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Bully

I don't understand Spyderco pricing

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Can someone enlighten me?  

 

They look like a nice little knife but the prices of them are just too high for me to understand.  

 

Same with a bunch of the production stuff, but the Spyderco stuff just seems...  crazy.  To me.  The un-enlightened.  

 

C

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Some of the spydercos are pricey and worth it. Read on blade forums you will learn a ton. In the $200-300 price range I really like zero tolerance and emerson (only the sheepdog model)

 

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Ok.  But what makes them "worth it"?  

 

It's a thin bladed folder.  If they were 50-100 bucks, I could see it.  Anything over that is just too much for me.

 

As for ZT, Chris Reeve, Hinderer et. al, it's a completely different class of knife.  Most of them I wouldn't pay the money for, but a lot of folks don't understand why if I had the coin I would drop 3k on a 1911.  I realize it's subjective.  I'm simply trying to understand why that company commands so much for their knives at retail and in the re-sell world.  

 

C

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There are quite a few nice spyderco's under $50, they are basically selling a knife in almost every price category.

 

Are they "worth it"? Only you can decide that. I'm not a knife snub and I only own a couple of knives that cost more then $100, and they are great knives that I don't use because knives under $50 do the same job for me. Or better yet, my leatherman.

 

If a knife at a given price doesn't do anything for you, then don't buy it. It is all subjective anyway.

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Vlad, thanks for your responses.  Much appreciated. 

 

I hope that if I am more specific that might help....

 

The Paramilitary is a good example.  Why is it well over 100 dollars?  What makes it (or any knife, really) worth more than 50 or so dollars?  I realize that it's subjective and I would prefer to not bring custom/semi-custom/production customs into the mix here.  This is a production knife that doesn't see my handwork so I am wanting to understand why it commands the prices that it does.  

 

Really I'm trying to justify buying one without saying as much.

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The usual answer is : blade metals, locking mechanism, etc. Those things can cost money, gooder ones cost more then less gooders ones. 

 

If you want it and you have money then buy it, it stimulates the economy and according to the Federal Reserve all us are not spending enough money, so there is your justification :)

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Chris - Here's my answer cynical as expected.  Snob appeal and collectability.

 

I carry an assisted opening knife every day of my life, 50-60 dollar knives.

 

Yes they require frequent sharpening and the hinges get loose but, when they have had it...I retire them. 

 

Mostly Gerber, yes the assisted knives are made in China but the automatics are made State Side.

 

I can legally carry an auto but don't. Just too easy for me to open it while in my pocket. Yes I've done it.

 

So much for the rant...

 

And Vlad ...A 3 1/2" pocket clip knife will not replace a Leatherman nor will a Leatherman replace a pocket knife.

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Like others said blade materials, handle materials and lock geometry. Since I work at a garden center and need my knife atleast 20 times a day if not more I justified edc a $250 knife

 

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Chris look at my knife for sale ad. If you want to fondle any of the knives which are in the 50 to 200 range you can feel the quality and no pressure to buy. Imo you get a very good value in spyderco

 

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And Vlad ...A 3 1/2" pocket clip knife will not replace a Leatherman nor will a Leatherman replace a pocket knife.

 

Huh. Good to know. I guess I've been doing it wrong for the last 20 years, having done everything from skinning small game to making fire to opening boxes to fixing computers with my leatherman. 

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To put up a more practical answer(s) to why there are knives that are not custom that cost more than $50. I'll look at the $100-150 range. 

 

1) Steel. Good steels cost more, yeah, but they also are harder on the tooling used to machine them so it wears out sooner. 

 

2) Quality control and tolerances. Things like heat treat, fit and finish, etc. get done better/right. 

 

3) Other materials. Things like bronze washers for a smoother mechanism, higher quality steel for the liners and locking mechanisms. Better screw/fasteners (or screws/fasteners instead of rivets), G10/micarta/something nicer than cheap plastic scales. Etc. 

 

4) Volume. Lots of people balk at kinves over $20-30. The quality bumps up the price, and you limit the market, so the margins have to be higher. 

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I've always found Spydercos to be fairly inexpensive, for the most part.  Stuff like the basic Delica, Endura, Native, Rescue, Tenacious, Cara Cara are - in my opinion - some of the better values (cost vs steel and quality) out there.  Their Byrd line uses 8Cr13MoV steel (i believe this is similar in performance to AUS6 (or 8?)) at around the same price as many manufacturer's 400 series steel blades.  Other manufacturers start using AUS6/8 or similar steels at the same price as Spyderco's VG10 or S30V blades, and so on.  Hell, I'm pretty sure some of the stainless handles on Spydercos are better steel (200 series stainless) than the blades of some really crappy knives.  Of course, I'm a bit biased, I own a few. Dozen. Few dozen. Ok, six dozen.

 

Spyderco also tries different steels often - stuff like S90V, ZDP189, AUS10, H1, etc - some of which are available in their 'everyday' knives for a small to moderate jump in price.  Others are only really available in limited-run versions, which often are double the cost of the normal version (let alone when they are no longer available.)  They also use stuff like "exotic" handle materials - carbon fiber(s), nishijin, titanium, palladium inlays, mother of pearl, etc...that's just some of the ones I own, and I haven't even kept up with their recent stuff.  I want one of those fluted titanium models, which I will agree is a bit too expensive, so I don't own one.

 

Of course there are better knives out there, but I don't know there are better knives out there at the same kind of pricing.  I have been extremely happy with the Spyderco knives I own.  Many people I have introduced to Spydercos - family, friends, and co-workers - have ended up getting at least one of their own, and have been using them for years. 

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On 7/31/2016 at 6:58 PM, Bully said:

It's a thin bladed folder.  If they were 50-100 bucks, I could see it.  Anything over that is just too much for me.

You can get brand new in box Spyderco Police for $100 on Ebay and Amazon

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