Are there any millionarie knife makers?

golok

golok

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Oct 20, 2000
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I don't mean you are already a millionaire before you took up the trade. I mean you actually join the Millionaire Club AFTER you became a knife maker.


My bet is if there are actually knifemakers who became millionaires after the fact, the number will be miniscule.

Am I right, or am I wrong?
 
There are a couple of them, but I don't feel at liberty to name them. Most get that way from factory collaborations.

They are the rare exceptions though. You certainly don't become a millionaire by making knives one at a time. :)
 
This post is not about me snuffing out my ole granny with the pillow last year for the insurance money last year is it? Geeze. Make one little tactical error and bang, people just will not let it go. I am gonna repeat one more time, she said she wanted to go that way. I was only helping her, yea she kicked and screamed about it and said she changed her mind, but granny always did lie a lot. I knew she really wanted me to have the money. Geeze when will you people ever let it go? I am trying to cornor the market on pakawood, don't yall understand how this will help us all?
jf
 
Gee Jerry, I think most of us would just let you have that Pakkawood corner if you asked for it. As for Granny, I understand completely: that was the only reasonable solution. :)
 
:) :) :)

:rolleyes: There are a number of knifemakers who are VERY well off and began making knives full time after retiring from very good jobs. I can only think of a couople of guys who have made a substatial amount of money from the knife business itself, and mostly from inventing things..........not the actual knives.
 
If neil Blackwood keeps getting all my money he may be one soon. I am considering direct depositing my check into his account. :D

This is a very good question. I would think that makers have done better from collaborations than from actually selling their knives.
 
I have heard that the best way to make a small fortune in knife making is to start out with a large one.
 
Millionaire? Bah! I'm going to be a gozillionaire. Sweepstakes man. That's where it's at. I'm a full-time sweepstaker and a part time knifemaker. And when all my millions start rolling in I'm going to give half of it to Jerry Hossom and we're going to go in together and buy the whole Girl Scout cookie company. Cause that's where the money's really at!!! :D :D
 
I am already a millionaire in the friends I have made in the knifemaking bizz. I might have a hundred bucks in the bank however!:D
 
Well said Rob. I think that speaks for most of us.

Max, all we need is the secret of those chocolate mint cookies. I don't much like the others. I like your plan though, especially the part about giving me half your winnings... :)
 
Wasn't it Jim Sornberger who said if some one gave him a million dollars, he would probably just keep right on making knives until it was all gone? :cool:
 
I think I know some of the guys Jerry may be talking about and there are a few that have done well outside of knives.

Golok, you should see the makers that responded in this thread. They come to the Blade Show in Limo's, Lotuses and Lexuses. Women knife groupies are hanging all over them in between the diamond studded gold chains and Rolexes. Otherwise they are just normal folk :D.

Seriously, one thing I have learned from the folks that I have been lucky to meet that happen to make knives is that theirs is greatly a labor of love combined with a genuine desire to make the finest knife they can while passing their knowledge on to others.

A full time knife maker needs to earn money, but if money was not involved they would still most likely be making knives anyway. What few wealthy knife makers I know personally (except for one) were successful money wise in another field.

Jerry is correct as always. A very successful collaboration in one case that I know of was responsible and the funny thing is that the maker told me once that he is kind of embarassed when he goes to the mailbox. (Has nothing to do with what is a great and quite an "original" design as far as knives can go :D)

I think Rob's post pretty much sums up the general attitude
I am already a millionaire in the friends I have made ...
Click to expand...
 
He was a millionare a few times over from the big TALONITE deal, but being the cowboy he is he traded it all away for some magic beans and a cow (or was it a horse???) :rolleyes:
 
Dennis,

SHHHHHHHH, I don't want any freeloaders mooching liquor here at the Blackwood "Compound" ;) It's bad enought that all the inlaws think this place is Lakeland annex of the Orlando Marriot when they come for all the Florida attractions :rolleyes:

After attending the Gator Cutlery Club Show today here in Lakeland, I must agree with Rob. The friends I've made with my knifemaking is most important :) Trying to actually make a living with it is a full time job X 2 !

I guess I have to invent something revolutionary and CLEVER !!

Neil
 
Neil,

Hows about you start by inventing me a nice big fighter - then you'll only be $999,500 away from making a million bucks (give or take).

Just think, every new one you make will bring you a new "royalty" check for your design. 'Course, you might have to do a little work...

On a more serious note, I'd imagine it would take quite a bit to reach the 7-figure level. Take Darrel Ralph's neck-knife design - the ArcLite. The design is currently being produced by Camillus and retails for $27.99. If Mr. Ralph receives, say $0.25 per knife sold (this is a random, wild guess - I really haven't the slightest idea what sort of an arrangement they have), Camillus would have to sell quite a few of these before Darrell starting getting any meaningful royalty checks.

That said, why would Camillus even do something like this? The ArcLite is not very innovative or revolutionary - it's just a plain old necker. Heck, it doesn't even have a handle!

Well, for one thing, Darrell knows his stuff. He's recognized as one of the foremost designers and makers of custom knives. His designs will sell. Before the Arclite it was the EDC and probably a few others. Before that it was industry-wide name recognition achieved through word of mouth and magazine articles. Before that it was just a lot of hard work and creativity - a place many newer knifemakers find themselves today.

Now Camillus is marketing the CUDA MAXX - another Darrell Ralph design, which retails for $199.99. If he gets a dollar for every one sold, they'll only need to sell a million of 'em!

Unfortunately for Darrell, Camillus is also in bed with Rob Simonich and Jerry Fisk, but heck, I'm sure there's plenty of room for all of 'em. :D
 
I think that old army guy in kaintucky mighta made a few mil already, that's why he hasn't posted here. :D
Hey Max, I know about the riches you have :D It's just being stored somewhere else.
 
I dont think there are many knife makers who make that kind of money.
Its more like 400.00.

The Camillus stable is just right.
To many knife companies thin the market by having to many makers with the same style.
Look at Camillus.
They have fisk for the traditional look.
They have Simonich for the Good solid belt knives.
They have Bob T for the black ops look.

Thats enough!
 
Originally posted by lifter4Him
I think that old army guy in kaintucky mighta made a few mil already, that's why he hasn't posted here. :D
Hey Max, I know about the riches you have :D It's just being stored somewhere else.
Click to expand...

lifter,you talkin bout that old sumbitch with the factory in china?
 
So, after reading this thread it looks like my plans to start making knives so that I can retire rich wasn't so good huh? I would have sworn all you knifemakers were living the easy life. Alright, plan B. I am going to pick up a parcel of land and start farming. What you folks think of that as a get rich quick scheme?
 
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