At what point does brand loyalty become an illness?

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kgd said:
I haven't heard the opposite case of the OP. Sometimes there are fan boys and sometimes there are slam boys. Slam boys seem to go out of their way to run down a company and post their hatred towards them no matter what a given knife is being compared to. I guess the mentions of Cold Steel fit in this case. Personally, I tend to be a bit choosy on who I patronage with my purchases but I don't go out of my way to slam the ones that I decide for one reason or another. The exception might be a little joke here and there at Lynn's expense. Lets face it, he deserves it but I don't often knock Cold Steel knives unless the model in question poses a trait I do not like.

I tend to endorse RatCutlery often. I own several of their knives but I find I rarely offer them up to the exclusion of the other manufacturers I also like. I do get defensive when people slam my favorite product based on non-sense logic. For example, a common argument for the inferiority of TOPs or RC blades is the fact that they are 1095 and then the person says something to the effect that everyone knows 1095 is a cheap steel an thus providing the insinuation that the above products are somehow overpriced. Those kinds of things piss me off because they are just plain wrong.
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Good post, Ken. I particularly like the term "slam boys" since it perfectly describes a type of poster we've all seen. There used to be one who, any time mention was made of either Ka-Bar or Becker was made in a thread, they had to jump in and slam them. It was becoming a bit tedious.

I also dislike those who slam an entire company based their perception of one knife. That's illogical, yet I've seen it happen more than once. Every company makes a mistake at one time or another; the QC can slip on one knife; they get the heat treat wrong for some reason; the batch of steel they get from a supplier may have undetected inclusions — there are things that slip by from time to time. To condemn the entire output and the entire company because of one faulty knife is ridiculous.

Awhile back I was sent a knife for review, which I did (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7085290#post7085290). I thought that there were some, to me, less than desirable design features on this knife, but the steel was decent and the quality was okay at its price point. It was a Chinese import by a very reputable company: I certainly wouldn't bad mouth that company for what I perceived as design flaws. I actually gave it a pretty fair review (although I didn't rush out to buy one). I've seen people who would have slammed the knife and the company itself, and that's just wrong.

As far as your comments on 1095: right on. I'm a big fan of simple, strong knives, and 1095 as done by either Becker or RAT rates really high with me. Cheap steel? Not in my book: good, dependable steel at a good price, yes.
 
When people recommend a knife that clearly doesn't fit the persons use just because it's their favorite.

On the Cold Steel thing, it's sad because their knives really are some of the best out there, their fixed blades are very tough. No I don't like everything they make, but I don't bash them.

Their Carbon Steel Fixed blades are some of the best deals out there for people who need a tough field knife.

I have owned a ton of knives over the years, some have really sucked and others have been excellent.
 
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It's very nice to read some rational comments about Cold Steel. I have Emersons, Benchmades, Sogs, Spydercos, Zero Tolerance,Kabar and one or two models of some other brands and I've always thought that CS products, of which I've got quite a few, are in no way inferior. In fact when it comes to really large folders [ which I like] CS seems to rule the roost. I think Darryl Ralph makes some very nice large folders but they're not available in Canada and if they were ,would likely cost a bundle.

In any case when I first started to read posts on this forum I was stunned by the vehemence of the hatred expressed toward Lynn Thompson and Cold Steel products. It was almost like old LT had somehow unforgivably transgressed against them on some personal level.

I plan on continuing to buy knives ,of any brand I can access ,and sort of afford
and which ,most importantly, appeal to me on a visual level. I would never buy a knife ,or not buy a knife, just because of what fanboys or [ great term] slamboys say.
 
I intend to post a rather verbose response to this topic, but for now, I would hope that anyone who is vaguely alluding to a brand simply grow a pair and use the companies name or just remain silent.
 
See I thought they were veiled remarks about Strider knives, not Cold Steel.
 
KeithAM said:
Claiming "flawless" fit and finish or performance that isn't there.
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The above bothers me more than anything else. It is just outright lying and invalidates everything else that person might say.

I also get pretty fed up with people who post a glowing "review" of a knife without ever actually using it.
 
I have no idea what you all are talking about! I love my BM Mini-Dejavoo and I trust its lock with MY LIFE! :p


And yeah, brand tats are........just go away, please,forever. :rolleyes:
 
brand loyalty is all about trust.
it's probably an illness once a consumer develop a deep distrust of others...
"I believe, therefore I am" could be the only logical way to see things in a confusion of numerous brands 'n labels sparklin' out there?
 
