A plea to Spyderco:

[David R]

I know this has been discussed many times before, but I feel compelled to pitch it again.

For my own personal benefit, but also for what I think would be a shrewd business move, I implore you Spyderco, start grinding your blades thinner behind the edge.

Cementing Spyderco's place in the market as the foremost performance based US knife company is a win on every level. I think the public's desire for overbuilt hard use folders is fading, and ZT and Benchmade probably have that market cornered anyway.

With the popularity and proliferation of YouTube, high end production knife buyers are more informed than ever, and YouTube influencers are speaking about blade geometry and cutting performance more than ever. I'm watching these ideas spread to all the channels in real time, and I believe things like BTE thickness are starting to have a significant impact on peoples purchasing decisions. Once word got out that Spyderco started manufacturing all their knives at 10 to 15 thousandths of an inch BTE, I'd predict a healthy spike in sales, and a very positive, long lasting boost to the Spyderco brand.

There are many things that make Spyderco unique, ergonomics, spyderhole, compression lock, etc., but further distinguishing themselves as the producer of the highest performance cutting tools on the market is where they want to be, at least in my estimation.

Thanks for reading!

Makes only until you have to warranty the knives and listen to complaints. Do you believe they haven't thought about or even tested thinner blade? I'd bet money they have.

[bagsnatcher]

I know this has been discussed many times before, but I feel compelled to pitch it again.

For my own personal benefit, but also for what I think would be a shrewd business move, I implore you Spyderco, start grinding your blades thinner behind the edge.

Cementing Spyderco's place in the market as the foremost performance based US knife company is a win on every level. I think the public's desire for overbuilt hard use folders is fading, and ZT and Benchmade probably have that market cornered anyway.

With the popularity and proliferation of YouTube, high end production knife buyers are more informed than ever, and YouTube influencers are speaking about blade geometry and cutting performance more than ever. I'm watching these ideas spread to all the channels in real time, and I believe things like BTE thickness are starting to have a significant impact on peoples purchasing decisions. Once word got out that Spyderco started manufacturing all their knives at 10 to 15 thousandths of an inch BTE, I'd predict a healthy spike in sales, and a very positive, long lasting boost to the Spyderco brand.

There are many things that make Spyderco unique, ergonomics, spyderhole, compression lock, etc., but further distinguishing themselves as the producer of the highest performance cutting tools on the market is where they want to be, at least in my estimation.

Thanks for reading!

You could always have one of the talented service providers in the industry regrind your blade to your specs (Triple B, RazorEdge, etc.)

If you want bespoke, you need to play the bespoke game, with knives and everything else.

As far as ergos, steel variety, & overall price/performance, Spyderco has the market cornered.

[Wdr65]

I know this has been discussed many times before, but I feel compelled to pitch it again.

For my own personal benefit, but also for what I think would be a shrewd business move, I implore you Spyderco, start grinding your blades thinner behind the edge.

Cementing Spyderco's place in the market as the foremost performance based US knife company is a win on every level. I think the public's desire for overbuilt hard use folders is fading, and ZT and Benchmade probably have that market cornered anyway.

With the popularity and proliferation of YouTube, high end production knife buyers are more informed than ever, and YouTube influencers are speaking about blade geometry and cutting performance more than ever. I'm watching these ideas spread to all the channels in real time, and I believe things like BTE thickness are starting to have a significant impact on peoples purchasing decisions. Once word got out that Spyderco started manufacturing all their knives at 10 to 15 thousandths of an inch BTE, I'd predict a healthy spike in sales, and a very positive, long lasting boost to the Spyderco brand.

There are many things that make Spyderco unique, ergonomics, spyderhole, compression lock, etc., but further distinguishing themselves as the producer of the highest performance cutting tools on the market is where they want to be, at least in my estimation.

Thanks for reading!

