How far have you travelled just for a knife?

cmd

cmd

Joined
Feb 7, 2004
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It occurred to me on the way back from Bluefield VA to Charlotte NC that I was driving about 350 miles (round trip) with the sole purpose of purchasing a knife. This raises an interesting poll - the ratio of miles traveled to the cost of a knife. Mine was approximately 350mi/$130, or about 2.7 miles per dollar.

I think it would be interesting to hear other folks' stories and see who comes up with the highest miles per dollar number.

For my part, it was totally worth while to be able to spend a little time talking with Mike at NewGraham in Bluefield while comparing many knives side by side.

In the end, I was deciding between the Benchmade 710 in M2, Benchmade 806 in D2, and the Al Mar SERE2000. BTW, I am a big Spyderco fan, but the Military is a little over-the-top for my regular environment. My beloved Native raises eyebrows, a Military would cause a sheeple stampede.

So what did I choose? The handle of the Al Mar just fit my hands better and it was of noticably superior quality - smoother operating, better G10 texture, perfect fit/finish. The tradeoff was in weight, but the Al Mar is perfectly comfortable as an EDC, just not as light as the others, so that is what I chose.

The only downside of the trip? Sore thumbs from handeling the knife so much on the drive back.

Chris
 
I was thinking about doing the same thing you did. I love dealing with Mike @ NewGraham....been doing it now for the past 2 years & everything has been great! Haven't driven that far....yet, but will sometime in the future.
 
Taiwan, actually I was on a business trip there a few years back and picked up a junky knife just to say I got one from Taiwan, also did the same in England, and a few other European countries.Edited for spelling
 
Originally posted by cmd

So what did I choose? The handle of the Al Mar just fit my hands better and it was of noticably superior quality - smoother operating, better G10 texture, perfect fit/finish. The tradeoff was in weight, but the Al Mar is perfectly comfortable as an EDC, just not as light as the others, so that is what I chose.
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The SERE 2000 smoother than a 710 or 806?? You should see what a 710 or 806 is like with a properly adjusted pivot and some Militec-1. I own all 3 by the way. :)
 
Originally posted by WadeF
The SERE 2000 smoother than a 710 or 806?? You should see what a 710 or 806 is like with a properly adjusted pivot and some Militec-1. I own all 3 by the way. :)
Click to expand...

How do you adjust the pivot on the BM Axis knives? I've got a 770 that I'd love to adjust to smooth out the action a bit. I can flick it open by holding the Axis lock down, but the blade won't swing open with just gravity. I wonder if the blade's size & weight is a factor as well. I've thought about simply taking a hex wrench to the pivot, but I don't want to screw it up either. Is the adjustment a fine balance between tight and loose (kind of like a bicycle's headset, if you know how they work)?

Again, it works fine as is, so I'd hate to adjust it and end up with poorer performance, but watching your videos is certainly amazing and something I'd like to emulate. I just wonder if its possible with the small-ish 770.

Thanks.

-pb
 
You should get Benchmade's torx kit. I actually have 2 of them. :) Or you can pick up a set of torx bits at your local hardware store. I find either Tuff-Glide or Militec-1 works well. Sometimes I use Tuff-Glide to flush things out, and once it's dried I add a drop of militec-1. Then you want to adjust the pivot so the blade opens smoothly, but still locks up solidly with little to no blade play.

On my 710 it's just a matter of losening or tightening the main pivot screw. Nothing to it really. :) If I release the axis lock the blade will fall open just from gravity.

I don't have a 770, but it should be similiar. Maybe someone else with a 770 that has adjusted it could add some input there.
 
To stay on topic. When I was a lad I my parents drive through Tennessee on our way to Florida so I could stop in at Smokey Mountain Knife Works. :) Picked up some stuff there. I also hit the shops in Gatlingburg (sorry if I'm butchering the spelling) and picked up a bunch of bali's. :)

I live in PA, so that was a pretty good haul, but it was kind of an on the way thing, so I'm not sure if it counts. :)

There aren't any good knife stores in my immediate area, that I know of, so I mainly order online now.
 
I drive from St. Louis to Atlanta every June for the Blade show. I think it's close to 600 miles each way. Don't regret it a bit. My wallet does though. :D
 
About the smoothness of the SERE2000 compared to Benchmade 710, I was comparing them as-is, out of the box, and yes the Al Mar was much smoother. On par with a large CRK Sebenza, no exaggeration. The 710 is a a very good knife, and with a little tweaking I'm sure opens as smoothly as any other.

This was one of the main motivators for me to drive all that way - to be able to compare individual items. The 710 and the SERE I compared came out with this decision, but different coppies might not have.

I have to try that militek, sounds like great stuff.
 
I keep giving the SERE 2000 many chances to win me over. I have it in my pocket right now and I must admit, as big as it is, I keep forgetting it's there! :)

I just put a little Militec-1 on my SERE. Couldn't remember if I ever lubricated it or not. It's smoother now, but I don't think it will ever be as smooth as my 710, mainly because the SERE is a liner lock with a ball detent.
 
I drove 450 miles to the Vegas Classic and only bought my $45 rayskin wallet. That is 10 miles to the dollar! :eek:
 
I have driven many a mile to find a knifemaker and some interesting blades. Most of the time, I take along my family. They are beginning to enjoy these "knife adventures."

In fact, my wife is glad I have this knife hobby because she gets to go to faraway places and meet interesting people and eat great food.

So all in all, it is a family affair.
 
My colleague and I drove from San Francisco to Los Angeles which is @ 400 miles just to pick up a MT D/A SOCOM and a REKAT Hobbit. The drive back was a bit longer due to an unscheduled detour that led us to Las Vegas. Not a frugal trip whatsoever. :D

Dayuhan
 
Narvik, Norway.

...OK, I didn't go there just to buy my Helle Eggen... ...but I did spend half a day of my stay there finding one nice Norwegian knife. The Eggen is by far the sharpest knife I own - I just cut a few tomatoes with it and it slides through like there is no such thing as tomato-skin.

Referring to a sharpness-thread earlier - this knife is STUPID-sharp!
:D
 
Last year, I drove from Kansas City to NW Arkansas (230mi one way), then to Tulsa, OK (140mi one way from Mom's house) for the Tulsa Arms show. I ended up buying one knife, a Spyderco Ladybug for $10. Okay, round trip: 700 miles, +/- for a $10 knife = 70 miles per dollar.

Okay, I didn't go for the soul purpose of getting that knife, but it is all I ended up with to show for my efforts.

DD
 
My best/worst (depending on how you look at it) so far?

:)

0.06 miles per dollar or around 16.7 dollars per mile.

For what?

A Mayo TNT, of course !

Allen
aka DumboRAT
 
Originally posted by Daniel Dorn
Last year, I drove from Kansas City to NW Arkansas (230mi one way), then to Tulsa, OK (140mi one way from Mom's house) for the Tulsa Arms show. I ended up buying one knife, a Spyderco Ladybug for $10. Okay, round trip: 700 miles, +/- for a $10 knife = 70 miles per dollar.

Okay, I didn't go for the soul purpose of getting that knife, but it is all I ended up with to show for my efforts.

DD
Click to expand...

Wow, 700 miles and just a Ladybug to show for it :eek:

They are cool little knives, though. I drove a while to get a boron black Kershaw/Onion Chive, but not that far.
 
I was thinking about doing the same thing you did. I love dealing with Mike @ NewGraham....been doing it now for the past 2 years & everything has been great! Haven't driven that far....yet, but will sometime in the future.
 
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