When people get offended or upset when someone dare say they found something not perfect with the fan boy's favorite brand or knife it gets irritating. Whether that's a sickness or just pure stupidity I can't say.
 
I guess I have too many different knives to be a fanatic. Like the tools I work with all day long, they are just that. I like the good ones, and REALLY like the ones that work great and over deliver their promise. I have little use for the ones that don't perform.

I realize that not all products from any company are perfect. Yet that seems to be something that many folks don't agree with except as a concept. In reality, if they have a $200 - $500 knife and the maker makes them feel like part of a cool family, they act like it. They can say what they want about a product, but if you aren't in the club, you can't.

I watch with interest how someone will post that they have a problem with a certain knife, and they are gang banged by the fan boys as if it were their fault. Personally, if I have purchased a quality knife, I expect the product to be up to snuff right out of the box. If you note that it isn't, or post that you didn't get a response from a warranty department it is asking for a barrage of comments ranging from "*sniff* I never had any problems -ever- with them; you must have done something wrong", "if you emailed, you should have called", "if you called, you should have emailed", or "maybe you don't know what to expect from this kind of knife". (The Strider guys really went nuts a couple of months ago on someone that didn't like the fit or finish... I was really surprised at the vitriol.)

The best thing is that none of the fanboys don't really see themselves in that light. They are so deep into the club they think they are defending their territory. And as far as all the hundreds of fine knives out there, it is silly to me to see them cut themselves out of the selection we can all enjoy. There is PLENTY of room in my knife drawer for all kinds and makes of knives.

I have old ones, new ones, stainless, carbon, slip joints, lockers, fixed, and even two tactical type knives in case I am ambushed by ninjas. I am not married to any of them. I like them all though, or they get gifted out.

Personally, it would be great to see more tolerance on a lot of issues around here, knife selection and brand being just one issue. Guess that's another thread, though.

Robert
 
midnight flyer said:
I guess I have too many different knives to be a fanatic. Like the tools I work with all day long, they are just that. I like the good ones, and REALLY like the ones that work great and over deliver their promise. I have little use for the ones that don't perform.

I realize that not all products from any company are perfect. Yet that seems to be something that many folks don't agree with except as a concept. In reality, if they have a $200 - $500 knife and the maker makes them feel like part of a cool family, they act like it. They can say what they want about a product, but if you aren't in the club, you can't.

I watch with interest how someone will post that they have a problem with a certain knife, and they are gang banged by the fan boys as if it were their fault. Personally, if I have purchased a quality knife, I expect the product to be up to snuff right out of the box. If you note that it isn't, or post that you didn't get a response from a warranty department it is asking for a barrage of comments ranging from "*sniff* I never had any problems -ever- with them; you must have done something wrong", "if you emailed, you should have called", "if you called, you should have emailed", or "maybe you don't know what to expect from this kind of knife". (The Strider guys really went nuts a couple of months ago on someone that didn't like the fit or finish... I was really surprised at the vitriol.)

The best thing is that none of the fanboys don't really see themselves in that light. They are so deep into the club they think they are defending their territory. And as far as all the hundreds of fine knives out there, it is silly to me to see them cut themselves out of the selection we can all enjoy. There is PLENTY of room in my knife drawer for all kinds and makes of knives.

I have old ones, new ones, stainless, carbon, slip joints, lockers, fixed, and even two tactical type knives in case I am ambushed by ninjas. I am not married to any of them. I like them all though, or they get gifted out.

Personally, it would be great to see more tolerance on a lot of issues around here, knife selection and brand being just one issue. Guess that's another thread, though.

Robert
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Well said.:thumbup:
 
I found a forum recently with someone asking for a fixed blade hunting knife (I know, rare, right?) - the kid asked about the Cold Steel Master Hunter, and the first response was right along the lines of "Cold Steel makes overpriced crap." Really? They do? I have the Master Hunter, and I think it's amazing...I've field dressed and skinned White Tail and Elk, and "cleaned up" a few turkeys and pheasants with it, and love everything about it...sure, you might not like Lynn Thompson, but to throw out a completely subjective statement offering no proof of WHY they make crap is SUCH a waste of everyone's time.
 