I don't think there is a real need for this. I understand the desire for the aficionado blade that has been previously mentioned and I might buy one to try if its done. Personally I'm perfectly happy with the grinds as they are. I use FFG lightweight models the most and I think they're plenty thin, especially for a work knife. I tend to cut seat belt strap, mule tape ( a thicker nylon strap but not as wide as seatbelt), 3 ply sisal twine and a variety of other twines and burlap. I love a good slicer and have never felt the need for anything thinner than a Manix LW or an Endura FFG. In fact my favorite slicer is an Endura FFG ZDP-189. They're thin enough to keep cutting for a long time over most other grinds and while something thinner behind the edge might do a bit better I would be concerned about rolling or chipping the edge with what I do with a knife.

[standy99]

Hi Baron Mind,

The downside is non afi's twisting the edge and chipping it. Any of our knives will take a thin edge and a knowledgeable knife person can handle that. But not all of our customers know as much as knife afi's and we get them back broken. That's why we had to strengthen the tips on the Endura family models.

sal

Butcher for over 20 years and used and sharpened a lot of blades. I buy Spyderco’s for their build as they are made now and the rock solidness of the thicker blades. ( that folders should have )
Knife afi,s in my book are butchers and chef,s not YouTubers. Have many great knives in the kitchen with thin grinds but I like to have the GB junction as the solid knife to do the solid stuff I know a thinner knife wouldn’t be as good at due to it being thinner and more prone to chipping or flexing

A knife aficionado knife in a fixed blade cruwear type steel kitchen knife “Take my money”

[Baron Mind]

I know this has been discussed many times before, but I feel compelled to pitch it again.

For my own personal benefit, but also for what I think would be a shrewd business move, I implore you Spyderco, start grinding your blades thinner behind the edge.

Cementing Spyderco's place in the market as the foremost performance based US knife company is a win on every level. I think the public's desire for overbuilt hard use folders is fading, and ZT and Benchmade probably have that market cornered anyway.

With the popularity and proliferation of YouTube, high end production knife buyers are more informed than ever, and YouTube influencers are speaking about blade geometry and cutting performance more than ever. I'm watching these ideas spread to all the channels in real time, and I believe things like BTE thickness are starting to have a significant impact on peoples purchasing decisions. Once word got out that Spyderco started manufacturing all their knives at 10 to 15 thousandths of an inch BTE, I'd predict a healthy spike in sales, and a very positive, long lasting boost to the Spyderco brand.

There are many things that make Spyderco unique, ergonomics, spyderhole, compression lock, etc., but further distinguishing themselves as the producer of the highest performance cutting tools on the market is where they want to be, at least in my estimation.

Thanks for reading!

Makes only until you have to warranty the knives and listen to complaints. Do you believe they haven't thought about or even tested thinner blade? I'd bet money they have.

Let the record show I wasn't the one who resurrected this thread, and let me reiterate that I love my Spydercos and that Spyderco is far and away my favorite knife maker. And one final note that I am satisfied that this discussion led to the outcome of a single aficionado perfomance model being produced. Now to address this comment:

Yes I think Spyderco has thought about grinding their blades thinner behind the edge, I just think their logic in deciding against it was faulty, or that their decision was purely based on economics, and not what would make for a better cutting tool. Not holding it against them either way, just how I see it.

[Baron Mind]

I know this has been discussed many times before, but I feel compelled to pitch it again.

For my own personal benefit, but also for what I think would be a shrewd business move, I implore you Spyderco, start grinding your blades thinner behind the edge.

Cementing Spyderco's place in the market as the foremost performance based US knife company is a win on every level. I think the public's desire for overbuilt hard use folders is fading, and ZT and Benchmade probably have that market cornered anyway.

With the popularity and proliferation of YouTube, high end production knife buyers are more informed than ever, and YouTube influencers are speaking about blade geometry and cutting performance more than ever. I'm watching these ideas spread to all the channels in real time, and I believe things like BTE thickness are starting to have a significant impact on peoples purchasing decisions. Once word got out that Spyderco started manufacturing all their knives at 10 to 15 thousandths of an inch BTE, I'd predict a healthy spike in sales, and a very positive, long lasting boost to the Spyderco brand.

There are many things that make Spyderco unique, ergonomics, spyderhole, compression lock, etc., but further distinguishing themselves as the producer of the highest performance cutting tools on the market is where they want to be, at least in my estimation.

