Does anyone know why the Spyderco Worker was discontinued?

[JohnKSa]

I've carried one for years and have yet to find a blade style I like better for general purpose EDC type tasks. I would love to have an "updated" version with the following features:

1. Option to install the clip so the knife carries hinge down. I get tired of washing the grit out of the hinge if I do anything messy.

2. Different handle material. The SS handle of the original worker is nearly indestructable, but something a little lighter and maybe with a little more texture would be nice.

3. A blade made from one of the new "Super Steels". The cutting/edge-holding performance of the G2 steel isn't bad, but I think that it can be improved on these days.

Does anyone know why Spyderco ditched the design and has never revisited it?

 

[hso]

The best place to ask that question would be at the Spyderco forum, but if the model were still popular enough to make they'd be making it.

I'd suggest asking Spyderco to make an anniversary run of Workers in Ti with their current premium steel for the blade.

 

[JShirley]

GIN1 has been replaced by BD-1 in some of Spyderco's newest knives. In my experience, it doesn't hold an edge as long as 154CM, VG-10, and S30V, but it resharpens almost instantly.

John

 

[hso]

John,

I have to CO-1 Worker Commemorative set and I've read about a G-10 Worker in VG that was run up, any other variants out there that you know of?

 

[JShirley]

To my knowledge, there are just the 20th Anniversary and Evolutions runs. The Evolution had the original worker, plus a Zowada damascus worker. Not aware of any other Worker versions.

J

 

[Inspector Callahan]

Bringing this thread back to life... With a heads up.

There's a sprint run of Spyderco Workers coming out with green G10 scales and VG10 blade steel. Limited run so don't miss out. They're gonna be pricey, but as handy as that blade shape is, I'm down for one. They've started to ship so keep an eye on your favorite knife shop.

Google "Spyderco worker" and you'll see the pics. Reversible four way clip mounting, "super" steel, and all screw construction. Just what the OP ordered!

 

[rcmodel]

Yep!

Better order now!

http://www.knifecenter.com/item/SP0...vg10-plain-blade-green-g10-handles-sprint-run

rc

 

[JohnKSa]

YES!!!

Pre-Order placed.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[CWL]

And I swore to stop adding knives to my collection for a while!

...but it does look really nice!

 

[Yo Mama]

That's a pretty high price for vg-10 that only has 2.5 inches of sharpened blade. Unless I'm missing something, you're paying for the throwback to an older design?

 

[JohnKSa]

Unless I'm missing something, you're paying for the throwback to an older design?

I'm paying for a design that works well for me. I looked for a long time before buying a Worker and I've been carrying it for well over a decade since my initial purchase.

I find the blade design & size is just about perfect for the things I do with a knife and I haven't been able to find anything else during the time I've been carrying it that works as well for me.

It's actually better than what I'm carrying since mine has a G2 blade, single position clip and stainless steel handle. In fact, if you look at the 3 things I complained about in my first post; all have been addressed by the new run.

It's pretty expensive, but it's what I'm used to and it's what I like. I don't mind paying that price, so I guess that's all that matters to me. Sounds like you don't feel the same--it's fortunate that there are hundreds of other knives out there with designs and prices that appeal to you.

 

[rcmodel]

+1

I have a couple three old Spyderco's with the totally inferior AUS-8 and G-2 blades.

And I'm here to tell you they are easier to sharpen, cut better, and stay sharp longer then my newest folders made from the 'latest & greatest' Super Steels.

Sometimes you find out less is better!
After you try them all!

rc

 

[Madcap_Magician]

You're paying a premium for the sprint run- limited production and availability.

 

[JohnKSa]

It's here!!

Here's what I've noticed so far.

Although the grip scales are G10, they are attached to thick stainless steel liners. So the overall weight is about 3 ounces--maybe half an ounce lighter than the original Worker which had a stainless steel handle.

The lock release is a little different from the original Worker, it has a "clip" taken out of the lock whereas the original worker had a straight profile on the lock release that followed the curve of the back of the handle.

