Blade Magazine "Best Buys" article

I don't suppose Les needs defending but I will say that for what little discount Les takes, I am repaid many times over with information and advice. He has been extremely helpful to me as a new maker. He was recommended to me by several of his other makers.
Dan Farr
 
(posted by Bandaidman)

You are a salesman at heart ... you push those makers you represent and you do it well but you are generally sparse with praise for makers you don’t represent who compete in the same class as the makers you do.

You are knowledgeable but you also are clearly biased towards those makers who help you make a living. This limits the usefulness of your information.

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Bandaidman,

Have you read the article?
Specifically the recommendation Les Robertson made for Greco and Dozier knives.
I haven’t been to www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com in a while.
Does he carry Greco or Dozier?

Regarding the deep discount theory.
Quite frankly that is simply bullshit.
His discount is no different than the other guys.


Regards,
Mike Snody
www.snodyknives.com
 
........didn't know I was opening a can of worms when I first made this post. I was just happy to see John, Kit, and Mike mentioned in it!:)

But a LOT of good and interesting information has been brought out here, and for that I am glad!
 
Well my .02 goes like this... Les gets the SAME discount as any dealer I work with.. If anything Les sells my knives for a bit more than I do, but you dont have to wait 10 months or more..
I send Les maybe 3 knives every couple months or so.. I have NEVER advertised in Blade magazine at ALL until just this month!!
Les gets a bad rap all the time cause he calls em like he see's em.. Was I happy to see one of my knives splashed on the page with a quote from Les?? HELL YEAH!!! DOES this mean he is pushing ME cause he is loaded down with my knives?? HELL NO!!! Les is in a NO WIN situation here, anything he says in print is gonna hurt someones feelings..
BUT if you think I make my living off what Les sells for me your sadly mistaken.. I wish I could get him more knives than I do, BUT he doesnt complain, and it isnt gonna be the DEATH of RCC if I dont!! Maybe Les is a bit more vocal on forums, and he is an easier target, BUT he doesnt operate ANY differently than any other dealer..
So you guys who think you have Les pegged should just take a pill, and look for your next internet pissing contest! Cause you aint gonna piss for distance on this one... Bandaid man you couldnt be more wrong...
 
I'm coming in a bit late on this one-Les doesn't require much help in the way of defense, but, since I make more knives that go to Les than most, I'll tell you the deal.
Les gets a 25% discount from me-has for years. In return, HE SELLS MY KNIVES AT MY RETAIL PRICE. No markup. We do that because it's fair to the customer, and fair to me.

What does Les do to earn his 25% ?

He orders between 10 and 25 knives of one style AT A TIME. Obvious benefit to me here, both in scheduling and procurement.

He has the internet's most popular knife website.

He has the largest tactical knife client base in the world.

He gets quoted, published and featured in more magazines than anyone.
(There's a reason for that, folks...)

He is as knowledgeable as they come WRT tactical knives and makers.

He is also my friend. You can't put a price on that.

So, I have a successful business, Les makes a fair profit AND promotes my knives, and I get exposure from an authoritative second party. WIN-WIN-WIN
 
Here's a bang for the buck article from the past :)
Soldier of Fortune December 1987
fisk.jpg

The others mentioned in the aritcle were:
Jim Crowell
Howard Faucheaux
John Smith

(edited for poor spelling)
 
I have been out of the country and away from the internet for awhile, my catching up time on the internet knife world is very limited this week, but I was amazed that anyone would say those things about Les Robertson or Blade magazine.

I have spoken with Les Robertson at shows and he has an extensive knowledge of knives, makers, the knife market, what makers will be around in two years and which makers won't, resell value of knives etc etc... He was not biased when speaking with me, and he had good things to say about makers whose knives were not on his table or his website at that time.

The first Snody that I ever saw on the internet was on Les's site a couple of years ago. Everything Les told me about Snody was right on the money. Meeting Mike and Michelle Snody back then at a show was a wonderful experience for me and my family, acquired a great knife and was guided by Michelle to adopting the most amazing dog.

Les does not charge an arm and a leg over the makers price like several other dealers do. Have you taken a look at the makers Les carries? Why would makers of this stature who have such a high demand for their knives even need to discount their knives deeply to Les?

I do not know of any other dealer who can even be compared to Les. Take a look at Les's site and the makers that he carries. The makers he carries would not need to discount their knives to him in order to sell them. What a crock the suggestion of that is!

Shane B
 
I will try to steer this back to the positive, 'cause man, when it comes to knives there are SOOOOOOOO many tremendous makers out there. There is no question in my mind we are living in the zenith of talented people working with sharp steel.

I have not read the article, but would love to have a knife from every maker mentioned in this thread so far, and 2 from Mayo!:)

Just my personal opinion, and I use my knives hard...but recently I have added knives to my kit from Matt Lamey, Bill Harsey Jr., Tai Goo, Don Fogg, the Jones brothers, and Rob Simonich...and the stuff has me grinnin' like the kid that snatched Santa's toy bag. For my use, these guys nail it. Add the big knife I have ordered from Trace Rinaldi and I am happy as a pig neck deep in mud. And don't think stuff has to be expensive to be good! If there is a better workin' thigh knife than Simonich's Mid-Tech Raven for the money, I can't wait to get one.

On the subject of what dealer said this and what dealer does that, I ain't got time to snap that rag. The dealers I have dealt with, Les being one of them, have all done right by me. I send them my hard-earned money and they send me a knife.

My advice is, get out and gut a few deer with whatever knife you think is best...and see if it is! Take your kids camping and leave the saw at home. Twist and bang and poke that knife into stuff and see how you like it. If you are happy with her, then hey, it is your money and that is all that counts, don't let anyone tell you different.

Be good,

Bruce
 
I meant to do this earlier, but getting ready for a major show really eats up your time.

I would like to thank all of those who wrote your kind words in my defense.

I would particularly like to thank Shane B. You made me blush...not an easy thing to do.

This started out as a thread to compliment makers who were in Blade. Again, these were just opinions at the time we were asked the questions.

I have no problem with constructive criticism.

What does bother me is when those who are obviously "not in the know". Claim to have their facts straight.

I have no doubt that bandaidman was in part given my demands for "deep discounts" as part of the reason I did not carry those makers knives who gave him this false information.

The custom knife business is a tough place to make a living right now. As many, both makers and dealers are finding out.

Consequently, I feel it is imperative to address and resolve false information as quickly as possible.

I would again like to thank those who have come out in public (particularly the makers) to show that, while there are discounts in custom knives....they are not DEEP.
 
thanks to whoever pointed out that les recommended two knife makers that he does not carry in the article...i have always found les' posts here to be mostly self-serving and i find that recommendation to be most refreshing. i apologize for missing that.

les, if you read my post carefully you will see the "deep discount" comment was not directed at you in my first post. i didn't even have you specifically in mind initially... fancy that.

i have awaited clarification on the "discount" issue. the silence is deafening. i thus must retract and apologize for that comment. les i will edit it out if you like.

i do know there are some other makers who will not sell to les because they did not come to a suitable financial arrangement. one i know sells knives to other dealers. this predates the article by the way.

many other fine makers have sold knives to les and are happy with the arrangement. that is great. as i said before several makers have clearly benefited from that arrangement.

i still believe most of the "what you should buy" articles have an agenda. a prudent reader will look for it and the motivations of the participants
 
Bandaidman,

All of us have agenda's, just as you do.

Im glad you understand you did not have your facts straight.

I accept your apology.
 
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