Gift of Spyderco

[abbazaba]

I've given many knives to many people over the years, but I think today was the best experience I've had yet. All too often, when they first receive the knife they take it out, look it over, sometimes don't even open the blade all the way, and put it back in the box.

The only boss I've had that I truly respected is retiring after over 20 years. Despite feeling like it wasn't the "perfect" gift, I gave him the best idea I had - Sage1. Not only did he seem genuinely excited, he flipped it open and closed a few times with ease (no bewildered look at the liner lock here), and then immediately clipped it in his right front pocket! Five minutes later I saw him take it out and use it! I asked him if he'd carried a knife before and he said not really, but he keeps a Swiss army knife in his camping gear.

Not once have I given a knife to a non-knife person and had this good of an experience (though it's of course what I hope for). What have your Spyderco gifting experiences been like?

[farnorthdan]

Good on you friend, I've been known to give away knives over the years and other random gifts, I like it, helps me remember there's more to life than things and helps keep things in perspective.

[ZrowsN1s]

Cool that you didn't have to explain "the facts of Knife" to him. :D

[RocketJ]

I gave my older brother a Dragonfly a few days ago on his 70th birthday as part of his gift. He really likes it, and mine is my favorite knife!

John

[TomAiello]

Nice. :)

[greencobra]

good story. i posted here over 10 years ago about a boss, an older german lady, who saw me with a delica. it caught her eye, she wanted to fondle it and she decided she liked it. i gave her mine. she never carried a knife before and she was thrilled and genuinely happy to receive it. i remember her always wearing skirts with pockets and it was an off day when the delica wasn't clipped into one of those pockets. i left not long after for another job. her name was erica and i often wonder if she still has the knife.

[buccilli15]

I gifted a Tenacious to a good friend of mine as a Thank You.
My wife and I were re-locating to Metro-Detroit, which is where he lived. He helped us find a house, and then was able to get me a job his his company (we're both engineers). Anyway, during my first week of employment at the new company, we had a routine meeting and were waiting on my friend Eric, the guy I gifted the Tenacious, to join. Eric came walking in a few minutes late and placed his coffee, the Tenacious, and notepad on the conference table. I saw the Tenacious and just started laughing, wondering, WTF is he thinking. Don't get me wrong, I probably had a DF2 or Manbug in my pocket; but we're talking this company is one of the largest Tier 1 auto suppliers in the world, shirt and tie, fifteen people in a formal meeting type-of-thing...And, Eric walks in drop a **** Tenacious down with the rest of his stuff. I'm certain his ADD kicked in and he was oblivious to it. Nobody ever said anything and the meeting went on, but I was please to see he liked the Tenacious enough to bring into meetings with him! :D

[SF Native]

I gave my cousin a kiwi4 but don't know if he uses it.

I have had better luck in letting my coworkers see the knives that arrive and let them try them out. One coworker picked up the urban lightweight and now carries it regularly. Another coworker is still looking for something he likes.

[hoimin]

One of the first gifts I got for my wife after I got into knives was the DF2 (ZDP) because she likes green and small things (and I like the DF2). She uses it occasionally, but doesn't quite have the compulsion I have to carry sharp things.

Fast forward to two weeks ago when she saw me watching a youtube knife video and caught sight of the Spyderco Bug.
Now she has the Bug and she can't help but show it off on her keys. It's the one knife purchase I've received the full green light on with zero eyerolls.

[anycal]

That is a cool story, OP.

Gave my best friend a fixed blade almost 25 years ago. Nothing special compare to the knives I know and have today. But to this day, he has it with him every camping trip we go on.

Last year gave him my Manix 2 LW. Didn't have a need for it, so why not. Couple months later he gave it back to me. He didn't like it; the lock. He did get excited about my new Military though. Time to buy another one as a gift.

[ZrowsN1s]

I gave my older brother a Dragonfly a few days ago on his 70th birthday as part of his gift. He really likes it, and mine is my favorite knife!

John

Dragonflys make the best gifts for converting people to spyderco, great little knife, I've got a few of them. I gave my father a ZDP Manbug, and my mother a ladybug salt, they both seem pretty happy with them, and they ACTUALLY carry them most of the time.

[RLDubbya]

I'm late posting on this, but a little bit of a shiny reminder won't kill us.

Recently, a friend helped me with my fundraiser, doing the graphic design work. I wanted to gift her something special. At about the time she was finishing up, she approached me to ask my opinion of a knife. This was one of those "hardk0re taktikol" knives advertized, I kid you not, as being able to shred aliens. This thing was a folder, gaudy, multi-bladed. At first I thought she was kidding me, but I soon realized she was serious: she wanted to buy a knife. I was afraid that she was going to actually buy this one; if nothing else, it is dangerous because of weak locks.

