Thanks for the info. Wish it was online!Twice a year Spyderco will have seconds sales at the factory store in Golden, Colorado. The sales are generally held in May, (this year in June,) and November. The "OpFocus" sale, (named after their OpFocus program,) in May is for First Responders, active military/Vets, and medical professionals.
The November sale is the larger of the two and open to the general public. People fly in, or drive to the factory a week in advance to line up and camp out for the sale. Spyderco allows people to pitch tents on the property and even provides "blue rooms" for their convenience. With November weather in Colorado being unpredictable at best, Spyderco even allows them to bring fire rings. The owner, Sal Glesser, and family will stop by and chat with them throughout the week.
The day of the sale the less hearty people start lining up a couple of hours early and when the doors open the line will have wrapped around to the back of the building and up the street. The wait in line can take 3-4 hours to get in the door, but it's a pretty festive event. Employees will walk the line handing out swag and offering cups of coffee and doughnuts.
Prices are generally half to two-thirds off of MSRP and flaws can be from a scratch or, a funny grind line on the blade to screw heads on the handle screws not being formed properly. I've got some with easily repairable dinged edges. (dropped at a trade show?) Most flaws are purely cosmetic, and all items are inspected for safe operation. At the past OpFocus sale earlier this year I saw knives that were sold a couple of years ago exclusively by retailers and some models that haven't been around for years. (I don't know where they keep them all this time.)
There are thousands of items for sale, (knives, hatchets, sheaths, ceramic sharpening items...) All items are sold as-is without a warranty. There is a 25 knife purchase limit, but that may be relaxed as the day goes on. What it comes down to is the size of your wallet, and the strength of your marriage.
There's an article in last year's November byte e-Newsletter on the sale that month here: Spyderco byte November 2021 - https://mailchi.mp/spyderco/spyderco-byte-november-2021
Here's info on the OpFocus discount program for qualified individuals: OpFocus - Spyderco - https://www.spyderco.com/resources/op-focus/
Almost forgot to mention, items start showing up on big online auctions sites within hours of the doors opening on the day of the sale. And some of the descriptions are less than truthful.
(barely visible in the upper corner, he had jumped into the drawer. 
)
