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Spydercollector Kicks Off Amsterdam Meet Coverage with ATR Reveal

March 9, 2016

Spydercollector just kicked-off his coverage of the 2016 Spyderco Amsterdam Meet and confirmed the re-release of the popular Spyderco ATR (At The Ready). A fan favorite, the original ATR won Knives Illustrated’s Knife of the Year in 2003, and is now being released in G-10. Spydercollector’s website is the place to go for more detailed specs and photos of the new ATR. [UPDATE: Spydercollector has recently posted more new Spyderco prototypes]

The aptly-named ‘Spydercollector’ maintains one of the most thorough Spyderco-centric knife blogs around. Calling it a fan site doesn’t do it justice: it is flat-out one of the best resources for pictures and information on Spyderco’s many different blades. Spydercollector is especially famous for his annual exclusive coverage of the Amsterdam Meet.

The day-long event is where a bevy of new Spyderco prototypes are revealed: some to be released in short order, some never to see the production line, but all of great interest to Spyderco fans everywhere. The meet is a glimpse not only into possible new products, but also into the Spyderco design process itself: “Eric and the crew are very transparent, no questions are off-limits and you’ll get a straight answer .. Spyderco wants feedback from its customers to help improve their designs,” Spydercollector told us.

That might be the biggest difference between the Amsterdam Meet and something bigger like SHOT Show or BLADE Show: that feeling of collaboration. “It is a lot of fun and there’s a great atmosphere,” says Spydercollector. Not only is it a chance to see some envelope pushing R&D work from an industry leader; it’s a chance to connect with other knife enthusiasts over a shared passion: “Kind of feels like ‘coming home’ when you meet all these guys that share the same obsession,” he says.

Spydercollector has attended every Amsterdam Meet since its inception in 2004 and has watched it grow considerably over the years. “There were only about eight people back then. It was a small round-table kind of gathering,” Spydercollector recalls.

This year’s Amsterdam Meet took place on February 28th, at the Mercure Amsterdam Airport Hotel. As has been the case for the last several years, 80 total invitations were handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis via Spyderco’s popular forum. According to Spydercollector, in 2016 most of the attendees were returning faces, more than 90% were European, and all had a deep affinity to the Spyderco brand.

Knife featured in image: Spyderco ATR Production Prototype (Copyright owner: Spydercollector.com)

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