Spyderco Forums

I think the UKPK would be a great platform to do the custom shop. Maybe offer SPY27 and one or two other steels, a premium and a tool steel. Have a handful of different color G10’s/FRN’s, and maybe CF or Ti, to choose from. Maybe even have some different blade shapes like Leaf, Drop Point and Rescue that can be done in PE, SE and CE.

I say the UKPK because it is made in Golden and wouldn’t interfere any dealer exclusives except HH, which isn’t even in the US.

A UKPK would take me out of the buying pool. I'm not interested in a slipjoint.

sal wrote: ↑

Mon May 11, 2020 9:36 am

Eric said that he has been discussing the concept of a custom shop with the factory and many seem for it.

sal

Wow, that would be cool.

When I think of a custom shop I imagine a knife off the shelf that is further worked on to take it to the next level, rather than the build-your-own-knife from standard parts model being suggested.
This would require additional time and skill from the makers but not additional parts; things such as regrinding blades, polishing internals, breaking and chamfering edges, file working, maybe with a special custom shop blade etching to finish it off. I can see it being done in golden where they would have direct oversight and the talent to do this and sold direct in smallish quantities at a much increased cost.
I’m not sure that’s what people here are asking for but thats what I think a custom shop would be.

Pancake wrote: ↑

Sun May 10, 2020 11:57 pm

For example Manix 2:
Blade steel: S110V, S30V, S30V DLC, BD1N, Maxamet, SPY 27
Hardware: Silver, DLC
Scales: Black, Blue
Clip: Black, Silver

And nothing more, no XHP, no titanium-blue-unicornfartanodized clip, just these option that are in ,,stock,, at factory.

I think having a variety of colors for scales is most of the fun of customization. I don't think many people would have an interest in only a black or blue handle selection for an increased custom shop price.

sal wrote: ↑

Mon May 11, 2020 9:36 am

Eric said that he has been discussing the concept of a custom shop with the factory and many seem for it.

sal

WHAT! This is groundbreaking

Man, I could see dropping a whole bunch at a custom shop for damasteel options, even if they had to wait for a critical order minimum.

Starting with the Native 5 makes sense to me. I would rather have a Manix, but I think the Native 5 is more popular. The PM2 also is popular and might be a good place to start.

I am really interested to see if this does happen, and how it would be run. I am guessing just keep it limited to production steels and handle colours, at least in the beginning right?

Since everyone has an opinion, here's mine.

First, there needs to be enough options to give a large number of potential finished products. For example three steels and three different handles only gives you an option of 9 separate products. If you are just picking one option of nine, it really doesn't feel like a custom.

I don't have a background in manufacturing so I'm not sure how many of these ideas are actually feasible, but I'd like to see:

1. Non-standard handle materials, Bone, stag, wood, etc. in addition to variety of colors like purple, red, green, blue G10, and Titanium.
2. clip options, drilled only for the desired type of carry, or the option to go clipless.
3. Blade options, at least all the major options covered. Basic like S30V, corrosion resistant; LC200N, a super stainless, and a tool steel.

I think The little native is the obvious choice for this one because I think there is a slipjoint version in the plans.

Grizz

I think that a Spyderco custom shop should be more than just different colors. While of course there should be options for all of that, the exclusive/dealer model exists and will no doubt continue.

The core of the custom shop, I feel, should revolve around first principles...

At Shot Show 2020, while he was sitting with BladeHQ, and now on YouTube, while trying to quote Sal, Eric said: "The edge is the most important part of the knife. The blade is there so you have something to hold the edge. The handle is there so that you can control the blade."

Along with making a good handle joke, he mentioned that "the steel is the soul of the knife"

I agree.

I hope that the custom shop isnt just about handles.

The custom shop that I'd want to see is one that's about exemplifying the properties of extraordinary steels in conjunction with an optimized heat treat that further exemplifies Spyderco as a knife maker.

Think of hard and durable steels with exceptional edge retention such as REX-45, 4V, and others that could be ground thinner behind the edge in order to dramatically improve cutting performance.

Options for higher hardiness and/or a task oriented heat treat on steels that can deliver the best results, could be developed and made available.

Steels like M390/20CV/CTS-204P which have a lot of soul, but thus far have delivered lackluster gains in performance, seemingly have an extraordinary amount of potential with a further optimized heat treat and thermo cycle. It would be exciting to see this composition at about 64 HRC and optimized for edge retention.

While steels like S125V and REX-121 may be cost prohibitive for production, in a custom shop situation, what price would it need to be? Sal in the past has mentioned some new ultra high carbide steel. These are all things that could more easily be introduced to market.

The whole upper limit of what a folding knife can be, could be redefined.

Spyderco's advantages in the market, over any other knife maker are the proprietary locking mechanisms in conjunction with the trademark and design. Stacking that along with all of the steels that Spyderco works with becomes an obvious force multiplier. The custom shop would be one more.

Through a custom shop, simple things like screws, blades, and other parts could more easily be kept in inventory. Synergies can be achieved by making these available to purchase thus augmenting Spyderco's percieved service after the sale. This would open the door to unpenetrated segments of the market across the entire production line up.

vivi wrote: ↑

Wed May 31, 2023 7:11 pm

legOFwhat? wrote: ↑

Wed May 31, 2023 6:46 pm

sal wrote: ↑

Wed May 31, 2023 1:52 pm

Eric has discussed the possibility of a custom shop with the Golden Knife-Makers and they seem to like the idea. We'll see what the future holds.

sal

Worth its own thread!

I looked around for a good thread to revive, and this one looked as good as any.

Even if we could pick maybe 6 colors of G-10 and maybe 4 steels, and only the popular golden models, I think this would be a big hit. If you add dlc + matching hardware options you’re really cooking.

