Brand Loyalty

G

gainfulfish

Joined
Jun 29, 2014
Messages
6
So, lately I've been seeing a ton of custom and mid-tech blades coming out that don't exactly make a lot of sense to me. The design is not very well thought out or use of cheap materials for the class and price-point of the blades, but those loyal fans still give tons of praise on social media. I think that brand loyalty has become more important in people's minds, than actual quality. I would say that design is something people seem to ignore as well when they are completely loyal to a brand, but design and aesthetics are purely opinions, and to each their own. I could name examples but I don't want to start an argument with people over knifemakers they feel strongly about. I for one, have very little specific brand loyalty, if you make a good knife and I like the design then I will give it a shot. I will not however, become a fanboy to any one manufacturer, because no one is perfect and great companies put out sub-par blades all the time. Knifemakers also seem to take advantage of this by posting new knives daily on social media that are for sale, some of which the knifemaker seems to not have put much thought into but knows their masses of loyal followers will lap it up. I find this a bit predatory, in a way. I'm sure some of you know exactly who I'm talking about, a new "custom" knife posted everyday that sells out in minutes and some of these knives seem like no thought whatsoever was put into the design. This is all complete conjecture and my personal opinion. I don't mean any offense to anyone whatsoever. Just wanted to put this thought out there to see if anyone agrees.

I will name an examole, but not one associated with knives, so not to offend any of my knife brethren.

Apple is definitely a company with more brand loyalty than anything else, Apple can do no harm in a lot of people's eyes, even if a product is overpriced and underwhelming in the quality department. There, that's my example and I don't want to argue about Apple products, just want to hear from the people that feel this is happening much more in the custom knife world, and subsequently making these designers lazy and complacent.
 
Last edited:
In short, we all tend to have our preferences and if a single manufacturer or knife maker meets those preferences then I tend to be loyal generally to that or those brands. It is the consistent quality that I judge that sells me. Bob Dozier is one maker that has met my needs and I have 6-8 of his blades.

I don't know what questionable materials you are talking about.

Predatory emails..... just advertising/marketing. Why do you think when you enter a raffle now they want your email address? Direct access to the customer is really important.

I like handmade knife makers to advertise their product either directly or indirectly. If something sells in a day, generally speaking it speaks to what people think about the quality of product. Resale potential also comes into play.
 
Last edited:
Just because a design doesn't fit your aesthetic doesn't mean its no good, or the purchaser is missing something. Lets say a maker has 1000 fans, and releases a knife every day. Odds are good that one of those thousand has the cash in hand, and likes the look of it. In these days of social media and direct marketing, that 1000 fans might turn into 100,000 casual looky-lues and it just ups the odds of a sale. I'm not going to fault a maker with a spaghetti at the wall method if its working for them. There are makers however that brand loyalty is worthwhile, if Sal Glesser or Ethan Becker handed me a knife that I thought made no sense, I'd still give it a shot as those guys have a proven track record of well thought out designs, so even if I don't get it right off the bat, the odds are good that it will work out.

Are there people that will buy just based on the sticker? yes, we call them Ford drivers :D the reality is that everyone uses shortcuts to figure out what to spend their money on, from carrots to cars, some people stick harder to a brand than others, some need reinforcement that they made a good choice, and some do not. If you don't that might just mean you have more time to think on it.
 
gainfulfish said:
So, lately I've been seeing a ton of custom and mid-tech blades coming out that don't exactly make a lot of sense to me. The design is not very well thought out or use of cheap materials for the class and price-point of the blades, but those loyal fans still give tons of praise on social media.

...

I find this a bit predatory, in a way. I'm sure some of you know exactly who I'm talking about, ...

...
Click to expand...

I don't see, because a design does not appeal to you, how that implies the people who buy it are mindless "fanboys." What makes sense to one might not make sense to another.

Because you don't see the appeal of a knife or a maker or a brand, you jump to the conclusion that the only reason one would see the appeal is due to mindless brand loyalty? :confused:

Heck, I might think some ardent fans of brands (brands I don't like AND brands I do like!) are obnoxious and have an "us vs them" mentality, but I wouldn't accuse them of buying their knives blindly. My preferences aren't everyones.

So who are you talking about? It only seems fair to let these, as you call them, "fanboys", defend their preference.
 
I stick to the brands that I am comfortable with and seldom venture outside those brands. Is that brand loyalty?
 
