Who wants more Chinese-made Spydies? I know I do.

Discuss Spyderco's products and history.
User avatar
5.56
Member
Posts: 255
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:30 am

#41

Post by 5.56 »

I've maintained from the beginning that I'd like to see more USA made Spydies.

It has been said that Golden is at capacity, yet Spyderco continues to spend money to ship American materials to and from the Far East, money that could be spent expanding Golden.

Spyderco has their cheap(inexpensive) product line, it's called Byrd. If they must make cheap product lines, I'd like to see the lines kept separate. Much like Lexus/Toyota, Infinity/Nissan.
-Rob

Knuckle dragger
The General
Member
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:33 am

#42

Post by The General »

I would suggest that Sal and Co go with the opposite of what we say here.

We are for the most part hard core Spyderholics.

We are not the market this range of knives is really aimed at. Sure, Sal and Co are no doubt pleased we like, buy and use the economy brand models but be under no illusions, this range was for a different market.

Make more cheap but decent knives Sal, keep Spyderco healthy and making money. That way you can make the knives that don't make any money, the knives the steel knuts and Spyderholics love and get annoyed when they get disco'd.

Bottom line is its real tough to make money selling the knives we keep asking for. Even worse that we ask for and then don't buy as they are too expensive.
My real name is Wayne :D
jzmtl
Member
Posts: 1417
Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:02 am
Location: Montreal, Canada

#43

Post by jzmtl »

5.56 wrote:I've maintained from the beginning that I'd like to see more USA made Spydies.

It has been said that Golden is at capacity, yet Spyderco continues to spend money to ship American materials to and from the Far East, money that could be spent expanding Golden.

Spyderco has their cheap(inexpensive) product line, it's called Byrd. If they must make cheap product lines, I'd like to see the lines kept separate. Much like Lexus/Toyota, Infinity/Nissan.
Not like at all. The two you mentioned are economy brand branched into luxury brand, which has the reputation of quality (perceived or real) from their mainstream brand to back it up. In the case you are suggesting it's a brand (spyderco) creating an economy line, which targets people who are not aware of the said brand to begin with. And the different scope of sale is simply astronomical, the entire sale of sporting knives for a year perhaps can only compare Dell's sale in a day, this is not a market you can survive in by making "luxury" products only.

Even by your same argument, look what the "luxury" brands are doing, they are making cheaper and smaller cars to appeal to the mass market, under their own brand nonetheless.

And how much do you suppose it costs to ship a couple hundred pound of steel, compare to buying new land, build new buildings, buying new equipments, hiring/training new people etc.?

While your argument panders to the emotional "buy u.s." sentiment, it too far away from real life to have any actual use.
rlw1979777
Member
Posts: 455
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:50 am

#44

Post by rlw1979777 »

Well I look at a knife in a different means then most. I need something I can put my life on that it will work and perform. Chinese products in general do not fit that catagory, think of toothpaste for example.

Think about it. Would you buy or use any of the following if they were made in China, or would you look for an alternative that wasnt made in China?

Car or Truck Tires?
A Handgun?
Ammunition?
A new car in general?
Antibiotics?
Motor oil?

For me all those above are a no. So I also do not buy Spydercos made in China. Porsche, Ferrari, Audi, Glock, Catapiller, and other companies dont gamble with China, and for good reason.

Political reasons are also a factor. Only because of the intentional devaluation of the Yuan.
I have a small collection.. At least in my mind its small. All respect to Sal and this great company! Collector Club Member #120
carrot
Member
Posts: 936
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2006 12:38 pm

#45

Post by carrot »

Thinking about it and holding my Persistence in hand I have to say I like that Spyderco is expanding their lineup. Having more options is awesome, and having value-oriented options is even more awesome.

Thanks to the quite relatively inexpensive Tenacious and family many people have been introduced to Spyderco knives with firsthand experience. They are an awesome design, built well (but not quite as polished or as nice as Golden, Seki, or Taiwan Spyders), and best of all they make Spydercos affordable.

First and foremost I think the most important thing is to get Spydercos in the hands of users.

When users have a Tenacious in hand, they will wonder why their Tenacious is so easy to use, so comfortable to hold, and cuts so much better than their (other brand) knife. Like we on Spyderco forums have, they will come to trust Spyderco for their cutting needs. And that, brothers, is something that can only be good for Spyderco.

