Spyderco Custom Shop

[Hardbawl]

Has Spyderco ever considered using a Custom Shop as a profit center? Many companies that I deal with have Custom Shops. Look at Smith & Wesson, Kimber, Wilson Combat, and Springfield Armory. They all have Custom Shops that serve customers that need that little something special.

For example, as a left handed customer I would love to be able to order a left handed PM2 in Cruwear with scales that weren't black. I would be willing to pay for it. How many of you have a fondness for a knife, but would just love to have a different steel or handle treatment. Perhaps you would like to have a carbon steel that was coated to be rust resistant, or your name engraved on the knife.

This could be a way to get a unique Spyderco that was truly yours and at the same time become a profit center for Spyderco. It certainly would create a unique relationship in the industry. What are your thoughts?

[Hopweaver]

This is a great idea. Hopefully the ROI is there for Spyderco to start such an operation. In the meantime, there are lots of people doing aftermarket customs. One that I am familiar with is Shepard Custom Creations. Here is the instagram link https://www.instagram.com/shepardcc/

[JMM]

Also, I know that Knives Plus does some great work, I have one of their rigs and it is very well done...

[The Meat man]

This idea of a custom shop has come up many times here before. I agree it would be a neat idea but Spyderco has made it clear that they are not interested in pursuing it.

[Pancake]

They all have Custom Shops that serve customers that need WANT little something special.

Left handed PM2 in Cruwear with scales that weren't black...... carbon steel that was coated to be rust resistant, or your name engraved on the knife.

Need is word that should be used very rarely in the same sencente with custom shop

I once heard a opinion that if company needs a custom shop, they are not making very quality products...take it with a grain of salt.

If you have to make a special blade for just one knife, the price would be insanely high. It's not like Spyderco has a tons of different blades made in different steels laying around and just waiting for assembly.
There are people that could make new blade for a folder, and the price I saw was like 3xthe price of a knife itself.

And like if the shop is going to be only like pick the handle scale and you are done, then why bother.

[koenigsegg]

I remember a discussion on this in the past and I love the idea. Really want a custom with a warranty

[BornIn1500]

I think it would really hurt the exclusives and sprints. Would people flock to (and sell out in minutes) the next Blade HQ sprint with M4 and jade when people know they can just buy the same knife in M4 with any other scale color directly from Spyderco? It would tank that market. But the benefit is that scalpers would no longer existent.

[The Meat man]

I think it would really hurt the exclusives and sprints. Would people flock to (and sell out in minutes) the next Blade HQ sprint with M4 and jade when people know they can just buy the same knife in M4 with any other scale color directly from Spyderco? It would tank that market. But the benefit is that scalpers would no longer existent.

The price of a custom shop knife might be high enough that it wouldn't compete with exclusives and sprints.

[Sharp Guy]

Here we go again lol.....

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=80885&p=1257970&hil ... p#p1257970

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=69195&p=1052537&hil ... p#p1052537

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=65783&p=979757&hili ... op#p979757

[Doc Dan]

Has Spyderco ever considered using a Custom Shop as a profit center? Many companies that I deal with have Custom Shops. Look at Smith & Wesson, Kimber, Wilson Combat, and Springfield Armory. They all have Custom Shops that serve customers that need that little something special.

For example, as a left handed customer I would love to be able to order a left handed PM2 in Cruwear with scales that weren't black. I would be willing to pay for it. How many of you have a fondness for a knife, but would just love to have a different steel or handle treatment. Perhaps you would like to have a carbon steel that was coated to be rust resistant, or your name engraved on the knife.

This could be a way to get a unique Spyderco that was truly yours and at the same time become a profit center for Spyderco. It certainly would create a unique relationship in the industry. What are your thoughts?

A great many people, new members and old, have discussed this over the years, every year. I am one. I am with you on this. However, Sal Glesser said that Golden is too small to do this currently and it would be costly for them. We can hope, though.

