Bring back the grey box!

[Fred Sanford]

I'm not trying to throw Benchmade into this but they make some **** good boxes, AND they are also sliding boxes like Spyderco boxes. Those puppies are thick and I have never had anything come with smashed box from Benchmade. I've not bought anything from BM in a couple years but still...

I also think that the style of box that Kershaw uses is pretty good. Just because the ends fold in they don't seem to get smashed.

Heck, what would be cool is to have every Spyderco shipped in a round box. Like a cylinder. How about shipping them in the same thing that you get clips shipped in but bigger? Anyone know what I mean? Spyderco ships extra clips in a clear plastic round cylinder with a hard top. Pretty cool. It would go nicely with the "round hole". Just a suggestion. :)

[tonydahose]

paying over $100 for a knife, I am willing to add a couple of bucks for a decent packaging

yep...

[RIOT]

just got a lonewolf endura with the glock tool and it came in this immaculate grey box......

[J Smith]

Or better yet, develop some packaging as rugged and well engineered as your knives.

Seriously Sal, the new red/black boxes are junk. Even when well packed, they arrive looking like the knife has been trying to beat its way out, and in many cases been at least partially successful. The "end flap" style used on some of the fixed blades is the worst, but the "sleeve and tray" type is nearly as flimsy. The boxes the brands of tissues, cereal, and tea bags I purchase come in are better quality.

I know you pride yourself on designing things for users, rather than collectors, but I think you need to consider that, at least where certain models are concerned, collectors represent a significant portion of the market. For us, packaging is not something which gets tossed in the trash, it's part of the product.

But even for your target market of hard core users, consider the impression made by a cheap looking, flimsy, beat up box, especially to someone new to the brand. It could make some question the quality of the contents. It could also negatively influence the purchase decision of someone, especially a non-enthusiast, looking to buy a knife as a gift for a loved one.

For all those reasons, I think presenting a product made from top of the line steels and composites in a bargain basement box is a bad idea.

Ok. Rant over. I feel better now. :D

I agree.
All of them I have gotten looks bad.

[Fred Sanford]

Plus I actually like the less "loud" more conservative boxes. :)

[aj1985]

I like the white boxes and I like the gray boxes. I never had a red box since I don't buy new knives. Oh well guess I'm lucky only trying to get the old models. :)

gray boxes are strong as heck though, but in all honestly we should go back to the white ones. I love my white boxes with the blue lettering and the gold bug.

aj

[DRod]

Red/black with gold bug color scheme on the grey box build... That will do nicely.

[Peter1960]

Well said aj. If I had to do a ranking: White boxes / grey boxes / new red boxes.

Quality of new red boxes don't justice to "form follows function" - that's said from another collector.

[rcbalt2]

I kinda thought it was just me that kept getting bent and beat up boxes. I'm a collector, I already had all the knives I needed about 60 or 70 ago, so the boxes are important.

[The Deacon]

Hi Paul, please forgive me chiming in like this but, if these are your worries in the world as it is today.... you' re very well off.

Shouldn't we look for more substancial things to worry and rant about ?

With my sincerest regards from the Netherlands,
Jur. :)

Well Jur, on one level, of course you are correct. A torn or otherwise mutilated box is small potatoes, even if, at some future date it slightly decreases the price the knife which came in it might fetch on eBay if the desire or need arose to resell it.

On the other hand, when you are shopping for groceries, if you pick up a dented can of soup, or a crushed box of oatmeal, will you put it in your shopping cart, or look for an undamaged one? Those are forms of packaging we all throw away, containing items immune to damage, so what difference does it make? Yet I know that I will put the damaged one back, and, I have a hunch many others would as well.

With the grocery example in mind, I wonder if Spyderco's brick and mortar dealers get similar reactions, since I'm sure some of the boxes already look beat up by the time they receive them. I know **** well that, in a store, the first words out of my mouth if handed a $300 MSRP knife in a box that looked like the one in PSU's photo would be "don't you have a one that's not all banged up?" and, if the answer to that was, "no, they all came in that way", might reconsider my purchase decision, especially if I was buying it as a collectible.

