Colors - Talkin' Story - Marketing

[vivi]

I've never noted a perception difference in others whether I have a big knife, small knife, black knife, colorful knife, dlc knife, etc. I've gotten the same reaction carrying a szabo folder as I have a spin.

Black and green are my favorite colors, so I have no issue with black.

I also like the burnt orange because it reminds me of fall.

Aside from that I'd take black over most colors, especially bright ones like the Salt yellow and green. I understand their purpose but I've dropped and lost a single knife my entire life so its not something that concerns me.

[VooDooChild]

I will also say this. There have definitely been a couple spydercos that I bought because of the color. :rolleyes:

[zhyla]

I think this is a victim of your own success situation. Spyderco made so many knives with black FRN or G10 that when a model comes out with something else it catches our attention. Also we’re in an Instagram age now. How things look matter more now.

I think the non-enthusiast average user still wants black handles. Enthusiasts just get bored and/or want to collect a rainbow of colors.

[Abyss_Fish]

I love a good pop of color. I tend to wear rather plain clothes with bright accessories and I like my knife to fit that, adds a little fun to life :D

I’ll also agree with the “making it stand out as a cutting tool and not a murder weapon”, I’m a big dude (a fairly well proportioned 6’8) and so when I take out a knife people tend to run for the hills. With materials and/or colors that match my funky personality people are more likely to look at my knife as what it is, a cutting tool.

Honestly It’s so wonderful that a company so dedicated to blade performance has so many aesthetic options. I wouldn’t be half the spydie fan I am if it weren’t for that.

[TomAiello]

I've never noted a perception difference in others whether I have a big knife, small knife, black knife, colorful knife, dlc knife, etc. I've gotten the same reaction carrying a szabo folder as I have a spin.

I definitely have. But it depends a lot on who is around.

I once whipped out an Ultratech at my daughter's playdate (to open a snack). The moms at that playdate definitely had a reaction.

[vivi]

I think autos, flippers and manual knives flicked open draw more of a reaction. Hypothetical, since I never carry those kinds of knives or flick them open. Draws a lot of attention I'd imagine.

I've used a SE Pacific Salt for random tasks at a 2 year old birthday party without raising a brow.

I think being a bigger guy has its advantages in this context. Police / Millie / Manix XL don't look big in my hands, they look like the right size for me.

[RustyIron]

Now we like colors :eek: So I would be interested in learning why you like colors on knives? :D And even what colors and why?

The one knife that is particularly important to me is a Dragonfly 2 VG10 in bright orange. It almost perfectly matches the color or my wife's pristine 1965 Mustang. Her mom bought it new in 1964, and Mrs. Iron completed the restoration to exact factory specs just a few short years ago. Strangely, Ford called the color "Poppy Red." The Dragonfly was originally a gift to my wife, who always carries a knife, but she prefers old-school slipjoints with wood scales. That's how I ended up with it. I guess it only makes sense that a girl who drives old cars also likes old knives--and lucky for me, old men.

[kobold]

Nobody wanted colors :confused: Black only. We ended up discontinuing the colors. It was a shame because I felt that colors changed the "sinister" attached to knives and said, "I'm carrying a cutting tool" and doesn't look like you are trying to hide something.

When we did add colors, it was dark, close to black but different.

Now we like colors :eek: So I would be interested in learning why you like colors on knives? :D And even what colors and why?

Thanx much,

sal

This is exactly it, I see it the same way.

And black is not even a color, it's the absence of color.
Grey and white are not colors either while we are at it, just the amalgam of all colors. I don't mind white, but its easy to stain.

Now, I do like my black FRN Native and its DLC coated, fully serrated blade. I don't mind textured, bidirectional FRN in black, I do think it looks cool. Not nice or fancy, just a very specific type of cool.

I would even relegate black to be used only in tactical and other fighting type knives, mall ninja category knives and knives with DLC coated blades, where stealth is important. If a knife is indeed intended to be used as a weapon, make it black - the symbol of death.

For me, black and gray plastic, including G10, looks incredibly basic. Like raw, unprocessed, unrefined industrial material. Engine parts and stuff. Why not just use G10 in its raw (jade?) form. Much nicer, translucent. And we know how to dye it. S110V dark blue is a bit too dark for my taste even.

In arts, advertising etc, it is basic knowledge that colors are emotionally charged - representing different emotions.
We pick colors to match our mood. They are evocative. In this way, black/gray must represent autism.

I like natural colors, subdued green and earthy tones the most, but also bright RGB/CMY colors in my users, so it is harder to misplace them.

Color coding knives by steel type is a great use of colors in a tool!

In gentleman's folders I am more after preferably natural materials with interesting features, color is not the end all, be all.

