Factory Seconds Sale Advice

[EDC Honeybee]

Hi, new here. Brief introduction. Been carrying pocket knives of one kind or another for the last 10 years or so and have a variety of them. As of right now, my only spyderco is a honeybee (don't grab your pitchforks yet!). The honeybee has been a great keychain knife, mostly carried with a leek or opinel 8. Here is my small collection, including a couple cheap souvenir knives. I also have gotten into making knives and am in the process of making a couple 3.5in hunters to make a matching pair for my father and I.

I am looking to get into some different and nicer spyderco knives as possibilities for EDC. I heard about the seconds sale coming up about 30 minutes away from where I live and figured it is too good to pass up. As a grad student I have pretty limited funds, so I decided to start by allowing myself $75 and add to it where possible. Work an extra couple hours, add 20-30$. Dont order a drink at lunch, add $2. So on and so forth. Hoping to have 150-200ish by the time the sale comes around.

So then I went overboard with the research as I am prone to do. I made a huge chart to start "planning" my purchases. Basically I did research on the forums and on youtube, and went through every current item in the spyderco online catalogue to narrow it down to blades I would possibly buy. Then I prioritized them by EDCness for me and other attributes like steel type. Green is first priority, yellow is second, red is third. If it isn't on the list, I am not terribly interested in it. I figured that the sale would likely have more Golden knives than imported, so I marked USA knives with a blue USA. Then I calculated prices on msrp and amazon, and used prior year's forum posts to calculate an "expected" sale price. So here it is. I think the chart is mostly factually correct but be sure to point out anything I missed, Im pretty new to the lineup.

I prefer small knives (under 3.00'' generally), light knives, and knives with clips (tip up wire clips if possible). One hand opening is preferable, and locking is preferred but not required.

Onto the questions (before I put you to sleep):
What knives are usually offered at these seconds sales? For instance I have the mule team knives on the list, but they may not be there. Import knives and some others may not be there.
Do you see anything crazy about my prioritization? Am I underrating a great knife or over-prioritizing another?
Does the store rotate stock throughout the day? I was planning to show up an hour or so before opening (not camping out like some of you). Does that give me a decent chance at getting something I want?
Any other considerations?

Looking forward to the input of some of you!

[SG89]

I can't help you with seconds sale advice but you can't go wrong with a dragonfly, ladybug, Manbug, native, and pm2. I think they are great and serve different purposes. If you are looking to buy for knives that you will use the ones I listed are great. If you're looking to collect then get sprints or discontinued models but remember they are seconds. Welcome to the forum! It's fun here :)

[EDC Honeybee]

I am mostly looking for a knife to use. I dont use them real hard but I am not really in a collectors frame of mind. Mostly I want something to be proud of, use, and have fun with. Thanks for the input! I put the PM2 on the list just because of the universal praise it gets, but I am somewhat concerned it will be too big to EDC for me. I think I need to handle one. Might go to the factory outlet next week to pre-shop and get to see some of them in person.

[SG89]

I am mostly looking for a knife to use. I dont use them real hard but I am not really in a collectors frame of mind. Mostly I want something to be proud of, use, and have fun with. Thanks for the input! I put the PM2 on the list just because of the universal praise it gets, but I am somewhat concerned it will be too big to EDC for me. I think I need to handle one. Might go to the factory outlet next week to pre-shop and get to see some of them in person.

Sounds like a good plan I hear the staff is very nice there. I am super jealous by the way. Have fun :)

[Ashton]

The Dragonfly is one of my favorites, and you can't go wrong with that choice. But also take a look at the Caly 3 - It has the wire clip you seem to like (and I like as well) and it's kinda small and a quality 'everyday' use knife that fits in (in my opinion) better in an office (as opposed to outdoor) atmosphere. I carry my Caly 3 and Sage all the time when in 'professional' mode. Good luck man!

[EDC Honeybee]

The Dragonfly is one of my favorites, and you can't go wrong with that choice. But also take a look at the Caly 3 - It has the wire clip you seem to like (and I like as well) and it's kinda small and a quality 'everyday' use knife that fits in (in my opinion) better in an office (as opposed to outdoor) atmosphere. I carry my Caly 3 and Sage all the time when in 'professional' mode. Good luck man!

Thanks Ashton. The one thing that dissuaded me about the Caly 3 was the price vs features. It does look like a sweet knife. If it is a really solid edc I should at least give it a chance. Looks like this is the only current model https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/detail ... roduct=298" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and I am not sure how far back the seconds sales go. 260 MSRP would put it somewhere in the 75-85$ range (assuming pricing stays similar from previous years). That is certainly a doable price. In your opinion, what puts the caly 3 around $150 over a native in MSRP price? I understand that CF probably costs a good bit more, but otherwise the are both of similar blade length and have great steels.