Two comparison photos from sources on the web are below.

http://images.knifecenter.com/thumb/1500x1500/knifecenter/spyderco-knives/images/SP01GPGR.jpg

http://www.flymaker.com/bbGallery/W.jpg

The Spyderco "hole" edges are sharp, as usual. I thought that maybe since this was a pretty expensive, limited run knife, Spyderco would be able to find the time to smooth the edges of the hole enough to make it usable without smoothing by the user. They did not. So if you get one, expect to spend some time knocking off the sharp edges of the hole so it doesn't tear up your thumbnail in normal use.

The clip can be positioned in one of 4 locations for tip-up, tip-down, left- or right-handed carry. Very nice and a big improvement over the original. The downside is that flexibility requires that there be 12 screwholes in the grip scales of which only 3 can be used at any given time. No filler screws are provided.

The G10 scales are good-looking and provide excellent texture for gripping. Unfortunately, the texture is aggressive enough to rapidly shred the cloth/material of your pocket when being clipped or unclipped. Once you decide how you want the knife to ride, you'll probably have to smooth the grip scale on the side with the clip so that it doesn't tear up your pants. Sort of a double-edged sword here. If you want the flexibility of left- or right-handed carry AND a textured grip, you're going to have to do some work on one side of the grip to make the clip function practical.

The blade is fitted like the original Worker--no bushings/bearings.

There are screws that appear to hold the knife together, but only on one side. On the other side they look like rivets. I haven't tried taking it apart yet to see how it's really held together.

 

[ugaarguy]

The lock release is a little different from the original Worker, it has a "clip" taken out of the lock whereas the original worker had a straight profile on the lock release that followed the curve of the back of the handle.

That's the "dent" pioneered by custom maker David Boye. It's supposed to reduce accidental lock disengagement under hard gripping.

Unfortunately, the texture is aggressive enough to rapidly shred the cloth/material of your pocket when being clipped or unclipped. Once you decide how you want the knife to ride, you'll probably have to smooth the grip scale on the side with the clip so that it doesn't tear up your pants.

Someone (probably hso) told me that a thin layer of clear nail polish applied to the area where the clip meets the handle will solve that problem quite well.

There are screws that appear to hold the knife together, but only on one side. On the other side they look like rivets. I haven't tried taking it apart yet to see how it's really held together.

The ones that look like rivets are the female halves of what's essentially a screw together rivet. The bodies have a flat machined into one outer edge and they slide into matching holes in the steel liners, preventing rotation, so that the male halves can be screwed in tightly.

 

[JohnKSa]

It's supposed to reduce accidental lock disengagement under hard gripping.

That makes sense--sort of. Anytime I've gripped a knife hard enough to release the lock, I've been applying force in a direction that would keep the knife open.

But I'm not complaining. The dent doesn't hamper the release of the lock in the least from the experimenting I've done so far. I just noted it as a difference from the original.

Thanks for the tip on the nail polish. I will definitely give it a shot before I start sanding or filing! I would have to use it on a significant portion of the grip though. Even though the area that's under the grip creates most of the friction, the rest of the grip will still act like a file as it rubs against the pants material. Even the smooth stainless steel handle of my original Worker eventually frays my pockets.

The ones that look like rivets are the female halves of what's essentially a screw together rivet. The bodies have a flat machined into one outer edge and they slide into matching holes in the steel liners, preventing rotation, so that the male halves can be screwed in tightly.

Excellent! That will make it easy to take down. I may look at replacing the clip side scale with polished wood so I don't have to alter the original scale.

 

[Valkman]

It's $20 cheaper at knifeworks.com

http://www.knifeworks.com/spydercow...grvg-10steelgreeng-10handle.aspx#.VCeX8BbwO7E

 

[JohnKSa]

Sorta... Knifecenter raised their price $10 since I placed my order.

 

[CWL]

How useful is that blade for basic edc chores?

