Buying at Gun Show

buffumjr said:
I think you are quite correct. About all there is of real interest is the exotica. T-shirts, bumper stickers, "survival" rations, engravers and stock makers onsite, concealed carry classes, sometimes an outfitter or two for guided hunts, art, lots of art in paint, photographs, leather, wood. If you need parts, SOMETIMES you can find them. Sometimes.

(sigh)

I've been looking at makers' websites. I've bought cars for less than that. Can you buy a really good skinner knife for between $75 and $125, or do you need to budget for $3,000 to $12,000?
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Yes. Quality, original knives from quality makers/manufacturers can be found at every price point. Some are quite content with having knives only under $50. Some $100. Some $5,000. Just depends on your tastes and budget.

I've bough a few knives over the years when the gun show has come to Tampa. If I recall, they were a Cold Steel American Lawman, Emerson CQC 7, an Emerson Gentleman Jim, and an ESEE 4 all bought right around prices you can find online. Even if they were a couple bucks more, it was worth it to get to hold and inspect them first and then walk out the door.

It's been a year or two since I've gone, but it's pretty much the same set up with mostly the same vendors every year. There's usually 10-15 tables that have knives. A couple of those have mostly other stuff and a few knives. There's usually a few tables that just have very low end imports, the stuff you'd see late at night and buy 500 knives for $200. Some tables with a mix of the junk and decent stuff. Then a few more with some junk and a better selection of the good stuff. There's always 2 maybe 3 tables with some really nice knives, like ZT's, Benchmade, Microtechs, CRK's and the like.

The last couple times there was one table that had a bunch of what looked like handmade damascus knives. Decent looking sure, but they were more than likely imported en mass from another country and then they stamped their logo on it to say it's handmade. No proof on that, just a hunch.

There's always a few tables with a decent selection of traditionals, but I don't know enough about them to know if it's a great table or bust.


Remember, Google is your friend.

Lastly, have fun! And share if you pick something up!
 
Gun shows vary by region and who is there. If you get good dealers, then life is good. Just bring your smart phone. If you see a production knife you like, then look it up at any of the usual retailers. If you see a custom, you can look up the maker and maybe see what some of their knives have been going for around the web. Fakes also tend to vary but a close inspection can tell a lot. Ask to see the box and paperwork too if you're worried. Try to find a pic of the real deal online for comparison. This might seem strange but smell the item. For whatever reason, fakes occasionally have a stink on them, like mildew or bike chain grease.
 
Look for private individuals selling off their collections.

That's the key to gun shows.

Vendors, shops, manufacturers etc won't be where you find great deals.
Find the guys selling off their personal stuff.
They will haggle.
 
Bad Ninja said:
Look for private individuals selling off their collections.

That's the key to gun shows.

Vendors, shops, manufacturers etc won't be where you find great deals.
Find the guys selling off their personal stuff.
They will haggle.
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I agree. That is especially true of guns. Take a look at some of the online dealers of production knives and see what is typical relative to MSRP. Just because they are set up at a gun show does not mean they are charging extremely high prices. Relax and take your time looking at stuff.
 
It's funny, but now that I think about it, there's a certain 'type' of knife maker I always see at my local shows. They do good work, but they only make hunting knives, and they almost always make high-polish blades with a lot of decorative bits like filework. Typically the handles are thicker and rounded but not really contoured much, and often made of laminated wood or exotic wood. Very little G10 or micarta. Some of the blades may be blanks. Some of them I know forge their own, they just never really connect to the ouvre of the current internet knife culture or push their skills in design and execution outside of their comfort zone. That's not really a criticism, they just fit a specifically local niche.
 
madcap_magician said:
It's funny, but now that I think about it, there's a certain 'type' of knife maker I always see at my local shows. They do good work, but they only make hunting knives, and they almost always make high-polish blades with a lot of decorative bits like filework. Typically the handles are thicker and rounded but not really contoured much, and often made of laminated wood or exotic wood. Very little G10 or micarta. Some of the blades may be blanks. Some of them I know forge their own, they just never really connect to the ouvre of the current internet knife culture or push their skills in design and execution outside of their comfort zone. That's not really a criticism, they just fit a specifically local niche.
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Pretty accurate set of remarks. I tend towards exotic wood. Used Stag horn and some sort of poly/whatever. I enjoy wood. Especially the “Blackwoods”. I don’t know what G10 or micarta is. I have a “comfort zone” and am constantly pushing, mentally, beyond it. Damn community restrictions keep me pretty pinned down. Won’t mention space limits. Arghhhh! Have so much to say but concerned about boredom setting in. Your remarks are very helpful and thanks. Nice word, “oeuvre”. Accurate. Small blurb about a show I went to. “Outdoor “ show. Two knife tables. Both forgers. All Damascus. ??? Very, very unimpressive. Poorly displayed. Nicks and rolls on some edges. Gaudy handles. My work using purchased blanks and hand made sheaths look way better than that. So with 9 months under my belt, here I go.
 
