Going to my 2nd gun show this weekend in Tampa

needler420

needler420

Joined
Apr 29, 2011
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For knives. I've been looking for knife only conventions as well. Going to suck it up and pay admission and parking. I want to see knives in person and if they'll let me handle them. Going to the flea markets I have to weed out all the CCC and there is still not a lot of high end knives. Specially balisongs knives.

My plan is to find a high end user balisong used condition . So I'll be more inclined to use and flip it rather then safe queen.

Do these events monitor counterfeits? Will vendors still try to pass counterfeits off? How can I know which vendors are "authorized dealers" besides saying so will they have paper work to prove it? Are they all authorized dealers.

I research the knives I am interested in a lot but counterfeits always worry me.

Last thing I want is to post on social media about my new knife from a gun show and find out it's fake. Caveat emptor.
I've picked up boxed benchmades (not balisong) and thought they were real before. The vendor told me he got ripped off and didn't try to pass it.
 
You ask about counterfeits at a place that sells beef jerky? For the most part, anything goes. My experience with gun shows is that you will find a mix. It is pretty much up to you to make your own judgments on product. My earliest knife buying at shows was done at gunshows.
 
How do you know they sell beef jerky? There actually happens to be a few beef jerky vendors at my flea markets. They always ask if I want a sample. By now I thought they would know me and stop asking lol.
 
More than anything, that's just a figure of speech to suggest that you might find just about anything at gunshows. It's capitalism. My earliest custom/handmade knives were purchased at gunshows.
 
This flea market has a sign that says no counterfeits to be sold there but there are a million vendors selling counterfeits.
 
Gun shows ....you are unlikely to find many tables catering to high end knife crowd, same for custom pistols. Most people attend gun shows to purchase guns, ammo and gear cheap or in bulk. You may find a few dealers that carry Spyderco, Benchmade, maybe Emerson and a few antique tables.
 
I've been to the fairgrounds for the Tampa gun show several time. Fakes are there for sure and beef jerky. There are some knife buys to be had but you have to know what you're looking at. I always try to look for something that's not as popular figuring there's less chance it's fake. If they have a stack of BM42's for sale you can bet they're fake. As far as the flea markets around here I've only seen one Balisong that wasn't fake. It was a BM30 at the Mustang Ranch flea.
 
no one is there stopping fakes and counterfeits. gunshow is a buyer beware. many solid and legit gun sellers and just as many hustlers and horse traders trying to rip you off. you may find what ya want and ya may not. good luck on the hunt.
 
But the shows are fun though and that's important. I haven't been attending gunshows for a couple years. I pretty much stopped focusing on guns, and if you aren't buying and selling, the shows aren't much fun for me. I try to make knife shows (knives specifically) if they are within 100-200 miles (ie within 3 hours drive). There aren't many of those. With knives, for the most part you will be dealing with Mom & Pops like a flea market. That doesn't mean they are not reliable sellers.
 
I dont see many high end used knife dealers at the shows I visit. Maybe your shows differ, i don't know.

I see a lot of middle/higher end new knives (sold nearly at MSRP), and used knives tend to be fixed blade/military/custom made knives. I would go as far as to say I have never seen a used high end balisong.

Hope you find what you are looking for. You never know.
 
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