Why the big price difference??

[Minibear453]

Just wondering, but it seems like Spyderco's moving more into the high end market. I've been busy, but I think all the new knives are mostly around $150? The "value" lines like Delica, Endura, Stretch, or even the Tenacious seem to not be receiving as much attention. Personally, I'd love a few more FRN/VG10 knives. Maybe a wharncliffe blade?

[The Deacon]

Just wondering, but it seems like Spyderco's moving more into the high end market. I've been busy, but I think all the new knives are mostly around $150? The "value" lines like Delica, Endura, Stretch, or even the Tenacious seem to not be receiving as much attention. Personally, I'd love a few more FRN/VG10 knives. Maybe a wharncliffe blade?

To be fair, between handle colors, edge types, grinds, steels, coated blades, Emerson openers, trainers, and the NLEOMF commemorative version, there must be 20+ "flavors" of the FRN Delica 4 available at the moment and only a couple fewer flavors of the FRN Endura 4. Plus, Spyderco has moved the Matriarch from the Endura 3/Pacific Salt handle to the Endura 4 handle and come up with the Lil Matriarch to get even more mileage out of the Delica 4 handle. Not sure how much more attention they really need.

[bh49]

For a bit of perspective, look at the price of the G-10/VG-10 Starmate, also made in Japan.

Paul,
this is not exactly kosher. Starmate is a custom collaboration, royalties need to be paid. I think that worker priced a little higher due to limited edition and collector value. Also dark green should cost more :)

Just wondering, but it seems like Spyderco's moving more into the high end market. I've been busy, but I think all the new knives are mostly around $150?

It seems to me that Spyderco certainly moving to higher end of pricing. I cannot recall five years ago bunch of models with street price $200+, but back then gas was just $2 a gallon and paychecks were much heavier :rolleyes:
Still you can find in Spyderco line-up quite a few great user in $100-120 range, M2 even less. I have no idea how Spyderco can make any profit on M2.

[Blerv]

Plus limited batch runs seldom are priced efficiently. It's pretty much the opposite to Costco's mission statement.So compare the Worker to the Caly3.5 and what appears as two almost identical knives but in reality is far from that.

Do we even know what the sprint's msrp is to compare to the 3.5 and other Japanese lockbacks? Until you can compare those raw numbers it's an apples to orangutan situation. One dealer's arbitrary pricing to another.

In the end if you like g10 and exotic materials from Japanese makers it's gonna cost you more than the Taiwan or Golden knives. As Paul mentioned, various factors at play plus the basics of economy. That said, travel back five years and say we would have a standard production CPM-110v knife for less than $110 and we would probably start a witch trial :p .

[Blerv]

There are so many value knives in the line for most other companies it would be deemed confusing and redundant. If you have $60 you can buy at least 40 unique offerings that will last you at least a couple decades. The Tenacious has turned into 4 knives and exclusives, Italy is cranking out slipits, the Native5 FRN is around the corner, and the D4/E4 is even more diverse.

Knives like the Sage1 are still very approachable. I believe they have gone up about 10% in the last 3-4 years ($117 on cutlery shoppe) or approximately 2 venti Frappuccinos.

[araneae]

$150 is my personal wall for knife spending. I'd like a sprint Worker, but this worker can't stomach $165 for a work knife.

[bh49]

I'd like a sprint Worker, but this worker can't stomach $165 for a work knife.

It is not a work knife (of course it can be). It is the relic.