Is Spyderco missing out on the fixed blade market?

[yablanowitz]

So this started me looking at what was available from Spyderco. And I came away with questions. Why so many discontinued fixed blades? Why the current offerings? Why the limited selection of steels when they have so many awesome steels for the folders? Why a lack of bushcraft knives, maybe I missed one offered by them? Why was the Warrior discontinued? And yeah I have no use for the Warrior except it would make a really cool pizza cutter it’s a quest thing for me in my goal to eliminate my wife’s circle pizza cutter.

Why so many discontinued? Poor sales.
Why the current offerings? Because Sal and company are still trying.
Why the limited selection of steels? Because exotic steels cost more to purchase and more to turn into a knife, and "it's too expensive" has long been the number one reason for poor sales.
Why a lack of bushcraft knives? You missed them. The BushcraftUK was first made in O1 steel with a Spalted Maple handle, then O1 with polished G-10, then there was a version called the Proficient, flat grind S90V and carbon fiber. There was also the Zoomer in 20CV and smooth G-10. None sold well enough to stay in the lineup for long.

Edit to add: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The market has shown that we say we want exotic materals but what we actually want is lower prices.

[ChrisinHove]

I thought the Waterway an excellent knife at exceptional value. I sold all other my fixed blades.

[RustyIron]

Why so many discontinued? Poor sales.
Why the current offerings? Because Sal and company are still trying.

The market has shown that we say we want exotic materals but what we actually want is lower prices.

That's an interesting assessment. I have no data to support nor refute your contention, but I don't think that's the case. I suspect sales are robust, otherwise there would be no expansion at the factory. I think there are other reasons to retire old products and introduce new.

I also think that we really DO want exotic materials. One need only look as far back as recent Sprint releases in uncommon materials. The stock gets snapped up in minutes, and the next month on the forum is spent complaining about bad planning, insufficient stock, snipers, flippers, and hoarders.

Personally, if I wanted a cheap knife, I'd be browsing the wares at Aliexpress. All I want is K390, V15, and whatever Sal decides to run next.

[Albertaboyscott]

My guess is that Spyderco is missing out on exactly the amount they want to be.

[weeping minora]

Fixed blades carry a social stigma that is unshakeable for those with suspicious and fearful eyes, especially so within larger cities. I can count three people that I have seen open hip-carry a fixed blade within the past ~10 years. Folding, pocketable knives are much more discreet and comfortable to carry and use when out in the social graces of such people.

I think one of the problems that I have with Spydercos fixed blade offerings, is that there are a few things I'd like to change with the models that interest me, in order to justify the price; i.e. handle scale material, handle thickness, sheath, to name a few. That ultimately leaves me in a place to save or spend my funds towards other models that are more suitable to my preferences, as they are. I think the fixed blade format would hugely benefit from a custom shop, if that were to happen. That's what really draws me in to the Mule Team releases, the extra cost for certain aspects that I may not favor is ultimately dropped in favor of the ability to suit my preferences at a very reasonable price point.

[aicolainen]

Spyderco Junction is one of my favourite fixed blades. Pack it every holiday and work trip in my check in back.
Spyderco has had some great fixed blades over the years. Problem is they always end up discontinued. Probably due to sales.

Just by assessing pictures I know that the Spyderco Junction is my favorite fixed blade that I missed out on.
It wasn't due to fence sitting or any failure on my part, I just go into Spyderco too late.
If we ever see a re-run, I'd buy it instantly. In multiples if I can afford it.

Edit to add: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The market has shown that we say we want exotic materals but what we actually want is lower prices.

It depends. History has shown many times that execution and timing is just as important as having the right ideas.
I'm not questioning Spyderco's execution as such, but I think they sometimes miss the optimal target audience by over spec'ing or under spec'ing. Like the mentioned Bow river, that might appeal to a broader audience if done in a slightly better steel.
And while all of that is very debatable, I definitively think they've been hurt by bad timing in some instances. Being innovative is a double edge sword, and very often it takes time for the market to mature and open up to new design aspects. While not always the case, I think quite a few discontinued Spyderco designs would do better in todays market.

[Steeltoez83]

I gravitate more towards custom work when it comes to fixed blade options. I do feel spyderco has a good prescence in the fixed blade market, just not as dominant as they are in others. The mule team endorses the fork around and find out mentality which I appreciate alot.

[kobold]

As mentioned, I, like possibly many others, prefer traditional styles and materials in fixed blades. Burls, bone, leather sheaths and I even rescale my folders with natural materials. But a fixed Salt knife with a Spyderedge is a great offering and I would especially like a rerun of the Whale Rescue. So, putting the foot into the door of the fixed blade market could be about offering models that no other knife company does and I think Spyderco is doing that already.

[yablanowitz]

Why so many discontinued? Poor sales.
Why the current offerings? Because Sal and company are still trying.

The market has shown that we say we want exotic materals but what we actually want is lower prices.

That's an interesting assessment. I have no data to support nor refute your contention, but I don't think that's the case. I suspect sales are robust, otherwise there would be no expansion at the factory. I think there are other reasons to retire old products and introduce new.

I also think that we really DO want exotic materials. One need only look as far back as recent Sprint releases in uncommon materials. The stock gets snapped up in minutes, and the next month on the forum is spent complaining about bad planning, insufficient stock, snipers, flippers, and hoarders.

Personally, if I wanted a cheap knife, I'd be browsing the wares at Aliexpress. All I want is K390, V15, and whatever Sal decides to run next.

Always bear in mind that we here on the forum do not purchase enough knives to sustain the company, much less drive expansion. For a model to succede, it must appeal to a wider market than just us. I don't recall any recent fixed blade releases in uncommon materials aside from the Mule Team, which is a special case in every regard, and fixed blades are the topic of this discussion.

Why wasn't the Bow River run in S90V like the South Fork (Phil Wilson's other collaboration)? Was it because S90V wasn't suitable for the application, or was it because the Chinese maker selected to achieve the desired price point couldn't/wouldn't work with the stuff? Would it have sold as well in S90V from Golden or Taichung at several times the price? I doubt it very much. Even here among the fans I've read hundreds of posts whining about prices being too high. Every year someone starts a thread about the annual price hike, usually well before it happens. We want low price, exotic material and quality construction. We can only get two out of the three.

[Naperville]

Hard to keep in competition with fixed blade only companies.

This is a fact. Literally anyone can make a fixed blade. They are easier to get right and the fit/finish aspect is mostly just cosmetic.

Anyone can make one, but if you've had a bit of training in escrima, arnis or kali there are not a lot of perfect knives for self defense/offense.

There are a lot of attributes that go into an excellent knife for self defense but they are hard to find, and someone always seems to make something better given a year or two.

The perfect knife has not yet been designed! Knife design and knife steel are always evolving.