Thanks for reading!

I don't think there is a real need for this. I understand the desire for the aficionado blade that has been previously mentioned and I might buy one to try if its done. Personally I'm perfectly happy with the grinds as they are. I use FFG lightweight models the most and I think they're plenty thin, especially for a work knife. I tend to cut seat belt strap, mule tape ( a thicker nylon strap but not as wide as seatbelt), 3 ply sisal twine and a variety of other twines and burlap. I love a good slicer and have never felt the need for anything thinner than a Manix LW or an Endura FFG. In fact my favorite slicer is an Endura FFG ZDP-189. They're thin enough to keep cutting for a long time over most other grinds and while something thinner behind the edge might do a bit better I would be concerned about rolling or chipping the edge with what I do with a knife.

Let the record show I wasn't the one who resurrected this thread, and let me reiterate that I love my Spydercos and that Spyderco is far and away my favorite knife maker. And one final note that I am satisfied that this discussion led to the outcome of a single aficionado perfomance model being produced. Now to address this comment:


I understand that gut reaction to defend the current configuration of your favorite knives, but to say those knives perform optimally as is, and would gain almost nothing whilst losing durability is just demonstrably false. You can't say the thickness bte you're used to is the best thickness bte for you unless you've tried them both thicker and thinner. There are multiple videos showing knives at 10 thousanths bte with an edge bevel at 15 degrees per side exhibiting high levels of durability. If you go to thin and too low on your edge angle you lose a noticeable amount of durability, but 10-15 thousandths (15 is a nice compromise I think) is not there. It's still plenty tough, just cuts a whole lot easier.

[Sumdumguy]

I like my small knives to have thin blade stock. With larger blades(taller), they can have thicker stock and end up plenty thin down by the edge.

How about a Baby Horn thinned to the max? I would love to see how thin LC200N can go, without becoming too unstable.

That would be fantastic! Baby Horn Afi, LC200N blade/liners and White G10.

[Baron Mind]

I like my small knives to have thin blade stock. With larger blades(taller), they can have thicker stock and end up plenty thin down by the edge.

How about a Baby Horn thinned to the max? I would love to see how thin LC200N can go, without becoming too unstable.

That would be fantastic! Baby Horn Afi, LC200N blade/liners and White G10.

Let the record show I wasn't the one who resurrected this thread, and let me reiterate that I love my Spydercos and that Spyderco is far and away my favorite knife maker. And one final note that I am satisfied that this discussion led to the outcome of a single aficionado perfomance model being produced. Now to address this comment:



Yea I definitely would still want a mix of stock thicknesses (although generally I like them thinner, but just for things like hand feel, balance, and aesthetics I still enjoy some thicker blade stocks) I'd just like to see all of them thin out to .010 to .015 behind the edge at 30 inclusive. People are arguing to keep them at the current .020 to .025 bye because they either misunderstand my argument, or they think that going any thinner would cause their blades to start chipping or rolling with regular use. But the thing is their wrong. Tests have shown that geometry handles all of the normal cutting tasks just fine. If their same knives arrived with that geometry they would notice much less resistance during their cuts and probably just chalk it up to a good sharpening job or something. Going from .025 bte to .015 bte IS A STRICT UPGRADE, it just takes more time and abrasives to manufacture.

[jpm2]

duplicate

[jpm2]

Tests have shown that geometry handles all of the normal cutting tasks just fine.

Since I started reading knife forums a few years ago, I've learned about 90% of my knife use is not normal. Same for all the people I grew up with and have worked with... Same for my Dad and Granddad, and probably everyone before them.

[Wdr65]

I like my small knives to have thin blade stock. With larger blades(taller), they can have thicker stock and end up plenty thin down by the edge.

How about a Baby Horn thinned to the max? I would love to see how thin LC200N can go, without becoming too unstable.

That would be fantastic! Baby Horn Afi, LC200N blade/liners and White G10.

