Spyderco Forums

What do you guys think about a subsection of this forum that is focused on knife reviews?

I don't want to start a new thread every time I get a new knife and give my thoughts and opinions on the model, i feel it would clog up the General discussion section. But what if there was a knife review section where the posting of people's opinions on various models were encouraged? And maybe it could be organized by model? It could be a compendium of personal impressions. Maybe it could be interesting?

I am not trying to tell the moderators what to do or anything like that. This is just a random thought. Is it a silly one?

I think it sounds like a good idea. Could be very helpful to new members as well...I just wouldn't care for it to get muddled with "reviews" that are from folks that pretty much do the same thing as the "out of the box" reviews. I don't care if the knife is perfectly centered, flicks open easy and free drops. But actual in or after use reviews are more than welcome in my eyes!

TkoK83Spy wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:48 am

I just wouldn't care for it to get muddled with "reviews" that are from folks that pretty much do the same thing as the "out of the box" reviews. I don't care if the knife is perfectly centered, flicks open easy and free drops. But actual in or after use reviews are more than welcome in my eyes!

Ha, exactly! +1! :)

I think it would be good to have a dedicated review section. Comparison pictures thread could be in there too.

VashHash wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:50 am

I think it would be good to have a dedicated review section. Comparison pictures thread could be in there too.

Definitely! I think there is a comparison thread somewhere, but one that could be tied in with the reviews thread would be fantastic. I know for me personally, I've bought 3 knives based solely on a member posting comparison pics with other knives of similar size.

I think it's a good idea, but I'm not sure if a forum is the ideal format for a dedicated reviews subsection. Ideally, you want a format that has the review post distinct from comments on the review--if you've ever tried to search for one specific post in a long-running thread, you know how that post (i.e., the specific "review post") can be lost under pages & pages of prior & subsequent comments & discussions.

That said, it's still something I'd like to see in some form or another here, even if it is formatted as just a basic subforum. There are a number of good review sources out there on the Internet, but I'd give equal weight to--or even prefer--long-term real-world use reviews from trusted members of this community over most of those.

Personally, I would not want a dedicated Knife Review section in the Forum...

...To me, that would be repetitive of what's already available to the Forum Membership and visitors. All the review information on any particular :spyder: is available to the Membership or visitors through Search. Just plug in the keywords that apply to what you want and need in a :spyder: and you get not only information on potential candidates but also feedback and reviews from the Membership in the same thread(s). That's how I discovered the beauty of the Spyderco C95 Manix... I punched in keywords for camping, outdoors, etc., and the C95 Manix, along with other candidates, came up. I decided the C95 Manix sounded like the :spyder: I wanted and did a Search specifically on it... this provided me all the feedback and reviews I needed to convince me to make the investment. :)

Pelagic wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:42 am

What do you guys think about a subsection of this forum that is focused on knife reviews?

I don't want to start a new thread every time I get a new knife and give my thoughts and opinions on the model, i feel it would clog up the General discussion section. But what if there was a knife review section where the posting of people's opinions on various models were encouraged? And maybe it could be organized by model? It could be a compendium of personal impressions. Maybe it could be interesting?

I am not trying to tell the moderators what to do or anything like that. This is just a random thought. Is it a silly one?

Have a hard time believing you, any other member, or even all members collectively, get new knives often enough to "clog up" General discussion with reviews. I'd also suggest that reviewing Spyderco knives is one way to "discuss Spyderco products" and thus part of the stated purpose of General here.

If that's not enough, I suspect trying to keep such a section organized by model would add more work for Kristi.

The Deacon wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:10 pm

I'd also suggest that reviewing Spyderco knives is one way to "discuss Spyderco products" and thus part of the stated purpose of General here.

