SPYDERCO @ WALMART??

[Notsurewhy]

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

It’s always cool when Sal gives us a peek behind the curtain.

[kennethsime]

Sal, I really appreciate your thoughtful back story on the decisions you (and the company) have made, and why.

It just serves to deepen my belief in the company.

While we're talking about the value line, I'd love to see a compression lock tenacious. :-)

[Evil D]

I'd love to see a compression lock tenacious. :-)

That's more or less the Caribbean, though I would be all for the Tenacious getting the CL at that price point.

[ugaarguy]

I din't realize that the Native started off as a Walmart exclusive. It's pretty wild that it was originally intended to be a low cost, US made alternative to the Delica, and now it has tolerances of three ten-thousandths of an inch, that Sal says can only be done in the Golden (Colorado, USA, Earth) factory.

[kennethsime]

I'd love to see a compression lock tenacious. :-)

That's more or less the Caribbean, though I would be all for the Tenacious getting the CL at that price point.

Hmmm not a bad point. It looks like the blade is a bit longer, the blade angle dips down a bit more, and the butt of the knife is different, but these are all pretty minor. Overall about the same size and shape.

The Caribbean certainly is a cool knife! My taste seems to have moved towards lightweights recently but I'm sure there's room for a Caribbean on there list eventually. :-)

[Halfneck]

I know one of the buyers responsible for knives at Walmart is a member over at Bladeforums. More of a lurker, but he's spoken up on a few posts related to the subject over there.

[SpyderGrill]

The Resilience from Walmart was my first Spyderco. Everything about it is top notch. Of course that purchase led to many more Spydercos.

I actually bought 4 of them on clearance, gave 1 away and will gift another.

[BLJace]

While i don't own any of the Spyderco budget models (Tenacious, resilience. ect.). I have handled them. The only thing keeping me from buying one is they run right around the same price as dragonflys, ladybugs, and manbugs...(I don't own all the models/styles i want... that's all of them btw).

The Tenacious and Resilience are phenomenal knives though. Everything one would expect from Spyderco. I never thought of those knives as cheaper or inferior. I saw it as Spyderco wanting to offer something to the newer user, or those that don't have the budget to buy a knife that cost upwards of 100$.

Fact of the matter is, a knife will cut. You keep it sharp and clean, even a cheap metal will cut. You put a sharpened piece of metal in a stick... it will cut. How much effort you want to go through makes the difference. A wharncliffe blade makes quick work of boxes, is easy to sharpen (imo). Have fun trying to carve something with it though, not great at skinning certainly. To go further; having a hunk of metal in a stick is going to ruin your hands. So what do we say to the ergonomics of the knife? Even Spydercos budget line feels great in the hand, working with any tool is going to wear on you. Using a knife for 30 minutes is no different than using a box wrench for 30 minutes.

Where you will see the difference is after that 30 minutes, your hand isn't as worn as it should be. They make their models for multiple grips. You can adjust for what is best for you; or as you need to. That and the way they've shaped their blades, the byrd models mimic their delicas, enduras, dragonflys. All amazing with their "sliceyness". Super comfy in the hand. Lightweight so you'll forget they're there till you need them.

I feel like you're judging a book by it's cover here. I kind of feel like you came here to start a "flame war" or rile people up. I may be mistaken and if i am I'm sorry. This is the wrong community for that though. I don't speak for everyone but i feel we are all very supportive of other knife makers, sellers, and the knife collecting world. This is a Spyderco forum so obviously most of us are biased. We aren't negative though. We're excited that Spyderco is being offered in a place like Walmart so others can join in on the fun we're having. Maybe discover a hobby they never knew they were in to.

Most of the Spydercos being offered at Walmart aren't made of the premium steels, don't have the fancy ball bearing locks, or compression locks. They aren't the pretty colors, or sprint models, no. They are every bit as capable and comfortable though. You'd be mistaken to frown or turn your back on them. They are great knives.

Just my thoughts.

[curlyhairedboy]

Man, what a history lesson! I'm guessing that the native became one of Eric's favored models after working so closely to optimize its manufacture.

[The Deacon]

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

Sal, I don't mean to contradict you, but I think a distinction needs to be made between the knives Walmart sells in its stores,the knives available directly from Walmart via their website, and the knives available from third party sellers via Walmart's website. I would agree that in-store availability seems to be limited to inexpensive knives made in China. However, what they offer online is a different story. There they sell a few models from the USA, a few from Japan, and at least one from Taiwan directly, and an offer an extremely wide selection of models via third party sellers.

[BornIn1500]

However, what they offer online is a different story. There they sell a few models from the USA, a few from Japan, and at least one from Taiwan directly, and an offer an extremely wide selection of models via third party sellers.

This is true. They have a variety of Spyderco knives "sold & shipped by Walmart" on their website, like the Manix lightweight, Pacific, and Atlantic. I even bought my Lil Temp 3 "sold & shipped by Walmart".

[sal]

Hi Paul,

That's true. I assumed he was referring to the stores. My bad, but I think the crux of his question was more about the possibility of a "cheaper Walmart model"?

sal