Attention 2019 Forum knife question thread.

[eisman]

Not entirely true. If the dealer is The One Stop Knife Shop, it will be for profit. That was the case with the Congress Jack, and it pretty much convinced Spark that these forum knives are more trouble than they are worth. Any profit made using the Blade forums name goes to him.

I think a big part of the problem Spark had was the number of people who said they would buy and didn't. He was stuck with a significant number of knives (over 10% if memory serves, and that's pretty close to what this year's total was). Some folks had issues with the cost, which was over $100, but in line with GEC retail, but I still think trying to keep the cost below that point limits the final product too much. (I would have loved to have a large Camp Knife from GEC as a forum knife, but the price would have been too much, and now we'll never get one.)

The point is that those who fail to keep a commitment to buy impact the finances and goodwill of this project. I'd hate to see the annual knife stop because of them, and the only way I can see that being mitigated is by limiting the number of knifes in the run to a number where there's more demand than product. (A marketing strategy that seems to work for GEC, Waynorth, etc...) Yes, some members may have to buy on the secondary market. Yes, the price may increase. But that's collecting, not buying, and to me the hunt is important. It took me 6 years to get the 2011 blade I missed because I was out of the country, but I don't hold that against the way the initial sales were conducted.

(disclaimer: I still believe the 2013 knife was the best we've done.)

 

[eisman]

duplicate post

 

[yablanowitz]

That year it was pay up front if you want one, and sales were slow to reach a number Spark felt was worth ordering. He nearly cancelled the whole thing. My problem was we didn't really know what we were going to get, we just had a set of general parameters that could have resulted in any of a dozen things. It turned out to be a slender pocket companion, but it could just as easily been a toolbox workhorse.

 

[overtech]

That year it was pay up front if you want one, and sales were slow to reach a number Spark felt was worth ordering. He nearly cancelled the whole thing. My problem was we didn't really know what we were going to get, we just had a set of general parameters that could have resulted in any of a dozen things. It turned out to be a slender pocket companion, but it could just as easily been a toolbox workhorse.

The resultant knife is one my favorites but what a rocky ride to get it.

 

[22-rimfire]

I am confused about this out of pocket suggestion. When I tried to get in late and buy one of the TC barlow forum knives the price had gone up about $50. Why is the dealer going to be out of pocket if there are unfulfilled preorders? They can still just sell the knives.

If the dealer sold the knives for a profit from left overs, it would break the covenant between the dealer and Spark/BF.

I have no problem with "for profit" as long as it is stated up front as such

One of the things that I don't understand is what is the history of people not accepting their commitments on the Forum Knife? This is for perspective mostly. Were there a lot of left overs or just moaning after the fact that somebody didn't receive their's?

Pre-orders are fine generally, but if you are asked to pay the entire price many months ahead of time, there will be people who simply will not participate.

 

[yablanowitz]

A lot of people who participated in the polls that year hesitated to buy. Some doubtless had other reasons, but the uncertainty of paying in advance without so much as an artist's rendering of the final product had a lot to do with it. At what point is it a commitment? When you vote in a poll, when the polls turn out to be something you want, when you plunk down your money and say "Gimme"?

 

[Camillus]

There is only one option. The forum knife must be an exact replica of the previous year’s scarcest and most sought after GEC.

 

[Peregrin]

From the stickied post, Further UPDATED 10/14 ---2019 Forum Knife -- First Step in the Ordering Process-Orders Closed

Next Wednesday, Mike is going to place an order for the number of knives listed in this thread. If you need to withdraw or make a change to your order, please contact Gary or me before that time. If there is need a later need for a withdrawal from the project due to an emergency, we should be able to accommodate that, but we really need to get the numbers right. We will not be ordering any extras.

Folks had time to let us know they weren't going to purchase. Even after the order was in we went out of our way to accommodate those that needed, for one reason or another, to drop out.
I'm glad we able to do that and set up a waiting list so others could join in.
No way should we have had 50 people that just disappeared after the order was in. I don't think we'll ever do anything other than require money up front. If folks don't like it, they don't need to participate.
We really do appreciate those that make this whole forum knife experience a good one. It's a lot of work for all of us, especially the dealers that have stepped up. Without the dealers, there would be no forum knife.
Thanks to all who made this fun.

Edited to add: All the knives have been purchased.
Thanks to all who stepped up and purchased, especially those that just did it to help out. Thank you!

 

[cudgee]

From the stickied post, Further UPDATED 10/14 ---2019 Forum Knife -- First Step in the Ordering Process-Orders Closed

Folks had time to let us know they weren't going to purchase. Even after the order was in we went out of our way to accommodate those that needed, for one reason or another, to drop out.
I'm glad we able to do that and set up a waiting list so others could join in.
No way should we have had 50 people that just disappeared after the order was in. I don't think we'll ever do anything other than require money up front. If folks don't like it, they don't need to participate.
We really do appreciate those that make this whole forum knife experience a good one. It's a lot of work for all of us, especially the dealers that have stepped up. Without the dealers, there would be no forum knife.
Thanks to all who made this fun.

