ABS Expo 2014 Report

Alpha Knife Supply said:
There is gold in the comments written by Anthony. Unfortunately, some people are refusing to acknowledge what he wrote.

One of the keys to the success of the tactical genre is the secondary market. Most tactical knifemakers have learned to price their knives while totally disregarding the secondary market prices. If the knifemaker makes a popular design, the secondary market price soon is higher than the original price. This helps the knifemaker in multiple ways:

1) The demand for their knives increases
2) Their backlog of orders increases
3) The knifemaker builds a "brand" by actively marketing
4) The knifemaker sells more knives & makes more money
5) The knifemaker can afford more tools to increase production (CNC machinery)
6) Repeat steps 1-5 until the knifemaker is satisfied with their income

Buying CNC machinery does not guarantee success. However, the monthly payment does emphasize the importance of selling knives!

When I buy forged knives, I'm aware I will probably have to wait if I want sell the knife. I'm also aware I may not get back the purchase price. Contrast with the tactical knife secondary market where hundreds of knives sell every day, many at a profit.

Knifemakers have to actively market to collectors at the correct price point if they want to be successful. Good collector attendance at shows is an indication of how well the knifemakers are marketing. Good sales at the show are a result of proper pricing.

BTW, The list of knifemakers posted at the CKCA show is interesting. Some diversification in the type of knifemakers may increase membership.

Chuck
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Thanks Chuck.
Funny thing happened today. A great ABS and stock removal maker who many of us know saw this thread and realized that I had resurfaced from a few other hobbies I have and called me today to discuss his take on the current market and to remind me of a standing order I had given him years ago that we had never solidified. I ordered a knife during the call sight unseen because he is a maker I have extreme confidence in. It was a great day.

Lots more to reflect on.
 
Hello!

Interesting thread - even for someone outside the US. Also interesting to read that there are still different organisations pulling different strings over there. One thing I myself am not sure that will ever work out, is any organisation promoting all of it's individual members in an equal way. Per definition, the good needs the bad, otherwise it would not exist. If all knifemakers, even if they were part of one organisation or the other, got the same exposure and reached the same market, there would not be a market for long. Uniformity is to be avoided, if one wants to survive on any market, imo.

What an organisation dedicated to knifemaking could and should do - in my opnion -, is to promote the product as such, not individual or (at worst) all makers. Surviving in the market is the sole responsibilty of any maker in my opinion. This can be done by building on any possible USP there might be a market for. Shortcomings in finding these markets and building on one's USP are not to be blamed on organisations imo.

That said, to me not everything in life has to be directed at making a profit. If someone is fine with spending his/her spare time building knives and selling them, there is nothing bad about that.

The bottom line for me as an outsider is, that a perfect world would have different organisations promoting the product "knife" tailored to specific parts of the market, but also with an open eye on the other parts, to allow for buyers to get interested in those other parts as well. In this ideal world, the young tactical clientel would also get exposed to forged bowies and choppers and vice versa. Cross-invitational shows sound like a great starting point for that. The makers taking these invitations should ideally be on top of their game, otherwise it might backfire in an instant. With my limited ABS experience (only 12 JS and 8 MS knives so far), I can not say, I am convinced that the stamps on the knives reflect a quality stepping (so far - even out of my own limited pool - comparatively more MS knives were underwhelming and more JS knives positive surprises). As a result, I would welcome invitations not being limited to those sporting a specific stamp, but to those that really got it going. If the organisations voicing the invitations don't know, who these "good" makers are, they are not doing a good job themselves, imo.

Best regards,
Alex
 
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Virginian
What would it be like if buyers, collectors,honorary members ,purveyors, hunter,fisherman and people who just like knives could come
to one show and find the knife they have been looking for. Instead of traveling all over the country to find that one special
Knife, from a ABS member or a Guild member. Just a thought.
Gene Baskett President KMG
 
Gene Baskett said:
Virginian
What would it be like if buyers, collectors,honorary members ,purveyors, hunter,fisherman and people who just like knives could come
to one show and find the knife they have been looking for. Instead of traveling all over the country to find that one special
Knife, from a ABS member or a Guild member. Just a thought.
Gene Baskett President KMG
Click to expand...


Gene,

Isn't the Blade Show in Atlanta sort of that already?

Bill
 
Bill
Yes, That the Blade is a already in a way, but it is 200,000 square feet of everything. I would like to see a elite show of the best makers in the world in a room of two hundred to two hundred fifty of the ABS and KMG members or more.
Gene Baskett
 
Gene Baskett said:
Bill
Yes, That the Blade is a already in a way, but it is 200,000 square feet of everything. I would like to see a elite show of the best makers in the world in a room of two hundred to two hundred fifty of the ABS and KMG members or more.
Gene Baskett
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I'd participate in a show like that as both a maker and a consumer. Handmade only by only the best has a lot of appeal. Something like this might fill a niche precisely BECAUSE Blade is so comprehensive; I prefer a well-prepared meal of two or three dishes to a buffet, most of the time.
 
Bladeandbarrel said:
As someone with two Rubbermaid containers of forged blades that I cherish I have enjoyed meeting and befriending many makers over the years but rarely have I seen too many of them prosper in bladesmithing.

...[many] ABS have a production problem...

...learn how to machine/source parts and break into newer technology...
...Make friends with the tactical makers and start developing customers in the tactical world.
...This is not new. This is not a trend.
...They are simply technology knives.
... All they care about is what the product stands for, what the maker stands for and the added association with a group that likes that makers work. There is a lot of fellowship involved.

I would also ask many forged makers-what is your subculture? What is the culture you have developed? Do you Facebook? Do you Twitter? Do you Pinterest? Do you have a website?
Click to expand...

Great post. Creating a buzz and a following at the same time as figuring how to meet a growing demand that such a buzz generates is key to growing your business.

The "softer" side of the ABS and damascus/hamons/Stag/Wood/ ect. appeals to my ulterior side. It gives my OCD, left brained, engineer mind a break.
But that doesn't mean I haven't pondered the idea of an assembly line pops out high end fixed blades in San Mai or with hamon. No worries that is not in my 5 year business plan. ;)
 
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