Spyderco Forums

Is my perception based on experiences that you all have had?
Most people who I know and speak with that use knives (kitchen work both at home and in restaurants, special job use like opening boxes in warehouses and folks in construction, etc) only seem to look at stuff like:

Can the knife cut what I need to cut?
Can the blade resist rust enough to not get deep pits in the edge or flake into oxide powder in normal use?
Is the blade flexible and tough enough so as to not shatter if I cut chicken or beef bones, and break down cardboard boxes?

For example, I showed some such folks my Pacific Salt with the new H2 blade. These are folks who buy knives (mostly Chinese made but if American the company that rhymes with Duck, which makes great knives, too), or a Mora if they really want to get something new.

They just basically shrugged and said "good knife', almost as if 114 years of stainless steel and 45 years of modern knives have desensitized their awe at these new alloys with superlative hardness, corrosion resistance, edge holding, etc properties.

I was overjoyed that H1 and H2 and now LC200N and MagnaCut CAN NOT RUST. Why do you all think these folks do not see what you and I see?

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 02, 2025 11:49 am

Is my perception based on experiences that you all have had?
Most people who I know and speak with that use knives (kitchen work both at home and in restaurants, special job use like opening boxes in warehouses and folks in construction, etc) only seem to look at stuff like:

Can the knife cut what I need to cut?
Can the blade resist rust enough to not get deep pits in the edge or flake into oxide powder in normal use?
Is the blade flexible and tough enough so as to not shatter if I cut chicken or beef bones, and break down cardboard boxes?

For example, I showed some such folks my Pacific Salt with the new H2 blade. These are folks who buy knives (mostly Chinese made but if American the company that rhymes with Duck, which makes great knives, too), or a Mora if they really want to get something new.

They just basically shrugged and said "good knife', almost as if 114 years of stainless steel and 45 years of modern knives have desensitized their awe at these new alloys with superlative hardness, corrosion resistance, edge holding, etc properties.

I was overjoyed that H1 and H2 and now LC200N and MagnaCut CAN NOT RUST. Why do you all think these folks do not see what you and I see?

Perhaps Spyderco needs to take out several full page ads in the New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Field and Stream, and hunting / boating / yachting / scuba-diving magazines and tell people about one steel at a time.

Maybe they do already. It is hard to get people to read what looks like an ad. Spyderco needs their name prominently on the ad to drive sales, but be informative enough to drive sales.

People have different interests.

I know some people who are wildly passionate about their favorite football or baseball teams. I couldn't care less. And some of those people probably cannot understand how anybody wouldn't share their same level of interest in those sports.

There are people who are passionate about fancy sports cars, and can talk about every quality and detail of how they work that makes one special. Again, I couldn't care less. All I want is a good car that is dependable, comfortable, and allows me to get to where I want to get to, with minimum concerns.

Simply put, all people don't share the same interests, or the same level of interest in a particular subject. Most people just want a fairly decent knife that they can use for cutting things they want cut, with easy and minimal care. Just like there are many subjects people are deeply interested in that you yourself are not interested in.

I have interests that some people are interested in, and a lot of people aren't. I don't sweat that; I still enjoy my interests, whether others share them or not.

Jim

James Y wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 02, 2025 3:41 pm

People have different interests.

I know some people who are wildly passionate about their favorite football or baseball teams. I couldn't care less. And some of those people probably cannot understand how anybody wouldn't share their same level of interest in those sports.

There are people who are passionate about fancy sports cars, and can talk about every quality and detail of how they work that makes one special. Again, I couldn't care less. All I want is a good car that is dependable, comfortable, and allows me to get to where I want to get to, with minimum concerns.

Simply put, all people don't share the same interests, or the same level of interest in a particular subject. Most people just want a fairly decent knife that they can use for cutting things they want cut, with easy and minimal care. Just like there are many subjects people are deeply interested in that you yourself are not interested in.

I have interests that some people are interested in, and a lot of people aren't. I don't sweat that; I still enjoy my interests, whether others share them or not.

Jim

Jim,

I pretty much think the same way.

A lot of people really get overly carried away with their interests.

It can be nice to have a hobby or an interest, but not to the point where it can be overwhelming.

Jim.

The way that I look at interests, sports, hobbies, certain eccentric lifestyles is escapism. People cannot handle what they are looking at in life, it can be boring or grim and they find something to take their mind off of what they are facing.

