How did you get interested in Spyderco knive

[JD Spydo]

Well first off I've always been enamored with "high quality" tools of all types. I've always been the type of guy that would rather have one hunting rifle or one fishing rod & reel of great quality than to have a dozen mediocre or discount items.

With that said I've not only had an affinity for superb quality I've also been an admirer of good quality folding knives going all the way back to my early teens>> and I just turned 67 a couple of months ago. Even when I was in high school I always had a Buck, Ka-Bar or Case on me most of the time >> They were mostly knives that I would buy at my local hardware store. And we had two great hardware stores in the town I grew up in.

My favorite uncle who was actually more of a mentor to me than my own dad was always stressed to me that "quality" will always win out in the long run. Well anyway in the early to mid nineties I got to going to several "Gun & Knife" shows here in the Kansas City area. I went with two buddies who were into the upper tier knives and one turned me onto Benchmade back around 1994. I actually was a Benchmade fan before I bought my first Spyder in the Spring of 1995. But once I got my first 4 Spyderco knives I pretty much gravitated mainly toward them and for the most part lost interest in Benchmade, Boker, Queen Cutlery and any other knives I had previously liked.

In the late 90s I had accumulated about 8 really great Spyderco models and was beginning a decent collection by that time. I also got extremely interested in Spyderco's great line up for sharpening tools too. Because over the years I've always been very interested in sharpening gear as much as I have with the knives. My uncle always stressed to me that a dull knife is pretty much worthless for the most part and I never forgot that. So I made it a point to learn sharpening skills as well as learning more about knives. And here I am today enjoying both Spyderco knives and Spyderco sharpening gear.

[JonLeBlanc]

I had a SS CE Jester for a long while, and it was "all I needed" until someone appropriated it from me, so I shopped online for a replacement and settled on a SS CE Delica and used that one for years (still have it). Later, I decided I wanted to try a new one just to liven things up and that was it, my life spiraled out of control, and I finally hit rock bottom with a Police 4.

[J-man_46]

Kept hearing so much hype about the dragonfly, so when it came out in K390, I had to try it. Got one a couple months ago.

First and only Spyderco so far, but can't wait to get more. I'm thinking about a Native 5 in Spy27.

[p_atrick]

I got into knives by watching YT videos a few years back (6?). Spyderco knives were in heavy rotation on the channels I watched. I'm not sure what it was, exactly, that caused me to get that Endura, but I did. Because I watched so much YT, I was always on the hunt for something better. It wasn't until I joined the forum that I really stopped paying attention to other brands (or at least buying them). This is a fun community that taught me lots about knives, steel, geometry, sharpening, etc. The people here helped me to really appreciate Spyderco.

[DSH007]

I've been into knives for as long as I can remember. I recently discovered that there is actual video footage of me receiving my first knife, a Wenger SAK, on Christmas Day 1992. I was 7. Through Scouting, I learned about knives as tools and carried them often on camping, backpacking, canoe trips etc. throughout my youth. After graduating highschool, I started carrying a small knife semi-regularly.. I was in college and they "frowned-upon" carrying "weapons," but it's not like they had metal detectors and security checkpoints or anything.. with a little common sense, carrying a small blade wasn't really an issue, and I did so where it made sense. When I graduated college, I worked at a group home for teen boys for a few years.. larger knives didn't jive in that setting, but I always carried a small (2 inch) Gerber. Other than the day an overzealous coworker accused me of "carrying a switchblade" (she got laughed at by my boss for reporting me..), it was never an issue. After I left the group home job, I was able to carry larger knives more frequently, but still tended to like smaller ones..

I managed to accumulate many budget knives over the years, but never really had the funds to buy a "good knife." As I got older, I began making more money and made the decision that I'd buy one of these fancy knives I'd always heard about.. brands like Spyderco, Benchmade, ZT. I spent weeks researching and settled on the Lil Native, which was a brand new release at the time. Through my research, I discovered the forum, which immediately led to more Spydercos.. I was bit, as they say, and the rest is history.. :)

[Snacktime]

Grew up getting my grandfathers hand me down buck knives, every 3-4 months he would buy a new one at ace hardware and what ever grand kid was along got his old one. I ended up carrying a leatherman multitool starting around 17-18 years old. I always had a screwdriver, knife and pliers so I could fix anything. Fast forward to my 30s and I was going through a leatherman every year and wanted something better. I switched to knife, 4 in 1 screwdriver and knipex pliers. Then one of my coworkers let me borrow his spyderco after snapping a $50 crkt. Down the rabbit hole I went...

Now I just carry a knife, being a union supervisor took the tools out of my pocket. Good thing about knives for me is I haven't bought a gun since my first spyderco. Really saved me some $$$$.

[M Sea]

For me, it was a family thing. Growing up on a small farm in rural Texas, I honestly don't remember not having a few pocketknives and was required by Dad and Grandad to carry one everyday, it was simply a tool but a really cool one and Spyderco's were a favorite of my Dad and the local cattle auctioneer who was also my football coach from middle school all through high school so they were a natural progression from case slip-joints and Buck 110's as I grew into adulthood. Dad always had a Spyderco in his pocket as long as I can remember, same with Grandad and I idolized them both.

[Rinzler]

A very large competitor to Spyderco decided to go out of their way to cut guns up and shortly thereafter was found to be donating to the political party that supports gun control.

That company’s knives were all I carried for over a decade after moving from slip joints to more edc type knives. Not being happy with the company’s actions nor their publicized response, I sold them all and searched for a replacement design. The manix 2 was the closest locking mechanism to my former knives so I started off with an S30V manix 2.

I honestly did not know that the spydie hole assisted in quick opening until a couple months after I started carrying the manix. I opened it the same way I did my earlier knives, pull back on the lock and flick my wrist... once I saw the spydie hole in use the manix went from an ok replacement to an exceptional knife and the rest is history... I have a bunch of Spyderco knives now.

[skeeg11]

I hear you. I will not nor will I ever recommend the purchase of a knife from that other company. Just one of the reasons I am a Spydie fan.

[MFlovejp]

For me it comes down to the variety, innovation in design/materials, and once I discovered it, this great community where you can have a same-day conversation with the company leadership. That's what hooked me.

[Hovannes]

I was on a mounted Search and Rescue posse in the Sierra and came across a Rescue at a sporting goods store. That it could be opened with one hand, clipped anywhere to my clothing, and had that aggressive Spyder edge sold me as cutting rope to free panicked livestock and occasional seat belts in car accidents were part of the job and it seemed like it took too long to get my trusty Buck folding hunter into action.

[W7H2O]

It was the hole first, then the steels.

[Ryder]

Well I walked into a little shop called Sharp Stuff one day. The wide selection of custom and high quality production knives was flat out stunning. After decades and some extremely interesting knife shops that one has to be a favorite. Old Sam is long retired now and the shop was shuttered long ago.

In the late ‘80s he had two Spydercos, a Harpy I really liked and the little CoPilot I walked out with that day and carried for a good long time. Still have the CoPilot after all this time.

[ZrowsN1s]

The steels and colors. Id been collecting knives in one steel and color for a few years and wanted to branch out.

Then I fell in love with the performance.

[Salty Dog]

Nice thread and story mate.
My brother who is a Spydie fan, kindly gifted me one, and after using it and fidgeting with it at home, I was really impressed.
The ergonomics, design, quality and looks all really spoke to me.
Id always been interested in knives and had plenty over the years, just never really had any top quality ones like Spyderco.
Spyderco has me thinking about knives in a different way these days.
Thanks to my bro and Spyderco.

[SRT392HEMI]

Spydercos are kinda weird lookin, I'm kinda weird lookin, we seemed like a good match.

[scrottiemac]

I broke my cheapo knife trying to open ammo boxes about 11 years ago while in the national guard. My nco recommended the pm2 but I wasn't spending that much money. I got the crkt m16 and it worked until about a year ago. I remembered his recommendation and that spydercos were made in usa. I replaced the old crkt with a shaman and now have bought one for every male in my family. Just **** good knives. Thanks for reading.

[rhaug]

Was always into gear, also pocket knives, but live in a country where carrying a knife is frowned upon generally. Spyderco has many knives that look non-threatening, not tactical, and I kind of like that quirky style. Also, they're expensive here. But now, in my mid thirties, that is less of a barrier than it used to be.

Also, one-handed opening without a pocket stud just adds 10x usability to a knife. To me, it makes the difference between using a knife and not for daily tasks.

[Menipo]

Almost 30 years ago I was walking one day through the streets of Toledo (the cradle of cutlery in Spain) and I saw a Millie in the window of a cutlery store which was full of the traditional knives made there. And there she was too. Completely different in every way. The photo below illustrates well the aesthetic contrast between a traditional Spanish pocket knife and a Spyderco. So a Spydie surrounded by them stands out well.

She was also stupidly expensive (adding the retailer's margin, taxes and custom duties, a Spyderco can cost twice as much in Europe as in the USA). For its price I could buy 3 or 4 high quality custom Spanish pocket knives.

As I like to do stupid things from time to time, I went in and asked to see her. When I had it in my hands I was amazed at how light it was and how strongly (but smoothly) the liner locked the blade. So, reproaching myself for the madness I was going to do, I bought it. There began a love affair with spiders. The C-44 Dyad came later. Then the Civilian ...

[Eliteone2383]

I always liked the leaf shape blade. Just never pulled the trigger on one due to the blade length handle length ratio and the fact I'm not a big fan of G10 scales and handles. Finally found a spyderco that met my criteria in the Caly 3.5. If the PM2 had a blade 1/4 inch longer I'd have one in every configuration.