that ever happened to the folder industry.
of course the best quality for the $$$ is what keeps me loyal to the brand, if it wasn't that good i'd look for the hole elsewhere...

[DFD04]

A large part of my love for the :spyder: is due to the way the company operates. My first knife was the Rescue JR, and I bought it w/o any real knowledge of what I was getting. As my interest in knives grew in the coming years I found the SFO. First of all was the kind reception I received when I first came in. During my first 5 or so visits I bought nothing, just talked to Doug, Cody and Kristen. They were all so nice when it came to answering questions and giving advice to someone wanting to learn more about the company and their products. When I finally did begin to buy they were extremely helpful. I like the philosophy that Spyderco has in being a progressive company in the regard to steel and new technology. I like their dedication to the Save and Serve community. I like how Sal and the others are so concerned with the ELU, and value our input. This forum is something I have really come to love too. Every time I use or just admire my knives I think of all of you out here on the forum perhaps doing the same thing; in this was I feel connected and a sense of belonging here.

Out of all of these reasons, I would have to say its the SFO that really turned me on to these blades, and I look forward when I take the hour drive to either chat or buy a new knife.

We are fortunate to have a company like :spyder: that values our views and strives to please us the ELU, perhaps their biggest source of marketing.

[Richard IV]

The "Q"



Show any :spyder: to a friend, he will give you back and say: "That's a good knife"

Show him a "Q", he will try to keep it at any cost :D


R.IV

[zenheretic]

I remember a time when a person had to saddle his midsection with a belt and leather knife holder in order to hold an Endura sized knife. Nailnicks and Buck shaped lockbacks ruled the day. Now we can have something different.

Also, I hate thumbstuds.

[kbuzbee]

Yes, the Spyder hole first got my attention. And the pocket clip. That was more than 20 years ago. I liked the steel (GIN1 & GIN2). It seemed as good as the 440C knives I had from other companies (which were good solid knives, to be sure. Many of them I still own, but no longer use ;-) but easier to keep sharp. Then they started collaborations with folks like Wayne Goddard and Bob Terzoula. Great designs. ATS-34 blades (on the Bob T). I saw a company that understood what a great knife was all about. I don't feel compelled to own every knife they make but I enjoy picking up a new design or a new steel every now and again. Huge thanks to Sal and team for a great company, providing great products and good value. Keep up the great work.

Ken

[hornshwangler]

I'll echo all of the earlier comments and just add, for me, :spyder: represents the best value for my knife $$$s. I own many knives but far more :spyder: s than all the other combined. While some may call them ugly, I consider them to be fine works of knife art. And, the folks at the SFO are the best.

Dan

[Buzzbait]

I just happen to find Spyderco designs to be much more useful than the designs of other companies. Spyderco really sweats out the details on their utility knives.

Also, I also appreciate how Sal makes himself so very accessible, via the forums.

[Woody]

Well it started with the hole and the clip back in the early 80's... Could not really afford to build my collection back then with kids and all.... Since then I have been fortunate enough over the last 6 years or so to afford to build my collection...... What keeps be coming back.... That darn hole :D and the way Sal and company are...... Top notch hands down....

[SoCal Operator]

1. The thought that they put into their designs, especially the ones sold at lower prices, is hard to match. The have a very good quality product that they sell at fair prices.
2. Their cusomer service. I don't think detail here is necessary.
3. This forum. Besides being a great place to talk to other people about knives, (and being my second high school. Yes, I've been on when I should have done homework.) this forum is a way for Spyderco to really hear from the ELU. Now I know that we as crazy people do not represent the majority of knife users, but we know the knives well enough to be able to give feedback that most people can't. Would a "normal" person notice the jimping on the Military has changed several times? Probably not, but it's an improvement, one that no doubt cost Spyderco time and money, but they did it anyway. Which brings me to four.
4. Their commitment to improvement and innovation. Especially in bladesteels, this is something Spyderco has been practicing since the beginning.

