Boo to Tactical Knives

No you could be correct. I just thought it was a Canadian company brining these things in from Linton. Lots of other net suppliers with them as well, Moteng, KnivesRUs and Knifesite to name a few. Never ordered from swords.ca but too bad they started carrying the Linton( mind you there are a lot of other cheapo brands) could end up giving them a bad name.

The situation may be rectified with TK at SHOT. I really support what Jeff is doing here and on his site. I also have to agree with XRAYED though. Unfortunately the knock off are here to stay. I really beleive that all the higher end knives won't be affected. Again the Strider Linton for argument sake. The guy who buys a linton is never going to buy a Strider the cost difference is too great. The same guy who uses the linton...it fails is still not going to buy a Strider. The guys who buy Striders know what they are buying. You don't just walk into Walmart and go geez I think I'll take the Linton over the Strider. To be honest Striders are not that readily available they are always sold out...check the trade forums around our knife culture. If youwant A Strider you fare going to have to ante up some big cash. Those same people buying Linton won't even know Strider exists. Yes knockoffs are not ethical and no maybe a TK article was a bad idea but advertising is what sells mags. I have yet to read a bad Strider article in TK, I would love to have a Strider folder(someday when I can afford it) the articles are what keeps me going. Blade is getting better but TK is still the best read in my books. Like(can't rememeber who said it) someone said crucifying them is not going to resolve the situation. Say TK goes under because all of you have pulled your subsriptions. We as knifenuts have just lost one more avenue to support our cause. Chapters already quit carrying military type mags we are on TSEOTS when it comes to promoting our hobby(whatever you call it) we can't afford to lose another form of support. Ah well I think we can all argue this black and white for ever. Take Care!!!
 
NO, you missed my point. Don't go on a witch hunt after TK. Their hands may have been tied. Go after the knock off artists. Or maybe all you who are pulling your subs, instead, could pay what linton payed for advertising. Then we would have the perfect mag in which everything would be fair. I never said condone it but go after the right people. You think TK has anything to do with linton doing business...lets just make sure our effort is in the right direction after the right people. So TK apologizes and says linton products are shite...I bet he still sells those knock offs to people not in the know. Again until TK views what their side is nothing is gonna change. Take Care!!!
 
Sorry CKE2, but I can't agree with you on that one. In writing such a positive review of Linton knives TK have condoned what Linton are doing. This is something I will not excuse. Linton are the ones ripping off designs, but TK are the ones promoting the rip offs. They can do this if they wish, but I don't have to accept it or support it with my money and I won't. People can look the other way and make excuses for TK if they want, but as far as I am concerned this Linton article is one of the worst examples of being an advertising whore that I have ever seen from a magazine.

Edited to correct a spelling error.
 
By the way Greg, I did send Steve Dick an email telling him exactly what I thought about the Linton article. There has been no word back from him as of yet.

Dave, I am just going by rumours I heard back in the early nineties when Fighting Knives shut down. I could be totally wrong.
 
Yes definelty a BAD mistake on TK's part. I assume they will never recover from this wholey. They have lost a lot of readership with this even if they do apologize. But maybe TK's hands are tied. Maybe Harris Publication was made an offer they could not refuse(sorry for the Godfather analogy). That is what WE don't know and until Harris Pub. or Steven Dick comes forth, we will not know the whole story. That is all I am saying. I will still buy TK because ,I, as a knife enthusiast have only so many options to explore my passion. I can't afford to loose another. What would I read in the john then. I agree with you guys, but not going after TK because we don't know the whole story. Maybe conveniently on TK's part who knows. Too bad Steven Dick would not chime in here. Take Care!!!
 
Oops meant to hit edit. Also maybe the author was "requested" by some higher up to write a rave review. There are so many what ifs here. We are all just surmising here. No not on the fact they gave a good review to Linton but to the behind the scenes of what is really going on. Again Bad decision on their part, but again maybe not enough ethical companies and makers are supporting TK and they had to look else where. They are trying to run a business too. I can filter the junk out, I don't take everythng for gospel. Take Care!!!
 
CKE2,

Please read a post I made at USN regarding the "witch hunt" analogy:

It's not a witch hunt or a lynch mob. If you think we want to "light [your] torch" you haven't understood the whole discussion.

This isn't about running TK into the ground. It's about sending a message to everyone in the industry that we will no longer stand for the existence of knockoffs in our little universe. TK made a mistake letting this article go to print but now it's done and they have to understand that there is some responsibility on their part to keep that sort of company out of the magazines.

I am a hardliner on this issue and my feelings run very deep so I will not allow TK another chance. I also have asked BudK, Cheaper Than Dirt, and other catalog companies like them to take me off their mailing lists as I will never again spend a nickel in their stores.

If you like to read TK please, by all means, continue reading it. Don't cancel your subscription unless you BELIEVE it to be the right thing. It's not a crime to not be a hardliner (although I have a hard time understanding it.) ;)
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Those of us that know a fair bit about knives can usually filter out the garbage. The folks that don't know much about knives, the ones that Linton is aiming their advertising at, are the ones that read these articles and get hornswoggled by them. These are the ones that will read these articles and then go running out to buy those 420J2 Lintons and then get a bad impression of knives in general. After all, didn't TK say they were great knives? If these knives that TK said were so good are actually this bad then what does that say for all the other knives TK raved about? It is the affect that these kinds of articles will have on newcomers to the world of knives that worries me.

