I don't buy it. Knife nuts are born, not made. For us, the knives sell themselves. You can't talk a non knife nut to go under the spell anymore than I could be talked into playing Dungeons and Dragons, or watching ballet.
I have to agree with that.
Having been into knives for my entire life, I've often noticed the funny looks I got from my fellow boy scouts, army GI's, and co-workers. It was okay to have a knife, or even two. But when I had yet another knife at work, and it became apparrent that I had several knives at least, there were some jokes made, in good nature of course.
Most people these days don't carry a knife at all. I've seen people in stores stabbing a box with a pen, trying to open it, or even sawing with their car keys to rip the packing tape. A knife is just not on the radar. The people who are into knives are the minority. And if the regular joe comes to the conclusion they do need a knife, they go get a small sak or keyring model Leatherman tool. As for the "tactical" knives, the industry has shot itself in the foot with no help from anyone else. Just as Hollyweird in the 1950's overdid the switchblade thing, now we have the villians weilding dramatic looking one hand folders. Every young knife knut wants to carry what Jack Baur has. Or Steven Seagal. If a knife makes an appearance in a TV show or movie, sales go through the roof. Hollyweird has brought the knife to attention, and it's not good. Now, the non-knife person sees a knife as a weapon. About the only knife you can get away with now is a innocent looking sak or small traditional slip joint. Anything more than that, and they think you're Hannibal Lector,
With the new arificial market for the latest and newest tactical knife from the cover of the knife magazines, you have a great minority of people being the repeat buyers for the knives the normal citizen has no need of. How many young men own multiple of Spyderco's, Benchmade's, Emersons, and so on? Most of the sales are to the same hard corps fans. I don't know any non knife knuts who own more than one knife, other than kitchen knives. They may have "A" sak around someplace, or they may have "A" small pen knife or keychain size multitool. But they don't have several folding knives.
But all this aside, there is not really that much need in todays society. Knives are on the decline because of the change of lifestyle. After WW2, there was a great population shift to urban, or the new suburban areas. The kids left the farm and never came back. Hunting is at an all time low, and a modern young person would rather have the latest cell phone than a pocket knife. Unless its what the movie guy, or video game guy has.
I've experimented trying to create a knife knut. A lady who shows up at a local gun show, always has a big box of TSA confiscated knives. Most are sak's. She sells the small ones like classics for 3 dollars, 2 for 2.50, and three or more for 2 dollars. Most are in almost or new shape. Just need a cleaning with warm soapy water and a toothbrush.
I've given away alot of them to non-knife knuts. I even gave away classics to all the non-knife carrying members of the family. Three and four years down the road, they still are carrying the little classic on their keyring, and never up graded. They liked the little sak, and came to appreatiate having a nice sharp cutting tool around, but never bought another knife. If I ask them if they ever thought of buying a bigger sak like a tinker, I get a blank stare, and they say "Why?" They are not being a smart a$$, but are genuine as to asking why they would go buy another knife if they have one.
My own father carried the same little Case pocket knife from the late 1930's to his passing in 1981. It was badly worn, but he never thought of buying another knife. People gave him a few knives along the way, and when we were going through his stuff after the wake, we found the new gifted knives still wrapped up in their boxes in his sock drawer. Never used. He had a knife, and that was that.
I would hazzard a guess that most of the knives being sold these days are being sold to knife nuts who already have a dozen or more knives at home. Knife nuts are like gun nuts, they will buy many knives or guns, while most people these days who are not into the hobby, don't bother owning a single one.
You can't get somebody interested in something if they are not already so inclinded. There's way more sheeple than sheppards.
