Super well built Spyders that got passed up? Why?

[JD Spydo]

What behooves me more than anything about collecting and using these great Spyderco models is the total unpredictibility of the model and why some of them apparently bomb for no apparent reason :confused:

One really good example of that would be the 2 Stainless Rescue models from the late 1990s. Both the stainless C-14 & C-45 Rescue models in my opinion were probably the best and most ridgid Spyders ever built. But for some extremely strange reason they really bombed on the sales charts :confused:

Other models that bombed that were excellent quality that come to mind are the C-54 big Calypso model, the ATS-55, G-10 Harpy, The first run of the VG-10 Spyderhawk and the first Perrin fixed blade. All of the aforementioned were all lacking on the sales charts and no one seems to know why exactly

Albeit some of them became super stars in the collector arena and some of them now are highly sought after like the G-10 Harpy. So why did they fall short? Were they before their time? Were there too many other superstar models to compete with at the time they were introduced? Or what other market forces do you all attribute it to?

[Bradley]

For me a lot of the reason i'll pass on something is price. Idk about any of those because they were indeed before my time, but high prices do it for me.

[hiredgun]

One reason may be some Spyderco knives' designs are released/invented before their time. Take the Dodo for example. But that being said, the Dodo being re-released as a sprint will still not appeal to the masses like the Delica or Endura. To some it will always be an expensive box cutter.

As to the stainless Rescue models I will guess that because the Rescue models appeal only to a slice of the population, that is part of the reason. The second reason is stainless construction, albeit sturdy, is somewhat heavy and slippery when wet. And lastly, in my experience stainless Spydercos seem to lack ease of opening like some other slick and smooth opening Spydies.

I do think the C-54 Calypso could make a decent comeback...

[Mud Shrimp Moe]

The second reason is stainless construction, albeit sturdy, is somewhat heavy and slippery when wet.

Yes. I've never had any interest in stainless scales. Count me among those not buying them.

[Blerv]

Some things are just before their time (and I'm NOT talking about the DeLorean! :p ).

Spyderco has always been on the cusp of interesting. They defy existing conventions and that sometimes means your going to whiff instead of knocking the ball out of the park.

These days certain popular cultures (few internet folks and youtube reviewers) are driving certain preferences. I'm sure they wouldn't see themselves as leading the charge but I have to think that a few thousand views encourages sales. That and the mall/camping store crowd that push the staple line.

A few more knives with jimping and bronze phosphor bushings are going to bother me though. Spyderco doesn't jump on the trend bandwagon without reason. The product is always strong.

[Mud Shrimp Moe]

I also admire Spyderco for putting out knives that I suspect Spyderco realizes will have limited appeal. The Rock Lobster thread discusses the pricing. I'm sure if they thought the Rock Lobster would sell at, say, Para 2 levels, that they could afford to price it more aggressively. But when recouping fixed costs, any company has to consider what sort of sales volume the unit will sell at. And some specialty knives will never sell at Delica type volumes, so the price must be higher.

[Blerv]

Agreed.

Not to sound like a blithering fanboy but the various blade shapes and abundance of serrated models (like a FULL row of teeth) are very rare for the industry. Of course we wish there were more hawkbills, more serrated knives, and more snobby steels but somewhere between childish glee and pragmatism a company has to be run.

[The Deacon]

The SS Rescues were competing with both the FRN versions, which were about half the price and less than half the weight, as well as the Mariner which gave more blade for a few dollars less. If I had to guess, that's why they lost. C54 Calypso had the same warped blade issue that the FRN and micarta Calypso Jrs had. It may have been a factor in their demise.

There's also the fact that the internet has changed the knife market, perhaps more than it has changed a lot of industries. Brick and mortar dealers, whose display space was normally finite, were less willing to continually add new items than eTailers who only need to add them to a web page. So there was more reluctance to take on yet another version of the same model, or new models that looked fairly similar to existing ones.

[Gerard Breuker]

Although I have no knowledge of the actual sales of the above models I am not surprised these didn't do well. I believe the real numbers come form people buying one or maybe two knives, are looking for a general purpose knife and are less inclined to buy a rescue or a hawkbill. For my one and only 'expensive' knife I wouldn't buy one of these either.

[Sequimite]

Ed Schempp is probably the biggest victim. His first model, the Persian, hit it big before the Japanese Yen soared out of sight. Later models had the double hit of high prices and very unique designs. Both factors inhibit reaching a critical mass of early adopters.

I'm glad to see the Navaja and now the Tuff sourced in Taiwan.

[JD Spydo]

One reason may be some Spyderco knives' designs are released/invented before their time. Take the Dodo for example. But that being said, the Dodo being re-released as a sprint will still not appeal to the masses like the Delica or Endura. To some it will always be an expensive box cutter.

As to the stainless Rescue models I will guess that because the Rescue models appeal only to a slice of the population, that is part of the reason. The second reason is stainless construction, albeit sturdy, is somewhat heavy and slippery when wet. And lastly, in my experience stainless Spydercos seem to lack ease of opening like some other slick and smooth opening Spydies.

I do think the C-54 Calypso could make a decent comeback...