[doubleclaw]

I was taken with :spyder: 's when I saw my first Clipit Delica in the hand of one of my friends. I asked to see it, and was immediately impressed with the quality, ergonomics and the obvious amount of thought invested in the design. Since then I've carried nothing but a Spyderco, from the Clipit Delica that I went out and bought after I saw that first one(and I still have it!) to the OIF native that I bought today at the PX. Other knives just don't do it for me; they're either too big, too bulky, uncomfortable in the hand, or have enormous thumb studs boogering up the lines of the blade. Spyderco addressed ALL these issues, and did it with style! What more could one ask?

[Fred Sanford]

1. The round opening hole. It's the best way to open a blade in my opinion.
2. The way the company is run and how Sal and the Spyderco crew are always around the forums.
3. The Grippy G10. It's like no other.
4. The awesome flat grinds.
5. The way they try different things often and have forum knives.
6. I like spiders (the real ones).
7. I love the compression lock. It took a bit of getting used to but now I almost don't want anything else.
8. I like spiders (the real ones).

[Kryosphinx]

Bang for the buck

[psimonl]

What brought me to :spyder: , come to think of it, was a page in a 1996 Catalog of a hunting-fishing outdoor sports store.

each pages was for a different brand: Buck, Victorinox, Puma, Cold steel,... But the page for :spyder: had something different from the others. the style was not trying to imitate the other ones. And the were the only ones (Delica) with a real flat back spine...

But it started all with a Meerkat...

Simon

[dedguy]

it may sound shallow but i really find the way things look to be increadibly important. part of this may be that i'm and artist and designer. i'm also very concerned with quality and as it to happens 9 out of 10 when i pick out something bases soley on looks it's also a very high quality thing. i also do a lot of searching and research before making specific purchase particularly if it's the sort of thing i havn't bought before.

so when i suddenly found myself in desperate need of a reliable knife i ended up going with a Spyderco. i really couldn't afford it at the time but i needed a good knife in my job so i saved up some and got a Harpy. that Harpy was my only knife for many years. now i make much more money and can afford more knives but don't use them nearly as much on a daily basis as i did at my old job.

[greencobra]

This will sound hokey, I discovered the site and the people on it before I discovered the knife. Got ill in '04, looked around for something to do on the net while recovering, thought about knives, don't know why, and a Google search led me here. Liked the way the folks already here welcomed me, liked how they interacted with each other (pretty much no moderators then either) and liked the way the company interacted with it's customers. Joined officially in Feb '05 and I stayed on and started buying and carrying and learning. Have had a Spyderco in my pocket everyday since Nov '04, up until then, never really carried one. So, in a nutshell, my friends here brought me to Spyderco with their enthusiasm and comraderie.

I have 55 Spydercos now in the collection.

[lerman]

my bast Friend's older brother was always into knives and firearms, he was about 12 y/o and me and my friend ware about 7 y/o :) , so my freind wane'd to be like his brother, thet's whan i heared about spyderco for the first time, it was his favorite knife company, we used do draw delicas in notebook in class, then i lost my interest in knives, and after 8 years i started collecting knives and than spyderco came back from the past :) , my friend's older brother is the one that gave me my blackhawk a month ago :) .

[jaislandboy]

... I love the snicker-snack of precisely built machinery. It's hard to find quality at a decent price these days, but Spyderco pulls it off...

You said it best cobrajoe......I also admire the company's philosophy and their continuous push to bring cutting edge materials/technological refinements to their products....allowing us (the Lucky ELU's) to sample the latest/greatest.... :D

[Chucula]

thats pretty cool lerman! you have some nice friends.

I got into spyderco because i thought it had the best bang for buck and i liked the non-generic ergonomic shape. The main reason i stick to spyderco is because the knives are specialized. Each knife i have is distinctly different. I look at other brands and feel that they are mostly the same shape with a change in size or handle or color.

I later learned about the differences in steel and now that factors in aswell. I really like vg-10 and s30v.

[Steelman]

It's simple for me. I live less than one mile from the factory!! HE HE, and I like nice knives.