2019 Bladeforums Traditional Forum Knife Poll

Which manufacturer would you prefer make the 2019 Forum Knife?

  • Total voters
    388
Status
Not open for further replies.
Getting closer to another 'Me Too" knife..:rolleyes: I voted Hess for something different..:thumbsup: Looks like that aint gonna happen so I will bow out on ALL future voting..:D
John
 
knarfeng said:
Sheffield may yet be an option. We'll see.

The problem that I see with Sheffield is that the folks around here are fussy about their knives. Every year we get some that folks want modified. We would not expect any dealer working with us this year to have to fuss with it. Wouldn't be fair to them. Having individuals ship unsatisfactory knives to UK, getting the problems fixed, then shipped back sounds like a nightmare to me.

Doing some querying outside the discussion forum.
Hoping to have some answers by the end of the month as to which companies we might be able to buy from. Then we can start a poll for real.
Click to expand...
Thank you Frank :thumbsup:
 
Thanks to Jack for the possible suggestion of a Sheffield knife. I personally liked the idea, but completely understand your hesitation about getting a bullseye painted on your back.

I know it's a huge headache to those that actually have work to do to make the annual knife happen, and that they hate seeing these threads pop up. I am just a guy with an opinion of what I like, and therefore I carry very little water compared to those that collect funds, organize with manufacturers, place orders, keep a list of buyers updated, and send out shipments.

But I think it is important to get the ball rolling this early in the year because it gives the greatest variety of options and the chance of receiving the knife within this year. Lets face it, without SK Blades stepping up last year, there was a slim chance of even having a 2018 knife, and nearly 0% chance of receiving it in the 2018 year.
 
Rookie82 said:
Thanks to Jack for the possible suggestion of a Sheffield knife. I personally liked the idea, but completely understand your hesitation about getting a bullseye painted on your back.
Click to expand...

Thank you my friend, just for the record though, it was actually someone else who originally raised the possibility of a Sheffield-made knife, tagging me in their post :thumbsup:
 
Jack Black said:
As I've said previously, from a selfish point of view, I'd like to see an American knife, and my vote went to Hess (I can get a Sheffield knife anytime). However, I was asked if a Sheffield knife was a viable option, and I think it could be. I think a Sheffield knife would be good for the forum, for the reasons many have referred to, and I would have been prepared to help out. The idea of a Sheffield knife seems to have ruffled a few feathers, and I don't want to be caught in the crossfire, to have to defend myself, or to be forced into a uneven argument. So, sorry folks, count me out, I'm just going to go back to what I was doing before, and leave this one to the experts :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I think you're right to ease out Jack. Can you imagine the ruffled feathers should the entire BF Annual Knives be lost in transit or held by customs or the logistics involved in sending a knife in for adjustment. I voted Sheffield but I think there are hazards dealing with a manufacture not here in the States.
 
If Sheffield comes off the table as am option, please let the forum know so the Sheffield voters can change their vote.
 
the worries about an English made knife seem absurdly over blown.

i voted for Hess, but may switch to sheffield.

I didnt see any posts attacking JackBlack, and I was a little surprised he decided to withdraw his support of this project, since his "on the ground" relationship with Sheffield cutlers, and his knowledge of how to get highest quality from them seems crucial to success.

I hope JackBlack will reconsider lending a hand if Sheffield wins the poll. And I hope at least one reputable knofe dealer will consider carrying some select Sheffield knives moving forward.

in hindsight, the 2018 forum knife from Buck was a pretty amazing accomplishment by SKBlades, Buck, and the forum members.

here we are in January with nothing decided and people are already running for the hills......!
 
Last edited:
OLd_gUY said:
As usual Jack, thank you for your efforts. Although disappointing, your stance is completely understood, especially considering the probability of QC "nit-picking".
Again, thank you.
OG
Click to expand...

Modoc ED said:
I think you're right to ease out Jack. Can you imagine the ruffled feathers should the entire BF Annual Knives be lost in transit or held by customs or the logistics involved in sending a knife in for adjustment. I voted Sheffield but I think there are hazards dealing with a manufacture not here in the States.
Click to expand...

Thanks guys, the practical side of things are not the reason for my withdrawing though. Sheffield cutlers aren't always the easiest to deal with, but I've been dealing with them nearly 30 years, and think it would have been relatively easy to deal with them again, and sort out a high-quality knife at a good price. I'm just another poster here though, and the idea of a Sheffield knife clearly isn't welcomed by everyone. In my opinion, the chances of sorting out a Sheffield-made knife from across The Pond are just about zero, but good luck to anyone who wants to try. I'm not going to get into the 'politics' of the forum knife, so I'd be grateful if people respected my reasons for withdrawing. I'd rather not have to comment further. The choice of where the forum knife will be made isn't mine, and I suspect it will either be made in the USA, or not made at all :thumbsup:
 
It looks like the prospects of the Sheffield option are dimming. That’s a shame. GEC will be fine if that’s the choice. If so, my hope is for the choice to be one in which something different is chosen. One that many want, but usually miss out on, because of their limited availability. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I would love a Viper, especially in a finely figured wood.
 
Last edited:
Jack Black said:
Thanks guys, the practical side of things are not the reason for my withdrawing though. Sheffield cutlers aren't always the easiest to deal with, but I've been dealing with them nearly 30 years, and think it would have been relatively easy to deal with them again, and sort out a high-quality knife at a good price. I'm just another poster here though, and the idea of a Sheffield knife clearly isn't welcomed by everyone. In my opinion, the chances of sorting out a Sheffield-made knife from across The Pond are just about zero, but good luck to anyone who wants to try. I'm not going to get into the 'politics' of the forum knife, so I'd be grateful if people respected my reasons for withdrawing. I'd rather not have to comment further. The choice of where the forum knife will be made isn't mine, and I suspect it will either be made in the USA, or not made at all :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

No more words necessary. You are under absolutely no obligation to undergo the torture of a forum knife. :p

With Sheffield pretty much out of the running, I changed my vote to Hess. But in all honestly, I'd be totally happy with LionSteel or GEC.
 
