SPYDERCO @ WALMART??

[hgrubbs95]

With all due respect, if Spyderco is such a prestigious and quality knife brand then why are they sold at Walmart? Also I was told years back that Brands like Levi's and Converse Etc-good brands- make a B grade product to sell at Walmart for a cheaper price so that they can sell their products at Walmart. But the catch is that they're not quality and not up to par with the rest of the brand's usual standards.
So I'm just wondering a couple of things:
1.) Are ALL Spyderco Knives created equal?
2.) Are ALL Spyderco Knives made in the USA?
3.) Are the Spyderco Knives that are sold at Walmart up to par with the usual standards of the brand? Or should I stick with ordering straight from Spyderco's online website?

[Rinzler]

Whew, sweet first post rolling in aggressive off the starting line. I like the enthusiasm.

I can't answer for spyderco but Colt AR15s and other big name firearm companies (Ruger, Bushmaster, DPMS, etc) were sold at Walmart in the same department that you'd find a pocketknife. The firearm quality of what was sold at Walmart was not substandard in any way from the same sku you'd find down the street... I doubt there's a difference with Spyderco's knives sold there.

[Sumdumguy]

The Native was designed FOR Walmart and is one of the best knives they make.

A Spyderco is a Spyderco. The "Value Series" go through the same QC as any of the others.

I don't buy them, because they are made in China and I can afford to choose. However, if I only had $50 to spend on a knife to last forever, I'd definitely be getting a Resilient(maybe it's little brother). It would probably go through **** and back, all the same.

[SG89]

The Tenacious is one of the most popular knives Spyderco sells. Why? Because it is a wonderfully thought out and capable knife for under $50. It's also sold in blister packs in thousands of stores including Walmart and Cabelas which allows people who would never otherwise see a Spyderco to have access to one. Once the Spyder bites you, you're hooked.

[Evil D]

1. Well, I can't speak for Spyderco but I'd say they have a fairly universal standard of equality for the most part. After all, "a Spyderco is a Spyderco" and they probably want everyone to have the same experience regardless of what model a person buys.

2. Nope. The knife you saw at Wally World is made in China. If that blows your mind, just wait until you hear that a lot of their models are made in TAIWAN. If that's not enough horror for ya, wait until you hear that a lot of people consider their Taichung Taiwan models to be their premier models and their best in fit and finish. Oh the insanity.

3. I think so, considering their cost. If you expect a $50 knife to truly be on par with a $150+ knife then you probably aren't being realistic. They are worth the asking price, but things like steel options and lock types are things that some people consider "better" that are offered in models made in Colorado or Taichung.

4. Lighten up Francis. I know ol' Wally World is the big bad devil and all that, but if it wasn't for a Walmart Spyderco Native I wouldn't be here today. They offer a budget priced knife at a retailer where non knife AFI's might encounter the brand for the first time, then maybe those people come over to the forum and it opens the door to a whole world of awesome knives and good folks. It's not the end of the world.

[SG89]

There is no difference in a spyderco knife sold at Walmart or any store/website versus sold through the Spyderco website. They are all the same quality

[ladybug93]

in my experience, the spyderco knives typically available at walmart are the chinese spydercos in the tenacious line. they are wildly popular budget knives. it doesn't take much searching to find absolutely glowing reviews of them all over the internet. it also doesn't take much research to find the answers to your questions, but here you go anyway...

1. all spyderco knives i've handled have been great quality. some are a better value than others, but all are great for the money they cost. however, spyderco does use a wide variety of materials in their knives (one of the reasons many people are such huge fans of the brand), so by definition, they are not all created equal. there's no real way to compare them other than value, but even that is highly subjective and based on an infinite number of variable set by your own personal preferences and needs.
2. no. spyderco makes knives in colorado, japan, china, taiwan, etc. see number one.
3. again, see number one.

a while back, walmart was clearing out some of their stock and was selling the spyderco resilience for $25. that's an amazing deal for a really great knife. i would have bought one, but i didn't need two of them. i still kick myself for not picking it up just because.

[sal]

Hi Hgrubbs,

Welcome to our forum.

There are a variety of Spyderco's because they are not all manufactured in the US. We have a factory in Golden which makes quite a few models, We have 3 factories in Japan that we've been working with for 40 years. We have 2 factories in Taiwan that we have been working with for 20 & 30 years. We work with 2 factories in Italy. We work with about 6 factories in China.

Because the quality of some factories is better than others, there will be some differences, but all are made to as high a quality as the factories are capable. They are all QC'd in Golden, Colorado factory.

We don't make lesser quality versions for WalMart. Some of the models are less expensive because they are made in China and generally, WalMart buys the lower cost models. About 20 years ago, WalMart purchased our US made Native model, but they eventually dropped it due to the higher cost.

Hope that helps? If you more questions, let me know.

sal

[Doc Dan]

I can here Tina Turner singing, Trolling, trolling, trolling on the river...

[The Meat man]

With all due respect, if Spyderco is such a prestigious and quality knife brand then why are they sold at Walmart? Also I was told years back that Brands like Levi's and Converse Etc-good brands- make a B grade product to sell at Walmart for a cheaper price so that they can sell their products at Walmart. But the catch is that they're not quality and not up to par with the rest of the brand's usual standards.
So I'm just wondering a couple of things:
1.) Are ALL Spyderco Knives created equal?
2.) Are ALL Spyderco Knives made in the USA?
3.) Are the Spyderco Knives that are sold at Walmart up to par with the usual standards of the brand? Or should I stick with ordering straight from Spyderco's online website?