Society is built by all of these different interests, they are like parallel universes, and we are passing by each other day-to-day not knowing what the other person thinks, does, or specializes in - in physical ability or mental know how.

I always marveled at how we are all different, and how some are so "out there" that they still find a way to fit in to the larger mass.

The family(husband, wife, and children) that all wildly dress up and put on makeup every weekend for NFL or college football games is no different than another family getting ready for rut season and going on a massive hunting trip is no different than a family wrapped up in NASCAR races and goes to every race.

ESCAPISM

*double post. See next post.

To clarify, IMO, there is nothing wrong with being passionate about one's interests. It's a lot better than NOT having any interests outside of waking up, going to work, coming home, eating supper, drinking a beer, going to bed, rinse and repeat ad nauseum until retirement; then having no interests outside of those things at all to live for.

It can become an issue when it becomes so all-encompassing that the person adopts a "born-again" mentality, and expects everyone else to see and / or appreciate their passion the way they do. It's okay to share an interest if someone else expresses real curiosity about it.

Telling most people about the amazing developments in metallurgy throughout human history to the point we are at now is probably not going to convert them into becoming knife afis. Unless they already have some level of interest in the subject, proselytizing about it is quite likely to turn many people off from the subject.

I'm interested in the evolution of steels, and metallurgy in general. Probably not as extensively as most active members of this forum, but certainly far more than your average person who is not a knife enthusiast.

I have some interests that, if I'm having a discussion with another who is also an enthusiast, we can talk for hours on end about it, which is something that is very rare for me to do. Most people won't ever know I have such an interest, because I will never bring it up to just anyone, or for no reason. A lot of the stuff I create threads about on this forum are things I only verbally discuss with certain rare people I already know who share those same interests. The difference here is that with a thread, if someone wasn't interested in the subject to some degree, they wouldn't have opened it, and they can always choose to read, watch a posted video, or not; it isn't being forced on them.

I know that when some random person (or even someone I might know) launches into some tirade about football, or the mechanics behind sports cars, or starts quoting scripture, or a hundred other things I have no personal interest in, my mind wanders off into other things. And I'm certain the exact same would happen to them, if I tried to push my interests onto them.

Jim

Ankerson wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 02, 2025 11:07 pm

James Y wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 02, 2025 3:41 pm

People have different interests.

I know some people who are wildly passionate about their favorite football or baseball teams. I couldn't care less. And some of those people probably cannot understand how anybody wouldn't share their same level of interest in those sports.

There are people who are passionate about fancy sports cars, and can talk about every quality and detail of how they work that makes one special. Again, I couldn't care less. All I want is a good car that is dependable, comfortable, and allows me to get to where I want to get to, with minimum concerns.

Simply put, all people don't share the same interests, or the same level of interest in a particular subject. Most people just want a fairly decent knife that they can use for cutting things they want cut, with easy and minimal care. Just like there are many subjects people are deeply interested in that you yourself are not interested in.

I have interests that some people are interested in, and a lot of people aren't. I don't sweat that; I still enjoy my interests, whether others share them or not.

Jim

Jim,

I pretty much think the same way.

A lot of people really get overly carried away with their interests.

It can be nice to have a hobby or an interest, but not to the point where it can be overwhelming.

Jim.

With all due respect to you both, I respectfully disagree.

To me, ANYONE with the slightest bit of human reason should at the very least be able to look beyond the "oh scary weapon!" And the "oh all I need is for it to cut" mentality, and should appreciate the design history of knives.

Here is why it is different than sports, cars, and other interests. Knives were and are the fundamental foundation of creation and technology.

1 in order to create the universe matter had to be separated, divided. Knife. Sword. Right there.

2 Picking up found rocks and sticks is one thing. Using tools to make tools is technology. Even fire is a type of energy based blade. No animal uses tools to make tools. Animals like apes and birds will use found objects to perform work but do not use tools to make tools.

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 03, 2025 10:54 am

Ankerson wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 02, 2025 11:07 pm

James Y wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 02, 2025 3:41 pm

People have different interests.

I know some people who are wildly passionate about their favorite football or baseball teams. I couldn't care less. And some of those people probably cannot understand how anybody wouldn't share their same level of interest in those sports.

There are people who are passionate about fancy sports cars, and can talk about every quality and detail of how they work that makes one special. Again, I couldn't care less. All I want is a good car that is dependable, comfortable, and allows me to get to where I want to get to, with minimum concerns.