I tend to agree. But it would be nice to quickly find a review that you want. The software that runs this form seems pretty simple (nothing wrong with that, not suggesting an upgrade or anything), but that means the community needs to adopt some standards. If review titles are all written in the same manner, then searching for them should be easier. For example, a review title could be in the following format REVIEW MODEL STEEL (DEALER) with the dealer being an optional parameter. So if you got the new PM2 in M390 from DLT, it would look like this REVIEW PM2 M390 DLT. In the advanced options of search, you can search by title only. It is a little more work than having a separate forum, but it could work.

Google "spyderco forum (insert topic here) ". Easier than using the forum search. It's what I do

Spydergirl88 wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:43 pm

Google "spyderco forum (insert topic here) ". Easier than using the forum search. It's what I do

Good ol' Google. Your suggestion makes mine look clunky and superfluous.

Spydergirl88 wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:43 pm

Google "spyderco forum (insert topic here) ". Easier than using the forum search. It's what I do

When you're trying to search through a specific website via google, you should include "site:" followed by the website you're trying to search. For example, "site:spyderco.com Native Review" or "site:spyderco.com PM2 review". Should help filter things out and provide better results.

Spydergirl88 wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:43 pm

Google "spyderco forum (insert topic here) ". Easier than using the forum search. It's what I do

This.

I agree that Google works a LOT BETTER than the search feature on this site, but wouldn't it be nice to click on "Native Chief" and see 25 different opinions on that model all in one place? Instead of combing through search results?

I highly doubt this will happen but I do think it would be beneficial to both the community and spyderco. Members of this forum buy knives because of other people's review or opinion of said knife all the time.

I'd like a dedicated review section. Might even convince me to do some review videos.

Vivi wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:59 pm

I'd like a dedicated review section. Might even convince me to do some review videos.

Videos would be great. Especially since you show actual (and occasionally hard) use. I just think it would be cool seeing a bunch of different perspectives in one spot as opposed to doing a dozen google searches.

Pelagic wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:52 pm

I agree that Google works a LOT BETTER than the search feature on this site, but wouldn't it be nice to click on "Native Chief" and see 25 different opinions on that model all in one place? Instead of combing through search results?

I highly doubt this will happen but I do think it would be beneficial to both the community and spyderco. Members of this forum buy knives because of other people's review or opinion of said knife all the time.

You're assuming that everyone would use that sub-forum the way you envision and posting all "Native Chief" reviews in a single thread rather than just starting a new thread for their "Native Chief" review. Between that, and the folks who'd muddy up the "Native Chief" thread with posts that consisted of nothing more than quoting a 1000 word review that was on the same page followed by a 6 word comment that added nothing to the value of the thread. Just look at the way reading what is probably the single most informative thread of the year, Mr. Blonde's Amsterdam Report, gets turned into a painfully annoying experience by folks who do that.

i would like this because honestly the search function doesn't work as well as google. not to mention if you only want to search topics it wont save that preference. also i keep getting those stupid (you cannot use this feature now try again in 30 seconds).

but yes long term reviews from people here i can trust.

Voted yes. And I'll say there are plenty of "unboxing reviews" on YouTube and other forms. I'd rather see a sub-forum dedicated to actual testing, performance oriented modifications, and long term reviews.

Maybe even have sections dedicated to different "lines" of knives, such as a Native section that includes the Lil Native, Native, Shaman, and Native Chief. Another section for Delicas and Enduras, etc.

Maybe that's over thinking it or asking for too much from this forum...

PeaceInOurTime wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 15, 2019 6:46 am

Voted yes. And I'll say there are plenty of "unboxing reviews" on YouTube and other forms. I'd rather see a sub-forum dedicated to actual testing, performance oriented modifications, and long term reviews.

Right, and I've said it before, most "reviews" on youtube are more or less just first impression vids (which is totally ok of course in itself, still helpfull in many cases, and I apreciate the work these folks do, but still not what I'd call a real review )

/ A bit I had in mind what Pelagic proposed when I started the "Endela-thread" viewtopic.php?f=2&t=83925
Not solely for reviews, but I (admittedly a bit selfishly too... ) wanted to try to create a single thread, that would make it easier to find what people think about that new model