I think you are right Evil D. I joined before 2004, don't remember when.
Sal, I joined because I wanted more Information on these "new" strange looking knives. I had held one at a trade show in Houston and had to have one. :)
WISH YOU THE BEST!
I like memorabilia just as much as knives. I even created a website to share my memorabilia with others. Joining the forum was a way for me to learn more about the history of what I love so much. In turn I found there were so many items I didn't have but wanted. Wow they are so hard to find. I have met some generous people on here that helped me with my stickers.
I do use social media alot but there are many advantages here that FB does not have.
I have already said, and I will repeat. This forum is a source of first-hand information. It is difficult for me to participate in discussions, but I can receive a lot of important information about the models of the past, about new products, about plans for the future. That is why I am here.
I've not been here that long, but I came to find out more info. This place is really friendly with lots of helpful people with a wealth of knowledge. People share their opinions without being rude. An s round good bunch.
Sal, thanks for the acknowledgment. I am sure I speak for many when I say that it has been great getting to know you. I have been fortunate enough to meet you a few times. The first time was before I ever joined the forum. I was loitering around the SFO and you started talking to me. I left that day not even knowing you were the owner. :)
I found the forums in the first place because I was shopping for a knife and was googling all sorts of questions in the search for the “perfect” knife. One of them was, “what steel gets the sharpest?”, which I just answered for someone else the other day. I did a lot of reading about knives and my searches regularly led me here. I combed the forum for quite a while and purchased a few Spydies. After learning a lot and getting deeper into this I decided to take the plunge and signed up. It seemed like a good group of folks and the culture here seemed unique.
Basically, I came here for knowledge and stayed for the people. I didn’t know any knife geeks and most of the ones I know now I have met on the various forums. I have made some good friends on here. Over time I have learned a lot. I find sharing knowledge to be one of the better forms of generosity and many folks gave up their time to educate me so I want to pay that forward.
-Darby
sal wrote:Knife afi's are pretty far out, steel junky's more so, but "edge junky's" are just nuts. :p
SpyderEdgeForever wrote:
Also, do you think a kangaroo would eat a bowl of spagetti with sauce if someone offered it to them?
As a "greybeard" computer enthusiast, I'd long been involved with online communities ever since the good old days of dial-up terminal-based BBS's, but I when I found this forum while looking for info on the Spyderco web site, I recall thinking it was really surprising and unusual that the founder of a successful company was actually "chatting" directly with end-of-the-line customers! Is that guy really the owner? Come on. Seriously?
I've found it fascinating to gain insight into the "behind the scenes" processes of turning ideas into actual products, hearing about all the how's and why's behind decisions. Getting to know Sal and some of the community members who have influenced the designs has given the brand a "persona" of sorts which makes me care about it far more than the average soulless corporation that is just trying to make cheaper things and sell more of them. Spyderco is the kind of business I prefer to support.
Fast-forward all these years, with online communication being more pervasive and accessible than ever, yet this forum is still the only real example I know of where the founder of a reasonably large company is an active participant in an open online community, as opposed to insulating themselves and just outsourcing customer service and support entirely.
(I'm sure there are a few other examples of companies with strong customer engagement, but my point is that I would have expected the trend to grow with the internet boom, and yet Spyderco still seems to be the exception to the norm.)
I like that sal participates
Who else will I nerd over steel with?
Actual user feedback - not just a forums where everyone is showing off their shiny knives with a pretty back drop, or showing off their pocket jewelry
I came here thanks to standy99 and stayed here because of all of you.
I have liked knives all my life, but the few folders I saw in my younger days were way too fragile for my taste. So I sticked to fix blades. The problem was, it was unthinkable to carry a knife on my belt living in a big city. Even at home my girlfriends would have declared me loco and run away from me. The only thinkable EDC gear was then a watch, so I entered the world of fine watches.
One day, in a watch forum under the thread "show your watch and your knife", another member posted some pics of very funny looking folders, telling amazing things about them and made me all curious about them.
That's how I met standy99.
I bought my first folder at the age of 47, 11 years ago, and gave it later to my girlfriend, because it did not convince me. This time standy99, with the patience of a saint, explained to me a lot of things, educating me in the world of steels and folders. His good vibes and explanations took me to lurk last year in this forum, finding here the same good vibes and positive attitude that I had seen in him: a certain familiar way of helping without expecting anything in return, respectfully and patiently explaining things like you were talking to your own little brother or sister. That, and a true mountain of knowledge that I found here, led me to my first Spyderco, the native chief in s30v.
That's how I met the rest of you all.
I am not a collector, I am a user. I don't buy with the option to sell later if I don't like it. I give away among family members, but I have never sold anything personal in my life. That way of life requires some serious homework before pulling any trigger. Thus I have spent countless hours since last year learning. The joy of the incredible native chief and the joy of dwelling in this friendly-almost familiar spyderworld potentiate each other and melt into one. I was so impressed by the quality, ergo and robust feeling of the chief, that I decided to give to myself another fine spydie as a birthday present. So on my last birthday I registered here officially and think that I already found "my precious", which I am trying to order now.
