Do you think Sal reads this forum?......

phils · #1

I met him at the Guild Show in KC in about 1982 and became the first Mo. dealer. I sold only Sharpmakers at first, then the knife line. Workers were my #1 seller. There was just a few types offered.
He introduced me to Bob Terzoula.
A lot of water under the bridge since then and a lot of new knives added.

ChapmanPreferred · #2

Yes, Sal reads and contributes to this forum.

HistoricalMan · #3

As Chapman said, Mr. Glesser is nice enough to both read and actively contribute to this forum. He literally has thousands of posts and I think I speak for most of us when I say we are very grateful for it too!

Arcitecht · #4

Yeah I was stalkering (lol) his profile and saw hes got an average of about 2 posts a day, which I think is awesome. Its good to know he didn't just have this set up and leave, he's actually pretty involved with the community here. That's pretty rare in any kind of business.

The Deacon · #5

Of course, with Blade Show two weeks away and all the work getting ready for that involves, he may not be on as much as usual.

The CoPilot · #6

If you have time and care to share, I'd love to hear more about how you got started with Spyderco, what your first impressions of their products were, etc. Why kind of reactions did your customers have to the first Worker knife? It was pretty unusual by any stretch of the imagination. Did you get some of the first run of Workers with the 2 screw clip attachment? Do you recall what they sold for at the time? Sorry for so many questions, but it's just neat to meet someone with such a long history as a Spyderco dealer.

Welcome to the Forum!! :)

jabba359 · #7

As others mentioned, he most certainly reads and contributes to the forum. If you go to the top of the page, click on "search", click on the "advanced search" tab, and then you can search for posts by user (in this case "Sal") to find all his posts. He also actively participates in the Spyderco section over on bladeforums.

FLYBYU44 · #8

Not only this forum but also Bladeforum's Spyderco section and he is also on USN's Spyderco section as well. Don't ask me where he finds the time, just glad that he takes the to listen to us. :)

jlamb · #9

phils wrote:I met him at the Guild Show in KC in about 1982 and became the first Mo. dealer. I sold only Sharpmakers at first, then the knife line. Workers were my #1 seller. There was just a few types offered.
He introduced me to Bob Terzoula.
A lot of water under the bridge since then and a lot of new knives added.

You dont find Sal, Sal finds you! He he, I for one really appreciate Sal's time he spends here answering questions and such. It is probably one of the reasons that I pretty much exclusively buy spyderco knives.

Dr. Snubnose · #10

How do we know it's really Sal...Actors have stunt doubles, McDonald's has Ronald, and I'm not even sure if the Col. Sanders is from Kentucky, or ever ate chicken for that matter. We really don't know these things for sure...There might even be two Sals.... :p :p :p Fact is I really think so, because for the man to be on this forum graciously speaking to issues, answering our questions, doing R&D, doing knife shows, visiting and contributing to other knife forums, dealing with the running of Spyderco Inc. and all it's affairs, having down time to spend with his family, and enjoying some pastimes....there just can't be one of them...So the next time you see Sal on the forum...you have to ask yourself...Is that really him....I think most of us that have been here for awhile can truly say...Yep it's him...he is a highly intelligent talented and incredibly humble person. THIS IS SAL'S HOUSE-WHY WOULDN'T HE BE HOME?????? We all appreciate the fact that he is here, wants to be here, communicates with us directly and truly cares what his ELUs think about his products and he uses that feedback to make us even better products.. That is how he made Spyderco a great knife company and I don't see that changing anytime soon....Doc :D

Blerv · #11

For a person who has to speak with political correct wisdom he still has over 4k posts :) . I'm sure he reads quite a bit.

They definitely listen to requests!

phils · #12

The CoPilot wrote:If you have time and care to share, I'd love to hear more about how you got started with Spyderco, what your first impressions of their products were, etc. Why kind of reactions did your customers have to the first Worker knife? It was pretty unusual by any stretch of the imagination. Did you get some of the first run of Workers with the 2 screw clip attachment? Do you recall what they sold for at the time? Sorry for so many questions, but it's just neat to meet someone with such a long history as a Spyderco dealer.

Welcome to the Forum!! :)

Thanks.
At the time I had an FFL and wanted more to sell at shows too. Plus I always had a terrible time sharpening knives. Sal was demoing the Sharpmaker and knife makers were buying it. So I tried one and loved it. I called and he set me up. Then I lost my little S&W knife and ordered a Worker for myself. Loved it and went from there. It was advertised that you could cut twine with the sharpened false edge without opening the blade fully.
Some worried that the clip blade would break. I had only one that did and Spyderco replaced it for the customer. Workers, Hunters and Mariners were my main sales in knives.
A nurse bought a Worker from me. She came back to tell how she was leaving work and a guy grabbed her. As he was telling her all he was going to do to her, she said to look down. The Worker was open and was set to gut him. He let her go and ran away fast.
One customer said, regarding the Mariner, that it could open you up like a tomato.
Then came the Police models - I still have a "Pig" police knife.
Customers liked the worker. I don't remember two screw models. I think early ones sold for about $50.
I still have old price sheets and catalogs along with a display board.
I also sold a lot of the kitchen knives, like the 6" utility. I called it the T to T knife - trees to tomatoes. Seldom sold just one.
Police were good customers and firemen liked the Mariner.
Later my top sellers were the Enduras and Delicas. The combo blades became my best sellers.

RevDevil · #13

I've noticed there are lots of knifemakers/designers on here:
Sal Glesser
Ed Schempp
Michael Janich
Gayle Bradley
Brad Southard
Tom Krein
All I can think of right now... :)

jabba359 · #14

RevDevil wrote:I've noticed there are lots of knifemakers/designers on here:
Sal Glesser
Ed Schempp
Michael Janich
Gayle Bradley
Brad Southard
Tom Krein
All I can think of right now... :)

also
Eric Glesser
Alexandru Diaconescu (Dialex)
Lloyd R Harner III (Butch)

Dr. Snubnose · #15

Lets not forget about (Daywalker) Chad Los Banos...Doc :D
There are a few others as well...

The Deacon · #16

Dr. Snubnose wrote:Lets not forget about (Daywalker) Chad Los Banos...Doc :D
There are a few others as well...

Among them would be Jason Breeden, Joe Maddox, and Bram Frank. And I'm sure there's at least a couple more.

dialex · #17

I remember A.T. Barr had a few posts here as well.

Bolster · #18

Sal would be motivated to read this forum because it's a source of, basically, free marketing research. Which is otherwise expensive.

Granted, the subject pool is skewed toward people who are unusual enough to post (and we ARE unusual), but it would give Sal and the company excellent insight to the cadre of users who care deeply about their knives.

Simple Man · #19

Dr. Snubnose wrote:.... I'm not even sure if the Col. Sanders is from Kentucky, or ever ate chicken for that matter.....

He was born in Indiana, but at 40 or so started his chicken empire in Corbin KY, and passed away in Louisville in 1980.

Grew up on the stuff, but our local store has gone downhill quite a but the last several years.

RJNC · #20

Yeah, he responds all the time.