J_Curd said:
I would hope that anyone who is vaguely alluding to a brand simply grow a pair and use the companies name or just remain silent.
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Really, I agree with ya 100%.




I don't see why anyone would care if someone is very brand loyal. Who cares and Why would something like that bug someone enough to gripe about it???

Me, I like and have many Brands and many makers....at the time and in no order I like and buy..CRK, Case, Busse, Spyderco, Randall are my favorite productions.
My fav handmades I have are...Bob Dozier, Charles May, David Mosier, Sean O'Hare, D'Holder and Wayne Hendrix. Have a couple of NWA's on order and I'm sure I'll love them as well.
 
KeithAM said:
Being a fan is one thing, but when does it go overboard?

- Instantly attacking someone who complains about a flaw they found in a knife of your favorite brand.

- Claiming "flawless" fit and finish or performance that isn't there.

- Unwillingness to consider the merits of other brands.

- Going into debt to have 10 or more examples of each model.

- Brand tats.

- Your only friends are the people on the brand subforum.

- Spending all of your time on Bladeforums in your favorite maker's subforum.

- Naming your kids after the brand name or founder of your brand.

- Having a knee jerk reaction that this thread is unfair.

What do you think?
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I am a practical use knife enthusiast so I cannot understand the fanboyism.

I will say that I don't post BladeForums on much because of the attacks and brand fanboy biased information makes it useless for me as I cannot tell if their information is real or just a biased delusional illusion.

Fanboys are funny in that they seem totally unaware that they are fanboys : )

At least the axe area group seems mentally stable ; )
 
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J_Curd said:
I intend to post a rather verbose response to this topic, but for now, I would hope that anyone who is vaguely alluding to a brand simply grow a pair and use the companies name or just remain silent.
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Except this isn't about the companies or their (pay-rolled) personnel.
 
You mean something like the following?:
"I've narrowed my decision to the CRKT Drifter or the Kershaw Vapor, can anybody comment on these 2 knives?"
and they get: "what you should really look at is the Spyderco X,Y,Z, it's only double the price after all..."
 
Brand loyalty? It's the way many people are wired. How many of us came from "Ford Families" or "Chevy Families"? What about other notable rivalries? Gibson v. Fender? Canon v. Nikon? Nike v. Adidas? Playstation v. XBox... and the greatest of all, Coke v. Pepsi?

It can be argued that every single one of those is solely about personal preference... unless you're a fan of one... then, it often seems that objectivity flies right out the window.

I like knives.

I have favorite knives, and the Companies/Individuals that make them play a part in that, but that has been part of my journey.

Like many, I started out with the gateway drugs of Spyderco, CRKT, Kershaw and Benchmade. At one point, I had a hundred or so of those four brands in combination, about 40% BM, 15% Spyder, 15% Kershaw, and 30% CRKT. I opened my knife box one day and realized I had WAY more knives than I could use, and a significant amount invested in them, so I decided to sell many off and take the next step...

I then got in to the harder stuff with the purchases of Reeves, Striders (why is everyone tiptoeing around afraid to say that name?) and Emersons, and a few customs.

I like those three production brands, each has its own merits in my opinion, but I realized over the course of a couple years that I carried one particular brand more than the others. I used one particular brand more...

Never being secure in the "don't flick your knife" clause and not carrying them enough, I sold off four Sebenzas, and kept my lefty Umnumzaan. I may be selling that soon, though. I realized I am not high speed or hard core, and sold off two SnG's, a PT, an SLCC and an HT-T, and kept my lefty SnG Tanto. It's sentimental, a gift in kind from a Swedish friend.

I kept most of the Emersons. Especially my lefty versions, as they are in my pocket 90% of the time. Sure, I still have a selection of all of the others mentioned, but only onesie-twosies, and at most four or five.

So I suppose after this journey, I do have a certain amount of brand loyalty, because that's the way it happened - by use and preference.

I've done this same thing with flashlights, fly rods, fly reels, etc... after a few years, you learn to choose based on your own preference after use, not the hype or marketing.

Maybe that's just me. I won't knock your brand choices, as odds are, I've owned one. I may offer an opinion, but it will be grounded in my experience rather than blinded by marketing or anti-marketing...
 
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