Southard too expensive?

IG-88 · #41

aj1985 wrote:I have had a number of hinderers and never paid more than $385 for them. Rick makes an amazing knife and that's why the price has gone so high on the secondary. The supply can't meet the demand, but that's not Rick's fault.

AJ

Nice!!! Completely agree the XM is a great knife and its certainly worth $385 to me. Follow you on the supply demand issue, good for Rick that the demand is high. Paying $595 and up, like they are priced now is way too much, I prefer a nice custom, made to my specs for that price.

Compared to the Sebenza and XM18 that I have in my EDC rotation.

For the XM and Southard owner, superpose the Southard and the XM... both have similar ergonomics IMO :)

I still am convinced the fit and finish, materials and handling on all 3 knives is great and the Southard being the cheapest making it also the best value for money. Or am I seeing this wrong? :D

alerin · #42

IG-88, I agree with you 100%, I have all three and enjoy my Southard the most.

flash900 · #43

Here's a new Southard review from EdgeObserver:

http://www.edgeobserver.com/spyderco-br ... d-flipper/

"In conclusion, the Spyderco Brad Southard flipper is a very current and attractive offering. It embodies all of the popular features found in advanced folder design. A durable build quality, pocket-able every day carry size and quick deployment will make this a go-to for many owners. Outside of the price, there is little to dislike about the knife, especially if you are attracted to the latest and greatest, talent and materials. This slick, well engineered package will surely find its way into many collections but will also make a very capable, long lasting utility blade."

Mc556 · #44

Well I can see both sides of the fence but as my personal thought is that it is priced just right.
If you look at the zt560 it is pretty close in price while using Elmax but made in USA.
Having owned both I think the Southard has better fit and finish even if its not to much difference so ill call it a wash.

For me it is a great price because I really wanted a mini Daws and couldn't justify the price on my income even if it were available.
I know it's not exact but being a very similar design in a super premium steel I just feel like its a bargain vs trying to obtain the custom.
At the end of the day the market is supporting it

God'sMyJudge · #45

Just got mine... it's not over-priced.

Slash · #46

Don't want it...don't buy it. Simple as that.

Why complain about the price if only for ones personal financial situation as it relates to their taste in knives.

Clearly you want this model, just unwilling to pay the price.

Don't drive a Porsche if you can't afford to fill the tank.

linuxology · #47

It's a nice knife indeed. Too expensive is a subjective term.

kawr · #48

I ordered one last night and I'm having second thoughts. Seems to be alot of money for a full production knife and I'm worried it wont be able to share pocket time with my CRKs. Hopefully its as good as people have said. Will post once I get it in my hands.

JNewell · #49

kawr wrote:I ordered one last night and I'm having second thoughts. Seems to be alot of money for a full production knife and I'm worried it wont be able to share pocket time with my CRKs. Hopefully its as good as people have said. Will post once I get it in my hands.

Assuming you paid ~$250, I really don't think you'll be disappointed. It's not a CRK, but it's not priced like one either, and the quality of design, materials and workmanship is really super. :spyder:

sharpguitarist · #50

Hey Kawr,
I haven't handled a Reeve knife myself, but I can't imagine it feeling any better than the Southard.
The ergos, smoothness, and fit and finish are top of the heap!
If you're a Spyderco fan, you won't be let down by your purchase.
Later,
Don

jon1all · #51

PatCatMan wrote:I must agree OnionMan - made in Taiwan should and could bring the price down.

Pat

I don't know if this is true. Many of Spyderco's more pricey knives are made in Taiwan (Chaparral, Tuff, Szabo, Vallotton, Gayle Bradley, etc) and if IIRC Sal mentioned in an interview once that they don't build them in Taiwan as a cost savings measure... but because they don't have the capacity to build them in Golden. The manufacturer they use in Taiwan is not a cheap, "Value" manufacturer, but one known for it's quality and craftsmanship (that's why the chose it). Again, IIRC Sal said that the cost saving by doing so is minimal (if at all) because they ship many of the American made materials to Taiwan and this adds cost as well. So the point is, Taiwan isn't used as a means of producing low(er) cost knives anymore than Japan is used to produce low(er) cost knives. Taiwan and China are NOT the same thing in this case.