Welcome to the forum hgrubbs95.

The Spyderco knives sold at Walmart are not inferior in quality to those sold through other dealers.

Which knife (or knives) are you interested in? I think the only one generally available at Wal-Mart now is the Tenacious. Do you have any Spyderco knives yet or are you looking for a first?

[Tgmr05]

In the simplest of terms/answers

1 No, there are multiple models/choices
2 No, multiple plants, multiple countries, see answer to 1
3 Yes, a specific model knife is the same, no matter where purchased

[The Deacon]

With all due respect, if Spyderco is such a prestigious and quality knife brand then why are they sold at Walmart? Also I was told years back that Brands like Levi's and Converse Etc-good brands- make a B grade product to sell at Walmart for a cheaper price so that they can sell their products at Walmart. But the catch is that they're not quality and not up to par with the rest of the brand's usual standards.
So I'm just wondering a couple of things:

1.) Are ALL Spyderco Knives created equal?

If you're asking whether Spyderco produces a cheaper version of a given model for Walmart, they do not. Otherwise, as with most things in life, you tend to get what you pay for to at least some extent. All Spydercos are of good quality, but some are better than others. A lot depends on what you're looking for in a knife. "Steel junkies" will gravitate towards models with blades made from high end exotic steels, but VG-10 and CPM S30V were considered high end steels 20 years ago and most of the others were also considered high end in their day. Folks like me will favor models with higher end and more attractive scale materials, and be willing to pay a premium for them, but FRN works just fine and is arguably more practical and, in at least some cases, more durable.

2.) Are ALL Spyderco Knives made in the USA?

No. Each model is made in only one place but, in addition to manufacturing some models themselves in Golden Colorado, they have other models in their lineup that made overseas. Some are made in Japan, some in Italy, some in Taiwan, and some in China.

3.) Are the Spyderco Knives that are sold at Walmart up to par with the usual standards of the brand? Or should I stick with ordering straight from Spyderco's online website?

They are the same as those sold by Spyderco and by any other Spyderco dealer. Spyderco normally charges full MSRP for online orders from the Factory Outlet, although they may be giving the same discount right now they normally only give to walk in customers. Walmart and most other Spyderco dealers charge MAP (minimum advertised price) which is 30% off MSRP.

[standy99]

Easiest way to explain.

Spyderco makes a knife for everyone.... From $50 to $500

[Evil D]

Every time I see this thread it reminds me of this scene

https://youtu.be/Af-Id_fuXFA


Mr. Dennit, with all due respect, and remember I'm sayin' with all due respect, that idea ain't worth a velvet painting of a whale and a dolphin gettin' it on.

[Sumdumguy]

Every time I see this thread it reminds me of this scene

https://youtu.be/Af-Id_fuXFA


Mr. Dennit, with all due respect, and remember I'm sayin' with all due respect, that idea ain't worth a velvet painting of a whale and a dolphin gettin' it on.

That movie was so stupid...

Loved it!

[James Y]

I remember many years ago on BF, someone posted that they believed the Buck Knives sold at Walmart (110, etc.), were inferior versions specially made for Walmart. IIRC, Chuck Buck himself came on and said that no, none of their models are made with inferior “Walmart-specific versions.”

I don’t run a knife company, but it wouldn’t make economic sense to manufacture an entire line of certain models made inferior for Walmart, and made normally to be sold everywhere else. In fact, the idea sounds dumb (to put it kindly).

Jim

[TomAiello]

I honestly think that the whole idea was come up with by people who didn't like Walmart.

[sal]

A little peek inside:

Walmart comes to you and says: We want to buy this product for this price. In our case, they wanted a USA made knife due to the pressure they were getting from China mfg. You really have to sharpen your pencil. Some might use less expensive materials somewhere. We chose not to.

But we did have to streamline our manufacturing to meet their requirements. That was Eric's first project. I told Eric that I didn't have the time to run the company and run the factory. We didn't have confidence that the factory management at the time could do it. He would have to go into the factory and figure this out, or we had to turn down the Walmart order. He went into the factory and took over. He analyzed every process. He was barely 20.

We sold thousands of Natives in Walmart for a couple of years. then they dropped the model due to what they thought was too expensive. But it did introduce many to Spyderco, so in the long run it was a good move.

Now they are only buying the China made knives, and they might be going away for the same reason, high cost. Our requirements for our makers in China is very high. Only a few can do it, but they do cost more.

Now we have the Tenacious in FRN and the maker is willing to work with better steels. We'll see?

sal

[Sumdumguy]

I honestly think that the whole idea was come up with by people who didn't like Walmart.

On some fronts, yes. On things like TVs, it is most definitely true and on black fridays, the "deal" TVs are of an even lower grade than their normal ones.

On things like TVs, shop by model numbers. Brand names mean nothing. Most of the Samsungs are built by Hisense or one of the other low-end Chinese companies(I forget the exact one)

[BornIn1500]

What a rare opportunity to hear what goes on behind the scenes in a company.