Want to brush up on your knife history? Then learn a little more about Spyderco.
Knife owners can be a loyal bunch, and often stick with what they know best. There's a lot to absorb, but some choose not to soak all that info up, and remain loyal.
For those who do care to find out more about the iconic and revolutionary knife companies of our time, here's a list of four things you almost certainly didn't know about Spyderco. If you did, you also likely know how great their knives are, but for now, a little education.
Or as Spyderco puts it, an Edge-u-cation. Everyone loves a good pun, right?
Hands full
Here's a big first in the list of Spyderco accomplishments: they were the groundbreakers when it came to creating a one-hand opening mechanism. Known as the Spyderco Round Hole Opener®, the now-copied design allows for total control without the need of both hands.
The revolutionary Round Hole Opener feature was granted a U.S. utility patent in 1981, and literally redefined the form of the modern folding knife. In fact, it's Spyderco's registered trademark, something exclusive to them and their knives. It all stemmed from a smart idea to address a real need. Enough with the thumb studs, disks, and other one-hand-opening attachments. The hole offers a larger surface area for greater reliability.
Best of all, it doesn't interfere with the cutting action of the blade.
Set the mark with SpyderEdge
As the first to serrate a folding knife, Spyderco set the bar high with its first big development. The SpyderEdge brought never-before seen technology to the world of serrated edge knives.
Even though that was back in the 1980s, it didn't take long for competitors to follow suit. It's important to know, however, that no one had bothered to figure out the best way to do it, and Spyderco put themselves on the map with the SpyderEdge.
A clip before clips were cool
Spyderco also just so happened to be the first to offer a pocket clip on a folding knife, and therefore changing the way folders were seen in the big scheme of things. If you could bring them with you so easily, there was little reason not to let a Spyderco knife become your new everyday carry.
Now commonplace, the trailblazers of this big idea were on to something.
An eye for the pros
Sure, knife companies want to market to the masses, but they should also understand that if they're creating professional-grade products, they're going to have professionals using them.
That's where Spyderco's idea for OpFocus® began, and it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Law enforcement, first responders, survivalists, and defense-minded people can and should be viewed as an important, yet different, customer sector.
"OpFocus," which is short for "Operational Focus," is a term that Spyderco coined to accurately describe a view of their products from the perspective of the tactical knife user. It's not a different product line; it's the same products presented in a context that is relevant to the needs, interests, and frame of reference of serious end users.
So there are just a few things, significant nonetheless, that Spyderco can lay claim to. You didn't know those things, did you? If not, there's more to learn, and plenty more to drool over, at Spyderco.com.
NEXT: LEARN TO OPEN A CAN WITHOUT A CAN OPENER (YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID)
