Amsterdam Meet 2012 Report

[Mr Blonde]

More tomorrow...

[jwingfie]

I found myself singing "It's the most wonderful time of the year" while reading this thread.

Too bad my bank account doesn't allow me to purchase any of these.

[araneae]

Wow, Brad's flipper looks so well done. Kudos to you and the Taiwanese maker for what looks like a phenomenal piece.

[mikerestivo]

OK I just got re-stoked about the Ti Stealth Chap and the CF Caly 3.5. I love the Amsterdam meet, even though I will probably never get to go. Big thanks for those who take the time and effort to post photos and comment.

[Donut]

But I have a Lil Matrriarch on pre-order, so it can't be a concept.

We have seen some things announced, and take more than a year to actually hit the streets. There was more than a year between the release of the FFG ZDP Endura and the FFG ZDP Delica, which is a VERY similar situation to this one.

It could be that they have not finalized all changes yet. Maybe we still have Plain Edge as an option. :)

It could be that they don't yet have the Delica style FRN Mold made that says "Matriarch 2" or whatever the final product says.

If I was a business, I would probably let the profits of the Large Matriarch 2 pay for a $100,000 mold. In that time, you will get an idea of how well you think it will sell.

All in all, I am not planning on buying a large one and I plan on buying a small one. I hope that passing on the large one will not put a delay on the small one.

[Zencowboy]

Yep, the Chaparral and Southard are my favorites for my taste.

[Donut]

I was most struck by the lightweight and elegance of this rather large design. It’s in the size category of the Police, but this knife felt so much more lively in the hand.

Hey Wouter, thanks for all the pictures, they meet the high standard that we've all come to expect from you. I know what to expect, but I always seem to be shocked by how good they look after seeing them.

Could you elaborate on the "lightweight" and "more lively" comments? I am currently believing that this model is lighter than the Police 3. (Maybe someone else who was there can help with this.)

Did you get a shot of the Szabo lock release while the knife is open? The first time I looked at it, I thought it was triangle shaped, but after looking at the shape of the blade, I see that is the choil area occupying the lock release when closed.

Thanks for your work.

[The Deacon]

Thanks again Wouter. Your photographic skills, while always excellent, seem to get even better every year. It most definitely looks like we're in for another crop of interesting knives this coming year.

As for what gets shown, in the final analysis, it's up to Sal and Eric. I may not always understand their logic, but it's their company, so I think it's great when photographers respect their wishes and somewhat sad and troublesome when they don't. It may eventually cause the concept pieces not to be shown at all except behind closed doors to dealers, distributors, and a trusted few.

[bammann45]

Beautiful pics. Thank you again. And.... I 've already pre-ordered the Caly 3 Damascus :) The Ulize is calling to me....

[jbdarkblue]

Man that Ti Chaparral and Southard folder are two must haves. I am going to have to buy 2 of each. I need to stop coming to these forums or else I will become broke.

[Jazz]

You gotta love the dips at the front of the Chaparral's handle. Love it! The Southard looks great, except for the flipper. If I got that, off would go the flipper, but the design and blade shape are very nice. Sorry, but nothing beats the Spydie hole, and flippers are in the way when open (in my opinion :o ).

- best wishes, Jazz.

[angusW]

The Southard really is a masterpiece. Just wish it came in left hand. I'm not interested in flippers but that one has got my attention.

Thanks again for the pics Wouter.

[Stugots-II]

WOW I am ecstatic for Brad's Flipper!! There is not way that I won't be on a preorder of any sorts for this knife. I can not wait until this one hits my pocket!!

[gbelleh]

I'm not really a fan of flippers (especially when there's a Spydie hole), but I like the Southard anyway. The Ulize is much better looking than I had imagined. In fact, almost everything so far has been better looking than I imagined! Spyderco just doesn't stop cranking out awesome knives!

[wsdavies]

Szabo and Southard..Those are must haves for me!

[psychophipps]

I'm a bit disappointed that the only knives besides the Yoijimbo 2 (and I'll only get one of those when there's a trainer for it) I've seen in the last two years from Spyderco that have interested me even a little bit have been collabs, or in the case of the fixed blade Lum, a reissue of an old collab design. Of course, that's what these collabs are for, but it also drives up the price in a quite unfortunate manner.

[D1omedes]

Thanks for the update on the Caly Jr, Wouter. I have one more question. Did you see or hear about the forthcoming kitchen set? I remember Sal stated that they had shipped some steel to the maker.

[sal]

Hi Psychophipps,

Collaboration designs drive up the price only by the addition of their much deserved royalties (which is not all that much). Everything else remains the same as normal.

sal

[Mr Blonde]

These beads looked very nice, they are still in the prototype stage and the white plastic beads were tough to photograph in my lightbox. The manufacturing process for the plastic protos is pretty cool though. Two lasers shoot in a vat of liquid plastic and where the lasers meet, the plastic hardens. Apparently, that way you can do much more rapid prototyping than in the past. Spyderco is considering using several materials for the beads. I liked the clear plastic and the pewter version best. These beads look like perfect accessories for the Spyderknut.

[Mr Blonde]

This cricket with a nishijin carbon fiber handle was well received at the meet. Only one side features the unique carbon fiber handle, the clipside is still the same steel integral lock as a regular Cricket. I hope this model does well enough to warrant a serrated version. I prefer my ‘hawk’s –even the small ones- with teeth.