There's a lot of truth to the saying "You never get a second chance to make a first impression".

Besides, the more serious things I rant about all fall into areas deemed inappropriate for discussion here. :D

Look at it this way. By discussing this issue, at least Sal gets to know that not all of us are happy with the new packaging and decide for himself whether the poor impression some of us have of it is reason for concern. You will have to admit that, from the responses so far, I am clearly not the only one who feels that knives of Spyderco's quality deserve better quality boxes.

[Shenmue728]

I've only gotten 3 Spydies NIB. they all have the red box and none are mint. Glad it wasnt just the guys i got them from A tougher box would be better for the higher end Sypdies (SPrint runs) but the red box or even a blister pack would be fine for the more mass produces knives (endura, delica)

[Capt. Carl]

I personally really like benchmade's boxes the most out of any brand. Haven't tried a new spydie box but a plus for the oldies is that they are thin and you can store lots easily. They are also quite sturdy.

[Agent Starling]

Guess I never noticed, or maybe I happened to receive more gray boxed Spydies than red/black boxed Spydies...but at any rate, sounds like this type of feedback would be valuable to Spyderco...unless the ELU reports it, they wouldn't know that the boxes are performing at a less than acceptable level. :spyder:

Agent Starling

[rlw1979777]

I concure. These new boxes are trash. For what they carry, the older web boxes at least could handle a few years of abuse and storage. These new ones are probably going to be torn to **** by the next decade.

[Caly E]

I'm not a part of the CC but I have a a few new boxes. The only one's that have ticked me off are the Hossom's but I'm over it. I just need to find way's to obtain all the wonderful new models. If newbie bung-holes wanna judge the knife by it's box than all I gots to say is late 80's & 90's Toyota's.

[RIOT]

im gonna comment this one again

all in all its all about the knife for me but what really ticked me off was when i got my new lum last week and the outer sleeve wasnt even glued together it was just wrapped around it and shipped

[awlriteeden]

To me, Spyderco has always been about functionality, practicality, and less about aesthetics and pointless frills.

I personally think excessive packaging is a waste of resources and money, that could otherwise be spent on the actual product.

I understand that first impressions count, and most customers judge a product by it's packaging, but I wish this wasn't so. Judging a product by it's packaging just screams superficial and clueless to me, and I think plenty of other "knife manufacturers" already cater to that crowd.

I prefer the older grey boxes, only because I think they're less "loud." Just my 2c worth :spyder:

[RIOT]

To me, Spyderco has always been about functionality, practicality, and less about aesthetics and pointless frills.

I personally think excessive packaging is a waste of resources and money, that could otherwise be spent on the actual product.

I understand that first impressions count, and most customers judge a product by it's packaging, but I wish this wasn't so. Judging a product by it's packaging just screams superficial and clueless to me, and I think plenty of other "knife manufacturers" already cater to that crowd.

I prefer the older grey boxes, only because I think they're less "loud." Just my 2c worth :spyder:

speaking for the seller which i am not "yet" i am waiting a couple years! "NIB" means alot if more! if you dont have a box your knife will be sold for a fraction less that what it could have gone for.

that being said if you have a sweet pic with a perfect knife and a perfect box, that knife will go for alot more, given

[cheez]

I think the grey boxes looked and worked best :)

And for once (doesnt happen too often ) I agree w/ the Deacon.

Blessings, Keno

[Shike]

I personally really like benchmade's boxes the most out of any brand.

I have to agree. My Benchmade HK even came with a drawstring pouch.
On the other hand Chris Reeve's Sebenzas come in a rather plain but sturdy box.
All that been said I am more into the knife and not the box, but I agree the box should be at least sturdy. I also agree with the Deacon some folks like to trade or collect and then sell and a mint knife in a mint box usually sells easier.
Kind regards

Shike