Al Mar SERE 2020

Is the Al Mar SERE 2020 worth the price?

  • Yes

    Votes: 4 11.1%

  • No

    Votes: 28 77.8%

  • Maybe

    Votes: 4 11.1%
  • Total voters
    36
Stelth said:
It's like dopes who bolt stupid accessories on a classic car. Like putting a spoiler on a car that shouldn't have one.
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Exactly, but also releasing the 2020 version of the car with much inferior materials.
goldie said:
^ oh, like a huge rear wing on a ford taurus like i once saw ? thats what Al Mar seems to be doing.
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It's not really Al Mar anymore. Not sure if everyone on this thread is aware. I don't know the full story, as I briefly skimmed through it. But, sadly, the original owner had to sell the company to a Chinese company (something like that, like I said, don't quote me)... So they are literally using Al Mar's legendary name to sell their crap knives.
 
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Wurger190 said:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Mar_Knives
The link charts the company pretty well, a shame it has come to this. I think I may have 'just' been able to snag a Seki made SERE 2000 Operator.
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I was gonna make a thread about this, but does your Operator have the three holes milled out of the handle like every other one I've seen online? I ask because I my Operator I bought a decade ago has solid scales and no holes...
 
BJ987 said:
I was gonna make a thread about this, but does your Operator have the three holes milled out of the handle like every other one I've seen online? I ask because I my Operator I bought a decade ago has solid scales and no holes...
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Yes it does, it certainly is one of the late Al Mar SERE's. I remember seeing the 'original' SERE in a book called 'Survival' (a mid 1980s compendium of articles from 'Combat and Survival' magazine) where it and other knives were compared for utility as a dedicated survival knife. I remember that it did not have the circular cut outs.
 
Wurger190 said:
Yes it does, it certainly is one of the late Al Mar SERE's. I remember seeing the 'original' SERE in a book called 'Survival' (a mid 1980s compendium of articles from 'Combat and Survival' magazine) where it and other knives were compared for utility as a dedicated survival knife. I remember that it did not have the circular cut outs.
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Hmmm... I wonder if that makes mine worth more... not that I would sell it, especially with the recent changes for the company. I can imagine the OG Al Mar's disappearing from the market in the next year or so.
 
I think they were fairly prolific, so may not have immediate higher value, but could be something to hold onto or give to your children as a legacy of the golden age of knives?
 
BJ987 said:
Hmmm... I wonder if that makes mine worth more... not that I would sell it, especially with the recent changes for the company. I can imagine the OG Al Mar's disappearing from the market in the next year or so.
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Your's would be the one using S30V steel and zytel scales. They were part of the Al Mar catalog until 2007 for sure. I do not have a 2008 or 2009 catalog but the 2010 has the newer version in VG10, black micarta and with the three holes.

It should be noted that there is a mistake in the 2010 catalog in that it shows the picture of the VG10 version yet mention the materials used for the S30V version.

I do not think that the 2010 SERE Operator with 3 holes in the handles would use S30V steel
 
bouddha0357 said:
Your's would be the one using S30V steel and zytel scales. They were part of the Al Mar catalog until 2007 for sure. I do not have a 2008 or 2009 catalog but the 2010 has the newer version in VG10, black micarta and with the three holes.

It should be noted that there is a mistake in the 2010 catalog in that it shows the picture of the VG10 version yet mention the materials used for the S30V version.

I do not think that the 2010 SERE Operator with 3 holes in the handles would use S30V steel
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Wow. ,thanks. I guess I'm glad I got mine back in '07 then! I noticed my sheath is different than the ones that come in the post-2010 versions. I think the newer ones have an extended sweat guard. I prefer mine because of the smaller overall profile, which is especially useful for carrying in SoB position.
 
Yours would be a Kydex sheath with a some sort of rubber retaining loop that closes around the handle.

The latter SERE Operator has a horrible nylon sheath.

Having said that, it is also the most comfortable knife I have ever held!
 
bouddha0357 said:
Yours would be a Kydex sheath with a some sort of rubber retaining loop that closes around the handle.

The latter SERE Operator has a horrible nylon sheath.

Having said that, it is also the most comfortable knife I have ever held!
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Mine came with a Kydex sheath with Tek-Lok but it doesn't have any rubber on it. The top of the scales lock into the kydex like a trigger guard would for a gun. The more I realize how much better my model is, the more I wish I could get another one and wonder if it may become even more valuable with time. I think when more people realize what happened with Al Mar, and the old stock dries up online, the more valuable mine will become. And I don't just mean value in $$, I mean value in having something that is a damn fine piece that represents the legacy of a company, a piece that might never be produced again in such quality. BTW, I meant to ask, what was the MSRP in that 2007 catalog? I have no idea how much I paid so many years ago.

I know I keep talking about value like I'm gonna sell it. I really don't want to sell it. I suppose it just makes me appreciate my Al Mar even more knowing that I got one of the "good ones" before it all went to shit.

EDIT: I just want to echo what you said that, yes, the knife is comfortable, but more importantly to me it is one of the most perfectly balanced, designed, beautiful full-tang knives I've ever handled.
 
bouddha0357 said:
I don't recall seeing prices on Al Mar catalogs but I remember this model being sold by Blade HQ.

The MSRP was $364.95 but the actual price was $239.99

If you have a look at picture three on the link below you will see the knife in its sheath and the "rubber loop" I was talking about

https://www.bladehq.com/item--Al-Mar-SERE-Operator-Fixed-Blade--74896
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So, I've seen that listing when I was trying to find my model online. My knife looks almost identical to the one in that link except that it has the red Al Mar stamp. And my sheath is different. It is identical to the pic from the bottom up until right where the front of the kydex edge stops and the exposed part of the knife handle starts. There is no extended portion with a rubber loop.

I realize that you're probably wondering why I haven't just posted a pic by now. I'm embarrassed to say that... I can't find it. I know it's around here somewhere. I just haven't had the time to look harder. But when I do find it I will post a pic :D.
 
BJ987 said:
So, I've seen that listing when I was trying to find my model online. My knife looks almost identical to the one in that link except that it has the red Al Mar stamp. And my sheath is different. It is identical to the pic from the bottom up until right where the front of the kydex edge stops and the exposed part of the knife handle starts. There is no extended portion with a rubber loop.

I realize that you're probably wondering why I haven't just posted a pic by now. I'm embarrassed to say that... I can't find it. I know it's around here somewhere. I just haven't had the time to look harder. But when I do find it I will post a pic :D.
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Does your knife says 154CM in S30V at the base of the blade?

The link below shows a knife with the same sheath as you seem to be describing but still no red stamp

https://nordicknives.com/collections/al-mar-knives/products/sro-sere

You are right, definitely need pictures!!! :-)
 
bouddha0357 said:
Does your knife says 154CM in S30V at the base of the blade?

The link below shows a knife with the same sheath as you seem to be describing but still no red stamp

https://nordicknives.com/collections/al-mar-knives/products/sro-sere

You are right, definitely need pictures!!! :)
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That is exactly the sheath I have and almost exactly the knife. Its red stamped logo and etched S30V on the base of the blade. I remember because it was my first knife in S30V back then and I was so excited because if you remember, S30V was the hottest supersteel back then (still is great, I don't get how an amazing steel 10 years later is talked about like a mid-grade steel by some today--its still a freaking supersteel lol).
 
Like for cars, knife steels have been suffering from feature creep!

As much as I love laminated ZDP-189 I also like VG-10, S30V, 154CM...

I don't think that they are any less effective than 10-20 years and I don't know how much more effective are the latest super steels.

Paper didn't get hard to cut and deers are not harder to skin.
 
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