byrd design requirements?

skinnybenny · #1

ok, i got the comet hole. but besides that, are there any other design guidelines / requirements byrd knives have to go through? particularly, i'm speaking of the blade shapes. the cara cara, meadowlark, robin, and so on seem to have a very similar blade shape. as if theyre trying to save steel / weight by shaving off more than normal from the spine. i was just wondering if theres any chance, say... of having a leaf shaped byrd knife in the near future? i mean, i know this might sound absurd, but something like a kopa, or maybe calypso, without the super steel and mother of pearl, just a flat normal stainless/frn/g10 handle, blade ofcourse the same chinese steel, but with a more wide leaf shape. i think a knife like that would sale like hot cakes. but maybe spyderco would lose profits on their more expensive models? i guess what i'm really asking is are the byrd models limited in more ways than just the steel that they are made of and the location of the factories that they're produced in. thanks,
-ben

gunmike1 · #2

The Catbyrd has a full flat ground leaf shaped blade and a frame lock.

Mike

clovisc · #3

the hollowgrind on the wings is so deep... it performs very similarly to a flat grind. only better, perhaps... :D

#4

skinnybenny wrote:ok, i got the comet hole. but besides that, are there any other design guidelines / requirements byrd knives have to go through? particularly, i'm speaking of the blade shapes. the cara cara, meadowlark, robin, and so on seem to have a very similar blade shape. as if theyre trying to save steel / weight by shaving off more than normal from the spine. i was just wondering if theres any chance, say... of having a leaf shaped byrd knife in the near future? i mean, i know this might sound absurd, but something like a kopa, or maybe calypso, without the super steel and mother of pearl, just a flat normal stainless/frn/g10 handle, blade ofcourse the same chinese steel, but with a more wide leaf shape. i think a knife like that would sale like hot cakes. but maybe spyderco would lose profits on their more expensive models? i guess what i'm really asking is are the byrd models limited in more ways than just the steel that they are made of and the location of the factories that they're produced in. thanks,
-ben

skinnybenny,
Thanks for the question. I wouldn't necessarily call it a requirement as much as it is a factor in the equation, it is the "learning curve". byrd knives are designed by Spyderco and made to Spyderco's specifications. Meaning we've had to teach our makers how to do things they've not done before. The factories that produce byrd knives were all hand-picked by Sal and Eric. We've worked very closely with them and probably pushed them outside their comfort zone. The best example I can give of this is our serrations. We had to teach them how to do our SpyderEdge. There are noticeable differences in the earlier produced byrd knives compared to the currently produced models.

As for the byrd line hurting the Spyderco line... we honestly believe there is a place for both. So, we don't make decisions based on concerns like that. In fact, byrd models are designed based on existing Spyderco Models (Cara Cara Cara - Endura, Meadowlark - Delica, etc.). So, is it possible to see some of the things you're asking for in the future? Sure it is.

I hope this helps.

Kristi

skinnybenny · #5

hey,
thanks for all of the replies. i really do like the byrd knives more and more. i've been thinking about getting a meadowlark, but i just don't think i'd care for the blade shape. but i realize that the series hasn't been out that long. i have a crow and like it a lot. i think i just like the heft of it. wide symmetrical blades are just for me i guess. anyways, thanks again for the responses.
-ben