How many knives in a typical production run?

Gmountain

Gmountain

Joined
Oct 2, 2005
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I hope this is in the right forum.

What do you guys think would be a typical production run for a knife style from one of the major players?

For instance, sometimes Case talks about a limited edition of 3000 knives. I wonder what the standard production run would be. 10,000?

The same for GEC, although I know it's on a smaller level. 1,000?

I imagine S&M would be in the thousands. I'm just wondering.
 
GEC makes knives in batches from a few to about two hundred. Seems like the average batch is around 50 to 70.

Their production numbers are on their web page.
 
There is no standard. Mostly it would revolve around inventory requirements and that would revolve around sales volume.
 
Case's "Limited Edition" is one of their higher production runs these days. Only their standard lines get higher (yellow. amber, red, etc. used for stocking store displays). They make many runs, generally SFO's, that are 250 - 500 each year.

GEC makes runs from 3 to 150 these days. Many times they will get in some acrylic, use up some remnants, or try a new dye for bone and just put out a handful. Whereas, generally their stag gets produced in runs exceeding 100.

Queen typically picks a couple of general production variants and makes them all year. On the Schatt & Morgan they will limit their yearly series and ATS to 600. They do have some special runs (Burke, Pardue) that run in the 200-400 range. And SFO's 100 and below.

Mike Latham
CollectorKnives.Net
 
Well just for laughs here is some Buck info on production runs as an example. Published in Buck Collectors Club Newsletter 12/08 by Joe Houser, "Prince of a Guy" Customer Service Manager.

300 series with yellow handles
Model 301 1988 to 1990 5,200 units
Model 303 1988 to 1990 6,400 units
Model 307 1995 only 1,000 units (I have only acquired one in 10 years)
Model 329 1988 to 1993 13,800 units
Model 332 Sm Barlow 1999 only 900 units (I have acquired zilch, zero, zip, O)
(A SMKW special)

No doubt the standard four black scale Buck 300s would have been made yearly in the tens of thousands. And limited editions about like the yellow scales.

300Bucks
 
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