Thank you standy99 for intoducing me to Spyderco, thank you spydies for beeing so natural and friendly and thank you Sal for creating this world full of good human values.
Sal, I don't know you and I had never heard of you before, but if we measure someone by the traces he leaves on this planet, then you are a true GIANT.
Welcome to our forum and thanx much for sharing your story. Thanx for the kind words but There is a whole lot more than me going on here. Kind of like a family. Mike Janich calls us a "gang". :p I hoped you enjoy your time here.
I've been watching this thread for several days but haven't had a chance to respond. After having been on numerous boards (guitars, amps, watches, fountainpens, knives) I have to say this is the best I've ever been on. It's the most civil one I think out of all of them. Refreshingly bereft of bashing of other brands, bashing of life style, bashing of personal beliefs of any kind. In addition the level of knowledge that is periodically available about steels and sharpening is absolutely amazing. And lastly having direct, like really direct input from the manufacturer and staff is unprecedented. Now that does happen on other brand specific forums but.... not sure there's a better way to say than this... Sal you're not a jerk and most of the people here aren't either. It really may be as simple as that. I had a wise old man tell me once that business is about relationships and Sal and company, you do that right.
Welcome to our forum and thanx much for sharing your story. Thanx for the kind words but There is a whole lot more than me going on here. Kind of like a family. Mike Janich calls us a "gang". :p I hoped you enjoy your time here.
aal
Thank you, Sal. Funny, here in Switzerland there is a trainer of knife-combat that comes from overseas and trains police officers, his name is Michael Janich. Now that would be a **** of a coincidence.....
I think I had just bought an orange g-10 military and was crazy about it. I wanted to know more about these knives. Also, we can't all be crazy, right? Really, there's is no one who likes knives the same amount that I do, so I have to come here to see similar enthusiasm, knowledge and discussion.
This question is fairly easy why I joined this forum and still participate. It is the combination of shared ‘real’ knowledge, combined with the respectful way the forum members treat each other. I do not post much due to my busy business and family life. However, I like to hang around often and read many of your contributions and opinions.
A USP of Spyderco is the use of many different steels, which are discussed in many detail here. With experts like Larrin, Shawn and many others chiming in. I also appreciate the shared non-scientific user experiences due to the many variables influencing the behavior of different steels.
In the past years I have read many posts, learned a lot and put my knowledge into practice. The one thing that this forum really excels in is answering and helping new members with questions asked many times before. I believe this forum is not only about sharing knowledge but also about people.
I hope to enjoy all of you here for a long time. And many thanks to not only Eric and Sal but also to all the Spyderco employees who make this all possible.
I was looking for a knife that would hold up to my saltwater fishing andhad read some discussions on Blade Forums sub group that led me to the Salt knives. I was so impressed with the performance that I started looking at some other Spyderco options and ran across this forum. After just one or two posts Sal personally welcomed me to the forum. When that happened I thought that I must be somebody pretty special! As I hung around I noticed that Sal personally welcomed everyone to the forum and realized that it was he, not me that was pretty special. Haha. Anyway, I appreciate the detailed discussions and the knowledge that is shared here and especially the respect and courtesy (I think that is a result of Sal’s influence too). Life has gotten busy with all sorts of new projects (some of them a direct result of my time on this forum) and I don’t post as much as I used to but I still come on here and read most every day. Thank you Sal and Spyderco for creating and fostering such a nice place to learn and interact.
Hey newb on here been languishing over on the busse subforum on bladeforums for years .
I joined because I want to branch out and try some new knives I have had some studies in the past but had to sell them I currently own none but have my eyes on a street beat as I had the larger one previously .
I would also love to try a mule as I am into forging and making knives as a hobby .
Thanks for having me jason aka ironkid883
Also I am in ireland dunno if theres any other irish on here
I was looking for a knife that would hold up to my saltwater fishing andhad read some discussions on Blade Forums sub group that led me to the Salt knives. I was so impressed with the performance that I started looking at some other Spyderco options and ran across this forum. After just one or two posts Sal personally welcomed me to the forum. When that happened I thought that I must be somebody pretty special! As I hung around I noticed that Sal personally welcomed everyone to the forum and realized that it was he, not me that was pretty special. Haha. Anyway, I appreciate the detailed discussions and the knowledge that is shared here and especially the respect and courtesy (I think that is a result of Sal’s influence too). Life has gotten busy with all sorts of new projects (some of them a direct result of my time on this forum) and I don’t post as much as I used to but I still come on here and read most every day. Thank you Sal and Spyderco for creating and fostering such a nice place to learn and interact.