[koenigsegg]

Land a few states over is much cheaper and closer to me, they should consider expanding :)

[Ez556]

They could do something like Protech, where they take a $250 knife and have it engraved, add inlays etc etc and sell it for $10,000. There might be some profit margin there :p

[Evil D]

Love the idea but not likely to happen. Personally I would pay a premium for knives built to my specifications. Heck I would pay extra just to get some models made in SE that aren't currently offered.

[yablanowitz]

They could do it easily enough. All they would have to do is stop developing new models and stop improving current models so the people currently doing that unimportant work could make your customs instead of prototypes. That doesn't sound like a very good long term business plan to me, but if it makes a couple dozen people happy I'm sure it would be worth it.

[benben]

It's been mentioned here several times before, by me more than once!

My suggestion was to take just 3 or 4 Golden models (Manix, Native, PM2, PM3, etc.) and offer maybe two different steels (a SS and a tool steel) and 3 or 4 different colors of G-10, and add an additional $25 / $35 dollars for getting something of your choice. I'd definitely pay extra for a Green handled G-10 Manix with Cru-wear, M4, 3V, 4V, or whatever the flavor of that month happens to be?

I want to say that sounds doable, but I'm not Sal and don't know the ins and outs of running his business........

[013]

One benefit to this idea would be the availability, unlike the sprints & exclusives that do not let people get a chance to own a knife that they really want.

[Sapphiresky83]

Hey all, new to the forum and new to the PM2 owners club.
My left handed version was delivered yesterday.

Love this knife 99%....the 1% I don't love are those stock G10 scales on the left handed version version.
These are the same type and color of G10 scales that came on my zt0350's and I don't like way they look and feel and so I replaced those as well.

Also, no option for a black blade which means if I want one I would have to swap with a standard model....
Anyway. I was going to start a thread asking this very question but I know online board etiquette and ran a search first which brought me here.

Just looking to see if anyone has had success stories with replacing the scales on the left handed version and if so, how did they turn out? Were some of the vendors here utilized? I am possibly looking to place an order myself and want to make an informed purchase decision.

I also have a Manix 2 XL that I may want to customize as well.

Thanks!
-J

[sal]

Hi Sapphiresky,

Welcome to our forum.

The possibility of a custom shop would be very challenging for us to do. As Jack ( Yablonowitz ) said, it would pull to much from other areas. We licese a few custom makers to use our trademarks. I think that would be the best way to get a custom Spyderco, but I'm sure it would be rather expensive.

sal

[Wartstein]

Hey all, new to the forum and new to the PM2 owners club.
My left handed version was delivered yesterday.

Love this knife 99%....the 1% I don't love are those stock G10 scales on the left handed version version.
These are the same type and color of G10 scales that came on my zt0350's and I don't like way they look and feel and so I replaced those as well.

Also, no option for a black blade which means if I want one I would have to swap with a standard model....
Anyway. I was going to start a thread asking this very question but I know online board etiquette and ran a search first which brought me here.

Just looking to see if anyone has had success stories with replacing the scales on the left handed version and if so, how did they turn out? Were some of the vendors here utilized? I am possibly looking to place an order myself and want to make an informed purchase decision.

I also have a Manix 2 XL that I may want to customize as well.

Thanks!
-J

This thread might be helpfull: viewtopic.php?t=86297

[Albatross]

A custom shop would be great, but as Connor mentioned, cost would be an issue for some. Benchmade has a custom shop that adds a hefty charge for having it your way. Fortunately, most of the models people would want in a custom shop, are already getting nearly every configuration imaginable, through sprints, exclusives, and places like Knives Plus.

If anyone here has not looked at Knives Plus, do yourself a favor and check out their customized Spydercos. Last year, I bought a cool acid stonewashed Hap40 Wharncliffe Delica from them. The dye jobs they do on G10 and FRN should offer something for everyone. Lastly, the modified blades they do, look very useful, and would certainly not be the same as everyone else's.