Are Spyderco prices getting out of your reach?

[araneae]

So while browsing the new items list at Knifecenter, I realized the vast majority of the forthcoming items are outside my price range. Topping out at $430 for the Nirvana, isn't that well into custom knife range? I did some math and if I did it correctly, the average price of a new Spyderco at Knifecenter (granted, KC isn't the cheapest retailer) is about $172. That's above my comfort zone a good bit and I'm certain it's well above the average knife users budget.

I'm not saying they aren't going to be very well executed and perhaps worth the price to some, but is Spyderco pricing themselves out of the average knife buyer's reach? I understand they are doing collab's with custom makers, but it seems like they are trying to make custom quality knives in a production situation, which, it would seem, are going to have a very narrow market. How many Vrango's are going to see use in a fisherman's hands?

Why not do some collab's that the average user can get ahold of and put to work? Kershaw has been doing it for years, making import and domestic models that come in well under $100 in many cases. Rather than try to recreate a custom in near exact detail, bring it to market in G-10 at a price more can reach. I'm not saying there still aren't some great Spyderco knives available at a great price, just concerned about the trend. The rising price levels and the MAP announcement really have me wondering where Spyderco is going with their range. Anyone else having similar thoughts?

[SG89]

I am not worried about anything the future holds with Spyderco. There are plenty of different spydies to appeal to plenty of different users. MAP isn't going to scare me off. I am forever hooked on these knives. No other knife company will do. Just my opinion.

[bengaiser]

^^^ This, they do continue to offer a wide selection. They do seems to be getting more spendy as one moves outside the core Spyderco offerings, but it's understandable as the complexity increases and types of materials gets more diverse.

For users there is always the secondary market which does tend to help a bit on price...

[can't freehand]

So while browsing the new items list at Knifecenter, I realized the vast majority of the forthcoming items are outside my price range. Topping out at $430 for the Nirvana, isn't that well into custom knife range? I did some math and if I did it correctly, the average price of a new Spyderco at Knifecenter (granted, KC isn't the cheapest retailer) is about $172. That's above my comfort zone a good bit and I'm certain it's well above the average knife users budget.

I'm not saying they aren't going to be very well executed and perhaps worth the price to some, but is Spyderco pricing themselves out of the average knife buyer's reach? I understand they are doing collab's with custom makers, but it seems like they are trying to make custom quality knives in a production situation, which, it would seem, are going to have a very narrow market. How many Vrango's are going to see use in a fisherman's hands?

Why not do some collab's that the average user can get ahold of and put to work? Kershaw has been doing it for years, making import and domestic models that come in well under $100 in many cases. Rather than try to recreate a custom in near exact detail, bring it to market in G-10 at a price more can reach. I'm not saying there still aren't some great Spyderco knives available at a great price, just concerned about the trend. The rising price levels and the MAP announcement really have me wondering where Spyderco is going with their range. Anyone else having similar thoughts?

You know what, I'm irate with the MAP, cancel my previous post. I had no idea that crap was announced.

Amazon is not one monolithic distributed of Spyderco o: it plays host to a bunch of small guys that do their own work. Therefore, "bottlenecking" of your distribution isn't happening and you won't be taken advantage of when the Knifecenter cabal is rightly priced out.

It's always perverse when a company implements it's own anti-market regulations simply because it thinks it's so good that the consumers will always be there for them and will take it up the a$$.

The depiction of knifecenter and their ilk as innocent virgins is laughable; they contribute previsely to the exact manchild/mall- ninja hyping of third world produced garbage sold at 300% of the cost but turn around and whine about how successful Amazon for essentially doing the same thing.

They can't keep up, they deserve to die, it's that simple. I'm tempted to switch brand loyalty over this.

[Brock O Lee]

Most of the new ones are now out of my reach. Not so much because of the USD price increases, but because the weakness of my emerging market currency against the USD.

I did the math last week: a $100 knife today cost me exactly the same as a $200 knife did exactly 4 years ago in my local currency, so I am pulling the plug on all but the most special and best value-for-money sprints.

I am very happy about the ones I have, they will most probably last me a lifetime anyway.

[gingerninja]

I dont spend anywhere near as much as some do but I have probably brought more than I should of over the last 12 mths. I love all of my spydercos and am looking forward to growing the collection but its not getting any easier. Being an overseas buyer I have to consider the exchange rate so as prices rise its a bit of a heavy blow to the wallet.

