Para 3 with CTS 204P River's Edge - New Shipment

[RickC27]

Looks like Ebay sellers are going to make a KILLING on this knife.

[Deadboxhero]

I think people underestimated the demand for this knife, I've never seen Spyderco knife with such high demand. It took a small, no name, "Mom and Pop shop" and launched them into the stratosphere. The good news is this run was so successful you can almost guarantee that the crew is going to plan a PM2 in the future.

I think it's great when people like Brian and his crew at River's edge Cutlery take a HUGE risk and it pays off. If you look back at when the knife was revealed it didn't get alot of love. Something like this was a make or break move for such a small organization.

I'm very happy it was successful and that we got a really great looking blade that has a unique combination.

[allhatnocattle]

I'll do business with REC in the future, I've had nothing but good interactions with them. Let's be realistic here, they could just as easily had a slow-seller like the Delica exclusive at St. Nick's Knives. It isn't always easy or obvious to know what the market will go bonkers for.

When this first dropped I thought this would be a slow seller. I mean the M390 Para 3 at BBS has been around for months, and still is. People were saying how ugly the color of the REC Para 3 was, etc, etc. But all of a sudden it got hit with hype out of nowhere and became the must have piece. On the other hand you have the St Nick's Delica, which I still think is one of the best looking exclusives ever done, and it is sitting around.

Price is a huge factor here,REC was at $139 and ST.Nicks is still holding at $189-ish for a delica that while unique in color isnt a new design by a long shot.

[wolfgaze]

Looks like I missed out on this knife despite following the release of the second batch... Bummer...

[Lorelei]

I'll do business with REC in the future, I've had nothing but good interactions with them. Let's be realistic here, they could just as easily had a slow-seller like the Delica exclusive at St. Nick's Knives. It isn't always easy or obvious to know what the market will go bonkers for.

When this first dropped I thought this would be a slow seller. I mean the M390 Para 3 at BBS has been around for months, and still is. People were saying how ugly the color of the REC Para 3 was, etc, etc. But all of a sudden it got hit with hype out of nowhere and became the must have piece. On the other hand you have the St Nick's Delica, which I still think is one of the best looking exclusives ever done, and it is sitting around.

When it came out the first time I should have grabbed one. I had the chance. I just hadn't carried a PM3 and the PM2 knives that I had didn't feel right in my hand. So I thought that this would be the same until I grabbed one from my husband. By then the first run was sold out.

They're not ugly to me!

The Delica is nice too. I'll probably wait until they are sold out and then want one. :p

[bearfacedkiller]

Maybe it was extremely popular? Maybe it was a small run? Do we know numbers? Maybe it was only something like 500 pieces.

Anyway, the way I see it, no matter how they handled it some folks were gonna be upset. I view the commissioning of exclusives as a valuable contribution to the hobby. It takes a lot of capital to make them happen. They are on my radar now as one of the good guys.

[Sharp Guy]

When this first dropped I thought this would be a slow seller. I mean the M390 Para 3 at BBS has been around for months, and still is. People were saying how ugly the color of the REC Para 3 was, etc, etc. But all of a sudden it got hit with hype out of nowhere and became the must have piece. On the other hand you have the St Nick's Delica, which I still think is one of the best looking exclusives ever done, and it is sitting around.

The REC Para 3 was relatively inexpensive considering the steel, coating, etc. It was a pretty good deal and price makes a huge difference for a lot of people.

[Foolish Mortal]

Maybe it was extremely popular? Maybe it was a small run? Do we know numbers? Maybe it was only something like 500 pieces.

Anyway, the way I see it, no matter how they handled it some folks were gonna be upset. I view the commissioning of exclusives as a valuable contribution to the hobby. It takes a lot of capital to make them happen. They are on my radar now as one of the good guys.

It was a small run. I believe that they mentioned that somewhere, or someone mentioned that here. I totally agree with them being one of the "good guys". Without Spyderco offering the opportunity for businesses to design and offer exclusives, and places like River's Edge dropping some skin in the game, we'd miss out on plenty of unique knives.

That dynamic is what makes me a Spyderco fan. Sprint runs, exclusives... you can't get them all unless you're in the collector's club or spend all day surfing/getting lucky, but you can get plenty enough to keep you happy and occupied in this hobby.

[attila]

I think people underestimated the demand for this knife, I've never seen Spyderco knife with such high demand. It took a small, no name, "Mom and Pop shop" and launched them into the stratosphere. The good news is this run was so successful you can almost guarantee that the crew is going to plan a PM2 in the future.

