Here are results from the for the Spyderco-focused forum survey that ran from mid-Jan to mid-Feb 2023. The survey obtained a total of 381 responses, 221 from the Spyderco forum and 160 from the Spyderco subforum on BladeForums. Thanks to all who responded! N=381 is a very healthy response rate. I don’t know how large the forum fan population is, but even if it were as large as 10,000, the respose rate of n=381 would yield a confidence interval of plus/minus 4.9 with a confidence level of 95%. That’s very acceptable, in my book.
As you read through the results, you will find response distributions that are not surprising, and perhaps a few that are. I hope these stats start some fruitful discussions. If you have questions I can answer, I’ll try to follow up.
As you know, click on the graphics for a larger view.
If you want to refer back to the original survey, click the link below:
https://ibb.co/6wPfBkM
Here are my “Cliff’s Notes” on the results:
Q1: A lot of agreement on the blade range of 3-4.” The smaller blades of 2-3” range take a distant second place.
Q2: The average % of serrated edges reported was 13%, but you can see in the histogram that most people own a very small proportion of serrated edge knives, and a very few people own a large proportion of serrated edge knives.
Q4: Interestingly, almost 30% are looking for no choil, and choils that go far into the blade aren’t popular.
Q5: Did you expect the comp lock to be #1? If so, pat yourself on the back. Did you also expect liner locks to be more popular than frame locks? If so, use your other hand and pat yourself on the back again!
Q6: Almost a perfect normal curve centered on the 3-4 oz range. That makes me sad, of course; I’m a lightweight nut.
Q7: Here we can see the size of the “thin slicey blade” tribe…
Q8: Thought question: Does the popularity of scale materials match what the marketplace offers?
Q9: While the “medium ratio” folks have the largest (blue) bar, the “max ratio” folks (yellow) are not so far behind.
Q10: The truncated option was: “Full Skeletonized Liners.” But you knew that. There’s a lot of love for FSLs!
Q11: Not a good question, really. Gloves sizes are strange. A person with medium sized hands may prefer X-Lg gloves, so the question isn’t telling us much about hand size. I wouldn’t ask this question again.
Q12: I call the yellow bar ($150-199) “The Wall.” Quite a drop-off to the light blue bar ($200-249) below it. The light blue bar is lower than it “should” be, for a normal distribution.
Q14: I had no idea which was the most likely use for folders, so any result would have been a surprise to me. Indoor work, for the win!
Q15: The average score is 57 (out of 100), indicating a small preference to the edge retention side, overall. Even though most people are looking for a steel that balances toughness and ER, there is a strong contingent of ER fanatics on the right. And there appears to be no equivalent tribe of toughness fanatics on the left.
Q16: This graph is telling us that people DISAGREE about the importance of corrosion resistance. There’s lots of variability, and even though the average is 47 (out of 100), the average is not a good measure of consensus here. In fact, there is little consensus to be found in this graphic—it’s a differentiating variable. Respondents have widely varied opinions on the importance of corrosion resistance.
Q17: While there is a meaningful middle to this distribution, the average of 43 (out of 100) and the mode of 50-60 somewhat disguises the fact that there’s a large tribe of respondents who think ease of sharpening is just not important. (They must be the folks with diamond stones and/or sharpening jigs?) And, there are relatively few who think ease of sharpening is very important.
A final note on stats and averages: These statistics attempt to locate the mean, the average, the popular, the “center of the curve.” But remember the old joke: “A statistician is somebody who, if your feet are frozen in ice and your head is in an oven, will tell you that on average, you should be comfortable.”
If a knife company were to make a knife based on the average response to each variable, they might produce a very average knife that thrills nobody. Each of us is unusual and unique in some ways (I hope). For example, I was disappointed that more people weren’t as excited as I am, about lightweight knives. I might not buy a knife that was “the preferred average” on every variable because it wouldn’t meet my unique interests.
Point being: the results of a poll shouldn’t be read as a recommendation for knife makers to concentrate exclusively on the middle of the curve, though certainly the averages are a good starting point from which to “break the norms” with purpose, creativity, and innovation. I am thankful that my favorite cutlery company, Spyderco, produces an industry-leading diversity of innovative designs that can please many different customers with many different preferences.