I still want Crucarta everything.

If they offered a rust proof blade option this would be amazing. I'd drop thousands in a day getting a Manix XL, Military, Chief, Police etc. with rust proof blades and blacked out hardware. That's close enough to a salt for me.

Besides the Military 2 my collection feels complete right now, so it'd be a lot of fun having some exciting models to look forward to. Even something as simple as being able to order a Street Beat with a green handle and uncoated blade would get my attention.

Imagine having the option to choose from say, LC200N, Cruwear, BD1N, 51200 and S110V for the models of your choice. DLC or satin, PE or SE, and a few different colors.

If a Spyderco “custom shop” does come to fruition in the future, I wonder if Spyderco would set it up to avoid any overlap with past sprints and exclusives. A custom shop could present, at least, a few difficulties for collectors.

They’ve done so many exclusives for so many different retailers and distributors, that it might prove difficult to offer too many combinations of steel, handle material, and color without potentially being able to just remake an exclusive or sprint combo that’s already been done. That could be something that presents complications.

Or maybe the “custom shop” would be it’s own version of an exclusive? Meaning the custom shop would only allow for select combinations of materials that haven't been previously produced in limited capacity.

I would venture to guess that the customization options would be relatively ordinary to optimize production efficiency. Probably only a few popular Golden made models and a handful of regular steel and handle options, respectively. For example: ParaMilitary 2, Manix 2, Native 5; PE, CE, SE; S30V, S45VN, SPY27, BD1N; FRN/FRCP or G10; Black, Blue, Grey, Digicam. Maybe a couple exotic options like Cruwear and/or black micarta to play to the crowd a bit.

I just have difficulty imagining them opening up their whole catalog for customization. Even their whole Golden lineup would be an impressive feat to pull off. Keep it simple.

All speculation of course, as the Spyderco “custom shop” idea appears to be just that, still just an idea.

I mean, I am not against the idea.
Might be worth a try!

Based on recent marketing, Spyderco has some nice looking 3D models of their knives that could be used as a template to virtually “build” a combination of characteristics according to preferences.

I think it could be tricky, but would prove to be an interesting experiment. I think demand would be ridiculously high, though.

Interestingly, Grimso knives just released an update YouTube video and they briefly discuss ways they have implemented basically a “custom shop”.
Obviously, their business model is going to be somewhat different from Spyderco’s, but it is neat to know how different makers approach similar concepts.

Idk, maybe it could be a good way to make the Spyderco app more relevant by using it to host a custom shop? I have no idea if that would even be possible or good, just brainstorming.

PStone wrote: ↑

Mon May 11, 2020 6:07 am

Buck has a custom shop. So does Benchmade. I can’t even count the number of how times I’ve gone to their websites and built a cool knife I wanted to buy, or thought was cool. Then closed the knife builder and forgot all about it. But later bought a regular production or sprint or exclusive. And I think most people have done the same thing. A custom shop sounds like a cool idea, but in reality, is just a way to tie up money in parts that may sit around for years and years.

And what about CQI? What happens when a model is CQI’d? Would Golden just have to throw out old parts in place of new ones after a CQI update? Because who would order a custom knife that isn’t as up to date as a regular production piece?

I've ordered a custom Benchmade. I ordered a forest green G-10 20CV sheepsfoot mini Griptilian; the one with the opening hole. There were only four blade steel options. There were only so many handle material and color options. I am happy with what I got, but it's really not super special. None of the options were particularly special.

Spyderco works with dozens of different steel types. If there were the same limited number of options in a Spyderco custom shop that BM has, I really think I'd be disappointed. I don't see what Spyderco would do that the aftermarket isn't already doing.

It might be best to have a model designed just for the custom shop as to not overlap any sprints or dealer exclusives. Maybe something like a compression lock knife halfway between a Para 3 and a Para Military 2 or a 3 inch CBBL knife. It should be something you can only get directly from the custom shop.

Allen Edmonds (the shoe manufacturer in Port Washington, Wisconsin) used to accept custom orders back when Paul Grangaard was the CEO. The batch size for normal manufacturing for them was multiples of 12. A custom order was just 1, so it was very inefficient to produce. The program was a money loser, but it did gain buzz for enthusiasts.

vivi wrote: ↑

Wed May 31, 2023 10:49 pm

If they offered a rust proof blade option this would be amazing. I'd drop thousands in a day getting a Manix XL, Military, Chief, Police etc. with rust proof blades and blacked out hardware. That's close enough to a salt for me.

Besides the Military 2 my collection feels complete right now, so it'd be a lot of fun having some exciting models to look forward to. Even something as simple as being able to order a Street Beat with a green handle and uncoated blade would get my attention.

Imagine having the option to choose from say, LC200N, Cruwear, BD1N, 51200 and S110V for the models of your choice. DLC or satin, PE or SE, and a few different colors.

Yes!
The upcoming Native Chief LW with coated blade and hardware has my attention as an unofficial Salt. I'd love to have the Salt option for all in-house designs.

Near-custom Spydies at relatively reasonable prices, as now, is not good enough?!

I think people wanting a custom shop are dissing the manufacturing magic that Sal has spent decades uniquely designing.

But, don’t mind me. I thought flippers belittled the Spydiehole.

PeaceInOurTime wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 01, 2023 7:58 am

The upcoming Native Chief LW with coated blade and hardware has my attention as an unofficial Salt. I'd love to have the Salt option for all in-house designs.

That got my attention! I didn't think about that, but BD1N is pretty corrosion resistant. Plus the blacked out hardware. Been wanting to grab some SE, so I think you just sold me.