Spyderco Forums

Hi all,

I'm curious if anybody knows whether or not Spyderco offers factory tours?

My wife and I are *probably* heading to Colorado toward the end of September and a factory tour would certainly be the highlight of our trip :D

Spyderco did not offer any official factory tours when visited, however, the SFO is IMHO worth the trip by itself. There is a lot to see and admire there, and the staff is the best! They understand knifeknuts, so don't hesitate to ask and handle any knife that's for sale. Also, downtown Golden (5-10 mins away) is a great place to visit for lunch or dinner and/or a walk along the downtown creek. Also, you can drive up in the hills for spectacular views....I need to go back my self I think :)

The SFO is worth the visit. Plus, you never know who you might run into. I've visited twice and was lucky with my timing both times.

The first time I visited, I met Sal and he spent an hour talking with me about all things knives and Spyderco. He showed me a prototype knife with a new lock that he had in his pocket and he was one of the most gracious and generous people I've ever met. He even gave me a souvenir that I carry in my wallet to this day as a reminder of generosity and kindness. I knew I had just been extremely lucky that he had the time to talk that day and my mind was BLOWN by how willing and open he was. My love for the company grew substantially after that visit.

The second time I visited I found myself talking knives and steels for 20 minutes with a lady behind the counter that was sooooo fun to talk to. She was feisty and funny and knew sooooo much about knives...she was carrying a Mantra FYI...then it occurred to me.. Who would know THIS much about the import of metals from around the world and the details about how they are handled and treated?..duh...I finally asked. "is your name Gail?" :o It was. :D She said, "you want to check out my new boat company?"...I said "you're darn right I do!" and we proceeded to walk to another building and I got an impromptu tour of Sage Marine. I took a selfie with my new buddy and once again I left the SFO feeling even more love for this great company. After being so impressed by my time talking with Sal, I wouldn't have guessed that Gail would have been just as amazing. What are the odds?

It's because of these special people that the culture here in our forum as well as the culture at the Spyderco company is as amazing as it is.
If you visit you never know who will or will not be around. But, I can tell you you're not visiting a giant multi-national corporation. You'd be visiting a family business, where I'm willing to bet if you act like family they'll be happy to treat you like family. :) :spyder:

Best regards,
Chad

Mr Blonde wrote:Also, you can drive up in the hills for spectacular views....I need to go back my self I think :)

Also, the Buffalo Bill Museum and grave site is just up the hill about 10 minutes away. There's also a little hiking trail that starts at the museum.

The SFO is definitely worth visiting and I can confirm that the chances of seeing Sal or Gail are pretty good. Xplorers interaction was not unique either. They are friendly and outgoing people and often quite generous. I have had Gail personally handle a warranty claim and I have talked for a long time with both of them. They seem to genuinely enjoy talking to their customers. I can't guarantee you will meet them there but a trip to the SFO is always great and the employees there are just as kind and outgoing as the Glessers.


Besides the SFO and Buffalo Bill's grave there is also the American Mountaineering Museum as well as the Coors brewery tours. All are worth checking out.

I think to have factory tours of manufacturing facilities it requires a ton of setup. Safety zoning, keeping certain operations (trade secrets) in other areas, etc.

I hear the Spyderco Factory Outlet/Showroom is outstanding though. Would love to make it there myself someday :)

The last time I was at the SFO they showed me what I was doing wrong with my sharpmaker. Basically I wasn't keeping my wrist perfectly straight, but having someone that knows the product actually show me what I was doing wrong solve so many frustrations I was having. They also showed me how to look at my edge using a jewelers loupe and how to check the edge quality by cutting paper.

This may seem trivial to some, but the fact that someone was there and willing to help me and spend as much time teaching me as I needed was just what I was looking for. They also replaced a bent clip on a factory second PM1 I have, I informed the gentleman that it was a factory second and I was willing to pay for the clip, but he took care of me.

Then I just went around and handled a lot of the knives I haven't got my hands on yet. I checked out the 52100 Millie, Yojimbo 2 and many others. I also picked up some diamond rods and new brown rods for my sharpmaker. As others have stated everyone there is so nice, patient and helpful. Bring your questions, bring a knife or two to have sharpened while you're there and make sure you've got a little extra spending cash on you, because there's no way you walk out of there without buying something.

I want to visit there so bad. Unfortunately it's a little bit of a drive from Florida. Maybe one day.

Thanks everyone for the feedback; it is really helpful and appreciated.
I will certainly be stopping by the SFO and looking forward to it!

I stopped by the SFO on Monday and then again today--awesome place! I took home a Manix 2 and Sage 5 as well as a H1 Dfly for the wifey. We're staying in Boulder tonight, and hiking around Lyons tomorrow before driving back to Michigan on Saturday.

buccilli15 wrote:I stopped by the SFO on Monday and then again today--awesome place! I took home a Manix 2 and Sage 5 as well as a H1 Dfly for the wifey. We're staying in Boulder tonight, and hiking around Lyons tomorrow before driving back to Michigan on Saturday.

Excellent! I can only hope to get to Golden one of these days. Maybe on my next trip to CO.

Coors? NOW we're talking :D

I am heading to Denver in 2 months, I already told the wife we are taking a drive to Golden! I am a little too excited...

One day I will make it out. Great story, Chad!

I've been a few times. It was pretty cool at the seconds sale last year Sal even helped me pick between a couple knives I was going to buy. Other times I have been in the staff has been helpful, and it has been empty which means that I got pretty much 1 on 1 attention for an hour from whoever was working the store at the time. It really helped to go see the blades in person. Several that I thought I was interested in I decided I didn't like, and visa versa.

Lost a clip screw, a woman at the store helped me fix it on the spot.

The people are about 1/3 of the reason why Spyderco is my favorite company.

EDC Honeybee wrote:The people are about 1/3 of the reason why Spyderco is my favorite company.

What's the other 2/3? :D

slick228 wrote:

EDC Honeybee wrote:The people are about 1/3 of the reason why Spyderco is my favorite company.

What's the other 2/3? :D

Probably 1/3 value, 1/3 performance. :P

Are the knives at the SFO discounted at all?

Cogito wrote:Are the knives at the SFO discounted at all?

Not sure of the percentage, but they are slightly discounted off MSRP. They are still quite a bit higher than online dealer pricing and you will have to pay Colorado tax if buying in person...but whatever, I still bought a few knives while there.

buccilli15 wrote:

Cogito wrote:Are the knives at the SFO discounted at all?

Not sure of the percentage, but they are slightly discounted off MSRP. They are still quite a bit higher than online dealer pricing and you will have to pay Colorado tax if buying in person...but whatever, I still bought a few knives while there.

Thanks, bud. I really wanted make the drive because I thought I would save a little bit of cash on multiple purchases, but maybe I won't even bother now. With the money I would spend on gas and hotels, that's like 3 other knives I could buy if I bought online.