Garage sale knives if Y2K is no big deal

[Uncle Bill]

My gun buddies are talking about the deals they think they'll find in suburban 2000 if Y2K is a non-event. They cite converstations with gun dealers who are selling box loads of 10/22's, mini-14's, defense shotguns, etc. to newbies scared of TEOTWAWKI.

Is the same thing happening with knives? are specific models being bought by non-knife people which most certainly will fill the garage sales next spring?

Opinions are rampant. I'm looking for actual info. Info about what models non-knife people are buying that clearly fit the Y2K motivation.

 

[johno]

Actual info as in national sales figures by make and model ?

I'll guess that most people get their non-kitchen knives from Walmart, the local hardware store, sporting goods store, from mail order places like Cabelas, and increasingly from online shopping sites. Buck, Schrade, Gerber, Leatherman, etc., seem to be in most of the displays that I see, and the most common 'survival' (para-military) knife that I've seen being sold and written about is the USMC Kabar.

 

[Berkley]

My guess is that non-knife folks afraid of Y2K apocalypse are loading up on goodies like "the Survivor" from a catalog which shall remain nameless: "Our best selling survival knife. 5 1/2" 420 stainless steel blade with a saw back. Features a wire cutter, sling shot, harpoon, scalpel, whistle, wire saw, compass, sharpening stone, metal case and a survival kit, available in black with chrome or black blade. While supplies last $21.99". Should at least be useful for opening those MRE's

 

[Valmet]

I think it's kind of difficult to compare Knife versus Gun Trends. However, I have to agree that you can attribute at least some portion of Newbie Knife Sales to the Y2K event, but the actual percentage IMHO would be very difficult to discern

Now as far as the Firearms go, there is definitely a Y2K rush across the board, BUT pending Gun Legislation is what IMHO is the major driving factor. Any time there is some new talk of Gun Control, all the prices on Pre-89 and Pre May '86 NFA stuff go up, even though they are already either banned from further importation, manufacture, or they are restricted already! It's nuts, but it's a reality.

 

[Vrolok]

I think a lot of people are very scared about
Y2K. Fear would cause a large percentage of those people to buy weapons. I agree that gun sales will be more affected but the impact on knife sales will go up too. My only thought is: Will the knives all these uninformed people are buying really be knives that all us knife nuts are really going to want? Take your pick Benchmade or Buck? Gerber or Emmerson? Schrade or EDI? people will be buying what they see at walmart and that just doesn't interest me!

 

[TomW]

If you're looking for the garage sale bargains forget y2k and just look for the next recession. Having been around the gun business my entire life I've seen the ups and downs. The large amount of used guns when times are bad. Where i see the biggest hit in knives in the next recession is what I call the blue collar knife. The $400 to $500 tactical folder. They have little collector value and will not likely have much. Most of them are used. The people buying them are the most likely ones to have their spending patterns altered by recession and the knifemakers making a living selling them could easily be left high and dry.