Spyderco
Folding knives, fixed blades and sharpeners from Golden, Colorado since 1976
⚙️ American Manufacturing
Our assessment
Company details
Where Spyderco products are made
Golden, Colorado
Spyderco’s factory and offices sit at 820 Spyderco Way in Golden. The Glessers settled there in 1978 to manufacture the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker, and the Colorado plant still produces the models listed in the company’s USA Made Knives collection.
Manufacturing in five countries
Spyderco states openly that it has manufacturing resources in the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, Italy and China. Country of origin varies by model, and the company marks it rather than obscuring it.
American steel partnerships
Spyderco was the first manufacturer to use powder-metallurgy blade steel, and it has partnered with American steelmakers on new alloys — Carpenter Technology’s CTS BD1 and its own proprietary CPM SPY27, made by Crucible Industries.
Spyderco is a mixed-origin manufacturer and says so on its own About page. Some models are made in Golden, Colorado; others come from partner factories in Japan, Taiwan, Italy and China. The company maintains a USA Made Knives collection identifying the domestic models, and individual product pages state country of origin. Buyers who specifically want an American-made Spyderco should shop that collection or check the model before ordering rather than assuming.
The story
Spyderco began in 1976 when Sal and Gail Glesser converted an old bread delivery truck into a motorhome, towed a Volkswagen Bug behind it, and travelled the country selling as pitchmen at fairs and trade shows. Their first patented product was not a knife at all — it was the Portable Hand, a multi-clamp device used for assembling circuit boards.
In 1978 the Glessers settled in Golden, Colorado and focused on the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker, a triangular-rod sharpener that was the first consumer product capable of easily honing serrated edges.
The knife came in 1981. The C01 Worker introduced two ideas that are now near-universal: a round hole in the blade for one-handed opening, and a clip on the handle for carry at the top of the pocket. A year later it became the first folder offered with a serrated edge. Between them, those features defined the modern folding knife.
Sal Glesser was later inducted into Blade Magazine’s Cutlery Hall of Fame. The company has since expanded into fixed blades, kitchen knives and sharpeners, and remains a reference point for anyone arguing about what a pocket knife should be.
Why they matter
Spyderco did not just make knives in America — it changed what a knife is. The thumb hole and the pocket clip were Colorado inventions, and virtually every folding knife sold today borrows from them. Design leadership of that kind is worth as much to American manufacturing as unit volume.
The company is also a useful model of honest labelling. Plenty of brands with a US address quietly import everything. Spyderco names its five manufacturing countries on its About page and publishes a separate collection for the American-made models, which lets a buyer act on the information instead of guessing.
Its steel work matters too. Spyderco has partnered with Carpenter Technology and Crucible Industries — both American steelmakers — to develop alloys including its proprietary CPM SPY27, keeping metallurgical R&D as well as machining in the country.
Shop Spyderco products
Browse Spyderco folding knives, fixed blades and sharpeners available now in the Buy American store.
Frequently asked questions
When was Spyderco founded?
1976, by Sal and Gail Glesser. They began by selling sharpeners and other goods as travelling pitchmen before settling in Golden, Colorado in 1978.
Where is Spyderco located?
820 Spyderco Way, Golden, Colorado. The Glessers moved there in 1978 and the company has been based in Golden ever since.
Are Spyderco knives made in the USA?
Some are. Spyderco states on its own site that it has manufacturing resources in the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, Italy and China, and it publishes a USA Made Knives collection identifying the models produced in Golden, Colorado. Check the individual model before ordering.
What was Spyderco’s first knife?
The C01 Worker, introduced in 1981. It pioneered the round opening hole in the blade and the pocket clip on the handle — two features that defined the modern folding knife.