Everybody Loves A Clearance Sale! (a weird experience)

T

TheSurvivalist

Joined
Jun 13, 2004
Messages
174
Yes, it's true. When it comes to buying knives, nothing makes a knifenut happier than a clearance sale.

I'd seen the reviews of the Spyderco Bill Moran (FB01), and I had looked at it a couple times at Dick's Sporting Goods, but I was never really interested enough to buy. The knife is light, and fits well in the hand, and has a very sharp flat-ground blade, but I just didn't need it.

So, tonight I was in Dick's with my brother, and I spied the Bill Moran knife in the display case. Much to my suprise, the little sign said "Clearance: Was $59.99 Now: $20.99." I rubbed my eyes and took another look. Sure enough, the little knife had been marked down more than 60%. I immediately asked to see it, because I knew there had to be some kind of reason for the markdown.

I examined the blade: a couple of tiny nicks, nothing serious. The handle: perfect. Then I asked to see the sheath. The clerk took a look under the counter, and couldn't find it. So I asked to see the box. No box. He looked in the stock room, but neither were there. After conversing with another employee, the clerk informed me that the knife's box had been discarded.

At this point I was confused and slightly annoyed. Why would anyone discard the box? How was I supposed to buy it? How was I going to walk out of the store with an exposed blade? I was determined to have the knife, and I told the clerk this. Luckily, the item number was written on a small sticker pasted on the blade. The clerk was instructed to escort me to the checkout counter, where I paid for the knife. I walked out of Dick's with the razor-sharp Moran wrapped in several layers of plastic bags.

Everything turned out well though, because I got an extra %10 discount due to a lack of sheath or box. I ended up paying $19.41 for a $60 knife. I will make a sheath out of some leather I have sitting around; I don't like Kydex anyway. I can't say I was impressed by the customer service, but I will closely follow their "clearance sales" in the future.

Dick's also has Buck 110's on sale now for $19.99 with mail-in rebate.

Anyway, I would really like to hear about everyone's interesting knife-buying experiences. What kind of crazy, weird, or annoying things have happened to you?

TheSurvivalist
 
Well, my experience was not that unusual, but here goes! About Nov/Dec of 2002 a manufacturer (importer really) called Delta-Z Knives had an end of year clearance sale. They had a forum on these boards and were well known to the regulars here. The knives were of decent quality and made in Italy. They were selling $80 knives for $25 - $30. They sold a helluva lot of knives to people here. I bought 7 or 8 myself, including 2 damascus (they were more money!). I believe that in Jan 03 they announced they were going out of business and had even better bargains. Unfortunately, thats when I got sick and landed in the hosp/nursing homes until Apr 04 so I couldn't take advantage :( . Anyone else out there remember Delta-Z & Barnaby? They were a good company to do business with!
 
ronsec said:
Anyone else out there remember Delta-Z & Barnaby? They were a good company to do business with!
Click to expand...

I had a nice Delta-Z lockback with blue-stained Maple burl and stainless bolsters. I still kick myself for selling it.
 
Delta-Z was fun! I've still got a couple of the Executive 360 knives, and a stiletto and a CA legal auto. Barnaby was at the Blade show a few years ago -- the year before they ended up closing. He was great to talk to. I think he was in the business just so he could play with knives. :)
 
I still have a few Delta-Z's from that sale! Bought 6, I think. One of them is the Darrel Ralph designed "Osprey", with black Micarta handles. Fit and finish are perfect, blade is dead-center.
 
I read somewhere that someone saw a display Spyderco Meerkat at a hunting store and wanted it. The store clerk talked with him, they played with it a bit, then...

Neither of them could figure out how to close it. The guy went home with it in a paper bag. The guy asked on a forum, but the open blade in a bag thing is similar to your story.
 
Has anyone picked up any of the Tinives going for around $100?
What's up with that price? Are they out of business?
 
$114 for a Boker Smatchet numbered limited ed. (Micarta Handle, 440C) from my knife distributor. I guess nobody wanted to buy such a doubled edge unwieldy knife...
 
cockroachfarm said:
I still have a few Delta-Z's from that sale! Bought 6, I think. One of them is the Darrel Ralph designed "Osprey", with black Micarta handles. Fit and finish are perfect, blade is dead-center.
Click to expand...
I managed to snag an Osprey with the wood (can't remember what kind) insert on the handle & black blade - sweet! :D
 
I have 2 small Delta Z's linerlocks that I occasionally carry - one in olive briar and one in cow horn. I bought and gave away 2 cocobolo's as gifts. And I have a 360 unopened in the box.

Great, classy knives. I recommended them a lot when they were in biz, but I think their lack of super steels turned off some of the snobs.
 
I just ordered a black Tinives knife from a company online. There was no box and it was listed as mint condition for $50.00. I had been wanting to try one of them and that sounded like a good deal. I have never handled one so I can't wait for it to arrive.
 