[PM1]

Being an overseas buyer I have to consider the exchange rate so as prices rise its a bit of a heavy blow to the wallet.

Exactly 1 year ago $1 Canadian bought $0.88 USD. Today the same $1 Canadian gets only $0.75 USD. So, buying something like a nice Sprint ParaMilitary 2 such as the CS Orange and Black XHP: a U.S. customer pays $175, a year ago a Canadian would have paid $199, but today a Canadian must pay $233 + any customs and duty!

I have my eye on the 2016 Spyderco Introvert. It will cost $189 USD, so that means a whopping $252 Canadian. We have 12% sales tax, so that will bump the total cost to a nice tidy $282.

Ouch.

[demoncase]

So while browsing the new items list at Knifecenter, I realized the vast majority of the forthcoming items are outside my price range. Topping out at $430 for the Nirvana, isn't that well into custom knife range? I did some math and if I did it correctly, the average price of a new Spyderco at Knifecenter (granted, KC isn't the cheapest retailer) is about $172. That's above my comfort zone a good bit and I'm certain it's well above the average knife users budget.

I'd agree you'd have a point if Spyderco had abandoned the FRN Delica and Endura.
The 'bread and butter' models- the Harpy, the Civilian, the Police, the Military, the PM2, the Manix 2, the Delica, the Endura are all below that average- significantly in most cases.....and it's these 'bread and butter' models that most 'non-Spydie-fans' buy.

While the full 'range' of the catalogue may average out $170, averages in this case are skewed by the few very expensive models at the high end.
(To use another example: The average wage might by $40k per year- but that's skewed by the small number at the very top end earning millions....Removing those outliers makes the average closer to true and probably more like $30k)

I'd be more interested in the 'modal distribution'-
How many knives up to $50
How many $51 to $100
How many $100 to $150
and so on.

And finally- if a knife is too expensive then it's just a reason for me to start saving!

[spydutch]

It's no fun for me anymore to join you all like I could in the past.
Wether I order from te US or here I have to pay top dollar (EURO that is LOL) for even the standard models:
Eur 55,- for a standard Ladybug and close to EUR 100,- for a Delica or H1 Dragonfly.
But I still love the company and the models I have from the better times

[TheOutdoorNerd]

All those HAP40 sprints look reasonable. So do the new dark blue Natives in S110V, and that's it for the new ones that I must have, so their MAP doesn't seem terrible so far for the models I want. The 40th anniversary Native seems out of my price range, but I'm not ruling it out if it's super awesome.

[MarcusH]

The 'bread and butter' models- the Harpy, the Civilian, the Police, the Military, the PM2, the Manix 2, the Delica, the Endura are all below that average- significantly in most cases.....and it's these 'bread and butter' models that most 'non-Spydie-fans' buy.

That's true, but I have the feeling that the European collectors, who are willing to buy the higher-end models, are quite disappointed with Spdercos price policy.
The European prices are absolutely ridiculous, I know a lot of old Spyderco afis across the pond who started boycotting Spyderco because of that.
I doubt that any knife with a MSRP over 350$ has reasonable sales here in Europe.

Example:
The two big Spyderco retailers in Germany are trying to sell the Stretch 2 for almost the street price of a small Sebenza, converted according to the current exchange rate they are trying to charge 400$.
I guess they haven't sold a single one of them.

[usar]

remember the rule of thumb demand drives prices up with everything, people manage to save a spend money on products they want so that goes along with knives we like to have I would save and sacrifice on a spyderco knife I would want !

[Evil D]

Eh. The knives I own will last the rest of my life. I have the luxury of being able to sit back and wait to see what happens.

"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf".

[FCM415]

Eh. The knives I own will last the rest of my life. I have the luxury of being able to sit back and wait to see what happens.

"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf".

Perfect.

My stockpile will keep me afloat. I'll dip in for Must haves like the GB2.

[bearfacedkiller]

Yeah, some are getting out of reach for me. The folders from Japan especially. Why is the Stretch2 so much? At least the knives coming out Taichung and Golden are still a crazy good value. There are still some great deals coming from Spyderco. I have a lifetime supply as well.

[The Deacon]

Not really. Mostly because Spyderco has done me a huge "favor" since I retired and began living on a fixed income by discontinuing the one model I purchased the most of and bringing out very few new models that I find myself even slightly tempted to purchase. Some of the ones I have purchased were more expensive, but 4 "more expensive" Spydercos out of a total of 5 purchased new this year still represent a lot less total dollars than the several dozen I was purchasing each year a few years back.

