They should be available around April. That seems to be when the new models come out. I have several on order and will post here when they finally hit the street.
The numbers are 532BR, 532BL and 532RD. The colors are Walnut, Indigo and Cherry. The name of the knife is the Bucklock 2000. They will list at $100.00 and will be produced (I was told) for the year 2000 only. Another limited edition.
As for the interest on this forum being a guage for the success of this or any other product, it is, at best an inaccurate indicator. Most of us dealers have already learned the hard way not to stock up too heavily based on what we read here.
You folks are the hard core of the knife enthusiast community and are not representative the general buying public.
We all share a common interest in edged tools and that brings us together. Our discussions and conversations lead us to believe that we are the foundation of the knife buying public and represent the average or general attitude toward purchasing, carrying and using knives. The fact that we appreciate the differences between the steels, handle shapes, edge holding and geometry characteristics of fine cutlery must mean that everyone does.
Actually the opposite is true. Most of the folks who buy knives or carry them or use them are not as informed or as dedicated to knifecraft as the citizens of this small community.
Here are some of the characteristics of the "average knife buyer/user":
Most do not know the difference between BG42 and 320 stainless (and don't care).
They really believe the term "never needs sharpening".
The Ginsu knife is the ultimate cutting machine.
The measure of a good quality knife is if it doesn't rust when they forget and leave it in the sink for three or four days or the toolbox for three or four months.
When the knife has a difficult time tearing its way through a block of cheddar cheese its time to resharpen and then, usually, that means replacing it.
If a pocket knife or small kitchen knife cost more than $3.00 they are being "ripped off" and the most any "quality knife" (Ginsu knife) should ever cost is less than $20.00.
They don't understand how anyone could ever charge a hundred dollars for a knife.
I don't mean to sound churlish, snobbish or elitist but that is the real world outside of Bladeforums and Knifeforums and the other gathering places for enthusiasts dedicated to their interests.
There was a reason the 532 was dropped from the lineup a few years ago and it had nothing to do with what the experts thought of the design. It was sales. In business you carry or produce what sells and drop what doesn't. The bottom line is the deciding factor. The original 532 did not sell well enough to continue it's existence, the same with the 124, the M9, the 118, the Kalinga, the Akouna, the selector and many other models over the years.
Unfortunately, I don't think the forums have enough members, yet, to sustain the production of any model made by any manufacturer. It's easy to assume from the enthusiasm of the members here that a product will be an instant success but, in reality, it just ain't always so.
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Dennis Wright
Wright Knife & Sporting Goods
1-800-400-1980
("Have a knife day!")
wrightknife@ixpres.com
[This message has been edited by Dennis Wright (edited 01-31-2000).]