[Doc Dan]

While I like black, too many tacticool and cheap Chinese truck stop knives are black these days. I prefer colors. I am not into bright colors, but I am okay with them as long as it is bright orange or bright day glo blue (think Ford Mustang), but prefer these colors on knives I would use in the woods so if dropped, they are easy to find. I like the yellow and green Salts because it is practical. However, for gentlemen's knives and pocket knives, I prefer muted colors, earth tones. For example, the gray and coyote Urban LW's were a home run for me. Blue is probably my favorite color and I like more earth tone blues. I also like shades of earth tone olive drab (not pure olive), earth tones of orange, dusty pink, and even purple in earth tone. Brown earth tones are always good and so is gray. What is funny is that a love the color of the SPY27 Manix 2 LW. It is simply a great color. I don't like the color of the supposedly teal, but really aqua, Endura, Delica, and Dragonfly as much as I like the Manix color. Something else that I like is smooth polished ivory G10. It can be made to look just like elephant ivory.

[Wartstein]

1.) Higher visibility:
Especially in the outdoors (not only when dropping the knife, but also cause it is less likely to accidentally oversee and forget a bright colored knife in a camp or the like)

2.) Personalisation;:
Knives are just tools, but so much more than tools... It´s just nice when one can have a knife in a color they generally like, or just grab one in a color they "happen to feel like" that day

3. Less intimidating:
Especially a bunch of differently colored knives look a bit like a basket of eastereggs, rather than oh-so-dangerous-weapons

4.Being like a code for the steel used
Like in sprint runs

That being said: Color is one of the least factors I consider when deciding for a knife, but at least it IS a factor.

I totally like the Endura blue, find the Salt yellow and green very practical in an outdoor or general work knife, and think burnt orange is a great color: High visibility, but still a bit toned down, very "warm" and unique (that the knives in my probably favorite steels HAP 40 and REX 45 happen to come in just that color is a lucky incident :) )

[mikey177]

As a kid, I wanted a 64-color box of Crayola crayons, but couldn't afford it. I guess I'm making up for it by buying knives with colored scales.

My least favorite color is the DLT exclusive red G10. I've had several chances to buy the 20CV Manix in that color, but the variant never appealed to me. I would also like to get something in indigo/blurple, but I have an irrational fear of S110V because of all the snapped blade photos I have seen in that steel.

Below are some of the Spydie colors I have. Need to add a green Salt 2 wharnie.

[Wartstein]

.....
3. Less intimidating:
Especially a bunch of differently colored knives looks a bit like a basket of eastereggs, rather than oh-so-dangerous-weapons
.......

[Menipo]

I couldn't agree more with your statement about the "sinister" that goes with black handles.

Here the traditional pocket knives (navajas) that people are used to seeing have a wooden or bone handle. The ones that have it made of plastic are usually cheap Chinese pocket knives.

The clip is also not usual. Knives usually go loose in the bottom of the pocket when they are small and in a holster on the belt when they are large and are carried in the field or for hunting. So a 3.5" - 4" blade with a black handle and easy-to-see clip is perceived as quite aggressive. That explains my crusade for Spyderco's deep pocket clips to be truly deep (and not reveal a tiny bit of the knife like many of Spyderco's current deep pocket clips do). I understand the decision of not manufacturing deep pocket clips and leaving that market to Casey Lynch and his peers, but I will never undestand the decision of manufacturing them and make the submarine's periscope always visible when submerged.

Handles in other discreet colors (not particularly bright and less eye-catching) paired with truly deep pocket clips would allow to remove (at least here) a good deal of "sinister" and facilitate the carry of our Spydie companions. I asked my friends who are not in the world of knives once, and the one they perceived as the least aggressive is the BM Bugout with the blue handle (and the true deep pocket black clip). No surprise. So I would clearly vote for colors but not bright. Blue and British Racing green mostly.

[ZrowsN1s]

One of the things that brought me to Spyderco was a desire to have something different than the 15 all black knives that were already in my collection.

Since then I've come to really like the different color combos. I don't dress fancy, have nice watches, or things like that. My knives are my only 'fashion' accessories :D

Blue, Green, and Red are my favorite of the solid colors. Royal Blue, Teal Blue, Kelly Green, Lime Green, Imperial Red, Burgundy Red.

But my favorite knife 'colors' are things like the knives below. The more exotic looking Carbon Fiber scales, like the fluted cf, marbled cf, and shredded copper cf. Python Micarta, Pakka wood, anodized Titanium.... there are many ways to escape plain black scales, even colorful lanyards.

[ugaarguy]

I like bright, "friendly" colors because they make a knife look more tool and less intimidating as you mentioned, Sal. I've given my girlfriend a pink and purple zome Delica, which she likes because it's functional but also pretty. I like bright colors because they make it easy to find the knife.