[El Gato]

I am not worried about anything the future holds with Spyderco. There are plenty of different spydies to appeal to plenty of different users. MAP isn't going to scare me off. I am forever hooked on these knives. No other knife company will do. Just my opinion.

Pricing, MAP, etc., etc. personally does not bother me one bit. If I want a certain knife I will find a way to purchase it. I exist on a very modest fixed income that barely stretches to the end of each month and I live very simply, but there is always a way to get another knife I want without having to lay awake nights worrying about things over which I have no control. I intend to enjoy a few new Spydies for a long time yet.

[chuck_roxas45]

So while browsing the new items list at Knifecenter, I realized the vast majority of the forthcoming items are outside my price range. Topping out at $430 for the Nirvana, isn't that well into custom knife range? I did some math and if I did it correctly, the average price of a new Spyderco at Knifecenter (granted, KC isn't the cheapest retailer) is about $172. That's above my comfort zone a good bit and I'm certain it's well above the average knife users budget.

I'd agree you'd have a point if Spyderco had abandoned the FRN Delica and Endura.
The 'bread and butter' models- the Harpy, the Civilian, the Police, the Military, the PM2, the Manix 2, the Delica, the Endura are all below that average- significantly in most cases.....and it's these 'bread and butter' models that most 'non-Spydie-fans' buy.

Two points.

First, mentioned that he was being priced out of the spyderco market. He didn't really mention non-spydie fans buyers.

Second, the point is not whether we can afford delicas and enduras as most spydieheads already have those.

When this discussions come up, the people feeling the squeeze are invariably pointed to the "core models" which aren't the models that are being addressed. Most spydie heads buy knives not just because they need one tool that does all their cutting but rather they find the higher end models or the sprints desirable.

Pointing out the price of a delica or endura doesn't really address the issue because these people are usually discriminating have particular tastes(besides, as mentioned, they already have a few knives that they can use).

Maybe a a good title would have been..."Are Spydercos more desirable offering getting our of your reach?"

[yablanowitz]

Between my new boss eliminating overtime, my rent being raised 110% and the addition of a car payment to my monthly expenses, Spyderco knives were already out of my price range. I've managed to scrape up enough for the Mules so far, but that is all. Luckily, they haven't cranked out anything too interesting lately, although I'll regret not being able to keep my Military steel collection complete if the 52100 and S110V models come out in the same year.

[demoncase]

So while browsing the new items list at Knifecenter, I realized the vast majority of the forthcoming items are outside my price range. Topping out at $430 for the Nirvana, isn't that well into custom knife range? I did some math and if I did it correctly, the average price of a new Spyderco at Knifecenter (granted, KC isn't the cheapest retailer) is about $172. That's above my comfort zone a good bit and I'm certain it's well above the average knife users budget.

I'd agree you'd have a point if Spyderco had abandoned the FRN Delica and Endura.
The 'bread and butter' models- the Harpy, the Civilian, the Police, the Military, the PM2, the Manix 2, the Delica, the Endura are all below that average- significantly in most cases.....and it's these 'bread and butter' models that most 'non-Spydie-fans' buy.

Two points.

First, mentioned that he was being priced out of the spyderco market. He didn't really mention non-spydie fans buyers.

Second, the point is not whether we can afford delicas and enduras as most spydieheads already have those.

When this discussions come up, the people feeling the squeeze are invariably pointed to the "core models" which aren't the models that are being addressed. Most spydie heads buy knives not just because they need one tool that does all their cutting but rather they find the higher end models or the sprints desirable.

Pointing out the price of a delica or endura doesn't really address the issue because these people are usually discriminating have particular tastes(besides, as mentioned, they already have a few knives that they can use).

Maybe a a good title would have been..."Are Spydercos more desirable offering getting our of your reach?"

That's a fair point and I agree- I was speaking more to the hint at a 'creeping average price increase'- which is mathematically true.

I guess it's all about filtering what you want against other mundane things like food, house payments and so forth.
My biggest trouble isn't the higher end MSRP for the super-duper models but the fluctuating exchange rate
- I'd love to drop the £350 ($531.86 at current exchange rates!) on a Stepped Blue Chapparal- but that's a lot of beer tokens all at once and that'd be a very special purchase.