That said, yeah, the Southard is a very nice knife that I cannot bring myself to buy... just out of my comfort zone price-wise. I just have a hard time paying more than $200 for a knife. But there was a time not so long ago that I had a hard time paying more that $100 and before that more than $50, so who knows... time may come when I have $200 knives after all... and maybe a Southard flipper will be one of them. :)

The Mastiff · #52

I have a 551 in Elmax. It's more the size as the Southard. It's really nice, and is a stout knife. Overall I'd prefer the Southard and plan on getting one if/when possible.I can't think of a single feature of the southard that bothers me. The blade shape, though funny looking at first now looks like it would be easy to sharpen the old way. Free handed. I like M390/20CV and hopefully CTS 204p better than Elmax ( that's saying quite a bit as I consider Elmax an excellent stainless high carbide, high wear class steel along with S30V, S35V, ZDP, BG42,CTS-XHP Etc.

Can't wait to get one.

Joe

JNewell · #53

This horse is so dead and so thoroughly beaten that all that's left is red mist. Sal has answered these accusations many times - search here and at BF for his responses.

PatCatMan wrote:I must agree OnionMan - made in Taiwan should and could bring the price down.
I wanted this knife bad - but the price just blew it out for me personally.

Marketing 101 - "Price it as high as the market will allow, then add 10%" - we all begged for it, so they knew somewhat of an opportunity market.

I guess this one just wasn't meant to be for me. The Sage 2 is as high as I'm going to go for Taiwan Spydie - that's just me.
Another hobby might be in order for me if this is the trend - just can't feed it.
Pat

Donut · #54

I think for the quality control you are getting from the Taiwan plant, it is worth paying what they are asking.

Actually, with all the firsts in this knife, there is a lot going on.

Internal stop pin, cut out in the titanium for g-10 grip, flipper, ball bearings, new super steel. If you count that every one of those things will add to the price... There's a lot of stuff.

Ankerson · #55

JNewell wrote:This horse is so dead and so thoroughly beaten that all that's left is red mist. Sal has answered these accusations many times - search here and at BF for his responses.

Yeah, exactly and MANY times....

Taiwan is NOT China like so many seem to think, some research by those who seem to think that it is might be enlightening and educational for them....

But then it's just easier to say it's made in Taiwan so it should be cheap.....

SQSAR · #56

For me, it's a huge selling point if a new Spyderco model comes out and it is from Taiwan. You just can't beat the F&F of their knives. I understand why some may assume differently before handling many from Taiwan, , ,but anyone who knows knives will be quick to see that Spyderco's Taiwan knives are up there with the finest production knives on the market. And regardless of where they are from, quality is going to cost extra.

FroOchie · #57

There is a quality and pride of craftsmanship coming out of Taiwan that we used to have here. I don't take away from them one bit but I do feel for us. Im like SQSAR, if I see made in Taiwan these days my expectations of what I will get in return is greater because they never disappoint me.

Blerv · #58

The cost to make a knife in Taiwan (regardless of quality) is cheaper. That said, when you add CF, Titanium, exotic blade-steel, and complicated locks the price doesn't go down much.

It should be a bit more expensive to make it in Golden. As mentioned I'm sure they are quite busy. It would be even more expensive to have it made in Japan (even more in Italy) but they are probably booked with projects.

Spyderco makes a ton of models all over the world. Some cheap and others quite expensive. A flavor for every fan. Just because I don't want to buy a Lionspy doesn't mean it's too expensive. On that same basis most of us could sell our whole collection and buy a handful (or more) of CRK's and Striders but we won't. Priorities and preferences, etc. As customers we have them and as a company the folks who make the knives should have theirs as well.

jabba359 · #59

Because this thread needed a picture of the excellent workmanship...

[ATTACH]21274[/ATTACH]

JudasD · #60

I do think there are a few Spyderco knives that seems to be a bit to expensive for what you get, but the Southard is NOT one of them. To me this knife is worth the money. If it was not Ti or 204P then i would say that it is a bit expensive. Higher end materials do command a higher price and the price increase is generally not linear. You got to pay to play :D

JD