I think it's great when people like Brian and his crew at River's edge Cutlery take a HUGE risk and it pays off. If you look back at when the knife was revealed it didn't get alot of love. Something like this was a make or break move for such a small organization.

I'm very happy it was successful and that we got a really great looking blade that has a unique combination.

It is true that they are planning a PM2, but it will likely be with 20CV instead of 204P steel.

The word I received from REC was that Spyderco has had trouble getting Carpenter steels (CTS-204P in this case) in the relatively small batches that sprints and exclusives require. Therefore, Spyderco isn't going to produce many, if any more with 204P. If the Carpenter steel supply doesn't get fixed, we won't see this color/PVD/steel combo again.

[Cujobob]

I'll do business with REC in the future, I've had nothing but good interactions with them. Let's be realistic here, they could just as easily had a slow-seller like the Delica exclusive at St. Nick's Knives. It isn't always easy or obvious to know what the market will go bonkers for.

When this first dropped I thought this would be a slow seller. I mean the M390 Para 3 at BBS has been around for months, and still is. People were saying how ugly the color of the REC Para 3 was, etc, etc. But all of a sudden it got hit with hype out of nowhere and became the must have piece. On the other hand you have the St Nick's Delica, which I still think is one of the best looking exclusives ever done, and it is sitting around.

I don't consider the Delica a great knife at those prices. It was a good budget knife and most consider it very ergonomic, but I don't think demand is guaranteed at higher prices for it. The titanium/damascus version (which I own) seemed like a pretty slow seller because of the cost at around $150.


REC tried to do the right thing IMO, but some technical issues really hurt them. While ultimately they're accountable, I don't blame them at all and have heard really good things about their company. One of the big things here is that they didn't price this model way higher and they definitely could have. New blade finish, unique color, and a high end blade steel yet it was barely over the normal price for an S30V production model. They didn't even charge ridiculous shipping like one unnamed company with great exclusives.

[Spyderman91]

I'm not mad.... just disappointed (long post ahead).
Way back when I first heard of this sprint (even before the first shipment) I thought "Man, that looks cool".
Within a blink of an eye the first shipment came and went, but their page said to remain hopeful for August, AKA the 2nd coming of Christ (jkjk).
So hopeful I remained, until today where the disappointment sank in.

Here is where I think Rivers Edge went wrong, although I do think they had good intentions at heart.

1. Releasing the knife in 2 separate batches with a lengthy time span in between, this definitely built the fanatic behavior we saw earlier this week. Although I do get they are a business first and probably had to do what they did for business reasons.
2. Underestimating the cult following of Spyderco and the power of an intriguing sprint run, the website crashed at what.... 3 minutes before they were even supposed to drop.
3. Saying they were going to release the knife in 5 separate batches across 3 days, at first I was actually excited about this idea but not even an hour within this "RANDOM SPONTANEOUS KNIFE BONANZA" they drop the knife..... AND ALL THE BATCHES GET SOLD AT ONCE. So not only was it not very spontaneous, the consumer got reassured that they would get a chance at this knife MULTIPLE times.. which at the end felt like broken promises.

Again, I know River Edge did what they could given what happened, but the item number 3 is what got me the most... How can you not cap the checkout for each separate batch. I know they are not computer programmers, web designers, or coders but the people doing their website must really suck... and I say this as a person who works with computers all day, and is surrounded by every big name in tech imaginable. Don't get me wrong tech people aren't exactly "Smart" either (computer smart yes, but common sense.....). So here we are. I was fortunate enough to buy the melted chocolate s90v Manix from them last week (they were one of the few retailers who had it at the time), I am thankful for that.

HOWEVER, THE GOOD NEWS is that Ebay right now has a 15% off coupon on major brands, and there are a large selection of Spydercos available... even some I have been eyeballing for awhile. Happy hunting gentlemen and Spyderwomen.

[Raymond3]

My past experience with Rivers Edge was excellent. I was on a wait list for the Sprint Para 2 in Rex 45. They sent an e-mail with a link which I followed and finished the sale. Simple, no time, immediate delivery etc. It would have been nice for them to use that process with this one too.

But, small shop, live and learn. I'm sure they wont make the same mistakes again. They do have a wonderful attitude, and have had great customer service, so I plan on using them again in the future. And, we have to thank them for a couple new features they brought to market. it will be very hard to put that Jeannie back in the bottle.

As for future knives(Pm2 or P3): of all the features that I want most to see: CTS 204p is at the top of the list. IMHO, that steel is more preferable than Bohler and CPM version.

[BigGrove]

I have high hopes for a PM2 version of this knife and cautiously expect that REC will either get a better website host or find a better way to distribute that is within their control.

