Comm in January 2023 Blade Magazine about Spyderco.

[apollo]

Do not take me the wrong way i love spyderco but i can not say that the Jim Wilson guy is wrong…
Spyderco is doing the following thing way to much..
Namely lets take another shade of color handle and put the blade in some other steel and done…
As an simple example look at the 7 “different” main production Native Lw’s.
And they do the same thing in almost all golden and seki models.

It has become so bad at the moment i can honestly say the spyderco line up has gotten me bored.
This Christmas i wanted to buy a spydie for myself. 3 months i have bin looking at webshops.
Everyday i came to the same conclusion the few i want are never ever in stock for months. All the rest that are in stock ar all the same.

If you have bin here as long as i have you know they were way better times to be a Spyderco enthousiast then now. Because the new models ran off the line as cookies at a factory. Now the only thing new was that dreadful stovepipe. So with pain in my heart i need to support what that guy says.

[elmeringalo]

Don't give it so much importance. Spyderco has a large number of knife models, so it is normal that there are similarities between them. If a brand of knives makes only three models, the strange thing is that they were the same. I have many many Spyderco knives and some are very similar, they only differ in the steel with which they are made, but that seems wonderful to me. Who can complain about this?

[apollo]

Don't give it so much importance. Spyderco has a large number of knife models, so it is normal that there are similarities between them. If a brand of knives makes only three models, the strange thing is that they were the same. I have many many Spyderco knives and some are very similar, they only differ in the steel with which they are made, but that seems wonderful to me. Who can complain about this?

Many can. Not everyone is interested in steels you know.
I rather see new designs then new steels.
Not that i have anything against new steels but the balance has shifted way to much to that side.
Spyderco has always made the most spectacular designs in the knife industry but now they are almost dead in the water on that front. Not every spydie fan wants to only buy 1 particular model all the time.
I buy many Manix 2’s and Xl’s but besides my love for that particular design i have most others designs aswel but 1 or 2 of those is enough since i do not care as much about those others, So now i am kinda getting bored waiting for new designs to come out.

[GarageBoy]

Short of CRKT, Spyderco probably is the one that works with the largest number of different custom makers, and cranks out unusual models that aren't necessarily best sellers and is still accused of making the same knife over and over...

Meanwhile Benchmade, ZT and Microtech, crank out different variations of the same and don't get the same criticisms

[Deadboxhero]

Jim doesn't work for blade magazine he is just a random knife person that sent an email to Blade Magazine and was put in a small section for
letters to the editor.

He had a small list of complaints and opinions not exclusive to Spyderco. Too each their own.

[Iktomi]

Please tell me you don’t really understand knives without saying you don’t really understand knives.

Spyderco is the least random and least accidental knifemaker I can think of. It does focus on function, which clearly confuses some people.

All I can say is, the more I learn about knives, the more it seems like Spyderco is the one to beat.

[James Y]

In terms of simple outward appearance, all modern, single-bladed folding knives share some superficial similarities. 'Superficial' being the key word here.

That said, it's this guy's opinion. We all have our opinions on various things. Some opinions (for example, my own) are simply more valid than others who disagree.

I love Spyderco knives, but I don't necessarily care for every model. Variety is the spice of life, and IMO, the variety that Spyderco offers is almost unmatched in the knife world.

Let him have his opinion. For all you sprint run lovers, that's one less person to compete with.

Jim

[Danke]

Maybe Jim just knows one of them there PM2 hoarders. Then for sure he'd think there are 100s of identical versions.

[RustyIron]

Jim doesn't work for blade magazine he is just a random knife person that sent an email to Blade Magazine and was put in a small section for letters to the editor.

Well that makes a little more sense. I don't subscribe to any knife magazines, but get several gun magazines. The impression I get is that with the increased dominance of the internet, printed magazines are becoming less and less relevant. They don't have the huge budgets as they did in years past, and they don't pay to maintain a permanent staff. The writer who writes for one magazine is rare. There are a few knowledgable writers who peddle their work to a variety of publications. A large number of the writers aren't really experts on the subjects they're covering. They seem more like college graduates with a journalism degree, who found they could make a few bucks churning out prose and selling it to gun magazines. I think if you want expert opinions from really smart people, they're going to be folks with real jobs who have a passion for that particular subject. They spend their spare time studying what they love, and while they might not have the most polished literary skills, they know what they're talking about.

[Evil D]

Anyone who makes an argument about redundancy in a hobby doesn't understand hobbies.

Realistically, what knife company does anything that a $10 Opinel can't do if we whittle it down to just cutting something into smaller pieces? If we look at everything with such a broad perspective that we say Spyderco sell 100 knives that are too similar and can all serve the same purpose then by that logic there isn't a knife company out there who does anything special.

What gun company doesn't make 50 models that fire different calibers, have different sizes and capacities, different ergonomics?

Why are there so many shoe styles? All we really need is a boot for work and an active shoe for everything else. If you like flipflops and Crocs you're out of luck, we don't need so many options that serve similar functions.

Wait until you hear about what we're gonna do about all the food redundancy. Y'all don't need tacos AND pizza, you'll get one serving of protein and one starch. I hope you didn't want soda or beer because there are at least 200 beverages that all do the same thing that water does.