On the high vis colors subject, I'm a University of Georgia sports fan, so I don't like orange. The Salt yellow and new Salt neon green are both great for me. The red and black weave Domino was another prefect fit for a Dawgs fan. My dad is also a big UGA fan. He's not the type to appreciate a knife like the Domino, but he loves the red handle with black blade Kershaw Natrix I gave him a couple of years ago. This last bit may sound a bit silly, but I'd encourage anyone who thinks it silly to consider how much revenue college sports (and professional sports) generate.

[Ric]

I started with Spydercos because I wanted to have a knife with a bright yellow handle.

I wear often a blue or red skirt and want to match my knife. I wear a blue watch and want the knife to match.

I want to easily recognize which knife it is.
I have 2 black dragonfly, one with SE and 1 wharny. I bet I always grab the wrong one.
K390 or Salt is easy due to different colors.

If I am a hardcore user with 2 knives I do not care.
As I am a knife aficionado / connoisseur I care.

[aicolainen]

I think choice is a good thing and if more people can have knives in their favorite color, I'm all for it. For me it's mainly, and almost without exception, about utility.
And I recognize two types of utility related to color; perception and visibility.

As far as perception goes, I prefer to go under the radar and not be perceived at all. As such, my top picks for EDC are low key, subdued colors. Black is OK, but it's kind of boring and I mostly wear blue jeans, and prefer colors and shades with even less contrast, like e.g. the grey FRN on the Chap LW, Maxamet grey, light shades of blue and even earth colors like the ranger green on the Bugout.
As long as I'm on the workplace, I also don't mind bright colors that are widely associated with purpose and utility, like bright orange and yellow, but in our legislative climate those colors doesn't commute very well to and from work, and are for the most part reserved for the outdoors.

Visibility is probably less important than I attribute to it, and may actually be subconsciously rooted in the perception category. Anyhow, I seem to prefer that knives intended for outdoor use come in bright colors. Preferably yellow and orange. Obviously the fact that the new LC Salts are neon green is not enough to keep me away from them, but I would have preferred them to be yellow as well. I don't think green is perceived as a utility color in the same way as yellow and orange, and since I use my salts predominantly on land, I'm afraid the green color does not provide much added visibility and contrast in my typical outdoor environment. That being said, both yellow and green are very common colors here in the autumn, so no color is perfect. Not sure where I heard it, but I very recently heard someone mention that blue is one of (if not the) least naturally occurring colors in nature, and that's why Benchmade chose it for the OG Bugout. So maybe I should reconsider my visibility color preferences? Then again, my fixed blades has always been black or wooden handles, with black synthetic or brown leather sheaths. Not a lot of visibility and contrast to speak of there, and it has mostly been a non issue.

I don't fully subscribe to colors being important for how a knife is perceived. I think, based on my experience, that people who are not comfortable around knives will be more sensitive to size, presentation and how appropriate it is in the context it's being used or carried.

[ladybug93]

one of the problems i see with all of the color variations is that we end up spoiled by spyderco, which also leaves us clamoring for our own personal tastes to become production offerings. there are a lot of specific asks for knives in certain steels and colors/finishes. then you have all these exclusive offerings locking down steel/color combinations adding to all of that. it seems a little too chaotic. it almost seems like spyderco would be better off just offering a black g10 handle with a coated and non-coated version of each of their g10 knives and a light grey frn handle with a coated and non-coated version of each of their frn knives, regardless of the steel (maybe with the exception of keeping yellow salts because that color has a very specific purpose). that way, people could make whatever combination they wanted with after market scales or dyes and spyderco could focus on more important endeavors, like keeping production knives in stock and working out new designs. after all, spyderco may be known for colors and steel choices today, but their rightful place of notoriety in the history of the knife community (and beyond) has always been one of innovative design. i think we'd all be better off with that, but i know there are some that would object and disagree with me.

i've purchased multiple spyderco knives despite their color. when i bought my m2lw in xhp and hershey bar brown, i thought the color was ugly. when i finally pulled the trigger on my caribbean, i knew i was going to have to deal with hating how it looked, but i had to try it anyway. when i got my native salt and my df2 salt and my ladybug hawkbill, i planned on dyeing each of them. the thing is, once each of these knives made it to my hands and i got the chance to appreciate them for what they are, the last thing i cared about their color. yes, variety is nice, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter as much as how the knife works and feels. design and function are more important than color, and even more important than steel choice.

[kobold]

Not sure where I heard it, but I very recently heard someone mention that blue is one of (if not the) least naturally occurring colors in nature, and that's why Benchmade chose it for the OG Bugout.

I heard that too and I know they mean living things by it, still, it is funny, how the whole huge sky and all the seas and oceans are ignored.

BTW, research showed, green is the most visible color, that is why most digital displays are green. AFAIK green LED lights have the longest throw and the lowest energy consumption.

[M Sea]

Huge fan of the colors. Black is boring to me but that is just a personal opinion. I almost passed on the Sage 5 LW because it had black scales, glad I didn't. I like bright colors the most, they make the knife feel more personal I guess. Definitely blue is my favorite.