postheadericon Spyderco Knife History




by Zoe Paige


Spyderco was born in 1976 by a gentlemen named Sal Glessar. The Golden, Colorado based cutlery company got its name as a combination of the founder's passion of high-performance automobiles that were often named Spyder. Mr. Glessar felt that he should name his company after something top-performing and great quality and thus his company, Spyderco came to fruition.

Fire and rescue employees and police officers as well as many other professionals from industries all over own a Spyderco knife. Hunters and outdoor enthusiasts are also fans of this company's products because of the reliability and simple design of their products. Through its many awards and recognitions including induction of the company's president, Sal Glessar, into Blade magazine's Cutlery Hall of Fame in 2000, this company gained credibility quickly. Sal Glessar was awarded for his innovation in the industry and for creating unique knives that came in different sizes and were comfortable for the hand. All of this was achieved with the help of over thirty custom knife-designers, athletes, and self-defense instructors he consulted with for creation and design ideas.

The first Spyderco knife ever made and the first knife to feature a round hole cut out in the blade was the C01 Worker folding knife. It was first produced in 1981 and the round hole aided in fast, one-handed opening and has since become the company's trademark. A knife with a pocket clip in the right side of the handle and serrated folding knife blades were also first to be produced by this company who was also known for their variety of materials they used in the creation of their knife blades.

The Spyderhole was named after the round hole in the blade when Sal Glessar created a knife that anyone could open easily with one hand and without adding a spring to the knife. Before arriving to his final creation he tried many different things like adding different studs and discs on the blade of the knife to open it. He soon realized thought that all these extra parts weren't as effective as he wanted them to be. This is when he came up with the patented Spyderhole that allowed the user to place their thumb easily in the round cutout in the blade and quickly rotate it open.

Knife blades are offered by the company including the plain-edge, the partially-serrated edge, and the fully-serrated edge (called the Spyderedge). Most of the handles are made from a strong fiberglass-reinforced nylon and some versions carry other types of handles. The company specializes mainly in folding knives since there is a stronger market for that but also produces some fixed blade knives for those who like that kind of knife more.

These days the company is known all over the world. Many of their knives are found in movies including those by Sylvester Stallone. Mr. Glessar knows his passion for his company and love of knives give him an unfair edge in the industry and make his products a top-pick. This company's passion for knives, the history, and the design will continue to lead to creative designs going forward.




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