Spyderco was founded in 1976 by Sal and Gail Glesser.
They began by making knife grinders. Their first patent was the “Portable Hand”, often used for holding circuit boards in adjustable mounted clamps.
In 1978 the Glessers settled in Golden, Colorado. They focused on their Tri-Angle Sharpmaker®, a “Crock Stick” style sharpener using triangular ceramic rods.
In 1981 Spyderco released their first knife, the C01 Worker.
In the 1990s Spyderco claimed to be the first manufacturer to use powder-metallurgy blade steel in their knives.