Could Glock make/sell a top performing large Bowie for $59.99?

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SanLuisObispo said:
After thinking about it, in the end, given Glock's expertise, buying power, and existing sales channel, they could indeed produce a top-quality large Bowie knife of the same materials as their current field knives that could sell at retail for $59.95/unit, while maintaining their current margins. There would be more metal required/unit, and a bit more grinding. In simplest terms (especially if they could use the existing handles) such a Bowie knife would likely still be cheaper to produce than TWO of their current field/survival units which sell for $29.95/unit.
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Finally.
 
SanLuisObispo said:
Could Glock make/sell a top-performing large Bowie that would sell at retail for $59.99/unit (or less), while realizing a profit margin similar to their classic Feldmesser 78 and 81 field knives, which often sell for $29.99/unit?

More specifically could Glock produce/sell a Bowie (with sheath) roughly the size of a Randall 9" Sportsman's Bowie (made in Austria), using the same materials/heat treat/level of finish Glock already uses on their field knives at a cost that would allow it to be sold at retail for $59.99 (or less) with profit margins similar to what they realize now in the sales of their field knives?

Like their field knives, there would be next to no promotional expenses, and the knives would get to ride on the sales channel already wrought for the sales and distribution of their handguns.
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You do not have a good idea.
Glock could do this.
Glock should not do this.

Most civilians that can afford a Glock (~$500-$600) can afford much better knives.
Most people issued a Glock (military, police, etc.) probably don't care about having a better knife.
 
SanLuisObispo said:
I think it would be trivial financially in the scheme of things for Glock. But a project like this would garner a lot of goodwill among their fanatics who would flock to buy them. I'm sure Glock could handle this project on their own.
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Goodwill costs money too. Why waste it? When you have a huge chunk of the market cornered, have basically branded yourself as "perfect" to the point that your fan base recommends your product constantly even when people specifically qualify their questions "...and please don't say 'Glock'", and are already printing money cranking out affordable to make guns, parts, and service contracts, what would be the point in trying to garner goodwill?

Honestly, Gaston Glock could take a dump in a box, label it "Glock Perfection", kiss the top of the box with candy apple red lipstick and sell it to some of the fanatics for more than $60. Material costs would certainly be lower.
 
dirc said:
i take that back - look at ontario's sp5 spec plus - it uses 1075 - 10" blade, and likely a much tougher handle - made in the USA and only $57 right now
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They're $57 because they've been discontinued, with no back orders. It's also nowhere near the caliber of knife I described, although it's not junk like the Schrade.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
...what would be the point in trying to garner goodwill?
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That's axiomatic. It's ALWAYS a good idea for a company to garner goodwill. Keep in mind I never said Glock should do this, nor did I ask if they should do this. I asked if they COULD do this?
I'm not really sure why some are trying to twist my question into knots?
 
SanLuisObispo said:
That's axiomatic. It's ALWAYS a good idea for a company to garner goodwill. Keep in mind I never said Glock should do this, nor did I ask if they should do this. I asked if they COULD do this?
I'm not really sure why some are trying to twist my question into knots?
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Then, yeah, I bet they totally could.
 
SanLuisObispo said:
After thinking about it, in the end, given Glock's expertise, buying power, and existing sales channel, they could indeed produce a top-quality large Bowie knife of the same materials as their current field knives that could sell at retail for $59.95/unit, while maintaining their current margins. There would be more metal required/unit, and a bit more grinding. In simplest terms (especially if they could use the existing handles) such a Bowie knife would likely still be cheaper to produce than TWO of their current field/survival units which sell for $29.95/unit. Finis.
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How did you come to this conclusion. Please show your work.
 
Why not? They've already made a huge, successful splash with their version (clone?) of the CRK Sebenza in SV30 for just $79!

.
.
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< just kidding >

"Ask a silly question, ...."
 
SanLuisObispo said:
Nah. Glock began selling firearms 38 years ago. Averaged over those 38 years, they sell nearly 300K firearms/year, possibly more based on European sales. That's 11.4M handguns. I suspect the average Glock owner/user has owned/used 2 or more Glocks, so about 5.7 people have owned/used Glocks. Of those 5.7M, let's say half have passed away ovr the past 38 years. Of the remaining, at least 10% (a very conservative number) are Glock fanatics who would likely already own the Glock field knives and would jump at the chance to buy an inexpensive/high quality Glock Bowie. That's 285K people.

So yeah, they'd sell "tens of thousands" of them at $59.99 if they were high quality and a superb design. Done deal. Once word got out that such a superb knife was available for such an inexpensive price, people who did not know Glock due to their firearms, would begin buying them.
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This is speculation of the exact same type as in another thread that you decried as harmful. Let's hold off on this until we have all the facts, please.
 
SanLuisObispo said:
They're $57 because they've been discontinued, with no back orders. It's also nowhere near the caliber of knife I described, although it's not junk like the Schrade.
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no mention of it being discontinued - it's on their website & in their 2020-2021 catalog.... show your source?
https://ontarioknife.com/collection...ducts/sp-5-bowie-knife?variant=32497208328278

Also, why is it nowhere near the calibre of knife you described? I think this would be a "top performer" for a 10" blade
... if you start whacking a d2 or s30v blade of this size it will likely break, those steels are not tough enough for hard abuse

... if you intended to say "top edge retention" then you should have said that instead of being general

be specific in what you're asking for, or else this is just a dumb exercise in hyperbole
 
SanLuisObispo said:
Could Glock make/sell a top-performing large Bowie that would sell at retail for $59.99/unit (or less), while realizing a profit margin similar to their classic Feldmesser 78 and 81 field knives, which often sell for $29.99/unit?

More specifically could Glock produce/sell a Bowie (with sheath) roughly the size of a Randall 9" Sportsman's Bowie (made in Austria), using the same materials/heat treat/level of finish Glock already uses on their field knives at a cost that would allow it to be sold at retail for $59.99 (or less) with profit margins similar to what they realize now in the sales of their field knives?

Like their field knives, there would be next to no promotional expenses, and the knives would get to ride on the sales channel already wrought for the sales and distribution of their handguns.
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I think they could make a good bowie for $59.99 or less per unit.
 
I know Glock can make good weapons. I have used their guns, They are very good quality for the price.
 
WOODS127 said:
I think they could make a good bowie for $59.99 or less per unit.
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Really ? You know a lot. Let them Glock folks know it. They are out of touch, obviously. They should have done it years ago. So silly.
 
I feel like there would be a LOT less demand for a Glock bowie than the Glock field knife.
For one, militaries would not buy it.
For two, bowies are not even a thing every knife collector feels he needs to have.

I don't think it would justify the expense to design, tool up and produce it.

The fact that Glock marketed their Steyr AUG bayonet as a "field knife" and made it widely available for civilian purchase is pretty unique. This angle wouldn't work for a bowie, as they wouldn't have the military foundation to start it off. Probably, civilian sales are just icing on the cake.

What they did instead was to use the same model, and make their nice little shovel available, again after establishing the military foundation. It seems like Glock is hesitant to branch out in edged tools the way they did in guns. In guns, they have a few models that they sell to the world's police and military market. I'm betting that they branched out into civilian models only because they could share so many parts with the police and military models; it made business sense.

What they might be able to do is to make a basic pocket knife to sell to militaries & police at a lower cost and complexity than the typical SAK. (just like they did with pistols 40 years ago)
 
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