Edited to add: All the knives have been purchased.
Thanks to all who stepped up and purchased, especially those that just did it to help out. Thank you!

Glad all the knives have eventually been purchased, i am new to the forum and did not know anything about the forum knife. I did not qualify for a knife after finding out about it and reading the qualifying requirements. I have found people on the forum to be most welcoming and very helpful, and it is also an amusing place with a heap of laughs, and am glad that not only have members stepped in to help, but help one another as well, well done everyone.

 

[seas165]

I would be happy to pre pay as early as needed. Too bad we couldnt pay before we even do a poll, kinda like ya gotta "pay to play" that way people dont flood the polls and then not buy. I know i will be in for at least one every year because this place is special and the friendships and just plain kind people are what the annual knife represent to me. A sincere thank you to everyone that makes this happen

 

[jakemex]

The annual Blade Forums knife is always a major drama. Part of the interest for some I’m sure. Glad it’s over for another year. Less than two months until the clamor begins again and the subsequent rehash of the rules and etc. My 2013 model is an overpriced flawed gem.

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

Ok enough of this stuff,its all been made right. Now all I really want to know is will I be using it to eat Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner kidding aside I can't hardly wait. I really hope the people at GEC reads these threads and know how excited we all are,well I am anyways! I feel good when the work we do is appreciated by the company that we work for. That our refurbished houses sell better and faster than newly manufactured homes. So I hope that they look at our excitement for this knife and feel proud. I hope someone looks at one before it goes into the tube and thinks "This may be the one that goes to that Hillbilly guy,he's going to used it until the blade is almost black with patina. And the bolsters and shield will be dulled from carry in a pocket with coins and odd screws and driver bits, but thats ok because we built it to take the work it will do" And be proud. And the next will go into a tube and he thinks "This one may go to someone who will treasure it as a beautiful work of art, and craftsmanship. Someone who will preserve it and admire it and its crisp lines and beauty, and thats ok too because we made them to be magnificent as well" And feel equally proud. I hope a certain crazy Australian knows that when we get that tube in our hands, at least for me, roll it over and read the words written there,before we even look at the knife it contains. And that is a special touch,not found on any other before it. And while not a tangible thing we can hold, I hope Darren feels pride in his contributions during the voting phase. He made some fabulous mockups of the various choices being discussed, and give us a chance to SEE it. I feel that helped immensely, and then we got a nice rendering of what it would be once everything was settled on. I have more than once went back and looked to remind myself of what was to come. Then there's Mike and the Moderators, I hope once the dust settles, and you get the time to separate from the bustle of it all,and see the excitement that will be once the knives are in our hands,and showing up here in pictures, that in spite of the extra grey hair its caused you feel it was worth the effort. And be proud of your hand in it as well. And to my fellow forumites, when you receive yours and its in your hand,take a moment to take it all in,and be proud to own a knife with so much in it.


Sorry for the long post,

 

[SVTFreak]

Wow, MH. Powerful words there.

 

[Old Engineer]

Ok enough of this stuff,its all been made right. Now all I really want to know is will I be using it to eat Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner kidding aside I can't hardly wait. I really hope the people at GEC reads these threads and know how excited we all are,well I am anyways! I feel good when the work we do is appreciated by the company that we work for. That our refurbished houses sell better and faster than newly manufactured homes. So I hope that they look at our excitement for this knife and feel proud. I hope someone looks at one before it goes into the tube and thinks "This may be the one that goes to that Hillbilly guy,he's going to used it until the blade is almost black with patina. And the bolsters and shield will be dulled from carry in a pocket with coins and odd screws and driver bits, but thats ok because we built it to take the work it will do" And be proud. And the next will go into a tube and he thinks "This one may go to someone who will treasure it as a beautiful work of art, and craftsmanship. Someone who will preserve it and admire it and its crisp lines and beauty, and thats ok too because we made them to be magnificent as well" And feel equally proud. I hope a certain crazy Australian knows that when we get that tube in our hands, at least for me, roll it over and read the words written there,before we even look at the knife it contains. And that is a special touch,not found on any other before it. And while not a tangible thing we can hold, I hope Darren feels pride in his contributions during the voting phase. He made some fabulous mockups of the various choices being discussed, and give us a chance to SEE it. I feel that helped immensely, and then we got a nice rendering of what it would be once everything was settled on. I have more than once went back and looked to remind myself of what was to come. Then there's Mike and the Moderators, I hope once the dust settles, and you get the time to separate from the bustle of it all,and see the excitement that will be once the knives are in our hands,and showing up here in pictures, that in spite of the extra grey hair its caused you feel it was worth the effort. And be proud of your hand in it as well. And to my fellow forumites, when you receive yours and its in your hand,take a moment to take it all in,and be proud to own a knife with so much in it.