Jack Black Jack Black I appreciate your willingness to even consider working with Sheffield on behalf of the forum. No one should have a problem with your choice to decline the responsibility. I certainly don't! I'm not going to remove Sheffield from the polls, because I think it reflects well people's early preferences, and because it is already possible for people to change their vote should they want to. As @knarfeng said, there is more work to be done off the forum in order to get to a point where a poll will carry weight.
 
Jack Black said:
As I've said previously, from a selfish point of view, I'd like to see an American knife, and my vote went to Hess (I can get a Sheffield knife anytime). However, I was asked if a Sheffield knife was a viable option, and I think it could be. I think a Sheffield knife would be good for the forum, for the reasons many have referred to, and I would have been prepared to help out. The idea of a Sheffield knife seems to have ruffled a few feathers, and I don't want to be caught in the crossfire, to have to defend myself, or to be forced into a uneven argument. So, sorry folks, count me out, I'm just going to go back to what I was doing before, and leave this one to the experts :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

No further explanation is necessary and I fully respect your decision to withdraw, Jack

Elgatodeacero said:
the worries about and English made knife seem absurdly over blown.

i voted for Hess, but may switch to sheffield.

I didnt see any posts attacking JackBlack, and I was a little surprised he decided to withdraw his support of this project, since his "on the ground" relationship with Sheffield cutlers, and his knowledge of how to get highest quality from them seems crucial to success.

I hope JackBlack will reconsider lending a hand if Sheffield wins the poll. And I hope at least one reputable knofe dealer will consider carrying some select Sheffield knives moving forward.

in hindsight, the 2018 forum knife from Buck was a pretty amazing accomplishment by SKBlades, Buck, and the forum members.

here we are in January with nothing decided and people are already running for the hills......!
Click to expand...

There are a number of things that have been alluded to, by Frank as well as some others. The Forum Knife discussion is a headache and though many of us have a rather broad idea of how this project gets off the ground and carried to completion, we largely aren't privy to all of the logistics and wrangling that occur behind the scenes.

It is safe to say, I think, that the numbers interested in acquiring a Forum Knife have increased exponentially alongside the growing interest in Traditional patterns over the years. With those numbers comes the increase in discriminating tastes and subjective views when it comes to the pros and cons of any given knife. Case in point: GEC is arguably able to produce one of the best production level slip joints out there and their productions, alongside their facilitation of numerous SFOs, are highly coveted and sought after. With that said, they are still criticized for anything that ranges from glaring issues to rather small potatoes.

If folks can be critical of a GEC offering (and they absolutely should be where it is merited), how do you suppose they will treat a knife made by any other firm? We saw the complaints regarding the Buck knife, the Canal Street knife from years past, and others. You can bet your last dime on the notion that a Sheffield offering will receive the same criticism and then some. The problem being that in this case, the cutler is an ocean away and having issues "dealt with" will be a rather enormous undertaking all of its own.

I would not wish that on Jack, or anyone, for that matter.
 
Last edited:
Pàdruig said:
Jack, I do not want to see you get caught in any sort of crossfire, nor do I want to see you forced into a position where you are having to deal with the particularly discriminating tastes that many of us, as knife collectors, are in possession of. My biggest worry with having a Sheffield option on the table is the impact that it would have on you and your overall relationship with the forums. I could see it souring in short order... I care about you as a friend, as well as a contributor to these forums and I would really hate to see you having to undergo undue stress.

I appreciate all you do here and I very much appreciate your initial willingness to bring a Sheffield option to the table. No further explanation is necessary and I fully respect your decision to withdraw.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much my friend, I certainly didn't expect it to be an easy road, but my withdrawing has nothing to do with these things, I was happy to try and help, but I don't think that help was wanted by everyone, and I've been here long enough to read the writing on the wall, and know when discretion is the better part of valour. I'm sure the Sheffield cutlers would be very pleased with the enthusiasm for a Sheffield knife. That one is extremely unlikely has little to do with logistics in my opinion, nor does it have anything to do with my withdrawing. I'm grateful for the support and kind words folks, but would be equally grateful if the discussion moved on :) I'm not sure how the process goes forward, but I'm sure we'll be told at some point :thumbsup:
 
Despite the number of complaints inevitable in a group-made decision and its results, I thought that the overwhelming regard for what Buck and @skblades accomplished was high. I know several people sold theirs due to this or that issue, and some had to return theirs for this or that issue, but even those folks were able to get some satisfaction (whether selling the knife to someone who wanted one, or having their quality issues resolved by Buck).

GEC is probably the most reliable choice on the list (don't know about Hess), simply because it is a USA company and most buyers are in the USA, but last year's Buck run seemed to go rather smoothly, all things considered, in my opinion.
 
Jack Black said:
Thank you very much my friend, I certainly didn't expect it to be an easy road, but my withdrawing has nothing to do with these things, I was happy to try and help, but I don't think that help was wanted by everyone, and I've been here long enough to read the writing on the wall, and know when discretion is the better part of valour. I'm sure the Sheffield cutlers would be very pleased with the enthusiasm for a Sheffield knife. That one is extremely unlikely has little to do with logistics in my opinion, nor does it have anything to do with my withdrawing. I'm grateful for the support and kind words folks, but would be equally grateful if the discussion moved on :) I'm not sure how the process goes forward, but I'm sure we'll be told at some point :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

My apologies, Jack, I did not mean to presume. I've edited that part of my post so as to not contribute to the matter further.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top