I asked her why she wanted it. She actually seemed thankful that I would take the time to chat with her, and told me that she went running early in the morning in a bad neighorhood, and needed protection. I asked her if she had any knife skills training or martial arts training. She didn't; I told her the little story about the Civilian, and how it has morphed to the Matriarch 2. I showed her photos and descriptions of Mommy 2.0; she loved the Emmy Wave version, DLC.

I went ahead and bought her one. She started reading reviews and a whole new world opened up for her. She was blown away. When my little package arrived at her house, she immediately called me. I told her to open it. I could her the sound of paper tearing, and then she started to cry.

She said that nobody had ever done anything like that for her. I told her to take it a step at a time; to first learn how to open the knife with the standard hole opener. Then to learn how to use the Wave. To consider a class.

She posted pics of this on her FacePlace, and I was so happy when somebody suggested that she run out and buy the signet ring for it, because that would "make it into a karambit" and she replied that it wouldn't make the knife a karambit, and asked the poster a bunch of questions that made him look silly.

She gets it. She's a knife person now.

I'm so happy.

[Tdog]

All of my kids are loving their Spydie's. They all have K05s and sharpmakers plus the other knives I've gifted them over the years. My son is a marine deputy, he also has a Police, Pacific se, Southfork, and a Stag Arms Manix I've gifted him. Guess an Aqua Salt is next :rolleyes: My wife's fave is the bolstered Caly followed by the purple Dragonfly. Thankful to be able to share the Spydie love. My bro in law is an avid hunter. Loves his ZDP Endura and S110v Mule. Thanks to all at Spyderco :D

[DrawBackwards]

I purchased a green zdp DF2 for my wife as an early Christmas present a year and a half ago. I was too excited to wait for Christmas -- but when she opened it, she was scared of it. I wasn't sure if that was it, but when she saw how disappointed I was she gave it a try. After just a few weeks, she was totally comfortable and carries it every day.

This past Christmas, I purchased a Native 5 for my oldest daughter -- who was totally stoked. And when my wife saw it, she said: "Ooh, can I have one of those too?" :D

That's the best gifting experience. My wife has loved what the Sharpmaker does for the kitchen knives, and our son hasn't stopped carrying his PM2 since I got it for him...

[RLDubbya]

Tdog & DrawBackwards - excellent stories! I love hearing about families growing closer through becoming knife knuts, those stories are just the best. It is through such a situation that my love of knives grew, and I remember my father and godfather through knives. Great stuff when families bond.

THANK YOU!

[ShaneInDenver]

My old neighbor was moving and when I was helping him I noticed he didn't have a knife to cut tape, boxes, etc. Lucky for him I had just returned home from the Spyderco Factory Second Sale and had a few extras. I gave him a Tenacious, but before I handed it to him I opened up the blade and shaved part of my arm in front of him with it to demonstrate just how sharp this knife is. He was genuinely impressed by the knife and I got a text message from him a month or two later letting me know how much he's enjoying it.

Oh yeah, he was also moving to Texas. I remember telling him how can you live in Texas and NOT own a knife?

[ZrowsN1s]

An old friend just moved back to California after living in New York City for 3 years. He was happy to be back, but as we got to talking knives, he said that he had stopped carrying while in NYC due to the laws there. And he was at the moment completely knife-less.

Well no friend of mine is going to walk around without a knife so I gifted him one of my Hawkbill Dragonflys. This is his first hawkbill and his first Spyderco. He seems quite pleased with it so far, and is particularly excited that it is rustproof (both for food/kitchen use and for beach going, he's big into surfing).

Speaking of friends bitten by the spyder, another friend I talked into buying a standard Dfly for work a few months ago, just picked himself up a Wharndelica for fathers day. So it begins :D

[Mini2white]

Gifting them is wonderful. Just as valuable is loaning out models for first time buyers to try before they buy. My non knife friend has decided he wants a Spyderco after seeing ours so many times. Looked at all the different models in the cabinets and the edc and now has borrowed a couple to try for a while. Another new owner coming up.

[DigDug72]

Yep, nothing like Spydie-gifting for real! Got my brother a Sage 1 a few years back. He went from carrying another brand w/ assisted opening, to declaring that any pocket knife w/out a finger choil and thumb ramp was garbage! I gave him a Sliverax last year, and that's became his gold standard - no lock but the compression lock for him now! Guess he had to get flexible about the thumb ramp criteria though...

[Caustic Dick]

I gave my daughter a Ladybug, and a Delica. She likes, and uses them often.