Simply put, all people don't share the same interests, or the same level of interest in a particular subject. Most people just want a fairly decent knife that they can use for cutting things they want cut, with easy and minimal care. Just like there are many subjects people are deeply interested in that you yourself are not interested in.

I have interests that some people are interested in, and a lot of people aren't. I don't sweat that; I still enjoy my interests, whether others share them or not.

Jim

Jim,

I pretty much think the same way.

A lot of people really get overly carried away with their interests.

It can be nice to have a hobby or an interest, but not to the point where it can be overwhelming.

Jim.

With all due respect to you both, I respectfully disagree.

To me, ANYONE with the slightest bit of human reason should at the very least be able to look beyond the "oh scary weapon!" And the "oh all I need is for it to cut" mentality, and should appreciate the design history of knives.

Here is why it is different than sports, cars, and other interests. Knives were and are the fundamental foundation of creation and technology.

1 in order to create the universe matter had to be separated, divided. Knife. Sword. Right there.

2 Picking up found rocks and sticks is one thing. Using tools to make tools is technology. Even fire is a type of energy based blade. No animal uses tools to make tools. Animals like apes and birds will use found objects to perform work but do not use tools to make tools.

You are still talking about a hobby basically or an interest, there is no way around that.

Like I posted it can be good to have a hobby or an interest.

BUT,

Not to the point that it's overwhelming.

I did not think much about muscle cars or sports cars until I read a few generic magazines related to cars. Then I picked up the muscle and sports car magazines, and they had technical break-downs of the engines.

Talking about cams, and how the lobes on the cams determine the opening and closing of the valves and that certain profiles were better than other for naturally aspirated engines vs supercharged engines.

There have probably books written just on cams!

But you have to start somewhere, and somebody has to feed you the information.

After thinking about it I see what you mean.

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 03, 2025 10:54 am

Ankerson wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 02, 2025 11:07 pm

James Y wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 02, 2025 3:41 pm

People have different interests.

I know some people who are wildly passionate about their favorite football or baseball teams. I couldn't care less. And some of those people probably cannot understand how anybody wouldn't share their same level of interest in those sports.

There are people who are passionate about fancy sports cars, and can talk about every quality and detail of how they work that makes one special. Again, I couldn't care less. All I want is a good car that is dependable, comfortable, and allows me to get to where I want to get to, with minimum concerns.

Simply put, all people don't share the same interests, or the same level of interest in a particular subject. Most people just want a fairly decent knife that they can use for cutting things they want cut, with easy and minimal care. Just like there are many subjects people are deeply interested in that you yourself are not interested in.

I have interests that some people are interested in, and a lot of people aren't. I don't sweat that; I still enjoy my interests, whether others share them or not.

Jim

Jim,

I pretty much think the same way.

A lot of people really get overly carried away with their interests.

It can be nice to have a hobby or an interest, but not to the point where it can be overwhelming.

Jim.

With all due respect to you both, I respectfully disagree.

To me, ANYONE with the slightest bit of human reason should at the very least be able to look beyond the "oh scary weapon!" And the "oh all I need is for it to cut" mentality, and should appreciate the design history of knives.

Here is why it is different than sports, cars, and other interests. Knives were and are the fundamental foundation of creation and technology.

1 in order to create the universe matter had to be separated, divided. Knife. Sword. Right there.

2 Picking up found rocks and sticks is one thing. Using tools to make tools is technology. Even fire is a type of energy based blade. No animal uses tools to make tools. Animals like apes and birds will use found objects to perform work but do not use tools to make tools.

SEF, you make a valid point, but you completely missed the point I was making.

My examples of sports, and fancy sports cars, were only random examples of subjects I chose to highlight as examples of things that many people are extremely passionate about, and delve deeply into, learn everything they can about them; and they probably cannot comprehend the idea that not everybody else are equally passionate about them. I was NOT comparing their relevance in historical human development.

Instead of sports and sports cars, I very well could have used as examples such topics as local politics, quantum physics, metaphysics, spiritual or religious studies, music, martial arts, firearms, archeology, zoology, composting, conservation, etc., as topics that many people are not only interested in, but are even wildly passionate about, and wonder how anybody on the planet would NOT share the same level of enthusiasm that they themselves have for them. The same way that you, me, and many other knife enthusiasts feel about knives and other bladed implements.

Not everybody shares their level of passion for those things. The majority of people on the planet would more than likely share no more than a passing interest, if even that much, in any one of those subjects.

