Increase in Exclusives?

[Ric]

Hi.

I am feeling there are more and more Exclusives.
Many of the new arrivals of handle material / steels were Exclusive.
They are harder to get outside US.

RamZar was so kind and provided sone numbers.

YEAR NEW SPRINTS PERCENT
2021 61 29 48%
2020 100 54 54%
2019 97 42 43%
2018 93 56 60%

They do not gully display my gut-feeling. (Maybe because the sprints are included).

Is it only me?
Was there really an increase?
Is it due to pandemic to support the US (smaller) dealers?
Am I wrong?

Whats your opinion?

[makawakaroni]

I understand the business model of exclusives and how it is better for Spyderco than sprints, but I am not really a fan, because, like you mentioned they are harder to get outside the US.
I would love to see more sprints, that are available through regular retailers.

[JRinFL]

Exclusives can be ordered by European dealers as well. Heinnie Haynes is one example. If I were a European customer, I would be asking European dealers to consider having an exclusive through Spyderco. Call or email, or make use of your regional knife forums to start things rolling.

[Danke]

Order of Preference for me.

1) Exclusive
2) Sprint
3) Flash Batch
4) Regular Production

[jdw]

Producing exclusives sounds like a solid business model for Spyderco to me. If I understand correctly the dealer pays for all or part of the order up front and takes the risk of sitting on stale stock instead of Spyderco. I've had my own frustrations missing an exclusive that I wanted because of work, too few produced, or a plague of flippers flocking in but I understand why Spyderco seems to be favoring that particular way of producing knives. I do feel the pain of our European neighbors though. It must be very frustrating to be unable to get a knife simply because of forced scarcity. Jim has a great idea to start rattling the cages of some major European suppliers to commission some Europe specific models. I am sure that I would want a few and often end up on your side of the problem.

[Doc Dan]

Double post

[Doc Dan]

Exclusives are very good for us the customers. It means that Spyderco is getting more and more popular. That means Spyderco will be around for a long time And can afford to do some of the crazy things that we come up with from time to time.

[Sharp Guy]

Was there really an increase?

Whats your opinion?

I can't know for sure but I think it's just an increase in the number of dealers who are commissioning exclusives. It's a great way for a new (or smaller) dealer to get their name out there. At the same time some of the dealers that have already been doing exclusives have started doing more.

Personally, I'm kind of over the whole exclusive and sprint run thing. Not saying I won't buy something that really appeals to me but I think I've had my fill for now. The chase doesn't excite me as much as it used to. So, for the most part, I'll sit back and watch

[Menipo]

The only European dealer which, to the best of my knowledge, has ordered an Exclusive is HH. And reading in this forum what is happening with its HH Exclusive UKPK I do not think they will be inclined to repeat the experience in the future with another model. I am not blaming Spyderco because I have read Sal's posts explaining why the situation is not Spyderco's fault. But at the end of the day there are hundreds of English (and other European) customers who have been waiting for their HH UKPK for over a year. I don't think K&T or Lamnia will be very interested considering this.

As for me, I have already accepted that the impossibility for Europeans to buy Exclusives is simply an "Act of God". Like taxes, mother-in-law visits from time to time, or tornadoes in Florida or Kansas. :D

[wrdwrght]

Exclusives seem to me to be on the increase, not just single models but whole ranges of models, such as BHQ’s numerous M4/“jade” runs, which please so many here.

Being in the US, I don’t have access problems. Yet I’m none too pleased with the apparent trend.

I’ve suspected in other threads that exclusives on the present scale have taken over production queues.

Are new designs getting delayed, are sprints dying on the vine, are flash batches a non-starter, I sometimes wonder (but most of the time, I just find solace in hunting down old models of Spyderco’s vast catalog).

After all, we often hear that the factories, even Golden’s expanded one, are running full bore.

That’s good news for Spyderco (and us), especially now that Asian costs and competition, as Sal has recently explained, are significantly narrowing Spyderco’s margins, as well as its room for maneuver.

And it is here where I think my real disquiet rests. Because exclusives externalize Spyderco’s production costs, they do serve to keep the lights on while continuing to enthuse fans with superior product. But are dealers and distributors—themselves competing for fandom in their 15-minutes of fame—now defining and thus limiting where Spyderco can maneuver?

In light of the conditions prevailing at my join-date, it seems so, but I really don’t know, and, besides, this business matter really isn’t my business anyway.

I can say I’d rather have sprints and flash batches (which are apples of Spyderco’s eye, not of someone else), and I’d rather have far more realization of all those Spyderco prototypes (which is a process that may or may not be slowing down, but now seems less important than exclusives).

Alas! The real world may no longer permit such things.

[Ric]

Thanks for your answers guys.

The slysz bowie exclusive was sold out quickly.
Couldn't Spyderco made a Sprint and distribute it to all stores all over the world? But would it also be sold out so fast?

Or are the exclusive more limited and therefore higher in demand and we are more eager to buy one? As written above maybe some only buy exclusives, in a "standard" slysz bowie they are not.

