GarageBoy wrote: ↑Fri Jun 17, 2022 7:17 am
So what does the chaparral mean to you and why is the name sacred?
You are saying it's more of the same and taking up precious production queue time, maybe they are making fewer of a less in demand knife so they can offer this.
Sorry, didn't mean to be aggressive, but this forum has turned into a lot of "why don't they make this with this", or "how come they are doing that to that model"
In my perception, Spyderco has maintained a high level of integrity with everything they do. It’s something that I really admire about the company and a big reason why I’m a Spyderco enthusiast.
I was always under the impression that the Chaparral was intended to be a series of gentlemen’s folders with identical blade and handle profiles while showcasing different handle materials and manufacturing techniques. There’s a level of control with that, that goes away when they start introducing differences beyond handle material.
Recently Sal has said something like the FRN Chaparral will feature various blade steels as well. Given that and this news, I wholly expect there to be at least one new blade shape at some point too. I guess they never actually backed themselves into a corner regarding these types of changes but to me it still feels a little dishonest to make changes other than handle material.
It’s not so much that the name is sacred to me but I have a high level of respect for the consistency that the series has maintained. (Sorry to make it sound deeper than it really is) I’m expecting the name to be something simple like “Slip-it Chaparral.” In my mind it just takes way from the prestige of the original model and makes it a little less special. Off topic but regarding a new size variation of the Chaparral, I will no longer view it as a true Chaparral so I will remain adamant that it should further distinguish itself from the original and not share the name at all.
Saying a Slip-it is a “giant departure” from the platforms original intention is admittedly a bit exaggerated but I still view it as a change of direction and I still feel like it should be publicly noted by Spyderco as such.
I say “More of the same” as in we’re getting yet another existing model with a simple change and it’s being presented under the guise of something new. It feels like deceptive marketing to me and I don’t like feeling deceived by a company I hold in such high regard.
Also, considering how similar a backlock and slipjoint are, the conversion does not seem difficult. It looks like the easy way out to me, as if they’re cutting corners to release something “new.” (Now of course, the changes aren’t quite so simple to implement, as it’s basically a whole new model. It is still an intensive process for the people doing the CAD, programming the tooling, the prototyping, etc. but in the grand scheme of things, it’s a fairly simple change.) I know for a fact Spyderco does not need to cut corners to be great because they’ve proven that time and time again.
To a certain degree, I understand how difficult the global supply chain issues have made things for manufacturers in all industries and how that has a trickle down affect on everyone but that’s a much bigger discussion than this. Spyderco isn’t unique in the sense that they’re also dealing with many of the same issues as everyone else. I don’t know how much all of that has effected their production queue but the frequency of taking existing models and making simple changes to come out with a “new” model has really increased in the past few years.
Spyderco has been having trouble keeping up with demand and maintaining inventory in general. Devoting resources to producing a slip-it Chaparral is ultimately taking away resources that could have otherwise been devoted to catching up with inventory of regular production models or to developing something actually new. While
technically a Slip-it Chaparral is a new model, in my mind it really isn’t.
I’m
not trying to tell them how to run their business; I would never try to be so bold. More so, attempting to accurately express my feelings for thinking resources could have been better served elsewhere.
All that said, I still consider myself an enthusiast of the brand and have the full intention of being one for as long as possible.
).
