Spyderco Forums

For many years I've expressed my adoration for the Lum folding tanto, sometimes in the form of forum requests for a sprint run. Sal himself has commented in at least one of the requests.

Fast forward to recently, Spyderco makes my wish come true. I pass through from time to time and notice the sprint run happened, and was sold out. I'm not sure what came over me, but I decided to contact Sal and let him know I appreciate them finally doing the run after all my years of begging (surely though the decision had nothing to do with me). I mentioned that unfortunately I was not in the position to purchase one. I explained that even if they had not been sold out, my wife and I were about to have our first baby, so the timing wasn't right for that kind of "want" purchase. I have an original lum folder, but I've retired it after many years of EDC because I would hate to lose it or have anything happen to it. A 2nd one would provide the backup safety net for me to comfortably carry my all-time favorite knife again.

A few weeks ago, I get a PM that Sal had been trying to contact me. Sal personally insured that one of the last Lum folder sprint knives was put to the side for me, at a special price, if I wanted it. The message mentioned how special a child is, and a congrats. I have to say, I was beside myself. I contacted Spyderco and arranged to have the knife sent to me. It arrived a few days later. Let me tell you, after all the onezies, bottles, diapers and boppies.. This was by far THE BEST baby shower gift to hit the scene around here!

Thank you Sal & the entire Spyderco family. I've been carrying Spyderco everyday for 20 years. I was already a fan for life; this over and beyond type of service and generosity only solidifies my connection to the brand. I feel like part of the Spyderco family now more than ever. Hopefully my daughter won't mind me holding onto her Lum sprint run for the next 15-20 years. :D

Now that I have both new and old, which should I hold onto as a collectible and which should I carry? I would think the sprint run should be tucked away, since it's BNIB and limited in numbers.

I'll leave you with a couple of pics of my two favorites. A reward for anyone that read the whole thing!

Great story and great pictures!

Enjoy both the new Lum and your soon to be new baby girl.

Wow. Just terrific. Who else would make that kind of effort besides Sal?

Sal truly is a generous, caring and giving individual.
A true GENTLEMAN in every sense of the word.

I swear I'd buy his products even if I didn't love Spyderco's as much as I do.

Congrats on both new additions. :D

Congrats on the baby and the knife.

Best of luck with your future.

Well I haven't been around long enough to have read the Lum Tanto want threads but I was when released so thanks for helping get it done and also its cool Sal and crew were thoughtful enough to make sure you were able to get one. Congrats on the baby and the knife. :)

Just awesome.

Mr. G. is a real class act.

~ Edge

Wow! What a nice thing to do. Seems to me the least you could do to show your appreciation is to name your daughter after Sal. How about Sally or maybe Spydie? :D

Great story!

Sal, what a great guy :)
I think carry the original, with care & don't lose it.
Keep the sprint new if that is your choice, but go on use it a bit because that would be what Sal would want. Better to be the knife in your pocket thing.
Good luck to you & your family :) .
O.

awesome and congrats on the new baby.

Sal always acts the gentleman. A very nice gesture. Enjoy your knife.

Hi Blueboost,

Thanx to you for the interest and support.

sal

As someone fairly new to Spyderco and the forum here... I love these stories! I have never seen anything like it in any other company. Everyone at :spyder: seems to be top notch just like the products they produce. It just makes me feel great whenever I buy a new Spydie. And it just makes me want to buy more :) Great company. Great people.

Wow Sal, your generosity always amaze me :eek: :) :D

I say carry the new Lum, better to be enjoyed in your pocket than left in a box :D

I wonder how many newborns will Sal hear about after reading this? But yea, it's amazing what Spyderco does for people... it's not a company... it's a community :D

The C-46 model is definitely a Spyderco Hall Of Famer for sure. GOD rest the great/late Bob Lum for such a sterling design.

It's one of the very few tanto designs that I personally found to be functional as well as looking cool.

I'm fortunate enough to have an older C-46, G-10 that I EDC on occasions. It is truly of BULL of a KNIFE :cool: You could jam that baby through car hoods and I don't believe it would hurt it much at all. One of the most solid folders I've ever had. It's one of the few Seki Japan Spyders I feel that is just as solid as some of the Golden Colorado models. The C-46 is a super blade indeed

Congratulations on your baby on the way and for your new fine knife. Spyderco is a one of a kind company and its value stands not only in its products but in its people as well.

no surprise here...sal and the crew at spyderco are class acts and head and shoulders above the rest of the industry when it comes to caring about their customers...
:D

Minibear453 wrote:I wonder how many newborns will Sal hear about after reading this?

:D I was thinking that when I posted the story. I didn't want to cause Sal and co. issues with beggars, but this is the type of corporate culture that people need to hear about.

I've carried my original C46 a few times for the first time in about two years. It was awesome to have it back on my side! :cool:

I figure that I won't part with either of them, so I'll probably EDC both here and there.

Thank you for sharing your story! I lean towards EDCing the sprint run. As noted by another forum member, that's what Sal made his :spyder: s for... to be used.

Outstanding customer care, Sal! Many thanks to you and the Spyderco Crew!