I don't want to see Spyderco ever cut back on their Japanese and USA-made lineup, but I do want to see their Chinese lineup expand. This is a good thing, people. With more sales, Spyderco gets more opportunities to try new things (and make us afis happy), they can build their user base (and train more responsible knife users).

I admit that I do not carry the Persistence on any regular basis. It simply does not match up to the high standards set by other Spydercos. But it does blow away very many other offerings in the same price range and higher by other manufacturers, so I'm proud to have it in my humble collection. Functionally it is perfect. Design-wise, it is awesome. But they lack the extra polish we've come to expect from Spyderco's Seki and Golden and Taiwan makers, so I usually put a more expensive Spyderco in my pocket.

I also am looking forward to the Resilience. I think it's going to be the poor man's Military, with its long blade, flat grind, and typical Spyderco high-performance high-functionality lineage. And I think it's going to be awesome.
Latest :spyder: -- Blurple Para2
User avatar
MCM
Member
Posts: 3008
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2008 8:04 am
Location: Left Field......

#46

Post by MCM »

"Political reasons are also a factor. Only because of the intentional devaluation of the Yuan"

+1
Its a trap.
:spyder: :eek: :spyder: :eek: :spyder: :eek: :spyder:
More S90v & CF please.......
RIOT
Member
Posts: 2923
Joined: Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:25 pm

#47

Post by RIOT »

i dont
User avatar
bh49
Member
Posts: 11466
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2006 12:37 pm
Location: former Constitution state

#48

Post by bh49 »

I have no plans to buy any knives, including :spyder: made in People's Republic of China.
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf"

My top choices Natives5, Calys, C83 Persian
User avatar
Pinetreebbs
Member
Posts: 1834
Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2010 6:55 am
Location: SC

#49

Post by Pinetreebbs »

ChapmanPreferred wrote:It would be my preference for Sal, Eric and the team continue to monitor the market carefully and continue to make sound business choices based on their research. If there need (based on materials requested and cost effectiveness (read strength of the dollar)) to be more models from a certain manufacturing point, no matter where that is in the world, that they will proceed appropriately.

I want Spyderco to thrive and stay around for my grand kids to enjoy. My wee grandbabies will have access to granddad's collection of knives without doubt. However, I want them to get to experience new models that they can introduce to old granddad. :)
That about sums it up for me. I prefer my Spyderco knives that were made in the USA, Taiwan, Japan and Italy, to those I have from China. One thing I will say, the steel in my Flatbyrd is easy as heck to get very sharp, though the fit and finish was not even close my other Spyderco knives.

I must say, most of the Spyderco knock offs I have seen come from China. :mad:
Franciscomv
Member
Posts: 179
Joined: Wed Apr 05, 2006 7:55 am

#50

Post by Franciscomv »

I try to give as little of my money to China as possible, although I'm not from the US or Japan I much rather contribute my money to those countries than China. There are several political reasons for this, some of which have to do with specific Argentine issues.

I've got no such issues with Taiwan, but I still can't bring myself to feel comfortable using knives made there. There are quite a few Spydercos that I didn't buy because I know I just won't be able to get over the Taiwan tang stamp (Sage, Bradley, Chokwe, Terzuola Slipit or Bushcraft to name a few). I admit that this is a stupid bias and that very high quality knives are being made in Taiwan, but I know that if I buy them I just won't enjoy them.

I hope that there are more Golden and Seki models in the future.
User avatar
MCM
Member
Posts: 3008
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2008 8:04 am
Location: Left Field......

#51

Post by MCM »

Sage, Bradley & Bushcraft blew me away.

But have to draw the line at China.

Just too much going on for me.
I avoid anything from China whenever I can.
But its not easy. As almost everything seems to be made in China these days.
Something needs to change this. Just not sure what.
Who can compete with "almost" slave labor? And lop sided exchange rates?

Its "messing" up the worlds economy. Plain and simple.