My point in the comparison with the St. Nick Knives Delica was not to get hung up on one specific thing (i.e. price) but rather point out the whims of the market these releases are subject to. I think it could have easily gone the other way with the Delica causing a panic while the REC exclusive sat on the shelves.

[Deadboxhero]

I'm not mad.... just disappointed (long post ahead).
Way back when I first heard of this sprint (even before the first shipment) I thought "Man, that looks cool".
Within a blink of an eye the first shipment came and went, but their page said to remain hopeful for August, AKA the 2nd coming of Christ (jkjk).
So hopeful I remained, until today where the disappointment sank in.

Here is where I think Rivers Edge went wrong, although I do think they had good intentions at heart.

1. Releasing the knife in 2 separate batches with a lengthy time span in between, this definitely built the fanatic behavior we saw earlier this week. Although I do get they are a business first and probably had to do what they did for business reasons.
2. Underestimating the cult following of Spyderco and the power of an intriguing sprint run, the website crashed at what.... 3 minutes before they were even supposed to drop.
3. Saying they were going to release the knife in 5 separate batches across 3 days, at first I was actually excited about this idea but not even an hour within this "RANDOM SPONTANEOUS KNIFE BONANZA" they drop the knife..... AND ALL THE BATCHES GET SOLD AT ONCE. So not only was it not very spontaneous, the consumer got reassured that they would get a chance at this knife MULTIPLE times.. which at the end felt like broken promises.

Again, I know River Edge did what they could given what happened, but the item number 3 is what got me the most... How can you not cap the checkout for each separate batch. I know they are not computer programmers, web designers, or coders but the people doing their website must really suck... and I say this as a person who works with computers all day, and is surrounded by every big name in tech imaginable. Don't get me wrong tech people aren't exactly "Smart" either (computer smart yes, but common sense.....). So here we are. I was fortunate enough to buy the melted chocolate s90v Manix from them last week (they were one of the few retailers who had it at the time), I am thankful for that.

HOWEVER, THE GOOD NEWS is that Ebay right now has a 15% off coupon on major brands, and there are a large selection of Spydercos available... even some I have been eyeballing for awhile. Happy hunting gentlemen and Spyderwomen.

I think its important to clear up some confusion, I've also been following this sprint and would like to share.( I understand you're just venting)

1. They didn't release in two separate batches to build a "fanatic behavior" Brian is a straight forward guy, they got the first batch in sooner then expected and decided to release it before getting the rest from Spyderco. There was no way Brian or anyone could have anticipated such demand. Most sprints don't experience this kind of demand.

2. The website crashed because it wasn't designed to handle such a huge volume. This is a smaller organization. Again, no one could have predicted the frenzy for this sprint. Most people on the forums dismissed the knife. Once people got a better idea of how it looked and a better understanding of PVD vs Cerakote and other coatings its demand grew. Again It was a HUGE Gamble that paid off for REC and was totally unexpected.

3. I feel you on this one, it sucks that they had planned and announced something and then it changed as it was released,They have alot of compassion and wanted to please everyone, but at the end of the day there wasn't enough to go around anyways with that kind of demand. When you play musical chairs with 3 chairs and 5 people its already a competition . From what I'm gathering this was like 3 chairs and 100 people, No matter how you look at it, people are going to lose.

I'd say if people really want it bad then just get em off ebay, its just money. Why stop true love if you HAVE to have it, but hey plenty of other fish in the sea :D

On the brightside, it's only August, there are plenty more sprints to get that have not been released, and trust me I'm sure the crew at REC is already thinking about a plan for a Paramilitary 2 and has more experience with how to sell under very high demand.

[A.S.]

Not sure if it is real or site glitch,but they are showing in stock. I just got a confirmation email.

[Joey]

Mine shows out of stock, with a disclaimer that strictly says they’re fully out of stock, and will not be putting any more up for sale.

[BigGrove]

Not sure if it is real or site glitch,but they are showing in stock. I just got a confirmation email.

I call shenanigans

[A.S.]

Not sure if it is real or site glitch,but they are showing in stock. I just got a confirmation email.

I call shenanigans

Got my hopes on them kicking out people who tried to order two and then putting them back for sale.

[BigGrove]

Not sure if it is real or site glitch,but they are showing in stock. I just got a confirmation email.

I call shenanigans

Got my hopes on them kicking out people who tried to order two and then putting them back for sale.

I was calling shenanigans on you. Post your confirmation email or it doesn't exist

[Username827]

Just checked the website, and it looks like the page got pulled down. Oh well, such is life. Nice to see the gamble pay off for REC