Would you buy more or less Spydercos if they were all made in the same steel?

[anycal]

... and it's awfully pretty having them all lined up in single file....

Ain't that the truth.

Variety is part of it, for sure. More steel option than any other brand (as far as I am aware) lends the knife thing to become a fun hobby. I had a handful of knives most of my life. Really using only one 90% of the time. Now I have few more, and cycle through them like underwear.

What sucked me in was the forum(s). It helped me decide on a really good knife, or couple of knives. The longer I lingered... well, we all know how that goes. If it wasn't knives, it would be something else. I am no stranger to going down other hobby rabbit holes in the past. Wonder what will get me next?

[Evil D]

There are a couple I could live with indefinitely, we've had those discussions about having just one knife. I would probably still buy a lot of knives if they all came in the same steel, I just wouldn't have much need for duplicates. At that point I would be far more interested in ergonomic differences, sizes, blade shapes and maybe even handle materials.

[bearfacedkiller]

Exactly, if we were not so focused on steel we would have more new models, more collaborations, more exotic handle materials. There was supposed to be a fluted Ti and a fluted carbon fiber Para2 years ago. Where the heck are they? We have had countless steels sprints of the Para2 while we wait. I would buy both of those regardless of steel. You could make them in BD1 and I would buy them. What about all the requests for micarta? If they made the popular Golden models in Micarta with S30V I am sure they would sell well. The steel geeks can do blade swaps if they want to.

The truth is that steel is probably the third consideration when choosing a knife. I should look at overall design first, geometry second and steel choice third. However, I all too often look at steel choice first and it seems as those many others do too. That is not a pragmatic way of approaching a purchase. I consider myself a pragmatic person in life but when it comes to this hobby I fail horribly at it.

[dj moonbat]

I only buy a knife if it's got something about it that I don't already have. So without steel diversity, I'd never have bought my second PM2.

[MichaelScott]

Would I buy fewer? I don’t buy many anyway, but it would make little difference to me.

[Sharp Guy]

I voted "Other". I definitely wouldn't have multiples of the same model like I do now but I might try more models that I don't have yet.

[juggler]

Given that:

_ I'm not particularly fond of all the non-stainless steels that seem so common and popular these days;
_ I usually don't buy multiple versions of the same model;
_ I don't care that much about steel type anyway (I know: blasphemy)...

... I would definitely buy more.

Now, a second poll could be: "In this kind of scenario, which steel would you choose?"

[T_MAC686]

If they offered everything in say VG-10 or XHP it may bring the price point down for a lot of knives too.. I think for my needs these steels do well and would cause me to buy more models. I get both sides of the coin with this one too. If they were all the same steel, the collectibility would come in varying handle scales (I bet we can all think of a company that follows this idea) and they would continue to sell well!

[abbazaba]

How would you know which steel is your favorite unless you try them all :D

[Doc Dan]

I might buy about the same amount of knives, but I voted I would buy less. I like choices and I like being able to choose a knife and steel combo for a particular task.

(I wonder how a stockman with a long pull, and 3 different blade steels would be?)

[Naperville]

I'd be looking to buy fewer in the future. I'm definitely in to the high end steels.

[Holland]

Significantly less

The delica and dragonfly are half of my collection. I have more than 10 of each in a bunch of different steels

[Sharp Guy]

^ I love those Felicias! :D

[Crux]

I know I can't be the only guy who plays head games with himself and justifies buying knives I really don't need just because they have a different fancy steel..

Guilty as charged. However, if someone really likes a particular design or steel I can see why different steels don't appeal to them. They are already satisfied

Absolutely.

[vivi]

I know different steels get you different steels, haha. But what does using and comparing them gain you at the end of the day?

Well, I guess more or less just fun and satisfaction, because aside from H1/rust proof variants or SE/PE variants they can all realistically perform the same basic needs more or less. I've got a little Scion xB toaster on wheels that I drive to work, and I've got a 500 horsepower Mustang. The Mustang can also take me to work, but the experience is different. Ultimately it's just fun, I don't know if you'll get much more of a scientific answer than that. Some guys have a legitimate need for extreme wear resistance so some steels are far more useful, others like you have issues with rust so those steels are more useful. Answer the question yourself....if they all came in Super Blue, would you buy more or less? What if they all came in FFG/LC200N? I would probably buy more different models if they all came in steels I really really liked, but I wouldn't have a need for duplicates of the same model and I would be far more picky about buying models that are too much alike in size and other features.

