Spyderco Amsterdam Meet 2019 Report

[dj moonbat]

And that’s all folks, I shared every pixel I could from these excellent new Spyderco offerings. I have no other imagery or info to share. Thank you all so much for watching and all the kind words. I’m sure I didn’t get to answer every question and I very much appreciate my fellow attendees at the meet helping out!

Thanks again! This was probably the most exiting thread since I joined the forum.

You have no idea how amazing this thread used to be.

Really? Even more than this one?
Since I joined the forum only somewhen in the second half of last year, this is the first "Amsterdam-thread" for me...

Yeah, Spyderco got bummed out with having to keep telling people when those cool knives from the Amsterdam thread were going to drop. The A-dam thread had all sorts of cool/crazy stuff, sometimes years before Spyderco finally brought the knives to production. So, for instance, this year if I'm not mistaken, the thread has no collabs, which was always a highlight.

For the last several years, the Amsterdam thread, with Mr. Blonde's photography, has been one of the top two or three online events I watch for. This year's is fine, as far as it went. But it used to go a lot further.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Has anyone else noticed allot of these knives are very similar in construction with minor differences chief among those being size.

[swigert]

And that’s all folks, I shared every pixel I could from these excellent new Spyderco offerings. I have no other imagery or info to share. Thank you all so much for watching and all the kind words. I’m sure I didn’t get to answer every question and I very much appreciate my fellow attendees at the meet helping out!

Thanks again! This was probably the most exiting thread since I joined the forum.

You have no idea how amazing this thread used to be.

Really? Even more than this one?
Since I joined the forum only somewhen in the second half of last year, this is the first "Amsterdam-thread" for me...

Maybe 5 times this in the past.

[dj moonbat]

Has anyone else noticed allot of these knives are very similar in construction with minor differences chief among those being size.

They are all made of some combination of steel and synthetic material, and held together with steel pins or screws. So, yes.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Has anyone else noticed allot of these knives are very similar in construction with minor differences chief among those being size.

They are all made of some combination of steel and synthetic material, and held together with steel pins or screws. So, yes.

Brilliant reply... Not! Seriously these are not very inspired designs, This may not be popular with the ewww ahhh it is new crowd but I ain’t trying to be.

I see a trend towards cheapening the product line with liner-less designs in an attempt to remain competitive with price sensitive buyers.

I also see a return to more traditional designs so far I look at everything shown and one word sums it up... boring.

Go ahead and hate I could really care less but I just received my Ikuchi and am very much looking forward to the Parata these are innovative designs.

These are designs with buying.

[Woodpuppy]

I would point out they are designs that have been requested by the customer base, and have been almost universally well received. The innovative stuff isn’t shown due to Spyderco’s new reveal policy. So sit tight, I’m sure something interesting this way comes.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Sitting tight and hoping for a real show stopper golly whopper ready to pull the trigger design.

[pinepig2]

I see a trend towards cheapening the product line with liner-less designs in an attempt to remain competitive with price sensitive buyers.

I tend to agree with you; however, by this point in the history of Spyderco I'm sure the Glessers have a pretty good idea where they need to be with features and price to maximize sales. That's going to be the driving factor, not making a single design as good as they know how.

So a Native Chief with nested liners (which requires machining the G10 scales, $$$) will tend to attract X group of potential buyers, while a Chief that looks exactly the same but is sans liners will attract Y group of potential buyers due to staying under a price threshold. Y > X. (I'm in group X :D )

As a corollary to this, Spyderco's preferred customer profile I'm sure is someone who tends to buy a bunch of new Spydercos every year. Versus a customer that might purchase one more perfected design, regardless of price, every other year or so. Folks that buy knives by the dozen are less likely to use any one knife hard or extensively enough to warrant having liners. Those folks are likely to buy based on looks and/or how special/exclusive they think the steel is. Myself and some other Group X'ers would rather have one no-compromise design than six pretty, but price-point driven Spydercos lying around. There's a Marie Kondo element to this, at least for me.

As a non-collector (of anything), if Spyderco doesn't come up with a new design that checks all or most of my criteria I've developed through experience, then I'll just not purchase anything new even if I feel the itch. If I have an unmet requirement (like an extra knife to stash in a bike bag or rescue pack) then I'll scout the secondary market for an older design that meets those criteria. Thus I end up in a situation where I keep buying Stretch 1's even though I'm not in love with aesthetics (mainly due to the dip in the blade spine).

[Woodpuppy]

I think the folks who are particularly fond of the Pacific Salt have dispelled the notion that an unlined frn handled knife can’t take heavy use and some abuse. I can certainly see the pivot developing some play over time, but really we’re an anally retentive bunch about such things aren’t we?