Your question was how could any reasonably-minded person not be as deeply interested and in awe of the history of knives and the metallurgy behind them as you, me, or any other knife enthusiast is, and my answer was that everybody doesn't all share the same interests, just like there are subjects that you yourself would not be interested in.

Jim

Not everyone will have the same interests and or likes and dislikes.

It's like ice cream flavors, not everyone will like the same one

Ginger or Mary Ann?

James Y wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 04, 2025 8:55 am

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 03, 2025 10:54 am

Ankerson wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 02, 2025 11:07 pm

James Y wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 02, 2025 3:41 pm

People have different interests.

I know some people who are wildly passionate about their favorite football or baseball teams. I couldn't care less. And some of those people probably cannot understand how anybody wouldn't share their same level of interest in those sports.

There are people who are passionate about fancy sports cars, and can talk about every quality and detail of how they work that makes one special. Again, I couldn't care less. All I want is a good car that is dependable, comfortable, and allows me to get to where I want to get to, with minimum concerns.

Simply put, all people don't share the same interests, or the same level of interest in a particular subject. Most people just want a fairly decent knife that they can use for cutting things they want cut, with easy and minimal care. Just like there are many subjects people are deeply interested in that you yourself are not interested in.

I have interests that some people are interested in, and a lot of people aren't. I don't sweat that; I still enjoy my interests, whether others share them or not.

Jim

Jim,

I pretty much think the same way.

A lot of people really get overly carried away with their interests.

It can be nice to have a hobby or an interest, but not to the point where it can be overwhelming.

Jim.

With all due respect to you both, I respectfully disagree.

To me, ANYONE with the slightest bit of human reason should at the very least be able to look beyond the "oh scary weapon!" And the "oh all I need is for it to cut" mentality, and should appreciate the design history of knives.

Here is why it is different than sports, cars, and other interests. Knives were and are the fundamental foundation of creation and technology.

1 in order to create the universe matter had to be separated, divided. Knife. Sword. Right there.

2 Picking up found rocks and sticks is one thing. Using tools to make tools is technology. Even fire is a type of energy based blade. No animal uses tools to make tools. Animals like apes and birds will use found objects to perform work but do not use tools to make tools.

SEF, you make a valid point, but you completely missed the point I was making.

My examples of sports, and fancy sports cars, were only random examples of subjects I chose to highlight as examples of things that many people are extremely passionate about, and delve deeply into, learn everything they can about them; and they probably cannot comprehend the idea that not everybody else are equally passionate about them. I was NOT comparing their relevance in historical human development.

Instead of sports and sports cars, I very well could have used as examples such topics as local politics, quantum physics, metaphysics, spiritual or religious studies, music, martial arts, firearms, archeology, zoology, composting, conservation, etc., as topics that many people are not only interested in, but are even wildly passionate about, and wonder how anybody on the planet would NOT share the same level of enthusiasm that they themselves have for them. The same way that you, me, and many other knife enthusiasts feel about knives and other bladed implements.

Not everybody shares their level of passion for those things. The majority of people on the planet would more than likely share no more than a passing interest, if even that much, in any one of those subjects.

Your question was how could any reasonably-minded person not be as deeply interested and in awe of the history of knives and the metallurgy behind them as you, me, or any other knife enthusiast is, and my answer was that everybody doesn't all share the same interests, just like there are subjects that you yourself would not be interested in.

Jim

Yes, correct.

For example, I like to write with a good pen but some people are into all the different types of ink, pens, and pencils. I would rather focus on knives.

Ankerson wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 04, 2025 10:10 am

Not everyone will have the same interests and or likes and dislikes.

It's like ice cream flavors, not everyone will like the same one

Ginger or Mary Ann?

Both!

Ankerson and Naperville and all, do you think there are people who are not deep steel affis like us but who are not at the other extreme of not knowing the difference between a Spyderco vs a gas station knife?

Example, a middle ground where they know a good brand like Spyderco Buck or Cold Steel, but are not interested in steel makeup and the difference bwtween G10 and FRN?

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 05, 2025 8:51 pm

Ankerson and Naperville and all, do you think there are people who are not deep steel affis like us but who are not at the other extreme of not knowing the difference between a Spyderco vs a gas station knife?

Example, a middle ground where they know a good brand like Spyderco Buck or Cold Steel, but are not interested in steel makeup and the difference bwtween G10 and FRN?

As far as EDC's go for the majority steels really doesn't matter much.