I'm just saying if you don't appreciate or can't see the difference between 10 of the similar composition mid-tier steels, and you see that as redundancy, then this is not a hobby for you. If you can't enjoy or don't have the desire to explore those different steels and experience their subtle differences, this isn't the hobby for you (or maybe a nicer way to say it is, this level of the hobby isn't for you).

If you look at a Para 2 and a Manix 2 and all you see are similarly sized knives and you wonder why we need both, then you're in the wrong hobby. All the proof you need of this is to look at the FIERCE debates about the Military vs Military 2, where it may seem like both knives are so similar that it shouldn't matter but clearly they absolutely do matter.

[James Y]

Many years ago, I used to buy all 3 of the major knife publications: Blade, Tactical Knives, and Knives Illustrated. I bought TK until they stopped publishing many years back, and stopped buying magazines altogether sometime ago. Any info you can find in a magazine can usually be found better online. Although I still prefer physical books over e-books.

As I've said, Jim Wilson is allowed to have his opinion. Trying to "show him the light" would amount to nothing. Nobody ever convinces someone to their side by telling them how wrong they are (or how wrong you think they are); on the contrary, the ordinary response is that they'll double down on their opinion. Telling someone their opinion is incorrect works more for the satisfaction of the responder than it does to convince the other person that they're wrong.

So even if there are those who dislike Spyderco knives, that's OK. The sun will set this evening, it will rise again tomorrow, and the world will go on.

Jim

[bearfacedkiller]

Spyderco does have their own style. You cannot deny that there are a lot of similarities between all their in house designs. It’s that design philosophy and aesthetic that makes me like them. I don’t know why he is complianing about it though. Most designers have their own style. Most manufactures who have a diverse lineup do so by collaborating with many different designers. Spyderco does this as well.

I haven’t read the article but from what I’m hearing I don’t think he is wrong but I do think he is complaining about nothing. Good job captain obvious.

[RamZar]

No biggie. There are habitual and oft-repeated “complaints” about dominating features of most major knife manufacturers.

• Spyderco: Spydie Hole
• Benchmade: Axis Lock
• ZT: Titanium Frame Lock Flippers
• Emerson: 154CM & Sticky Liner Locks
• CRK & Hinderer: Titanium Frame Lock

As for 75+ different models of ParaMilitary2 they’re there because people buy them!

[Bolster]

Anyone who makes an argument about redundancy in a hobby doesn't understand hobbies. Realistically, what knife company does anything that a $10 Opinel can't do if we whittle it down to just cutting something into smaller pieces?…

And on that note, does anyone accuse Opinel of making the same knife over and over? And how has that affected Opinel…not at all?

As I've said, Jim Wilson is allowed to have his opinion. Trying to "show him the light" would amount to nothing. Nobody ever convinces someone to their side by telling them how wrong they are (or how wrong you think they are); on the contrary, the ordinary response is that they'll double down on their opinion. Telling someone their opinion is incorrect works more for the satisfaction of the responder than it does to convince the other person that they're wrong.

No, you’re wrong. You’re totally and completely wrong. You’re so wrong that…wait a second…OK, yeah, you’re right, actually.

[Xformer]

Let's not fool ourselves, we're Spyderco fans so we might be biased. From an outsider perspective Spyderco knives mostly use the same style. Especially the most famous ones : Delica, PM2 and the Military. It's not a bad thing at all, but I understand the impression of similarities.

However, blaming Spyderco for it is very ignorant of marketing. The style used on most knives is part of the Spyderco brand. It's their visual identity. It's like blaming Porsche for making variations of the 911 or BMW for making the same style of car with more or less doors.

[cabfrank]

I think I’m well within the “shiny footprints” framework to say the following:

To be heard in a massively overcommunicated world, exaggerations, misrepresentations, grandstanding, and provocative statements are the norm. It’s OK to yawn, and turn the page.

[RustyIron]

Emerson:
Sticky Liner Locks

[steeljustice]

Blade Magazine is a major magazine for the custom knife makers, but they also deal with all the major or not so major knife Companies.

They also are highly involved with the different materials used in all knives and how these materials are processed.

In the January 2023 Blade Magazine there is a really good article about the use on 52100 ball bearing steel in forging steel for knife blades.

52100 ball bearing steel has been used since the 1900s but what the people wanting to use it for their knives quickly found is that there was many companies making this material, and they all did not use the same amounts and types of steel in their runs of 52100 steel.

So the people using it for their knives had to adjust their heat treat process, to get the hardness needed for a good tough and sharp blade.

Also aimed at the custom knife makers is a lot of information on the equipment and tools needed for making their knives.

Anyway I give Blade Magazine a thumbs up for posting messages that are not always just great things and include some negative articles as was in this issue.

[elmeringalo]

It seems very good to me that someone thinks about what they want, but I do not see any problem in being able to choose between a large number of different models and also between a large number of finishes. I love Spyderco and I don't like some model, but to say that they are all the same/similar is nonsense and it is also a lie

[Naperville]

The letter that I sent may be published in Blade Magazine. Just exchanged a few emails with Mr Steve Shackleford from Blade Magazine.