Its totally understandable most of the population has no idea what's happening here.
They watch the news and believe it.
I am all for fair trade. And against unfair trade.
That about sums it up.
No, I will not be buying any knifes from China.
They could offer the best Knife to date for a penny, and I would pass.
:spyder: :eek: :spyder: :eek: :spyder: :eek: :spyder:
More S90v & CF please.......
User avatar
brianch
Member
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 4:13 pm
Location: Canada

#52

Post by brianch »

I don't really care where they are made as long as they are a good value.
:spyder:LF:Lum Folders!:spyder:
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
User avatar
angusW
Member
Posts: 1504
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:13 am
Location: Hamilton, Ontario

#53

Post by angusW »

As much as I like my Tenacious and Persistence there is no way that they are superior to my Mili or Manix 2's. I really believe the Tenacious is an excellent design. The shape of the handle and blade are great but it's finish is not better than my other non-Chinese knives.
Member of the LH Military club.

My Spydies
User avatar
MCM
Member
Posts: 3008
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2008 8:04 am
Location: Left Field......

#54

Post by MCM »

brianch wrote:I don't really care where they are made as long as they are a good value.
Bingo......
:spyder: :eek: :spyder: :eek: :spyder: :eek: :spyder:
More S90v & CF please.......
User avatar
HotSoup
Member
Posts: 904
Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 3:42 pm
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

#55

Post by HotSoup »

jzmtl, you've hit the nail on that one.
User avatar
MCM
Member
Posts: 3008
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2008 8:04 am
Location: Left Field......

#56

Post by MCM »

Too bad you cant see the big picture.
Forest for the trees etc.
:spyder: :eek: :spyder: :eek: :spyder: :eek: :spyder:
More S90v & CF please.......
jzmtl
Member
Posts: 1417
Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:02 am
Location: Montreal, Canada

#57

Post by jzmtl »

Or maybe I can see the big picture because I'm not biased towards American made product.

100 years ago the British were complaining about jobs going to those bloody colonists, 50 years ago it was the Japanese crap, and in the not too distant future some Chinese guy would be complaining about some country in Africa. World change, regardless if it's to your liking or not, you can't stop it.
User avatar
brianch
Member
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 4:13 pm
Location: Canada

#58

Post by brianch »

I don't think it is up to us whether Spyderco decides to make models in USA or in China. I think the only thing we can expect or want from them is high quality products all around regardless of where they are made, and that the prices are competitive. :spyder: :spyder: :spyder: :spyder:
:spyder:LF:Lum Folders!:spyder:
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
User avatar
The Deacon
Member
Posts: 25717
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:33 am
Location: Upstate SC, USA
Contact:

#59

Post by The Deacon »

From what I've read, there are at least two more, the Resilience and the Kiwi SlipIt, in the works. So, in that sense, Spyderco has already shown it intends to build "more" models there.

I fully agree with Chapman Preferred's observations that Spyderco should do what's best for Spyderco. If that means producing some models in China, that's fine by me. But that does not mean I will purchase them unless they strike my fancy, suit my needs, or both.

My own criteria for carry have not changed and, currently none of the models made in China, aside from the Bug, fit them. If, in the future, Spyderco decided to have a midlock with a 50/50 choil and an ergonomic handle manufactured there, I will certainly give it a try.

Whether it winds up in my pocket after that will depend on the quality and whether it meets my needs better than what I'm currently carrying. But that's me, I can afford to be picky. As has been observed before "we" who frequent these forums, are not really the "target market" for the models Spyderco produces in China. The average customer for the $35 Tenacious would never think of spending three times that for the Paramilitary.
Paul
My Personal Website ---- Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting ---- Spydiewiki
Deplorable :p
WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
User avatar
bh49
Member
Posts: 11466
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2006 12:37 pm
Location: former Constitution state

#60

Post by bh49 »

jzmtl wrote: While your argument panders to the emotional "buy u.s." sentiment, it too far away from real life to have any actual use.
HotSoup wrote:jzmtl, you've hit the nail on that one.
MCM wrote:Too bad you cant see the big picture.
Forest for the trees etc
.
jzmtl wrote:Or maybe I can see the big picture because I'm not biased towards American made product.
I believe MCM hit the nail. This is not about products. Try to see forest.

Also I understand comment that this is up to Spyderco to choose where to make knives and more models are coming, the topic of the thread was "Who want to see Chinese-made Spidies" I am certainly not. I like Tenacious design, but I have no intention to buy. I own US, Japanese, European and Taiwanese made :spyder:
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf"

My top choices Natives5, Calys, C83 Persian
Post Reply