Blasphemy at Blade!

Triton

Triton

Gold Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2000
Messages
36,097
I did it again. I can't believe I did it again...

This year was my 5th year at the blade show. In all that time I have never purchased a knife for myself. I've bought a couple of knives for friends and that sort of thing but never purchased one to go into my collection. This year was the year. This year I had saved my pennies and fully intended to purchase a microtech makora or scarab. I've been looking at pictures of them for months. So off I go to blade, money in the wallet burning a hole. I get there and wander about a bit until I find a guy that has a makora for sale at a good price. I fire it a bit, play with it a little... and realize that I don't like it. Hmmm. Find a scarab. Same deal. They are well made, work nicely... and are totally uncomfortable to use and just not for me. CRAP! So I look about a bit for another otf auto. I find two, the Masters of Defense Trident and a new Benchmade auto. Both very nice, both much more comfortable to use then the microtech and both 400 dollars. I think about it a while... and don't get either one... this year I came home with a leather hide and a pair of shears... Obviously there is something wrong with me...
 
There are a lot of knives that look good but just don't feel that good when you get them in your hand.

I don't think there is anything wrong with you. You just want to make the right decision. :D
 
I went looking for a Fixed Blade made with Carbon Steel to replace my Fallkniven F1. Found a Swamp Rat that is not released yet that I like so I will have to wait.

Ended up with a Strider SnG in Coyote Brown. Had not really intended on getting a folder, but I really liked this one.
 
I didn't buy any knife either.

In fact I was rather shocked as I went around inspecting folders.

One place a a Ti handled folder where the anodizing wasn't even and the lockbar went all the way over leaving it 1 or 2 mm short of the tang giving it verticle play.

Another place a guy was looking at a folder. I walked up and he handed it to me to check out. I opened it, held the lock off and it had about 4 mm of side to side play, lock applied and it was about 2mm of side to side play, it also had about 2 mm of verticle play. I gave it back to him, and he told the seller he'd take it. :eek:

OK I can understand a buyer maybe not knowing enough, but a seller? How could they not know?

I also heard a seller saying about how a certain knife steel was so very expensive that it made the knife very expensive as well. Except that other companies/makers use the same steel in folders costing 25% as much. :jerkit: I restied the urge to say to the buyer go somewhere else.
 
I bought 5 knives. (Pix will be later, as I just got home.) I bought a Rick Hinderer XM-18, 3 1/2 ibch blade and orange G-10, a Patrick Nihiser "Little Teaser", a Ranger orange neck knife, a John Greco fixed blade and a Tom Krein TK-2 EDC D-2 w/ mark Nelson micarta. 2 hats and 2 tee shirts. I also sold a knife that I brought to sell.
 
I've had a couple of people tell me they didn't purchase anything at Blade this year. All the knives they really liked were more money than they were willing to spend, and all the knives they saw that were in their price range they didn't like enough to cough up the cash.

I don't know, I think if I went to Blade I would have to a knife. Even if it was just something basic. I couldn't see myself going all that way and spending that much money just to come home empty handed.
 
Keith Montgomery said:
I don't know, I think if I went to Blade I would have to a knife. Even if it was just something basic. I couldn't see myself going all that way and spending that much money just to come home empty handed.
Click to expand...
:D That's how I am. I'd have to buy something. I went to Blade last year and enjoyed meeting alot of people I've met through the internet, but I doubt I'll go again. It's just to costly a trip for me.
Scott
 
I've never been a knife collector (mostly Glocks, 1911s and ARs) until I saw a friend's Strider. Been hooked after that. Now I have a Strider SnG Gen6 tanto and a MSC SMF Nightmare Tanto Trisula and boy has it been an expensive 2 weeks. Good thing my HAK Strider Hybrid S30V is still on the first yellow dot stage. Looking forward to Zero Tolerance's ZT0400 (Strider's Nightmare tanto grind with Onion's Speedsafe) production knife. I like the fact that some of the proceeds go to the Paralyzed Veterans Association.
 
I put in one order for a folder from Theuns Prinsloo. I got a knife from Ray Kirk, one of J Nelson's test knives and a Don Cowles fixed blade with Jim Small to do some extra work on it. :D Other than that they were very few and far between.

Muller, Klein, and a couple of others got my attention. I've got a couple of Jody's knives , Klein will get an order soon and the others well......
 
Picked up slipjoints from Burk, Chamblin (drawing), Davenport (an order), and R. Bose (drawing).

After the "Last" Moran sold at the A.B.S. auction for $37,500, the room essentially emptied out. There was a very nice mosaic damascus bowie, by our own Chuck Richards that he donated to the Scott Taylor Memorial Scolarship fund (http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ScottTaylorMemorialKnife06.htm ).
I was lucky to be able to go home with it.



I think you did well, at least as well as I did. It is good to be slective, not to get caught up in a fever of a show and to stick to the knives that you will enjoy owning.
 
Razorback - you need to go to the next BLADE and have a Table. That way your trip gets paid for. You make a good knife for the money.
 
Halfneck said:
Razorback - you need to go to the next BLADE and have a Table. That way your trip gets paid for. You make a good knife for the money.
Click to expand...
Thanks Halfneck. The biggest problem there is getting a table. From what I understand, there's a long waiting list to get one. There is one show I'd love to do and that's the Spirit of Steel show in Texas. Maybe someday, right now I'm still a poor ol country boy.:D
Scott
 
Maybe they could boot one of the mall-ninja makers and their revolutionary new tactical fighting knife. Or maybe one of the makers that sells a slipjoint with 420 liners & ATS-34 blades, but because he slapped a piece of mammoth ivory on for scales he feels its worth $400 and you'll overlook the poor fit & finish.

I guess those makers do serve a purpose though, they trap the less knowledgeable so they don't crowd the table of the good makers :)
 
You've traveled to another state to the largest knife show in America five times and you never came back with a knife? You couldn't find something you want or like with hundreds of makers and dealers all in one room? I have to wonder if you really have an interest in knives.
 
TheKnifeCollector said:
I bought 5 knives. (Pix will be later, as I just got home.) I bought a Rick Hinderer XM-18, 3 1/2 ibch blade and orange G-10, a Patrick Nihiser "Little Teaser", a Ranger orange neck knife, a John Greco fixed blade and a Tom Krein TK-2 EDC D-2 w/ mark Nelson micarta. 2 hats and 2 tee shirts. I also sold a knife that I brought to sell.
Click to expand...


TKC....Nice haul. You know, about 5 seconds ago I just posted on that XM thread about if anyone brought on of those bad boys home. Nice score, cant wait to see em!:thumbup:

I unfortunately didnt get go to Blade.....but I have no doubt I would have found something to buy, even if just to say I went to the Blade show and picked up that particular one just because.
 
TheKnifeCollector -

which John Greco knife did you get? I have a couple of his knives (both now-discontinued styles) and love them. I think you'll end up really liking the Greco knife you got :thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top