Have any of you folks read the British car magazines? The reviewers in these magazines will butcher a car if they don't like it. Three pages later you will see an ad from that car company. Why? Because all the British car magazines do this. If they want to advertise their cars they don't have milquetoast magazines to choose from. They have to advertise their cars in magazines that are going to give honest reviews of these cars. It would be nice if the knife magazines had the same courage, but I suppose I am living in a dream world.
 
Keith, I agree with your last. When has a magazine written a serious review of a knife? I don't recall one and I doubt we will see one soon. Every knife written about seems to be the greatest thing since sliced bread.

XRAYED, thanks for telling us how to express our displeasure over the article. Sometimes we all need a little direction. Also, Steven Dicks knowledge of knives has nothing to do with that article. Actually, I would have thought his knowledge of knives would have lead him to keep it out.
 
Keith, I dont doubt that you heard that. I'm sure there was more than one set of rumors flying around back then depending on who they came from.
Hopefully Walker will see this thread and comment.
 
I guess we are all free to draw our own conclusions about TK not wishing to discuss editorial policy and canceling the meeting.
 
BTW, I went to http://www.lintonknife.com/about/

Very funny stuff, all about design and quality here's a small sample:

Our present aim is to expand our production area to all over the world by combining the advance skills in design and high technologies in production. So as to obtain a mutual triumph in the commercial industry.
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and

The motto of Linton is: " To provide the Best Quality, Excellent Services, Reasonable Pricing and exclusive design towards the Universal Technologies for the mankind needs."
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I think it's a cultural thing, western and european cultures inhereited from Locke and etc. the concept of private property and consequently intellectual property rights. Some eastern cultures did not.
 
So how many of you are ready to boycott Blade as well? How many of you are ready to boycott Wal-Mart & Sam's Club for carrying knockoffs?

Heck, how many of you are willing to stop using Pay-Pal for trying to take away our Second Amendment rights?

It was wrong for TK to review Linton, no doubt. But if you are going to punish, you need to punish equally, right? Or is it just because there's a special place in some people's hearts for Linton?

I fail to see how Linton is going to suffer for any boycott of Tactical Knives - they are still going to sell to all the major distributors, and be trickled down to any & all dealers who carry them. Where do you draw the line? For that matter, why stop at half measures? Boycott everyone who has anything remotely derivative.
 
Spark,

You make a great point. Personally I'm not going to boycott TK. I'll still read their magazine, but as with Walmart or SAM, I don't pay to advertise with them. So, I'll keep reading and maybe even buying a TK every once in a while, in other words buying their final product just like I would WalMart...but advertising...well that's another issue.
 
I already boycot paypal, wal-mart, sam's club and blade.

Where do you draw the line?
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Hard to say, but I think by most everyone's measure Linton knives and TK have crossed it. Maybe we can't change the world, but we shouldn't give up either.
 
So who's ready to boycott Strider for knocking of Ek's cordwrapped handles (or anyone else who ever cordwrapped a knife)? Who's ready to boycott Strider for badmouthing me, this site & 1SKS over a $5 discount, when they stood silent over SureFire's 25% discounting on their collaboration ($200+)? How many of you are willing to boycott SureFire for discounting Strider Knives? Again, where do you draw the line?

Justice goes both ways. You want to do some good? Find a lawyer who is willing to sue Linton into the ground over copyright infringement. If you can. Go after the people who commit the crime, not the third parties who are tangental to the entire process.
EDIT - Strider did the right thing in pulling their advertising. Perfectly reasonable response. I'd also go a step further and make sure none of my knives get reviewed there again. Same for anyone else who was directly knocked off. But a reader boycott? C'mon.

You can't change the world, you are right. But punishing a magazine for writing articles is ass backwards. First off, it's the responsibility of the company who is being knocked off to protect their designs. Spyderco does this. So does Gerber. So does Benchmade. So does Buck.

Second, the only thing that these knockoff companies listen to is their wallet. Anything that doesn't DIRECTLY affect their wallet will be ignored. Get their cargo containers seized & the contents destroyed a few times because of Customs, and they'll get the message. Short of that, even lawsuits will have little effect.

I know it's more fun to froth at the mouth and pretend that our righteous anger can actually have an effect on the real criminals, but it doesn't. At the same time, punishing those we can hurt, instead of those who actually deserve it, isn't really justice.

I'm not saying you should support TK in light of this issue. Far from it. But if you are going to lay waste, make sure it's done to the appropriate people.
 
Ok, I have to agree with the quality of "reviews" of products. Not every product can be good, period. I am also aggravated that the good knives in this month's article are so old-the Ronin, which is a great knife, has been around for a while. Now I want it to be around for a while more, so why isn't there a "6 month review, 1 year review"-like in car and driver?

I've gotta come to Janich's defense, too-at least he wrote a book on how to make cheap training equipment-and he teaches, and has designed 4 knives that I know of.

Jerry was a cop for a long time, and my question is, why in the same article's pics, does he have 5 different variations of facial hair? It can't grow that fast..every month he looks different!

In response to the original topic-featuring Knockoffs like that is BS. It's unfair to the maker, manufacturer, and the consumer who doesn't know better.--Joe
 
Originally posted by R.A.T.
The meeting at SHOT has been canceled. Please see this thread for more information:

http://www.jungletraining.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=24097#post24097

Sorry guys. I thought I was trying to do the right thing here. Doesn't seem so. I'm finished with this issue.

Jeff Randall
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Jeff,

It stinks that the meeting has been cancelled but now is not the time to just walk away from the table. If you hold an open meeting with all interested parties and come to some sort of organized agreement on how to deal with these knockoffs you're going to be MILES ahead of where we are now.
 
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