EDIT: Watched some reviews on the Caly 3. Quite attractive, and I didnt realize it was laminated zdp. Not sure that would really benefit me in the types of carry situations I have, but still pretty neat and likely contributes to the cost.

[GoldenSpydie]

For $150 to $200, you can definitely get a handful of great users. IIRC, there are tons of Golden models, but plenty of the standard imports as well. The foreign sprints and exotic models are less common.

At the last sale, some prices were:

$50 PM2 S30V
$75 Military S30V
$35 Manix 2 154CM
$50 Manix 2 lightweight S110V
$35 Native lightweight S30V or S35VN

I would expect most of these to stay the same, because I doubt that they'll relabel a bunch of knives that didn't sell.

[Ashton]

I don't have a Native - its one of the only models I don't have so I can't speak about that model. I like the Native, but just have other knives that fit its place. I'm a big fan of the Manix 2 LW - but that might be a little big for what I thought you were interested in.

And I do realize that Caly 3 is a bit more pricey (for likely the reasons you state) but I personally really like the shape and feel of it. The ZDP gets scary sharp and is a little bit more 'fancy' of a steel. Others might beat me up for saying it, but I treat ZDP as a lighter duty (not hard use) steel. That LW Manix 2 gets beat on and used hard - but not carried/used in an office environment, the Manix 2 is more for working outside or light weekend carry, so might not be what you are looking for.

For 'the office' I usually carry my Sage or that Caly 3. Another good, cost effective, option might be the Sage model. Different locks, different construction than the Caly 3, but around the same size............................. Too many options!!!! Haha, apologies if I confused you more than helped you. But pick up and hold different models and that might help your decision.

[EDC Honeybee]

Haha, GoldenSpydie, I think it may have been these same numbers that you posted from the 2014 sale that I based my 30% number on.

I am very interested to hear about the makeup of the knives at the sale. The fact that there are "tons of Golden models" suggests that I ought to be able to get my hands on a Native. My thinking is that a Native and Dragonfly combination would get me a couple of solid knives for most occasions. I figure the chart I made leaves plenty of variance so that no matter what I will be able to leave with something I am happy with, plus leave some 50-100$ leftover to pick up something else fun.

@Ashton I understand what you are saying a bit. Sometimes things just feel nice without any great reason. Ive added the caly 3 to my list. Most days I am in a button up and slacks if not a suit, and the CF does tend to seem more like a gentlemans knife. IDK if they will have any there but I will keep my eye out.

[jabba359]

Like GoldenSpydie said, most of the 2nds are USA-made knives, probably because Taiwan and Japan conduct a level of QC before shipping out, weeding out what would have been seconds in CO before they even get shipped over. There were knives from the other makers, but the majority were from the USA. They did have Mules at the last sale, but I only recall seeing the Cruwear Mule. Perhaps they'll have others at this one.

They rotate new stock in throughout the day. I camped out last year and was one of the first 5 or so people in. I ended up going back at the end of the day because I realized I had left my jacket hanging in the lobby. Even at the end of the day, they had tons of the Manix and Para 2 left. I even found some rarer pieces at the end of the sale (such as a fluted Ti Military).

Regarding the Caly costing more than a Native, it likely has to do with a few things: more expensive materials (ZDP steel and carbon fiber handles); the exchange rate at the time pricing was determined (the yen was much higher last year around the time they determined pricing, but has dropped quite a bit since then, so perhaps we'll see pricing on Japanese models revised lower next year?); and the cost of having to ship the knives all the way across the ocean to Colorado.

[gaj999]

You ranked the Centofante 3 below the Delica? I hope that's because of the small difference in blade length and not style, comfort, or cutting ability ... the Centofante is probably the best cut for the buck sleeper in the whole lineup. My Centofantes are the very last Spydercos I'd let go under pressure, regardless of price. I got three at the sale a few years ago. $25 and I couldn't find a thing wrong with two of them, on the third the logo bug had fallen off, there was nothing functionally wrong and I filled the hole with epoxy. If I were going to the sale again, I'd show up around 5 the evening before with a sleeping bag ... it's a great deal for those willing to trade time for money. Good hunting

Gordon

[EDC Honeybee]

@Jabba359, thank you for the info. Good to hear that you don't have to camp out to have a chance at some cool blades. Didn't think about the exchange rate, thats an interesting point. So excited.

@Gaj999, the reason I rated the delica higher was mostly from reviews and popularity. I haven't handled either of them. I do like the that the Centofante 3 is more gentlemanly, but the extra .25 while closed, blade shape, pinned construction, and no FFG also gave the delica a leg up in my mind. Thank you for the input, I certainly will have to take a look at the centofante when I go into the factory outlet soon.