No loyalty, I love everyone :)
Best knife wins my money.
I'm not a fanboy, and I don't get along at all with people having such a mentality.

Although I do ignore some brands for the attitude of their owners and the crowd they attract.
 
When I say a design is not well thought out, I am not speaking about aesthetics necessarily, I'm talking about sharp flipper tabs or pocket clips that will obviously not work well, or fit and finish that is obviously subpar just by looking. I'm in a position where I am able to handle a lot of high-end custom knives and let me say, we as knife lovers need to demand more. Fanboys are a legitimate entity when it comes to every product. The fact that people with more money than sense will buy up every little thing some customer makers produce, just because of that maker and not the actual product, ends up creating a bubble with that maker. That is bad for all of us. Most of the popular custom makers are popular for a reason, but even they must be surprised at the prices some of their knives sell for. My opinion on the looks of the design of the knives, makes no difference. The bubble is there and it's getting bigger, just go search Ebay for Grimsmo or Graham or even some midtechs like VDK or WE Knives. They all make great products but the prices are out of hand because of people that will completely overpay for a name.
 
I see brand loyalty and fanboyism as two separate phenomena. Brand loyalty is when you find a brand with which you've had good experiences and who makes products that generally fit your needs or wants, so you stick with them. You don't view them as infallible, however, and you are willing to criticize them when they come out with something inferior. Being a fanboy indicates an irrational attachment to and support for a brand. A true fanboy will never criticize his brand of choice and will make endless excuses for them when they release something inferior, rather than realizing that the people who run said company are human and screw up from time to time, as we all do, and are not always right. As such, I see no issue with brand loyalty, but I agree that fanboyism is stupid.
 
I would say I am brand loyal with Spyderco cause I've always had good experiences with them, but I will still buy other brands knives if they appeal to me. I wouldn't call myself a fanboy though
 
I'm not sure anyone on this forum shows 100% brand loyalty , but everyone has their favorite brands.
Buck makes a good product and I'd never hesitate to buy any American made buck knife that interests me. I'll also never hesitate to buy any knife from Victorinox .
Lastly I consider leatherman to be the definitive benchmark for what a multitool should be.
I'll never hesitate to buy any Victorinox , leatherman, or American made buck knives / tools, but I do not warship these companies.
 
I have more loyalty to specific features and designs concepts than any name or logo on the side of a blade.
 
People buy things for different reasons they always have and always will. People look at Apple and see underwhelming computers in silver aluminum, I see an integrated ecosystem with great customer service. We had this same debate in the Emerson thread, there are things that simply cannot be summed up on a spec sheet.
 
Hi. I think yes, brand loyalty thing exists. I myself tend to buy other products from the same brand I had good overall customer experiences with :).

For example, I am more leaning towards buying from companies/brands I know they manufacture in a place I like and respect, that they treat their employees and suppliers fairly, that they care about environmental impacts of their productions, that they try to leave a positive mark in the communities they operate in, that they use trustable and traceable raw materials/components/semi-finished goods, e.g. free of harmful chemicals, that they strive to constantly improve the quality of their goods, that they offer good after sales support, that they are transparent in their return/claim policies, etc. All these issues contribute, beyond the bare consumer product they sell, for me, to build up my brand loyalty.

All this, anyway, does not shut off my brain :): if a product from this great company doesn’t meet my need, my fit for use definition, my taste, my value for money own standard, my perceived quality, etc., I am happy to buy something else from somebody else. I have never understood these “cults” or brands “worshipping” and the whole “fanboy” stuff :). Maybe it’s just my own professional bias :).
 
You do mention cheap materials in customs and midtechs. Without naming specific makers, I'm just curious what kind of materials you are speaking of. Not trying to get you to bite your own tongue. I have materials I am not a fan of that work for others. That is just my preference.
 
Last edited:
My personal opinion is that you see a lot of praise on Insta or Facebook because it takes literally two seconds to type in "BRO, SICK KNIFE!" and tap the fistbump emoji. So, it's easy for people to act enthused about a knife that they really have no intention of buying. In turn, those people who DO have more money than sense think "Sweet, all these people will pay me huge money for this knife if I get it and decide I don't like it*" or the worst, you get flippers who think they're getting in on the ground floor of the next big thing.


*I have seen a LOT of for sale posts on IG for some knife that's some horrible mokuti/nightmare grind abortion and they have to drop the price like 15 times to get it gone
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top