Sorry for the long post,

Well said my friend .

Harry

 

[Prester John]

Ok enough of this stuff,its all been made right. Now all I really want to know is will I be using it to eat Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner kidding aside I can't hardly wait. I really hope the people at GEC reads these threads and know how excited we all are,well I am anyways! I feel good when the work we do is appreciated by the company that we work for. That our refurbished houses sell better and faster than newly manufactured homes. So I hope that they look at our excitement for this knife and feel proud. I hope someone looks at one before it goes into the tube and thinks "This may be the one that goes to that Hillbilly guy,he's going to used it until the blade is almost black with patina. And the bolsters and shield will be dulled from carry in a pocket with coins and odd screws and driver bits, but thats ok because we built it to take the work it will do" And be proud. And the next will go into a tube and he thinks "This one may go to someone who will treasure it as a beautiful work of art, and craftsmanship. Someone who will preserve it and admire it and its crisp lines and beauty, and thats ok too because we made them to be magnificent as well" And feel equally proud. I hope a certain crazy Australian knows that when we get that tube in our hands, at least for me, roll it over and read the words written there,before we even look at the knife it contains. And that is a special touch,not found on any other before it. And while not a tangible thing we can hold, I hope Darren feels pride in his contributions during the voting phase. He made some fabulous mockups of the various choices being discussed, and give us a chance to SEE it. I feel that helped immensely, and then we got a nice rendering of what it would be once everything was settled on. I have more than once went back and looked to remind myself of what was to come. Then there's Mike and the Moderators, I hope once the dust settles, and you get the time to separate from the bustle of it all,and see the excitement that will be once the knives are in our hands,and showing up here in pictures, that in spite of the extra grey hair its caused you feel it was worth the effort. And be proud of your hand in it as well. And to my fellow forumites, when you receive yours and its in your hand,take a moment to take it all in,and be proud to own a knife with so much in it.


Sorry for the long post,

Don't apologize for the long posts, David. I always enjoy reading them.

 

[Xr6x]

Ok enough of this stuff,its all been made right. Now all I really want to know is will I be using it to eat Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner kidding aside I can't hardly wait. I really hope the people at GEC reads these threads and know how excited we all are,well I am anyways! I feel good when the work we do is appreciated by the company that we work for. That our refurbished houses sell better and faster than newly manufactured homes. So I hope that they look at our excitement for this knife and feel proud. I hope someone looks at one before it goes into the tube and thinks "This may be the one that goes to that Hillbilly guy,he's going to used it until the blade is almost black with patina. And the bolsters and shield will be dulled from carry in a pocket with coins and odd screws and driver bits, but thats ok because we built it to take the work it will do" And be proud. And the next will go into a tube and he thinks "This one may go to someone who will treasure it as a beautiful work of art, and craftsmanship. Someone who will preserve it and admire it and its crisp lines and beauty, and thats ok too because we made them to be magnificent as well" And feel equally proud. I hope a certain crazy Australian knows that when we get that tube in our hands, at least for me, roll it over and read the words written there,before we even look at the knife it contains. And that is a special touch,not found on any other before it. And while not a tangible thing we can hold, I hope Darren feels pride in his contributions during the voting phase. He made some fabulous mockups of the various choices being discussed, and give us a chance to SEE it. I feel that helped immensely, and then we got a nice rendering of what it would be once everything was settled on. I have more than once went back and looked to remind myself of what was to come. Then there's Mike and the Moderators, I hope once the dust settles, and you get the time to separate from the bustle of it all,and see the excitement that will be once the knives are in our hands,and showing up here in pictures, that in spite of the extra grey hair its caused you feel it was worth the effort. And be proud of your hand in it as well. And to my fellow forumites, when you receive yours and its in your hand,take a moment to take it all in,and be proud to own a knife with so much in it.


Sorry for the long post,

Very Nicely Said Hillbilly on another note has anyone received Shipping Confirmation Yet ?

 

[Epicurian]

Lol!