I broke the gear casing on an electric drill once. I’m pretty sure that event hurt me more than I’d be willing to experience with a knife...

[vivi]

Has anyone else noticed allot of these knives are very similar in construction with minor differences chief among those being size.

They are all made of some combination of steel and synthetic material, and held together with steel pins or screws. So, yes.

Brilliant reply... Not! Seriously these are not very inspired designs, This may not be popular with the ewww ahhh it is new crowd but I ain’t trying to be.

I see a trend towards cheapening the product line with liner-less designs in an attempt to remain competitive with price sensitive buyers.

I also see a return to more traditional designs so far I look at everything shown and one word sums it up... boring.

Go ahead and hate I could really care less but I just received my Ikuchi and am very much looking forward to the Parata these are innovative designs.

These are designs with buying.

I think they do a good job of offering both. They have the more unusual designs like the Ikuchi, and they have conservative stuff like the Endela.

I'm a fan of both styles, but at the end of the day the conservative knives usually end up in my pocket over the weird.

[vivi]

I think the folks who are particularly fond of the Pacific Salt have dispelled the notion that an unlined frn handled knife can’t take heavy use and some abuse. I can certainly see the pivot developing some play over time, but really we’re an anally retentive bunch about such things aren’t we?

I broke the gear casing on an electric drill once. I’m pretty sure that event hurt me more than I’d be willing to experience with a knife...

Exactly. I've mentioned that I used a Pacific Salt as a beater for over a decade. It's been used to cut, stab, chop, pry, baton, scrape etc. If it gets really dirty I stick it in the dishwasher. It's held up great, just carried it two days ago in fact.

[Woodpuppy]

I think they do a good job of offering both. They have the more unusual designs like the Ikuchi, and they have conservative stuff like the Endela.

I'm a fan of both styles, but at the end of the day the conservative knives usually end up in my pocket over the weird.

A bit of perspective... it cracks me up that we Spyder fans here might consider the Endela “conservative” when a very many folks would lump all Spyders into weird! :D

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

I think they do a good job of offering both. They have the more unusual designs like the Ikuchi, and they have conservative stuff like the Endela.

I'm a fan of both styles, but at the end of the day the conservative knives usually end up in my pocket over the weird.

A bit of perspective... it cracks me up that we Spyder fans here might consider the Endela “conservative” when a very many folks would lump all Spyders into weird! :D

Lol it is the Glessers own dang fault! set the bar high and sharp what else could possibly be expected! I just received my Ikuchi after less than a days use I purchased a second one.

When I made my comment concerning similarities in the designs coming out it was not meant either as a detraction nor a compliment simply stating what appeared painfully obvious.

Are those designs for me? Why no I have not seen one yet I will buy. That does not mean they are bad or will not sell. I have so many designs now that the only way I am purchasing any more Spydercos is they now have to be unique and different like the Ikuchi and the soon to be released Parata. Paul is on heck of a fine designer and Spyderco has the skills and the guts to make these designs work.

In the past I have had negative things to say about the Compression lock used in the PM2 and justifiably so as it collapsed on me when distracted by my boss and my thumb placement permitted it to disengage while removing it from stubborn material that was twisting. Some may say it is your own fault and I would say do tell? No kidding! But this is when a locks gotta protect the user, accidents happen because of unexpected situations not when one is focused and has perfect hand placement.

The great design of the PM2 with its pronounced finger choil saved me from a trip to the hospital, I sold nearly all my PM2's after this and the Para3's

I am very pleased by the improvements to the compression locks design and implementation since then. For example it is stiff and more difficult to easily disengage on the Caribbeans, it is recessed on this Ikuchi and on other models I have seen a drastic improvement in it's application and some designs just make better sense with the compression lock.

[BLUETYPEII]

[quote="
Is that weight correct? I thought Sal said they'd be 4oz.

I'm torn between this and the Native Chief, they both look awesome. Both are day one purchases for me. One will end up being my new EDC without a doubt.

It’s probably a typo, probably supposed to say 3.99oz because an Endura is a little over 3.5oz

I feel the same way, it’s going to be very difficult to choose between the two.

Which one do you think would last longer be more durable?

[vivi]

[quote="
Is that weight correct? I thought Sal said they'd be 4oz.

I'm torn between this and the Native Chief, they both look awesome. Both are day one purchases for me. One will end up being my new EDC without a doubt.

It’s probably a typo, probably supposed to say 3.99oz because an Endura is a little over 3.5oz

I feel the same way, it’s going to be very difficult to choose between the two.

Which one do you think would last longer be more durable?

I think you're right, the weights all seemed a bit too low. I'd expect about 4oz for the Chief and P4 lightweight. Can't see them being lighter than an Endura.

