Ankerson wrote:Something more like it would be interesting to see this if it's possible frame of mind correct? :)
If Spyderco doesn't think the idea in general is silly and wants to make some amazing titanium knives don't think I'm going to hold them back (even if I could). :p I thought I recalled Sal saying they had an integral comp lock PM2 in the works. How hard would it be to number 10 of those and pay for a little more production time?
The problem with the "custom shop" mindset is that variety makes for expensive production; you really need a new department for that. The problem with aftermarket modding is a total lack of manufacturer support. I know there are people who want a Spyderco that will pay for an extra dusting of fit and finish. I'm more a pragmatist and would almost always go with the standard model.
Taichung is amazing. They could do it too. I write insurance policies for a living...if someone said, "I'll pay you for 5 more hours of labor on this one" my letterhead would be more perfect and the stamps would be lined-up better on the envelope. :p
I dunno how the production line works so I really couldn't say how it could be done or even if it could be done. :confused:
As much as I'd like to own a Spydeco "MidTech", I wouldn't want to pay the price for one. I wonder how many people would actually be willing to pony up the extra money for one? I suppose the Benchmade "Gold Class" seem to sell, so perhaps a Spyderco "Gold Class" might too.
jabba359 wrote:As much as I'd like to own a Spydeco "MidTech", I wouldn't want to pay the price for one. I wonder how many people would actually be willing to pony up the extra money for one? I suppose the Benchmade "Gold Class" seem to sell, so perhaps a Spyderco "Gold Class" might too.
I'd like to see a variety of titanium handle scales in three basic sizes (gentlemen's folder size, 3" and 3.5") that feature the contouring seen on the the Slysz Bowie, but in more traditional shapes. Then, a customer could select different blade shapes, steel type, and perhaps blade finish. Also, one area I think could use major improvement is the pocket clips. It's not that Spyderco's clips are bad, but there's a lot of room for improvement. Allow a customer to select from a titanium clip in a particular orientation so they can get a knife that doesn't have holes drilled all over it which aren't needed.
I guess the Slysz would be a great example of the goal. Even that though caused a ton of confusion as to why the price was so much higher.
I'm not the kind of person who buys Gold Class Benchmades. However, I can appreciate the categorical distinction as it explains clearly why said product is substantially more expensive.
I think it's a very cool idea. I have seen some pretty amazing Benchmade gold class knives, if that's the kind of thing we're talking about. There was one on the BF exchange last week that actually made me take a look at my bank account to be sure I couldn't afford it. I'd totally save up for a Spyder of that caliber. Some are already very close, so I'm struggling to even imagine what a Spyderco "gold class" would be like.
On the other hand, I'm not sure it really fits the brand. Do you guys think Sal would entertain such desires for excess? I'd love to see an elite Delica, but it seems so contradictory.
Part of the Spyderco fun for me is getting a production knife that the uninitiated eye might conclude is a custom knife, less so I can fake out the uninitiated and more so I can wonder how the Spydercrew can approach this quality. So, getting a more customized Spydie is not really important to me. But if Sal said yes, I'd be all ears.
-Marc (pocketing my Hennicke Opus today)
“Science is not the truth. Science is finding the truth. When science changes its opinion, it didn’t lie to you. It learned more.” - Brené Brown
While I understand the idea I don't think it's a realistic one. :rolleyes:
I mean, of course it'd be very nice to have some kind of midtech model coming from Golden. :spyder:
But AFAIK Golden is operating at the highest possible top capacity. And even so they can't supply enough product to keep stock on every Dealer shelves.
So facing these facts, how are they supposed to do some midtech production?
While I understand the idea I don't think it's a realistic one. :rolleyes:
I mean, of course it'd be very nice to have some kind of midtech model coming from Golden. :spyder:
But AFAIK Golden is operating at the highest possible top capacity. And even so they can't supply enough product to keep stock on every Dealer shelves.
So facing these facts, how are they supposed to do some midtech production?
Agreed indeed. It's definitely a pipe dream that's years away, but my bank account and I can wait. :)
Originally I mentioned simply taking some out of the normal production and spending more labor time on them, then increasing the MSRP. So really...if Golden pumps out 1,000 Para2's in this scenario they create 988 normal ones and a dozen they spend an extra few hours on finishing. Potentially only adding a couple days to the production schedule.
