For those who didn't go to Bladeshow?

Kryptoglow · Jun 1, 2013

For those who didn't go to Bladeshow...you didn't miss many great deals. I just got back and although it was fun to see so many knives the deals just were not around. The dealers and actual big name companies were offering most everything at suggested retail.

whetrock · Jun 3, 2013

I imagine, even at that, it would be pretty enjoyable, just to see the new stuff before everybody else. Maybe meet some notable people in the knife world.

OHALLUM · Jun 3, 2013

That was pretty much my observation also. I assumed (bad thing to do) was that the mfgs. have an agreement that they will only sell at retail. I guess their presence there was to let you see and touch their latest creations, so you can then go make your best deal with an authorized dealer. I saw no one walk away from a mfg with a new knife. Of course I am only one set of eyes. Lots of individuals selling their collections of folders and straight blades, but again, I didn't see any real bargains. Lots of custom knife supplies available at the show if that was your thing.

Blessings,

Omar

Kryptoglow · Jun 3, 2013

whetrock said:
I imagine, even at that, it would be pretty enjoyable, just to see the new stuff before everybody else. Maybe meet some notable people in the knife world.

Don't get me wrong, meeting some knife makers and fellow enthusiasts was fun. It's just after paying for the trip/hotel/tickets... to see some knives that are not for sale seemed a bit odd after the fact. There were many knives available but the majority were way overpriced. There were some ZT 0560cbcf knives at the show and they were all 600.00. I can get one today for 375.00+/-. I'm sure some of you will think I'm just a negative guy. I'm really not, I just tell it like it is. The show had it's positives but the fleecing of the uneducated was in full swing.
I did make some good friendships and connections but If I were strictly a collector, I would save my money for a "real deal" on a knife.

bld522 · Jun 3, 2013

I've never been to the Blade Show in Atlanta. But if I were to attend, I wouldn't go looking for bargains among the production knife companies. They have to protect their channel. I'd be going primarily to look for offerings from custom makers . . . guys like Gedraitis and Laconico and Vagnino . . . whose knives are hard to come by on the Interweb.

Kryptoglow · Jun 3, 2013

Sure your right. Customs are my favorite and where deals are to be had. I just wish they had been given more than 1/8-1/4 of the floor.

alude904 · Jun 4, 2013

This was my first blade show. I agree that the show is mainly to pick up customs. I walked away with two fixed blades, one a little pricey from a well known maker and one pretty cheap from a new up and coming maker. However, I have to disagree with the idea that there were no deals at all. I have a little over a handful of knife shops in my city and they all charge more than what most vendors were. I guess it depends on what prices you're used to seeing in your area. Yeah you could probably get them for super cheap if you look online good enough but overall the production knives werent that bad. For example, the ticket prices at Benchmade alone were cheaper than the prices at my stores and then they were another 15% off. But again, the blade show has always been an outlet for custom knife makers

Kryptoglow · Jun 4, 2013

alude904 said:
This was my first blade show. I agree that the show is mainly to pick up customs. I walked away with two fixed blades, one a little pricey from a well known maker and one pretty cheap from a new up and coming maker. However, I have to disagree with the idea that there were no deals at all. I have a little over a handful of knife shops in my city and they all charge more than what most vendors were. I guess it depends on what prices you're used to seeing in your area. Yeah you could probably get them for super cheap if you look online good enough but overall the production knives werent that bad. For example, the ticket prices at Benchmade alone were cheaper than the prices at my stores and then they were another 15% off. But again, the blade show has always been an outlet for custom knife makers

I didn't say there were no deals at all, I said not many. Great place to see whats out there, meet friends, make connections and pick up a custom. It's just not a good place to count on a production model deal.

MikeH · Jun 5, 2013

Busse Combat always has discounted prices at the Blade show. Note I did not say cheap, but discounted.

Not knives, but VZ Grips had a booth, and I bought two sets of black/orange 1911 grips, one set standard and one compact, for $50 each. Quite a deal, considering it is a 23% discount off their web site prices, plus no shipping charges.

Bought four Wilson Combat 1911 magazines last year at usual price, but again no shipping charges.

Also found a beautiful black jade necklace pendant this year for my wife at a nicely discounted price.

Kydex sheaths from Dave Brown, reasonably priced, no shipping charges.

Deals are available, you just have to find them, which is half of the fun.

Kryptoglow · Jun 5, 2013

MikeH said:
Busse Combat always has discounted prices at the Blade show. Note I did not say cheap, but discounted.

Not knives, but VZ Grips had a booth, and I bought two sets of black/orange 1911 grips, one set standard and one compact, for $50 each. Quite a deal, considering it is a 23% discount off their web site prices, plus no shipping charges.

Bought four Wilson Combat 1911 magazines last year at usual price, but again no shipping charges.

Also found a beautiful black jade necklace pendant this year for my wife at a nicely discounted price.

Kydex sheaths from Dave Brown, reasonably priced, no shipping charges.

Deals are available, you just have to find them, which is half of the fun.

Yep, there were some deals, obviously. I've changed my mind. Instead of there being only some deals I now say that most everything was a deal and there were only a few overpriced items.