My thoughts and impressions from today: Got in early with a VIP pass....it didn't seem as crowded as in previous years...plenty of room to walk in the aisles, as opposed to constantly rubbing elbows in other years. Gas prices????Prices were higher on several materials, lower on some others. Stag was higher than last year, as was mammoth ivory. I was told by many suppliers that mammoth ivory is getting much harder to come by. Stag was there, but the show was not loaded down with it like last year. 5 1/2" x 1 1/2" stag was $50 for the very average (some pith) stuff, higher for the really good stuff. Saw a lot for around $55 a pair. Elephant ivory was about the same price as years past... price must have stabilized. Nickel Silver was high...and will get higher according to the suppliers. I bought some 3/8" stuff and the supplier said there probably won't be any in that size next year. Blade steel was up just a tad from last year. Stabilized wood was about 20%-25% up from last year, with no California Buckeye to be had. Boxelder seems to have taken Buckeye's place in the market place. Bacote and Cocobolo was not too terribly plentiful...seems everyone was wanting the stabilized stuff. Not much desert ironwood at all...what was there was pretty....just not much there.
Forging stuff....hardly any supplies at all. Went to buy some tongs and hammers and came home empty handed...just not any selection at all.
Mastersmiths....all the Big Names were immediately sold out as soon as we walked in...what knives they had must have been sold yesterday during setup or earlier. Other MS guys were complaining that nothing was moving....no $ being spent. I heard one guy pricing a knife to a guy & I about fell out, as he told the guy "I priced this one at $18,500"...I kid you not. All the big names were gracious and very friendly in conversation...no egos at all.
Biggest lines were at the Swamp Rat, et. al. display and the Strider (sp?) display. The former had a line 5 folks deep the whole time I was at the show.
Sorry if boring....and the comments were just my opinion, and of course may differ from others there.
Hank
Forging stuff....hardly any supplies at all. Went to buy some tongs and hammers and came home empty handed...just not any selection at all.
Mastersmiths....all the Big Names were immediately sold out as soon as we walked in...what knives they had must have been sold yesterday during setup or earlier. Other MS guys were complaining that nothing was moving....no $ being spent. I heard one guy pricing a knife to a guy & I about fell out, as he told the guy "I priced this one at $18,500"...I kid you not. All the big names were gracious and very friendly in conversation...no egos at all.
Biggest lines were at the Swamp Rat, et. al. display and the Strider (sp?) display. The former had a line 5 folks deep the whole time I was at the show.
Sorry if boring....and the comments were just my opinion, and of course may differ from others there.
Hank