I like the look of this knife, but the blade looks more like a "tactical" design than "user" knife.

 

[hso]

The acute clip point was intended to help someone make holes in things you might might need a new hole in, like a belt. The sweep slices well. It was a smallish blade as well. Far more like the long pointy clips of working pocket knives than a large tactical.

 

[JohnKSa]

As hso notes, it's a little small to fit into the tactical category.

I use this knife (actually my original Worker--I haven't carried the sprint run model yet) for all my EDC chores.

It has two "warts"--the blade tip is obviously very pointed which makes it a little fragile. I don't put mine through torture tests, but it has held up well and the utility of a very pointed blade tip comes in handy for a number of uses.

The other wart is that it is made from pretty thick bladestock for the size of the blade. Even with a polished razor edge, it's not going to sail through hard material because you have to force about an eighth of an inch thickness of steel through the cut unless you do the cutting with the tapered forward section of the blade. The upside is that the extra thickness gives you a more robust blade if you need it in a pinch. You may lose the tapered tip if you have to really lean on it, but you're likely going to keep enough of the blade to still be useful.

One thing I really like about the knife is that the false edge is great for use as a letter/box opener without dulling the cutting edge. With just a couple of strokes of the stone, you can set up the blade so you can use the back of the tip for scoring tape or even for light duty cardboard cutting.

 

[GLOOB]

I'm paying for a design that works well for me. I looked for a long time before buying a Worker and I've been carrying it for well over a decade since my initial purchase.

I find the blade design & size is just about perfect for the things I do with a knife and I haven't been able to find anything else during the time I've been carrying it that works as well for me.

My belt sander was only $30.00. Once that cost has been amortized, I pay only pennies and some time to find a blade design that works well for me. This guy is 2.5", and when I first saw a picture of a Worker, I was pretty impressed by the design. Because I already know how useful it is.
http://i688.photobucket.com/albums/vv241/gloob27x/DSC_0995_zps7789911b.jpg
It was inspired by my Mora 120, before I had ever seen a Worker.

The reason that the Worker was discontinued should be obvious. First off, Spyderco comes out with several new designs every year. They can't keep them all in production. Secondly, look around. Today's buyers want blunt drop points with swedges - which is what my knife started out as.

 

[JohnKSa]

My belt sander was only $30.00. Once that cost has been amortized, I pay only pennies and some time to find a blade design that works well for me.

I think that's great, and if my circumstances were different, I would probably make my own knives too. It's not feasible right now--even if I had the time to do it.

 

[GLOOB]

Monkeying around with a belt sander and set of stones on factory knives is hardly "making my own knives." The closest I have come is buying a bare blade and making a handle for it. I will leave the heat treat to the professionals. I just tweak things the way I like them. I don't consider most inexpensive factory knives as anything near finished, regarding the edge geometry. But thanks, if that is in any way a compliment.

 

[JohnKSa]

Just a quick update.

Finally weighed both knives, the original with the stainless steel handle and the Sprint Run with the G10 scales. The original knife weighs 3.13oz, the Sprint Run weighs 3.09oz, a hair lighter than Spyderco's official weight of 3.2oz.

The Sprint Run is about a tenth of an inch thicker through the handle--about 0.385" while the original knife is about 0.295" thick through the handle. Pocket clips are not included in those measurements.

I relieved some of the clip tension on the Sprint Run knife and with that modification I can carry it occasionally without ruining my jeans pocket. I've still been carrying my original Worker most of the time.

I found that with tip up carry, the sharp corners on the back edge of the blade (where it meets with the lock when the knife is open--see circled area in picture) would catch on pocket material when trying to replace the knife in the pocket. I rounded the edges a little with a ceramic file and that has helped greatly.

I did finally take the knife apart completely to see about replacing the clip-side G10 scale with a homemade scale made of something smooth--maybe laminated wood. It could be done but I'm not committed to that project yet...

Looks like prices on the knife have come down some since I bought mine.