 

[dantzk8]

Ok enough of this stuff,its all been made right. Now all I really want to know is will I be using it to eat Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner kidding aside I can't hardly wait. I really hope the people at GEC reads these threads and know how excited we all are,well I am anyways! I feel good when the work we do is appreciated by the company that we work for. That our refurbished houses sell better and faster than newly manufactured homes. So I hope that they look at our excitement for this knife and feel proud. I hope someone looks at one before it goes into the tube and thinks "This may be the one that goes to that Hillbilly guy,he's going to used it until the blade is almost black with patina. And the bolsters and shield will be dulled from carry in a pocket with coins and odd screws and driver bits, but thats ok because we built it to take the work it will do" And be proud. And the next will go into a tube and he thinks "This one may go to someone who will treasure it as a beautiful work of art, and craftsmanship. Someone who will preserve it and admire it and its crisp lines and beauty, and thats ok too because we made them to be magnificent as well" And feel equally proud. I hope a certain crazy Australian knows that when we get that tube in our hands, at least for me, roll it over and read the words written there,before we even look at the knife it contains. And that is a special touch,not found on any other before it. And while not a tangible thing we can hold, I hope Darren feels pride in his contributions during the voting phase. He made some fabulous mockups of the various choices being discussed, and give us a chance to SEE it. I feel that helped immensely, and then we got a nice rendering of what it would be once everything was settled on. I have more than once went back and looked to remind myself of what was to come. Then there's Mike and the Moderators, I hope once the dust settles, and you get the time to separate from the bustle of it all,and see the excitement that will be once the knives are in our hands,and showing up here in pictures, that in spite of the extra grey hair its caused you feel it was worth the effort. And be proud of your hand in it as well. And to my fellow forumites, when you receive yours and its in your hand,take a moment to take it all in,and be proud to own a knife with so much in it.


Sorry for the long post,

It's been a long post but there was not a word of too much. Nicely put.

Dan.

 

[glocktenman]

David, I hope you can use it for both dinners!

I just read this last page of the thread and have been on and off the BF this year with some good gaps in between. I have voted on previous knives and several times the vote has gone in a different direction than I'd hoped. Once I get to that point, I stop adding my input because I've decided in my mind not to purchase one often simply due to style preferences. I'd hope there is a decision point for us all and once a person realizes that they stop providing feedback on design. On the other hand I've missed the boat completely and not voted on anything involving the knife and found I've missed the timeframe to order or get on the order list on a knife I really liked. I've worked it out a few times and found them after the orders have arrived or begged and cried a bit to try to get one. I realize there is a bunch of work and effort that goes into designing and making our BF trads knife. I appreciate all that are involved and if I obligate to buy one I will. However, things do change in people's lives such as jobs, income, housing, marital status, children, vehicles, health, and these factors can cause a person to change their spending habits and decisions. People may not be in a position to purchase a knife one or two months after they obligated to buy one. This is a difficult position for our organizers and Trads BF knife project managers to deal with because of the expensive overall cost of the project. Pre-paid may be the best option. If you miss it you have to look for one later. If you obligate to buy one you must purchase it when you obligate.

 

[Chui]

Ok enough of this stuff,its all been made right. Now all I really want to know is will I be using it to eat Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner kidding aside I can't hardly wait. I really hope the people at GEC reads these threads and know how excited we all are,well I am anyways! I feel good when the work we do is appreciated by the company that we work for. That our refurbished houses sell better and faster than newly manufactured homes. So I hope that they look at our excitement for this knife and feel proud. I hope someone looks at one before it goes into the tube and thinks "This may be the one that goes to that Hillbilly guy,he's going to used it until the blade is almost black with patina. And the bolsters and shield will be dulled from carry in a pocket with coins and odd screws and driver bits, but thats ok because we built it to take the work it will do" And be proud. And the next will go into a tube and he thinks "This one may go to someone who will treasure it as a beautiful work of art, and craftsmanship. Someone who will preserve it and admire it and its crisp lines and beauty, and thats ok too because we made them to be magnificent as well" And feel equally proud. I hope a certain crazy Australian knows that when we get that tube in our hands, at least for me, roll it over and read the words written there,before we even look at the knife it contains. And that is a special touch,not found on any other before it. And while not a tangible thing we can hold, I hope Darren feels pride in his contributions during the voting phase. He made some fabulous mockups of the various choices being discussed, and give us a chance to SEE it. I feel that helped immensely, and then we got a nice rendering of what it would be once everything was settled on. I have more than once went back and looked to remind myself of what was to come. Then there's Mike and the Moderators, I hope once the dust settles, and you get the time to separate from the bustle of it all,and see the excitement that will be once the knives are in our hands,and showing up here in pictures, that in spite of the extra grey hair its caused you feel it was worth the effort. And be proud of your hand in it as well. And to my fellow forumites, when you receive yours and its in your hand,take a moment to take it all in,and be proud to own a knife with so much in it.


Sorry for the long post,

Nice one, David

I'm sure - no, I hope - this is the kind of thing all members think too, but it's real good when someone goes out of their way write and post it.

Before I started running my own knife forum I did some group buys, far smaller by comparison, and right up until every last person receives their knife, however smoothly it all ran, it can be a real worry

Cheers!