Spyderco
Spyderco was founded in 1976 by Sal and Gail Glesser. Initially, the company focused on selling our first product—the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker™—primarily at fairs and trade shows around the country.
In 1981, the Glessers put down roots in Golden, Colorado and introduced the first Spyderco folding knife. That knife pioneered the concept of a round hole in the blade for one-handed opening, a clip on the handle for carry at the top of the pocket, and the option of a serrated edge for aggressive cutting performance. Those features revolutionized the knife industry and literally defined the form of the modern folding knife.
Since then, Spyderco has steadily grown to become one of the leaders in the cutlery industry. In addition to a worldwide distribution network and manufacturing resources in the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, Italy, and China, our innovation has also earned us an impressive portfolio of patents, trademarks, and industry awards. More importantly, it has allowed us to earn the trust and loyalty of countless thousands of dedicated knife users around the world—an audience to whom we are extremely grateful.
The name Spyderco was coined after Glesser noticed that many high performance sports cars had 'Spyder' in the name; which inspired the name Spyderco to signify high performance cutting tools. The first product Spyderco produced was the Portable Hand in 1976, this "spider-shaped device", was a series of angles, ball joints and alligator clips that helped people such as jewelers and hobbyists to work with small parts. Spyderco's founder, Sal Glesser, and his wife Gail, converted an old bread delivery truck into a motor-home and traveled to shows. As they became more successful, they graduated from the bread truck to a truck and trailer. They settled in Golden in November 1978. The firm began producing knife sharpeners in 1978 and produced their first folding knife, the C01 Worker, in 1981; this was the first to feature a round hole in the blade designed for fast, one-handed and ambidextrous opening, which is now the company's trademark. Additionally, the company claims that this was the first knife to feature a pocket clip on the right side of the handle.