I used to buy knives at the local gun show at the fairground that came around every few months. I went specifically for deals on knives, though not custom knives. There were usually the same vendors; some local, some from elsewhere, but they did sell new, brand-name knives. I remember once seeing both Busse and Cold Steel with their own booths. It was also a good place to find rare books; it's where I found The Spyderco Story.

The last one I attended was in 2005. I felt it was no longer worth the $20 entrance fee and parking fee. Plus, I didn't always find anything I wanted, so ended up paying to attend for nothing. AFAIK, that gun show is still going on, although recently, there were people trying to put a stop to it. I don't know how the knife selection has been since the 14 years I stopped attending.

Jim
 
James Y said:
I used to buy knives at the local gun show at the fairground that came around every few months. I went specifically for deals on knives, though not custom knives. There were usually the same vendors; some local, some from elsewhere, but they did sell new, brand-name knives. I remember once seeing both Busse and Cold Steel with their own booths. It was also a good place to find rare books; it's where I found The Spyderco Story.

The last one I attended was in 2005. I felt it was no longer worth the $20 entrance fee and parking fee. Plus, I didn't always find anything I wanted, so ended up paying to attend for nothing. AFAIK, that gun show is still going on, although recently, there were people trying to put a stop to it. I don't know how the knife selection has been since the 14 years I stopped attending.

Jim
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Jim. Thanks for your input. Every bit of information helps.
 
My dad always buys a couple tables at the local gun show and I always bring down some knives from my collection. Most are ones I want to get rid of but some are just for looks;) and I have a buddy that buys about 4 tables just for knives, sells a lot of Benchmade, kershaw, Buck, esse. He doesn't do that for a living so he sells them at fair prices. The good thing about the shows, that I personally like is the trading/negotiating. Sometimes you can get a really good deal, but there's a lot of crap knives and fakes so you have to know your knives.
 
Last show I was at, Kent from Attleboro knives was there too. He was showing me his newly released Berlin strike folder. Which I thought was ok but far too pricey, check out his fixed blades though. Great ergos, s35vn, contoured micarta handles, came very close to picking one up.
 
James Y said:
The last one I attended was in 2005. I felt it was no longer worth the $20 entrance fee and parking fee. Plus, I didn't always find anything I wanted, so ended up paying to attend for nothing. AFAIK, that gun show is still going on, although recently, there were people trying to put a stop to it. I don't know how the knife selection has been since the 14 years I stopped attending.

Jim
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I continued to attend for years just counting the entry fee (up from $5 to $10 here in the last few years, parking free) as the admission to, as it's clearly labeled, the "show". I would walk through with some cash and trade-ables, say hi to a few friends, pick up some snacks and leave with knives and money intact. As of this year I'll not attend at all. Haven't seen anything to buy or trade for in years and it's shrinking every time.
 
Not likely to find a good deal of any kind at a gun show. Lot's of a)junk b) fakes c)real quality knives at insane prices.

They are, however, worth the price of admission for the people watching, at least here in Texas...let's just say that you begin to understand the outcome of the last election better the more show crowds you see.
 
I went to one last weekend,saw a nice handmade bowie,he wanted 200 for it and described the deceased maker as a miserable sob .That's a nice way to try to move merchandise. Other than that most of the knives were the cheap flea market junk.Madcap is so right about his description of many of the knives ive seen at some of the shows as well.
 
Only been to a few shows, never bought anything except jerky and snacks. Mostly I've seen overpriced knives and low quality knives. Fun times walking around chatting with people though, met one knowledgeable guy about knives who was waiting for his custom Bob Dozier knife if my memory serves me correctly but he wasn't selling any knives.
 
I've seen bayonets, old USMC Kabars, assorted used Bowie's, Case, Benchmade, older military daggers and swords, etc...
But I've only bought used guns at gun shows.
There are better places to find knives.

Again, the only way to get deals is to find individuals selling their personal stuff.
It's not a great place for knife guys to find good deals on knives outside of military stuff.

I have better luck buying older used knives at yard sales and smaller flea markets, again from individuals.

The best place, honestly, for newer knives is online. Tiny overhead costs= lower prices.

The best place for custom stuff is probably right here on BF.
 
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