Spyderco sees itself as a bit different than most knife manufacturers. They state that they have consciously rejected design aesthetics in order to focus on usability and quality.
In practice, however, this has created a design aesthetic all its own. In fact, Spyderco knives are some of the most unique-looking blades on the market today. Some might say their products are “funny looking” but, to this author, there’s nothing quite like encountering a knife that doesn’t look like anything you’ve ever seen before. Spyderco certainly fits that bill.
Spyderco’s signature look is the round hole in the blade — this is designed for easy one-handed opening. Spyderco was one of the first mass-market firms to focus on one-handed opening mechanisms. They also claim to the be first to put a clothing clip on a knife.
Spyderco has been in business for thirty years in Golden, Colorado. They first went into business to make knife sharpeners, but shortly after began making knives. They have since become one of the leading knife makers based in the USA and have a significant following among law-enforcement and military personnel as well as civilians.
Spyderco offers a dizzying array of products, and is constantly tweaking them in order to provide unique combinations of design and materials. A few of their product lines are worth a mention, though.
Their “Byrd” series is a line of lesser-expensive knives that use somewhat-lesser materials but still feature Spyderco’s fully-functional feature set. These knives feature a teardrop-shaped hole in the blade to distinguish them from Spyderco’s other lines.
The “Delica” and “Endura” are extremely popular knives that have undergone several revisions throughout their lifespans. These are available in numerous combinations of edge style, blade steel, color and handle material.
The “Byrdwrench” is a multi-tool designed to compete with the successful utility tools made by Leatherman, Victorinox and others, while the “Tri Angle” is Spyderco’s extremely popular freehand sharpening system.
Other models include the “Ladybug”, the “Cricket”, the “Salt”, and many more.