[TazKristi]

Hi EDC Honeybee,
Welcome to the Spyderco Forum. We hope you enjoy your time here. You shouldn't encounter any pitchforks, though - we're fortunate to have a great community that is typically very welcoming to anyone who joins and wants to learn more. We're all here to learn. You could have joined without owning a single Spyderco yet and I suspect the welcome would be just as kind.

Impressive planning for the sale!

Kristi

[EDC Honeybee]

@TazKristi, thank you for the kind welcome! Seems like a great community

[bearfacedkiller]

Welcome Honeybee. I was at the sale last year as well. Considering your budget I would try to snag up as many of the Golden knives as you can. They seemed to be better deals. Spyderco basically buys the other knives from other makers so they can't cut the price as low as they can on the knives thay manufacture themselves. At least that is my theory. The deals on the S110V Native5 and CTS204P Para2s at the sale last year were amazing. You say that you are hoping to have 150-200 dollars. If so then I think you can grab a Native5, Para2, and a Manix2 all easily for that price and probably even in sprint/exclusive/forumknife form. Also, look at the prices on all of the knives there. They are not all priced the same. Just cause all the Para2s you looked at were $50 doesn't mean that there isn't a cheaper one on the table. They are priced based on the defect. Also, take more knives than you plan to buy and find a place to dump your basket out and look through them and try to find the defect before you buy. I did amazing last year but I did get burned pretty good on one knife that had a cracked blade. It was subtle and I didn't actually notice it for a couple weeks. All sales are final. Caveat Emptor. Have fun!!!! I can't wait!!!

[EDC Honeybee]

@Bearfacedkiller, great advice. I think I have my heart set on a native for sure. I think I need to see the Manix and PM for sure. Right now my griptillian is one of my nicest but least used knives just because of how large it is and how it carries. I am a bit concerned that the Manix and PM would fall into a similar camp. But they sure are pretty. If they carried thinner than the griptillian then I could definitely edc them.

[bearfacedkiller]

You will do fine. There are plenty of knives there and as long as you take your time you can't lose. I admire your level of planning and being a big fan of data I always love a good table but once you get in there the pandemonium starts. It a small place with a lot of people. I thought I had a plan and then I got in there and, well, for a knife geek it is a little overwhelming. I had a decent budget to work with and even with around $600 in my pocket I still threw my plan out the window and just started chucking every good deal in my basket to sort out later. In the end the wish list I brought looked very different than what I ended up with. I was i the first group with Kyle though so things were pretty exciting and frantic when we walked in. Kind of like when they open the doors on black friday. Well, not quite that bad, nobody got hurt. I was in the first 10 people and the first box I reached at was full of fluted ti and from that point on my head was spinning. Good luck. Like Kyle said, they can't fit all the knives in the showroom at the beginning of the sale so they keep bringing more out and there were super premium knives being brought out in later boxes too. There was probably some advantage to being first but no matter what time of day you show up you will be able to find some sweet knives for great deals.

[EDC Honeybee]

Good to know. A lot of the reason I made the chart wasnt to make a strict plan but to get me familiar with the spyderco line and figure out what models I might be interested in and what to look and how much to save. As someone with limited spyderco exposure, many of the knives look very similar on a computer screen (Im looking at you dragonfly/delica/endura/PM) with the bidirectional FRN and the leaf shaped blade. My girlfriend literally thinks I have been watching videos on a single knife for the last week.

Also I wanted to brush up on spyderco's steel offerings and pricing schemes to find out if the sale was worth it (looks like it probably is).

How are the offerings for sharpening stones? Were there bench stones, sharpmakers, or golden stones at the sale? I think I remember reading someone say that they had the bench stones but there wasnt much information.

[bearfacedkiller]

Yup, the deals on stones were the best deals there as far as markdown goes. I can't remember exactly but benchstones were like 2 bucks each or something and sharpmaker rods were like a dollar or less. They are warped or chipped but I sifted through the large pile of stones and found tons of very usable ones. I did not see any sharpmaker bases but maybe they were there. There were plenty of all of the ceramic stones and even some that were discontinued like the 701 profile stones and a couple of stones that I have never even seen in the catalog.

Even though the sale was chaotic, much like this forum, everybody was super friendly and willing to help out. That includes the employees and customers. Nobody was fighting over knives or anything like that. Quite the opposite really, we were all helping eachother fill our wshlists. If in doubt just throw it in your basket, you can sort through it after while you ask any questions you may have. They had a spot designated just for us to do out sorting so we were sort of out of the way. With the prep work you have already done combined with the awesome selection and the willingness of everybody to help you should do great.

[bearfacedkiller]

I bought all this last year and I am not sure what I paid but it was less than a single bench stone usually costs by quite a bit. I didn't really need them but they are all for backups and the price was right. I am gonna buy a ton of them this years for gifts for some family members.