Cold Steel SRP?

[randomconsumer]

I wanted to buy a CS Recon 1 and noticed something odd. The CS home page mentions a retail price and what they'll sell direct for. However, I wanted to buy something else as well that wasn't a CS product so I started looking at other vendors. I looked at vendors popular on this forum and noticed that one listed the retail price as $140 and another as $115. The CS site had a downloadable catalog and it listed a suggested retail price of $90 (and sale price of $70). The CS website purchase price is $90 which sort of implies the SRP really is $90. I can see where the catalog price might have some kind of clearance price (it says 2005, but it's still the current catalog) and see why sale prices might vary by quite a bit, but why such a variety of SRP's?

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[RRG]

2005 retail was 89.99. 2006 retail is 114.99. It is being changed to AUS 8A
from 440A which is probably part of the price change.

 

[Keith Montgomery]

I have noticed that quite a few on-line dealers have SRPs above the price given by the manufacturer. I guess it makes it look like you are getting a better deal. A company can retail something at whatever price they want and do not have to adhere to the manufacturers suggested list price.

 

[randomconsumer]

I was about to place an order and decided to do a final check on the CS web site. And I found out there is yet another new version of the Recon 1 out. It must have been announced today because I think I looked at that web page yesterday. Now in addition to AUS 8A blades (instead of 440A) they have G10 laminate (instead of Zytel) scales. The CS web site price is $114.99, no discount mentioned. Their discounted price must have been while they were clearing out the previous version.

So now I have to find out when stores will be getting the new Recon 1's. This is proving difficult because CS didn't change the part numbers. I called one popular on-line vendor and they didn't know. Still waiting to hear from another.

Thanks!