I'm going to re-read the entire thread again and see why people think I'm proposing a custom shop or something. It's like I fell down the rabbit hole or something. :confused:
Blerv wrote:Originally I mentioned simply taking some out of the normal production and spending more labor time on them, then increasing the MSRP. So really...if Golden pumps out 1,000 Para2's in this scenario they create 988 normal ones and a dozen they spend an extra few hours on finishing. Potentially only adding a couple days to the production schedule.
I'm going to re-read the entire thread again and see why people think I'm proposing a custom shop or something. It's like I fell down the rabbit hole or something. :confused:
I see what you mean and I'm guessing maybe it will be possible once Spyderco's new facility is up and running. What I was thinking is that you would take a normal s30v pm2 then put a different handle (different color g-10, carbon fiber or even micarta) and add titanium screws, titanium spacers and a titanium clip. Basically the customer gets to chose the hardware he wants for his knife.
It seems to me it would be a deviation from the core philosophy of the company to make the best working knives. I am also not sure that there would be a high demand for knives at for instance $800 MSRP with polished blades and golden stand offs.
Gerard Breuker wrote:It seems to me it would be a deviation from the core philosophy of the company to make the best working knives. I am also not sure that there would be a high demand for knives at for instance $800 MSRP with polished blades and golden stand offs.
Agreed. I'm proposing a $300-400 knife instead of a $110 one.
Stuff like smoothing out the opening hole from the laser cutting, polishing the liners, giving it a grit-cleaning bath and otherwise tweaking it perfect. Basically one assembler turning out three knives to the one next to him/her that finishes one in the same amount of time. A knife that passes the QC check and the macrophotography one.
I think we have compared this idea to two very different other competitors concepts.
One being the CRK product line which are semi custom knives of exceptional fit an finish and the other being the Benchmade Gold Class. These are two very different directions. I was initially drawn to Spyderco because they seemed to be more go than show and because they represent an impressive value in the industry. Spyderco being a company of exemplary character was just icing on the cake. I think Spyderco attempting to get into those two arenas would be interesting but I would say that they are already doing it while staying true to their core idea of value, quality and performance. The Fluted Ti Native, Fluted Ti Military, Ti Military and the Chaparral 2&3 are more affordable alternatives to a Sebenza. Plus, the jigged bone and titanium Delica and Endura sprints featured the show over go embellishments of the Benchmade Gold Class.
On top of that we can't forget that Spyderco is already doing something very high end and fairly unique to the industry with its collaborations. They offer a Southfork, Rubicon, K2, Dogtag, Slysz Bowie and many other great knives that cost a fraction of what the custom makers originals cost and they are being mostly made by the folks in Taichung to extremely high tolerances. They are putting mass produced versions of largely unobtainable knives into the hands of working class folk who could otherwise never afford the customs themselves. Who else is doing that. This collaboration part of the business is the synthesis of Spyderco's reputation of quality and value with the super high end custom market. Sounds mid tech to me if you define mid tech as a midway point between production and custom.
-Darby
sal wrote:Knife afi's are pretty far out, steel junky's more so, but "edge junky's" are just nuts. :p
SpyderEdgeForever wrote:
Also, do you think a kangaroo would eat a bowl of spagetti with sauce if someone offered it to them?
Not really interested in seeing it. Spyderco makes excellent production knives already. If people want something cool and a little different to kick around with, they can get sprint runs in upgraded steels. From what I understand you're describing, these wouldn't be anything different than regular production models, with extra emphasis on final hand-tuning and polishing. For me, no thanks. Seems like a strange distraction to me. I'd rather see their time and effort being applied in other directions.
And like others are saying, Golden is already very consistent and Taichung often seems like they're already doing at what you're describing.
Blerv wrote:Originally I mentioned simply taking some out of the normal production and spending more labor time on them, then increasing the MSRP. So really...if Golden pumps out 1,000 Para2's in this scenario they create 988 normal ones and a dozen they spend an extra few hours on finishing. Potentially only adding a couple days to the production schedule.
My apologies, I definitely missed the point. I could see the appeal in what you're saying there, but not at very much of a price increase. The normal product is so well done that there isn't a whole lot of room for improvement barring the use of different materials. I think a more well polished (in every sense of the word) PM2 would look great, maybe even a little extra time shaping the G10 for comfort. But I don't think I'd give it a second thought at anywhere above, say, $200 street price. So for me, it would totally depend on the price increase.