Since MOST people really don't use their knives anyway, they are pocket jewelry, flip toys or photo props at best. So it wouldn't matter if the steel was pot metal or 15V.

And for those who might actually use their knives for work they would really be hard pressed to actually tell the difference between the steels in real use.

Just keeping it real here.

As an example I used a Military in S30V at work everyday for a lot of stuff (Cardboard, zip ties, pallet straps etc) for YEARS and really only touched it up maybe once a month.

If you look at Larrin's charts there are vast differences in toughness and edge-holding. Few ever see the charts. Few understand the charts. Few care about the charts. Few can relate to the differences or are willing to pay for them.

Customers just want cheap knives because they think that they are all the same. Once educated they may know the vast differences in brands and steels and be willing to pay more.

When you talk about Ferrari, Lamborghini or even a Z06 Corvette most only know that they are EXPENSIVE and FAST.

How fast? I'll bet they assume they can all do 200+ MPH which is false. How fast have they ever been? Probably less than 80MPH. Do they understand lateral G's that these cars can pull? No and they do not know what lateral G's are.

Unless they are educated by somebody, they will never know the differences in autos or knives.

Naperville wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 06, 2025 12:04 pm

If you look at Larrin's charts there are vast differences in toughness and edge-holding. Few ever see the charts. Few understand the charts. Few care about the charts. Few can relate to the differences or are willing to pay for them.

Customers just want cheap knives because they think that they are all the same. Once educated they may know the vast differences in brands and steels and be willing to pay more.

When you talk about Ferrari, Lamborghini or even a Z06 Corvette most only know that they are EXPENSIVE and FAST.

How fast? I'll bet they assume they can all do 200+ MPH which is false. How fast have they ever been? Probably less than 80MPH. Do they understand lateral G's that these cars can pull? No and they do not know what lateral G's are.

Unless they are educated by somebody, they will never know the differences in autos or knives.

As far as cars go:

Almost NOBODY would ever be able to actually afford a supercar, even less a Hypercar.

Even one of the more affordable ones, say a 911 GTS4 Turbo @ $200,000+ is really out of reach for the vast majority.

That not even getting into the ones like Aston Martin, Bugatti, and McLaren ETC. @ About $500,000 to Millions.

So they just wouldn't know because they will never actually experience it.

Not really many places to drive them anyway so.

As a side note a BMW M5 will run about 200 mph so.


As far as steels go:

To actually cut until dull with something like S110V it would take enough cardboard to fill a train boxcar cut into little tiny pieces.

Ankerson wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 06, 2025 12:16 pm

Naperville wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 06, 2025 12:04 pm

If you look at Larrin's charts there are vast differences in toughness and edge-holding. Few ever see the charts. Few understand the charts. Few care about the charts. Few can relate to the differences or are willing to pay for them.

Customers just want cheap knives because they think that they are all the same. Once educated they may know the vast differences in brands and steels and be willing to pay more.

When you talk about Ferrari, Lamborghini or even a Z06 Corvette most only know that they are EXPENSIVE and FAST.

How fast? I'll bet they assume they can all do 200+ MPH which is false. How fast have they ever been? Probably less than 80MPH. Do they understand lateral G's that these cars can pull? No and they do not know what lateral G's are.

Unless they are educated by somebody, they will never know the differences in autos or knives.

As far as cars go:

Almost NOBODY would ever be able to actually afford a supercar, even less a Hypercar.

Even one of the more affordable ones, say a 911 GTS4 Turbo @ $200,000+ is really out of reach for the vast majority.

That not even getting into the ones like Aston Martin, Bugatti, and McLaren ETC. @ About $500,000 to Millions.

So they just wouldn't know because they will never actually experience it.

Not really many places to drive them anyway so.

As a side note a BMW M5 will run about 200 mph so.


As far as steels go:

To actually cut until dull with something like S110V it would take enough cardboard to fill a train boxcar cut into little tiny pieces.

I owned a 2001 GSX-R750 and probably ran it flat out at 180MPH for 250+ miles in highways. I saw 187MPH on the speedometer every time but who knows if it is accurate. I had thousands of miles over 120MPH on highways. Hit 150+ MPH on the entrance ramps every morning on the way to work. All that is takes is 2 blocks. If you want to go fast, all that you need is $12,000US.

I carry my 4 inch, S110V Spyderco Native Chief. Great steel, excellent grips. Hope that I never have to fill a boxcar worth of perps.