Mr Glesser,
I will ask a question that I believe will provide the best direction for answering your initial question.
"" So how does one offer better designs, materials & craftsmanship and still reach the decision making faculty of the ELU (&
Bruce), get their attention, have them believe you and trust that they are really getting what they are paying for? ""
Where do you sell the largest percentage of your knives? (Knife Stores, Internet Dealers, Mail Order Dealers, Sporting Goods Stores, etc)
I believe this question is important because it determines how big a role Hype will play in selling a knife.
My personal experience has been that in small knife stores the the customer is sold on a knife by someone behind the counter that believes in the product. If that person behind the counter is truly knowledgable true quality will win.
I expect that people buying knives from Internet Dealers are prone to use the vast information resources on the Net to research before they buy so again quality will win.
What I am saying in a nutshell is that hype depends on an uneducated consumer to be effective. If your primary market is the educated consumer who sees through hype keep doing what you are doing and let those who rely on hype to sell their products continue to educate the masses the hard way.