Let the record show I wasn't the one who resurrected this thread, and let me reiterate that I love my Spydercos and that Spyderco is far and away my favorite knife maker. And one final note that I am satisfied that this discussion led to the outcome of a single aficionado perfomance model being produced. Now to address this comment:



Yea I definitely would still want a mix of stock thicknesses (although generally I like them thinner, but just for things like hand feel, balance, and aesthetics I still enjoy some thicker blade stocks) I'd just like to see all of them thin out to .010 to .015 behind the edge at 30 inclusive. People are arguing to keep them at the current .020 to .025 bye because they either misunderstand my argument, or they think that going any thinner would cause their blades to start chipping or rolling with regular use. But the thing is their wrong. Tests have shown that geometry handles all of the normal cutting tasks just fine. If their same knives arrived with that geometry they would notice much less resistance during their cuts and probably just chalk it up to a good sharpening job or something. Going from .025 bte to .015 bte IS A STRICT UPGRADE, it just takes more time and abrasives to manufacture.

I didn't misunderstand you. I just disagree that it is necessary to change the edges on most of Spyderco's products.
How do you quantify the performance increase? The extra ease of slicing? 20 extra cuts, 40, 70? What if you're what you're cutting has a hidden piece of metal? How much more damage might it do to a thinner edge? As others have said, what about the extra expense of grinding it thinner? How does that compare?
I am not saying that I wouldn't try an AFI model. I am just trying to say that what they are doing works well and is reasonably durable.
I haven't followed the AFI thread closely but a lineup of the Seki made knives like the VTOKU or Superblue sprints would be interesting to have a direct comparison, especially among the more popular models.

[David R]

I know this has been discussed many times before, but I feel compelled to pitch it again.

For my own personal benefit, but also for what I think would be a shrewd business move, I implore you Spyderco, start grinding your blades thinner behind the edge.

Cementing Spyderco's place in the market as the foremost performance based US knife company is a win on every level. I think the public's desire for overbuilt hard use folders is fading, and ZT and Benchmade probably have that market cornered anyway.

With the popularity and proliferation of YouTube, high end production knife buyers are more informed than ever, and YouTube influencers are speaking about blade geometry and cutting performance more than ever. I'm watching these ideas spread to all the channels in real time, and I believe things like BTE thickness are starting to have a significant impact on peoples purchasing decisions. Once word got out that Spyderco started manufacturing all their knives at 10 to 15 thousandths of an inch BTE, I'd predict a healthy spike in sales, and a very positive, long lasting boost to the Spyderco brand.

There are many things that make Spyderco unique, ergonomics, spyderhole, compression lock, etc., but further distinguishing themselves as the producer of the highest performance cutting tools on the market is where they want to be, at least in my estimation.

Thanks for reading!

Makes only until you have to warranty the knives and listen to complaints. Do you believe they haven't thought about or even tested thinner blade? I'd bet money they have.

Let the record show I wasn't the one who resurrected this thread, and let me reiterate that I love my Spydercos and that Spyderco is far and away my favorite knife maker. And one final note that I am satisfied that this discussion led to the outcome of a single aficionado perfomance model being produced. Now to address this comment:

Yes I think Spyderco has thought about grinding their blades thinner behind the edge, I just think their logic in deciding against it was faulty, or that their decision was purely based on economics, and not what would make for a better cutting tool. Not holding it against them either way, just how I see it.

I don't disagree with you you on thinner stock - I prefer it most of the time. Going much thinner on a production knife is impractical for the reason I stated above. I agree it's largely an economic decision. Spyderco wouldn't be in business if they didn't make profit-based decisions. I think it's more suited for customs where there's some 1:1 interaction between the buyer and seller about durability and expectations.

Tests have shown that geometry handles all of the normal cutting tasks just fine.

Since I started reading knife forums a few years ago, I've learned about 90% of my knife use is not normal. Same for all the people I grew up with and have worked with... Same for my Dad and Granddad, and probably everyone before them.

I hear you. My knives don't look like other people's knives. Guessing I'm more careless. Mine all show use quickly. For anything I want to sell, stonewashed blades are helpful. :)