Very Estute and great points made "hiredgun" :cool: >> I just about 100% agree with everything you said. And for the Dodo model Eric Glesser was truly ahead of his time on that design. I still use my Blue PE Dodo in the basement here where I work and it is a box cutter's dream when you are dealing with very fibrous and heavy tape for instance.

Also you are a member of the same choir I belong to singing the praises of the C-54 Calypso. If there was ever a "SUPER SPYDER" that literally fell through the marketing cracks it was indeed the C-54 which is still on my all time top 10 ratings.

I do slightly disagree with you or at least have a slightly different take on the Stainless Rescue models>> because their predecessor the Mariner model had pretty much the same stainless handle but sold great for many years. As a matter of fact it was the First Spyder I ever owned and I deeply regret trading it away.

But on the other hand there just may have been too many stainless models in the line up at that particular time and era. But great observation "hiredgun">> if I see on the streets of Spyderville I own you a cup of KONA coffee my friend :D

[gaj999]

Weight, price, and duplication of function all play a part for me. I've grown away from heavy, overbuilt knives in general. Besides weight and price, I don't like stainless handles. Slippery, cold, heavy and uncomfortable come immediately to mind. If I could only have one handle material, it would be FRN.

I did buy the first Perrin. But I wouldn't buy it again today. It's too thick and way too thick behind the edge for me. It lives in the kitchen where it gets used for abusive tasks. If I could find the sheath, I'd sell it on the Bay and replace it with one of my Mules.

Gordon

[Hector Castro]

I purchased the C54 fully serrated at a gun show, when it first came out. I did not buy knives back then to collect, I bought them based on looks and utility. I believe it did compete with the police at the time. The police has always been a hot seller.
The G-10 harpy is one of my favorites. I purchased one when they first came out, and ended up EDC'ing it for 3 years. That knife would cut anything. The tip has been broken a few times, but it still cuts great. I ended up buying a second one as a back up, then my buddy found a NIB one and bought it for me, because he knew how much I liked the knife. Both are great knives. I never really carried the Calypso, it was really large and I was in high school back then. I could get away with the delica or harpy, but the calypso scared people. I am not sure what happened to the Rescue. I never really liked it. I have never owned a sheeps foot fully serrated spydie, and I think I have over 200 now. Odd?

[hiredgun]

But great observation "hiredgun">> if I see on the streets of Spyderville I own you a cup of KONA coffee my friend :D

Thanks for the compliments. I sure coulda used a cup of something hot today. Some day my friend. :)

[JD Spydo]

One other possibility I've thought about is that during what I often refer to as the Golden Era of Spyders 1998 - 2003 I believe that there were so many Super Spyders during that time that many great models got eclipsed. Many of these models never made it to dealer's showrooms and there were so many mainline models selling so good that some of the other more obscure models never got their day in the sun so to speak.

And that makes sense from the standpoint that many of them never got any significant attention until they became the talk of the collector community. It has to be something like that because it just doesn't make sense that the Caly jr would be the blockbuster that it was and the original big Calypso didn't even last on the main line up more than a year or so >> not to mention that to this day few people even know that the model even exists.

Extra expense surely was a contributing factor for sure. But as high quality as the big Dyad and C-54 Calypso were it does not make sense for them to be overlooked under normal circumstances. I'm looking for models like the KRIS, The STryker, and to some extent the Impala to also fit into this same category unfortunately. Again Super models that for whatever reason had to take a back seat.

[phillipsted]

A couple of knives that I absolutely love, but which didn't seem to be big sellers were the original aluminum Terzuolas (C15 and C19). These were Sal's first collaboration models - and if I recall, they were the first ones with washers (PFTE or nylon). They are smooth as glass...

The Jr. model (C19) was produced only one year (1993), and it is my personal favorite. But I love 'em all...

TedP

P.S. - bring on the Starmate Sprint!

[Donut]

I think that when the Spyder Crew signs on interns, there is fine print that offers a bonus to anyone who can cause JD Spydo to make a thread like this one.

It's obviously a conspiracy.

[yowzer]

Barong, Khukri and Dyad come to mind.

[JD Spydo]

Barong, Khukri and Dyad come to mind.

I know we all have different likes and dislikes and personal preferences and so forth. But the C-44 big Dyad is one that truly does perplex me. Since I carried, used, hunted, fished and even help field dress a snapping turtle with my Dyad it became one of my top 3 all time favorite Spyders immediately.

With the best of both Spyder worlds (PE & SE) in one folder I just can't for the life of me figure why that knife didn't become a flagship model :confused:

I still carry my EDC Dyad from time to time but I'm leary about carrying it all the time. Because until they either do a sprint run or put them back in the line up I won't risk losing that one. But that knife is an outdoorsman's dream knife in my opinion. I do hope that they eventually bring it back. Because there is no reason why the Dyad didn't become sales chart rocket. I do believe we will see it back either as a Sprint run or maybe an H-1 version. Both would be fine by me :cool:

[Knifewing]

I have to add my 2 cents re the unpopularity of stainless handles; I just find them too slick to open easily--even with dry hands. I've traded or sold all of mine--with the exception of the Lava, which I like way to much to lose. But if Spyderco ever brought out a G-10 version, my SS would be gone.