Hey Guys..

Survivalist..

Awesome Find....

Survivalist writes

"I don't like Kydex anyway."

That's because you haven't had a good synthetic sheath yet..:)

Shoot me an email and I'll send you one...
It's the Trailing Point version I hope..

ttyle

Eric....
 
My first knife buying experience also happens to be my "best-deal buy" as well.
It began when I was stationed in Maryland for my Army AIT school. My best friend and I were at the local mall and I spotted a knife store, and I wandered in and was immediately impressed by "good" knives.
I was of course a newby of knives, but, I spotted some Benchmades, CRKTs, and Kershaws. I began looking at the Osbourne 940S they had - green handle, and LOVED it!!! But, the $190 price tag they had on it detered me greatly.
In the next moment, I spotted CRKT's M16-13M (military) edition, and I asked to see it. The saleslady told me about the secondary lock feature, and I loved it, but the "Taiwan" detered me of that model as well (it was $87). Although, the blade was indeed sharp, and I loved the spearpoint blade, with the slim, slinder handle.
I finally broke though, and bought a small Benchmade for $86 or so, and took it home impressed by the blade sharpness, and was showing some people at the barracks when I had an epiphany, and I thought about looking online at the online-retailers. After quick discovery, I found out that I had been RIPPED off, and saw that I could've gotten that knife for around $30 cheaper.
I then went on to return that Benchmade, and bought my current CRKT M16-13M for around $59. Since then, I've been in love, and I've been obsessing evermore about carrying a good knife.
My next purchases are the CRKT M16-13T (titanium), Benchmade 9130 Stryker Taurus - special edition, the Spyderco/Kershaw collaboration SpyKer, Benchmade's Presidio Osbourne, BM Osbourne 940S, and Spyderco's Civilian.

Cleary
U.S. Army
 
I wouldn't exactly say you were ripped off. You were paying for being able to handle the knife and knowing you got a good one (You didnt pay shipping on it either). The guy in the store has rent and utilities to pay and probably has a lot of people that want to see a dozen or so knives and then they walk out and buy it online because its a few $ cheaper. I work out of my house, no staff to pay so I can be pretty cheap on some stuff (compared to local prices). You may not be so lucky online next time unless the store checks it before they send it. Then they could be late sending it, it could be not what you wanted (the store you visited before has gone bankrupt because he was too expensive) a lot of things could happen that might sour your purchase.
I'm not condeming you for buying cheaper, I'm just asking that you look at the reason why the B&M store was more expensive.
 
In 1990 (if I recall exactly), I got a Buck 110 in a sporting goods shop for the (at the time) unheard of price of about $20. It was a display model that had some sticky goo from tape or a sticker on one of the bolsters. I didn't really need or want another 110, but I knew I could clean it up better than new. I got the knife and sheath and box, etc., paid my $20 and left. At home, I cleaned up the knife, then began calling area B&M stores. "I got this knife as a gift," I told 'em, "but I have one exactly like it. Will you take it in exchange for some other knife you have in stock?" I ended up trading it in for a locking SAK (which I still have and use) and a couple of cordura sheaths. Made around $30 on the deal. God, I thought I was Gordon Gecco! :cool:
 
Condemned for buying cheaper ay? Well Temper... as a private in the Army at the time, making a grand a month with bills back home, I'm glad I bought it from the internet.
If they would've had it more reasonable and not 40% higher than what it should've been, I wouldn't have felt ripped off. I can receive my knife late, and if I receive the wrong knife from an internet dealer, I would imagine they wouldn't be in business for long with customer service like that.
Almost every knife I buy from now on will be from pictures, and not looking at it in person. The town that I am based in currently has no knife stores that I can see the real thing in person.

Still enjoying my CRKT,
Cleary
 
I found a Benchmade Outbounder at Gander Mountain in York, PA, and got a good deal. No box, but she was brand new and had a sheath. Got the clerk to give me a better discount than the price sticker on the sheath.
 
Holy crap. I thought this thread was dead and gone. Good to hear some more experiences.

Originally Posted by silenthunterstudios
I found a Benchmade Outbounder at Gander Mountain in York, PA, and got a good deal. No box, but she was brand new and had a sheath. Got the clerk to give me a better discount than the price sticker on the sheath.
Click to expand...

Seems like clerks are always losing boxes. The Outbounder is a great little knife; I bought mine a while back during a sale at a Gander Mountain in Henrietta, NY. Unfortunately, the sheath was not fitted properly, and the knife cuts the leather when it is drawn from the sheath. I've decided to use the sheath for my previously sheathless Western hunter, and it works very well; it's a perfect fit. Now I have an Outbounder with a box, but no sheath. Want my box? :D

TheSurvivalist
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top