Spyderco Forums

Was thinking about this today... I have come really close to picking a few of Spyderco’s Blurple S110V family of knifes up, but always end up looking and picking up something else.

On paper I feel like I need* one. In practice I think the blurple keeps me from buying one. Anyone else share the same opinion?

*need - a word used to explain to the wife why you had no other choice than to buy a new knife; often confused with “want” which leaves room for debate.

I think the blurple has steered some folks away from s110v for sure, however I have seen quite a few people speaking pretty highly of the color, and even a few remarks on having bought a second PM2 or other model simply due to the color. I'd say it's probably down the middle 50/50.

However I will say while not nearly close to one of my favorite steels, I think anyone who has a hard on for steel should check out s110v. The working edge on those bad boys are wild. It's very strange, even when unable to shave to any degree, it holds a weirdly aggressive working edge for a long long time.

Nah a lot of people like it from what I see, it's a great G10 color imho. Looks nice in the sun.

I like the colour, I’m just not especially into S110V.

If I want to try out a particular steel, the colour makes no difference to me.

It’s easy enough to dye, swap out, or fit custom scales.

I bought my PM2 and Military s110v’s because of the burple. Its unique and the burple has faded/worn into more of a navy blue which looks even better I think.

I can't tell that there's an issue with sales. They seem to be slowly disappearing from most of my go to sites.

It seems to be a polarizing color but I like it. Most colors seem to be somewhat polarizing which is why so many knives are black.

If they are in fact selling slow it is probably because it is expensive and sometimes a challenge to sharpen.

Meanwhile there are people buying up that disgusting burnt orange like crazy so maybe people just have weird taste when it comes to colors.

1. People who will buy an s110v Spyderco regardless of color.
2. People who would ONLY buy the s110v Spyderco because it is blurple.
3. People who would otherwise have purchased an s110v Spyderco but will not buy it BECAUSE it is blurple.

The first group is almost certainly the largest. Between 2 and 3, I suspect that #3 is a larger group than #2, but who knows.

Evil D wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 30, 2020 4:38 am

Meanwhile there are people buying up that disgusting burnt orange like crazy so maybe people just have weird taste when it comes to colors.

Well, David, that's a point on which we could not disagree more...

I personally honestly really like burnt orange! :)
(And luckily also HAP 40 and REX 45)

Evil D wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 30, 2020 4:38 am

Meanwhile there are people buying up that disgusting burnt orange like crazy so maybe people just have weird taste when it comes to colors.

Yeah I'd take Blurple over burnt orange any day.

The Meat man wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 30, 2020 5:27 am

Evil D wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 30, 2020 4:38 am

Meanwhile there are people buying up that disgusting burnt orange like crazy so maybe people just have weird taste when it comes to colors.

Yeah I'd take Blurple over burnt orange any day.

For me it's just the other way round...:)

I prefer the burnt orange. The S110V isn't my favorite either.

Wartstein wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 30, 2020 5:20 am

Evil D wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 30, 2020 4:38 am

Meanwhile there are people buying up that disgusting burnt orange like crazy so maybe people just have weird taste when it comes to colors.

Well, David, that's a point on which we could not disagree more...

I personally honestly really like burnt orange! :)
(And luckily also HAP 40 and REX 45)

Ok so I may have intentionally kicked the bee hive with that comment to make a point. It's easy to assume since you don't like something that everyone else must not like it too but that's usually not the case, especially regarding color preference. Just look at the spectrum of colors that cars are bought in, some of them really make me wonder why anyone would be caught dead driving a car in those colors but they wouldn't exist if people weren't buying them.

Evil D wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 30, 2020 5:44 am

Just look at the spectrum of colors that cars are bought in, some of them really make me wonder why anyone would be caught dead driving a car in those colors but they wouldn't exist if people weren't buying them.

This is so true. I’m one of those who loves to drive a car that you could spot in a parking lot from an airplane, but not everyone is like that. As bearfacedkiller said, there’s a reason most knives are black, and in the same way there’s a reason most parking lots are full of cars somewhere along a greyscale with a few dark red or blue cars mixed in. They are most universally accepted, so it’s what most dealers stock. In reference to the question at hand though, as surfingringo mentioned, there’s probably a similar number of people who are buying the S110V knives because of the color as there are people who aren’t. In the end, I’m sure the effect the blurple has on sales is a wash.

Hambone wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 29, 2020 11:51 pm

*need - a word used to explain to the wife why you had no other chance than to buy a new knife; often confused with “want” which leaves room for debate.

:D

For me Blurple is a major turn off, but so are all these teals/bright greens/yellow/pink. I don't want a knife that looks like an easter egg. Especially on a knife that's deemed tough, it makes them look prissy in my opinion.

A couple years ago I had a S110V Military that I got on ebay brand new for around $150. I wanted to try the steel because I thought, and still think it would be great for my type of work and preferences...I just couldn't get over that color though, and ended up selling it after a week or two.

Blue used to be my favorite color when I was a kid. By the time I was in my mid-20s, I had developed positive associations with most other colors. I don't really care what color my knife scales are, as long as they don't look like something pumped out of a septic tank - the S90V burl G-10 Manix sprint comes to mind. Steel type is far more important.

All else being equal, I prefer burnt orange to blurple, but the translucent G-10 colors (natural, camo, blurple, red) seem to have higher 'wear resistance', and retain the crispness of their peel ply texture for longer than the opaque colors.

I think the price and "sharpening horror stories" drive people away more than color. Though the sharpening issue is way overblown in my opinion, it’s really not that bad. Blurple and S110V is a great combo in my opinion.

It’s interesting to see how polarizing the color thing is. Personally, I don’t want to see another black or OD green knife ever again. Boring. Bring on the colors! I love having a collection spanning the whole spectrum. In fact, I only buy black knives if it’s the only way to get a particular model.

The Meat man wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 30, 2020 5:27 am

Evil D wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 30, 2020 4:38 am

Meanwhile there are people buying up that disgusting burnt orange like crazy so maybe people just have weird taste when it comes to colors.

Yeah I'd take Blurple over burnt orange any day.

Everyone will have a favorite between the two but my guess is that you are in the minority. I just saw that someone posted a poll but I wanted to fire my guess out there before I watch the results come in. Haha. We’ll see.