Europe is not that big of a Spyderco market and I am not aware of any dealer whom I can reach out to. And then which model too choose?
I can imagine the US buyers will not buy in Europe.

It's often strange to hear, that the capacity of the factory is at maximum and therefore e.g. the UKPK Salt is on hold but 2 weeks later we get 7 new exclusives...

[RamZar]

There was an Exclusive Spyderco WolfSpyder commissioned and sold only at Ray Mears in UK that had a lot of buyers from the US.

Note: In post #1 where it says SPRINTS for the column it's actually inclusive of Sprint Runs, Dealer & Distributor Exclusives and Flash Batches.

[Evil D]

At this point I really only buy sprints and exclusives aside from the odd new model that comes out that catches my attention or models that just never got a sprint or exclusive. I suspect there are a lot of people who buy like this, and the people who don't are buying the VG10 Delicas and wouldn't spend the increased cost on a knife anyway.

My only real issue with sprints and exclusives are possibly missing out on them and difficulty in replacing them if I need to. I could maybe complain a little about the lack of variety, since there are definitely more versions of some models than others. I would make the argument that I'd like to see more sprints of classic models than I would of current production models, especially when those current models already have several versions out. Maybe spread the love a little more, I'm not sure the world needs a 50th Para 2 variant.

[Danke]

So the gist of this it's another guy thirsty for a Slyz Bowie?

There will be another run from Knifejoy with a pre-order option.

I'll likely be a US only option again so now could be the time to cultivate those friendship skills.

[RamZar]

Sprint Runs, Flash Batches and Distributor Exclusives are more attractive to customers because it’s not exclusive to just one dealer and thus more widely available and easier to get. However, by sheer quantity Dealer Exclusives win. Exclusives are a great way for Spyderco and dealers to make money quickly. That’s why more and more dealers are getting into it.

[GarageBoy]

Exclusives are fun (love the atypical colors like teal, mint green and purple), but sometimes it feels repetitive. Feels like a lot are taking the safe route (m390/20cv/204p and a earth color scale) - Lots of people would like another shot at 4v, but that seems to be st nicks only, with that one fradon lock manix everyone complained about being hollow grind)

I'd also like to see Spyderco catch up on their reveals - a common complaint is that spyderco just keeps announcing new variants of the same old models

[JuPaul]

Exclusives are fun (love the atypical colors like teal, mint green and purple), but sometimes it feels repetitive. Feels like a lot are taking the safe route (m390/20cv/204p and a earth color scale) - Lots of people would like another shot at 4v, but that seems to be st nicks only, with that one fradon lock manix everyone complained about being hollow grind)

I'd also like to see Spyderco catch up on their reveals - a common complaint is that spyderco just keeps announcing new variants of the same old models

I definitely agree with this - I love the sprint runs when they allow dealers to bring us new or unusual steels and crazy colors, or when they bring back awesome disco'd models. But the play-it-safe exclusives just don't interest me anymore because I've basically had them already! So I hope those aren't taking the place of new model production.

[nerdlock]

Exclusives are fun (love the atypical colors like teal, mint green and purple), but sometimes it feels repetitive. Feels like a lot are taking the safe route (m390/20cv/204p and a earth color scale) - Lots of people would like another shot at 4v, but that seems to be st nicks only, with that one fradon lock manix everyone complained about being hollow grind)

I'd also like to see Spyderco catch up on their reveals - a common complaint is that spyderco just keeps announcing new variants of the same old models

I definitely agree with this - I love the sprint runs when they allow dealers to bring us new or unusual steels and crazy colors, or when they bring back awesome disco'd models. But the play-it-safe exclusives just don't interest me anymore because I've basically had them already! So I hope those aren't taking the place of new model production.

Right now, I think the only people benefiting from the same model releases are the PM2 collectors, with almost all new dealer exclusives starting with this model. While I like the PM2 and it's ergonomics, I've sold a few of mine since last year and I only have 5 remaining in my collection, out of principle. It's a cash cow for the dealers and I fully understand that, and I am grateful (in a way) since it introduces us to more steels; I only wish that the demand for these knives did not stop the production of newer models and availability of other steels to other models. (This is not a complaint, but an observation like all the others here.)

[cycleguy]

Don't think I understand the posted data, but it doesn't much matter. In an era when variety and choice are diminishing, Spyderco seem to be bucking the trend - YAY!

CG

[kodai78]

I have very mixed feelings on this subject. Of course Spyderco has every right to sell knives any way they want to. I sometimes see sprints or limited releases (whatever they are called) that are desirable but have missed out on purchasing one. I would like regular production to exhibit greater variety in color and steel, and will leave chasing the exclusives to others. I love Spyderco knives, and the variety available but I don’t want black G10 and S30 V in every knife. I suspect that if I am patient I will be able to acquire some new knives as Spyderco changes steels and occasionally issues a series as they have with Rex 45 and other steels.