Another way I look at it is, some of the steel variants I have are just plain better overall. If a steel holds an edge better, is generally tougher, and isn't significantly harder to sharpen or is going to rust easily, I'm always going to reach for that model over the basic version. Then I end up with models I may never use again. Those duplicates are essentially upgrades. But, that goes back to the original question, I wouldn't have ever bought the upgrade if it wasn't offered in the first place.

Hey, fun is a perfectly valid response :D

I guess we each have our own way of approaching things. You enjoy variety, I enjoy the familiarity of what I know works.

Regarding your second paragraph, which steels fall under that spectrum for you? Most seem to be a trade-off of some sort. BG42 was supposed to have better edge holding than S30V Millies, but for me it didn't because I couldn't get as good of an edge on it. Most probably consider S30V a clear upgrade over BD1, but I find the latter sharpens faster and to a keener edge. Just some examples off the top of my head.

In this hypothetical scenario, I would buy more knives if they all came in one of my favorite general purpose steels. I would buy less if they were all superblue, or some other steel that only fits a couple niches for me. I tried EDCing a patinad carbon steel folder and I don't miss sanding rust out of the pivot every few months :D

At one point in in life I was more interested in different blade steels. These days I would rather buy a blade made out of a material that I know will meet my needs than try a new one. I get more enjoyment out of appreciating a design or putting superior edge geometry and a hair whittling sharp apex on my knives than I do making unscientific comparisons between steels.

[silvershade255]

I'd be about the same I suppose. If I know something is or will be available in a interesting steel I might get that one instead. But looking at it, my steel selection is more coincidental than anything. The only ones I specifically got for the steel is the Hap40 jazzlica and spydiechef. Kind of related, I wonder if they were all say m390 if the consensus would be that was just a basic steel and everyone would still be looking for sprints/upgrades.

[vivi]

How would you know which steel is your favorite unless you try them all :D

Well, I did try every steel Spyderco was currently offering in the 2005-2015 range, but these days there's a few I haven't gotten around to. But I already know that superblue, hap40 and rex45 aren't what I want in a folder, just like I have no interest in an S110V chopper.

[ugaarguy]

Even given your criteria that I'd get to pick the steel, I'd buy less.

I bought a Spydiechef because of the steel and handle material. The design has grown on me. I also still want to try Vanax. If Vanax lives up to everything I've read and watched about it, then I'd want it to be the default steel for all Spydies. I still wouldn't want that to be the only steel available though.

A Sage 2 is next on my list to buy because of the design, even though S30V (as good of all around steel as it is) has become boring because it's now a widely used standard steel on knives in the price range.

I like the performance of 204P in my ZT 0562CF, and I'd like to see some Spyderco RILs in one of the M390/204P/20 CV triplets. Actually, I'd love to see a Native 5 LW in one of these steels. After the Sage 2, I'll probably buy a N5 LW in S110V. I don't really care for back locks, but I do want to try S110V, and the N5 LW is about the lowest cost option in it. If I could get a N5 LW to one of the M390 triplets to compare otherwise identical blades that would motivate me to buy one. So, that's one N5 LW that's on my list to buy just because I want to try a different steel in low cost, but still high quality folder.

[rgrad80]

I know I can't be the only guy who plays head games with himself and justifies buying knives I really don't need just because they have a different fancy steel..

You are not:) I have 6 PM2s in 6 different steels...and I just got my first Spyderco about 2 months ago:) I literally bought the Rex45 from Canada because I couldn’t get it for the life of me in the US when it came out.

[BravoTango]

while I generally value the variety of steels, it also largely depends on what the "one steel" would be.

If all Spyderco's were s30v, i'd probably buy much less.
If all spyderco's were M390, it probably wouldn't deter me one bit.

However this is chronologically sensitive, in 10-20 years M390 might be where s30v is now, depending on metallurgical advancements.