I spent a decade using a Police 3 and the only thing that happened to it is the action got smoother. Same thing with a Pacific Salt. I think either folder will outlast me.

[Wartstein]

[quote="

I'm torn between this and the Native Chief, they both look awesome. Both are day one purchases for me. One will end up being my new EDC without a doubt.

I feel the same way, it’s going to be very difficult to choose between the two.

The choice would be easier, if there was a bit more of a size difference between those two models...

I may be quite alone with this, but I 'd wish for a "Lil Chief" someday.. Exactly like the upcoming Chief, but sized like the also upcoming Emphasis. So bladelength around 9.1 mm (Chief 10.4). Would still be much larger than the little brother Native, and still be a very different knife than the Shaman in many aspects.

To be clear: That does not mean I am not excited about the upcoming Chief. It's just that though I personally like longer blades, anything longer than an Endura is a bit TOO long. But that's just me of course.

[pinepig2]

I may be quite alone with this, but I 'd wish for a "Lil Chief" someday.. Exactly like the upcoming Chief, but sized like the also upcoming Emphasis. So bladelength around 9.1 mm (Chief 10.4). Would still be much larger than the little brother Native, and still be a very different knife than the Shaman in many aspects.

To be clear: That does not mean I am not excited about the upcoming Chief. It's just that though I personally like longer blades, anything longer than an Endura is a bit TOO long. But that's just me of course.

Don't worry, you're not alone. The Native is a bit too small for me, but the Chief really overcompensated in the opposite direction. Maybe Spyderco thought they already had enough knives in the ~3.5 inch blade category, but it's the sweet spot for me and I'm perfectly happy staying in it.

I'm just going to sit tight and see what the next reveal brings. I owned a Native 5 for a while and really want another Golden-made lockback, only one that fits me better. I'm not a big Manix fan so I passed on the Manix backlock.

[Wartstein]

I may be quite alone with this, but I 'd wish for a "Lil Chief" someday.. Exactly like the upcoming Chief, but sized like the also upcoming Emphasis. So bladelength around 9.1 mm (Chief 10.4). Would still be much larger than the little brother Native, and still be a very different knife than the Shaman in many aspects.

To be clear: That does not mean I am not excited about the upcoming Chief. It's just that though I personally like longer blades, anything longer than an Endura is a bit TOO long. But that's just me of course.

Don't worry, you're not alone. The Native is a bit too small for me, but the Chief really overcompensated in the opposite direction. Maybe Spyderco thought they already had enough knives in the ~3.5 inch blade category, but it's the sweet spot for me and I'm perfectly happy staying in it.

I'm just going to sit tight and see what the next reveal brings. I owned a Native 5 for a while and really want another Golden-made lockback, only one that fits me better. I'm not a big Manix fan so I passed on the Manix backlock.

Exactly how I feel! The Native 5 offered just a bit too little actual cutting edge, so I sold it. But what I really miss about it, is that incredibly well executed backlock, and the sound and feel when it engaged (is this the correct English term?)

Concerning a "Lil' Chief": The Emphasis really displays what such a model could look like, if you imagine a backlock (and better steel)...

[steelcity16]

I agree on the want for slightly larger Native. As it stands the Native (LW and G10) and Chap LW are my two favorite models. Sometimes though I would like just a hair more blade in the same package. So not really a Shaman, and not chief territory. The same form as the Native, just slight larger. Same thing with wanting Chap LW XL. These knives are just so well executed, a slightly larger version of each would fill most of my needs.

The emphasis does look like a great knife with the liner lock and wire clip. I will probably pick up one of these and the small efficient as well. I've never bought knives from this line, but these two models have drawn me in. Nicely done.

My ultimate large knife would be a G10 Military Salt with a SE H1 blade. id also take a PE LC200N blade with an Ontario Rat blade shape in a G10 Military Salt package. I really love the liner lock on a bigger knife for using with gloves.



I know some people have complained that all of these upcoming knives are just slightly different variations of current knives, but that is what a lot of us want. I don't really have any interest in things like the Ikuchi and Pattada and what not. Different strokes for different folks as they say.

[Mushroom]

I know some people have complained that all of these upcoming knives are just slightly different variations of current knives, but that is what a lot of us want. I don't really have any interest in things like the Ikuchi and Pattada and what not. Different strokes for different folks as they say.

Also, what we saw from Spydercollector this year was only a small representation of what was shown at the Amsterdam meet. There was a large number of other knives, such as collaborations, that we didn't get to see here. Due to the nature of the event (prototypes), what we see each year is at the discretion of Spyderco.

There is something for everyone to look forward to, i'm sure! :spyder: