How did you get interested in Spyderco knive

[Jared]

Just what the title says. What drew you to Spyderco?

I’ll tell my story first:

When I was a senior in High School I bought a little Buck folder (503 Prince) because I’d just turned 18 and all the men I knew carried pocket knives. I reasoned that as I was now legally an adult, I should have one too.

Nearly 20 years later I was looking for something more “modern.” I narrowed it down to 3 choices, asked for advice on another forum (actually a firearm forum). I ended up with a Griptilian, but I got a ton of recommendations for the PM2. I was all set to buy that PM2 but there wasn’t one in stock anywhere at the time.

After some time, I wasn’t really completely satisfied with the Grip. It was, and still is, good but I wanted something better. And I always remembered all that advice to buy a PM2. Wanting something shorter than the Griptilian I bought a Para 3.

That Para 3 was love at first sight and it’s still one of my favorites. It also started a very expensive hobby. I went from “not a knife guy just someone wanting a quality folder” to a bit of a fanboy.

I finally got that Paramilitary 2 when I completed my Bachelors Degree in December of 2019 (I went back to school 14 years after getting an AAS). I had my graduation date engraved on the blade. I will say that knife did live up to the hype.

So that’s my “Spyderco story,” and how I went from one little bitty Buck to nearly 30 knives with holes in their blades.

[VooDooChild]

I needed something that could be used on the beach every day. As far as folders go the spyderco salt series is really the only option.

Then I got bit.

[cycleguy]

I reside in the shadow of the SFO. Actually played in open space before it was an SFO. Always had heard how great Spyderco knives were, but hey I was a traditional type of guy and Buck slip joint was it. Them Spyderco sure are ugly!!! No not ugly ... fugly!!! Finally tried one one day ... about a decade after they had been very popular (yah, I'm not riding the cutting edge of anything - became a big U2 fan about a decade after they topped the charts!). Got hooked on knives, then it became hooked on Spyderco only (for folders).

CG

[FreeGolf]

My father was a captain firefighter for 27 years here in Denver and I believe his station bought serrated edged Spyderco's for rescue purposes in about 1995. I remember being about 10 when I first saw the knife and I instantly became drawn to the design. I remember him raving about how well it cut seatbelts. He broke the clip and then gave it to me. Been hooked ever since.

[Supacede]

Growing up readin tactical knives, of course, lol

[Jared]

Growing up readin tactical knives, of course, lol

Funny you should mention that.....

One of my favorite sources of reading material when I was in junior high (early 90’s) was American Handgunner magazine. I distinctly remember reading either an article about a Spyderco knife or one being a part of one of their giveaways. Either way, to an impressionable young man it seemed like the coolest company name ever.

Thing is, I didn’t know any knife nuts growing up. I knew multiple hunters and gun nuts, but no knife nuts.

Even with my present situation, I don’t know many. I was positively shocked at work one day when I loaned a coworker a Delica to open a box with. His eyes got real wide and he shouted “Spyderco!” We talked knives at least once a week until he quit after that day.

[ladybug93]

i was just a kid that loves rambo. i was begging for a knife and always pulled my mom into the knife store at the mall we used to go to. they had all the rambo knives on display along with a host of other knives available. i remember seeing the spyderco ladybug and thinking it was ugly in the coolest way possible. i begged my mom for it and drooled over it every time we went back. i ended up getting it for Christmas that year along with a knock-off swiss army knife. years (and a handful of other knives) later, i came back to spyderco for the salt series. now i have a small collection of various models and i love them all for different reasons.

[Tgmr05]

In the early 90s I was gifted a serrated blade, the handles broke, have no idea who made it. Sorta wanted another one and found a se dragonfly at a gun store. The blade was much more menacing in appearance than the one I broke. That dragonfly sold me on Spyderco, and really opened my eyes on how useful a good serrated blade can be.

[mikey177]

Combat Handguns and similar publications convinced me that a knife was an important carry item. My first Spyderco was a Gen 3 Endura, followed by a PM2 over a decade later. The rabbit hole quickly got deeper from that point.

[kennethsime]

I worked at a knife store in college. We sold a lot of other "big name" knives, but not much Spyderco. In my quest for knowledge about knives, I stumbled upon the forum, and found a welcoming, kind, informative respite form the very loud, often ignorant... "other" forums. Sure enough, I came to appreciate the subtle design elements in Spyderco's knives more than anyone else's, and here I am today.

[Naperville]

I had been aware of quality knives and knife collecting since '93, but collecting did not resonate with me until 2016/2017. I started buying knives and my first Spyderco knife was an S110V Military.

Some Spyderco knives appeal to me very strongly. Spyderco knives are very forward looking, having a modern knife design, and in some ways not fitting a traditional description of what a knife is. I'm looking for the best knife overall and Sal, Eric and the rest of the team do an exemplary job in designing and manufacturing their knives.

[Doc Dan]

Basically, for me it is the people on this forum's fault for my addiction. I am in no way to blame. I bought a Caly3 and was super happy with it. Then I bought a Delica 4 and was delighted. Then I made a mistake and joined this forum and they have been helping me spend my money ever since. :p

Just kidding, of course.

[ykspydiefan]

I received a Tenacious as a gift around 2010. 1,2,3,4 now I want Spyderco more.

[kobold]

I had a modest collection of multitools and fixed blades in carbon and sandvik steels but I needed one hand folders for EDC and WEDC, so I bought cheap chinese flippers at first, Ruike and Steel Will. Not counting the smaller Cutjack I found them a bit big, heavy and sluggish. Then I decided to learn more, try different things and find out what works for me the best...

[vivi]

I always had a modest knife collection, but nothing modern or high end. Beat up old Buck 110 and 110 fg's I acquired from trading sports cards to friends, swiss army knives like the classic and cadet, and one two finger ruko liner lock with thumb stud opening, my only one handed / tactical knife.

One day years and years ago, I went to a gun shop for some ammo and camping supplies, and decided to check out their knife selection.

Bought an Ontario marine raider bowie first.



Next visit I picked up some CRKT liner lock flipper, my first full sized modern one handed folder. Maybe the M18? Something like that.



At that point I realized there was a big quality jump from $5-10 gas station knives and the $30 CRKT.

So I started taking a look at the higher end offerings and wondering what that quality jump was like.

Noticed their prominent Benchmade display first. Handled a 635 mini-skirmish and that convinced me to try something high end.



I went home and did some research like I do when diving into any new hobby, and came across countless Spyderco VS Benchmade discussions when looking up info about the opening hole vs studs vs flippers.

After discovering Spyderco originated the idea, I decided to try them out instead of Benchmade.

Went with a Delica based on suggestions I got, which was a mistake. Poor fit for my hand and the saber grind blade cut poorly compared to my swiss army knives I liked to carry. I liked the opening hole and the blade steel was the best I had used at the time (vg10).

Decided to sell the Delica and try some other models. Got it right the second time with an S60V single liner PE Military folder, followed by a Native 1 in S30V, a Byrd Cara Cara and a little further down the road a C95 Manix.

While the Delica nearly put me off Spyderco, the Military, Manix and Cara Cara completely sold me on them. Been hanging around here ever since.

[Senfkarte]

For me, the vast variety of different steels and the reputation for a good heat treatment have been the factors that made me to take a look into Spyderco.

[Evil D]

I've always been a knife guy but aside from Buck/Gerber/Case I always carried cheap no name beaters. I carried a Gerber EAB utility knife for years out of laziness and one day saw the Native in Walmart's display case and bought it. I researched the brand and noticed that the Walmart version didn't have the bug logo on the blade and I got paranoid that it was a fake so I returned it and went to Bass Pro Shop and paid over 2x as much for the same knife, but that time I went with the SE version. I carried that knife for probably 5 years (without sharpening it one single time) and one day came across a booth at a flea market selling Spydercos and they had a standard Delica that caught my eye. At the time I wasn't aware that Spydercos were made in different countries since my only Spyderco said Golden on the blade, so I searched and found this forum and my first post was asking if it was fake because it was made in Japan.

Now here I am 11 years later and have over $5k in Spyderco knives :o

[archangel]

I loved knives when I was a kid. Obviously couldn't really have any by then, except for one I was gifted when I joined the boyscouts (and lost it only a few weeks after).

About maybe 10-12 years ago, I started collecting flashlights. When I had 130+, maybe 6 years later, the love started to cool off... and suddenly I remembered that I also loved knives! Started to buy my first few, all cheap materials & China brands, but good looking (at least to me, back then). Then I bought 3 or 4 Cold Steel and maybe 5 Böker folders which were already much more expensive than the first few. I started to look around and be really interested. I openly admit that when I saw pics of Spyderco knives back then, I though they were odd looking - I was not attracted at all. However I came to buy a pre-owned Pacific Salt off the Bay, well, and got bitten! I was impressed, bought a new Byrd Meadowlark. Iirc, my first NIB Spyderco was a Native 5. All hope for cure was lost by then.

It's interesting that my first three Spydies (including the Byrd) were FRN, and I still got hooked up. :eek: Nowadays I try to avoid FRN wherever I can....

[Donut]

You guys didn't have a swiss army knife when you were young? I must have been 10ish or under 10 when I had a swiss army knife. I grew up in a small town, though.

I was a small time knife guy, I had a plastic handled Buck knife for working, a Chinese made, steel handle Kershaw and a Chinese made, steel handle Buck. I have had a series of crappy knives that I probably lost over the years. Had a plastic scaled Victorinox where the plastic scales fell off.

I saw a movie where one of the bad guys had either a serrated Endura or serrated Police, I said "Bad guys shouldn't be the only ones with a good knife." I started with a tacticool Byrd Hawkbill, then got the Goddard Jr white micarta sprint, then a serrated ZDP Delica. I was pretty happy with the serrated ZDP Delica for a few months.

I must have found the forum at some point after the Delica and it went down hill from there.

[standy99]

Left school and became a butcher like my father so knives are in the blood.

Had a regular new knife on the boat every year due to rusting and shyte steel so seeing a catcherman in a tackle shop with a toxic green handle I was sold.
Had a few catcherman lost to the sea gods off the back of the bait board on the boat so after not being able to find another I ordered a Pacific salt and a Salt 1

The 2 salts were the switch to how easy are these things to open.....

Then the internet made things so easy to buy....

So I lay the blame on Sal Glesser and Bill Gates :spyder: