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Benchmade was a pretty small blip on my radar before. Now they got stealth technology.
A case of Timex thinking they are Rolex.
A case of Timex thinking they are Rolex.
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I heard Benchmade is not going to sale through distributors anymore
- Thread starter Cyblade
- Start date
A case of Timex thinking they are Rolex.
Oh, come on, Rat, Timex are good watches. Just look at all the $150 chronographs they offer, along with the cheap stuff branded for them from China. BM's doing the same with that, too - Vex, and more to come.
I never thought of BM being Rolex, despite the fanboys constant drumbeat that a low line overpriced FRN handled knife was the best in the world. The only reason they have that market is because Gerber abandoned it.
Give them a few years, we'll appreciate BM for finally forcing their customers to really look at what they've been buying - it's been overpriced hype all along.
Won't miss them one bit.
Oh, come on, Rat, Timex are good watches. Just look at all the $150 chronographs they offer, along with the cheap stuff branded for them from China. BM's doing the same with that, too - Vex, and more to come.
I never thought of BM being Rolex, despite the fanboys constant drumbeat that a low line overpriced FRN handled knife was the best in the world. The only reason they have that market is because Gerber abandoned it.
Give them a few years, we'll appreciate BM for finally forcing their customers to really look at what they've been buying - it's been overpriced hype all along.
Won't miss them one bit.
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timex work. I have owned several.
My point was they are an average quality company trying to price fix like a high end company selling luxury items.
My point was they are an average quality company trying to price fix like a high end company selling luxury items.
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I like my Timexes. They freakin' last forever, and they're cheap enough that you'll wear them through anything--rain, shine, mud, snow, whatever.
This is the third thread about Benchmade currently on page 1. When I start the fourth, maybe the mods will merge them all.
Benchmade has already upped its prices considerably. I've been researching the H1 H2O and looked at old threads from just three years back. That model has gone up 30% or more in price BEFORE any of the price hikes that these threads suggest.
Guess I'd better order now before they go up another 30%.
This is the third thread about Benchmade currently on page 1. When I start the fourth, maybe the mods will merge them all.
Benchmade has already upped its prices considerably. I've been researching the H1 H2O and looked at old threads from just three years back. That model has gone up 30% or more in price BEFORE any of the price hikes that these threads suggest.
Guess I'd better order now before they go up another 30%.
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Personally, I refuse to do business with any company that restricts competition by controlling retail pricing od engages in MAP. (Minimum advertised pricing) 
Anti-competitive measures are an insult to the customer and to the American free enterprise system. :grumpy:
And they wonder why we won't "Buy American?" :thumbdn:
Anti-competitive measures are an insult to the customer and to the American free enterprise system. :grumpy:
And they wonder why we won't "Buy American?" :thumbdn:
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Yea you managed to reap in a whole $30 in benefits.
As for Benchmade I think it's unfortunate, I like their knives and I think the Timex analogy is perfect. It's just as prices rise I'll probably be prone spend my money on knives I like more. For example if the BM 610 Rukus is priced the same as a ZT 300 series I'm going to choose the ZT every time.
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I, for one, am impressed. This post was a constructive addition to the thread. :thumbup:
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FWIW, the ZT line of knives are MAP-controlled, too, IIRC.Yea you managed to reap in a whole $30 in benefits.
As for Benchmade I think it's unfortunate, I like their knives and I think the Timex analogy is perfect. It's just as prices rise I'll probably be prone spend my money on knives I like more. For example if the BM 610 Rukus is priced the same as a ZT 300 series I'm going to choose the ZT every time.
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This will be a fail for BM. I don't think it will take them to long to figure that out, and start selling to distributors again. There will still be some that will know about this and won't buy BM's for years.
And I havn't bought a knife from a storefront in 25 years, but I'm know a few places I've bought from on the net had a store front.
Bought most of my factory knives at knife shows, or gun shows from dealers that I know didn't have a storefront.
And I havn't bought a knife from a storefront in 25 years, but I'm know a few places I've bought from on the net had a store front.
Bought most of my factory knives at knife shows, or gun shows from dealers that I know didn't have a storefront.
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Truth be told, I really don't think that this will last long and really hope it doesn't. I can see Benchmade losing alot of sales from this unbelievably stupid move, and they might go back to the way things are (or were). They'd have to really raise the prices in order to compensate for the loss of business they're going to be suffering from.
Like I said, I hope my prediction is correct. I really like Benchmade's designs and think they're prices are fair (depending on where you get them). Every Benchmade I own is really solid and holds up to its intended purpose as a high value cutting tool. Spyderco is the same way. While there are better knives out there than most Benchmades or Spydercos, the two mentioned companies put out some good designs, and the DISTRIBUTORS make alot of sales for them, because they carry them for a much more reasonable price depending on where you go.
Like I said, I hope my prediction is correct. I really like Benchmade's designs and think they're prices are fair (depending on where you get them). Every Benchmade I own is really solid and holds up to its intended purpose as a high value cutting tool. Spyderco is the same way. While there are better knives out there than most Benchmades or Spydercos, the two mentioned companies put out some good designs, and the DISTRIBUTORS make alot of sales for them, because they carry them for a much more reasonable price depending on where you go.
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the problem is more and more manufacturers are getting pressured in assured minimum pricing based on the bigger sellers seeing it impossible to compete with a guy who has no inventory, and is just drop shipping individual orders out of some large distributorship.
Real stores are in a quandry, they get to have great big brick and mortar stores, and we love to go there and fondle all the cool toys, then so much of the public says "oh but I can buy it for xx dollars online". Sure but the online guy has no store, no inventory, no warrantee counter, no pilferage, no demo's that get demolished by morons at the counter. So after spending 10 bucks on gas, 40 minutes in the store, asking the staff for this knife after that knife for the whole time, he then walks out to his car and drives home to save $12 bucks before shipping, and he does this while bad mouthing the store that had the demo in stock that he fondled before buying the same knife sight un seen over the internet. After shipping, handling, and all that, he ends up saving 3 dollars, and ends up driving his favorite fondling shop out of business.
Blame BM for trying to keep some of its dealers liquid, but when they are gone from teh stores because no one can keep a margin on them, whose to blame?
Real stores are in a quandry, they get to have great big brick and mortar stores, and we love to go there and fondle all the cool toys, then so much of the public says "oh but I can buy it for xx dollars online". Sure but the online guy has no store, no inventory, no warrantee counter, no pilferage, no demo's that get demolished by morons at the counter. So after spending 10 bucks on gas, 40 minutes in the store, asking the staff for this knife after that knife for the whole time, he then walks out to his car and drives home to save $12 bucks before shipping, and he does this while bad mouthing the store that had the demo in stock that he fondled before buying the same knife sight un seen over the internet. After shipping, handling, and all that, he ends up saving 3 dollars, and ends up driving his favorite fondling shop out of business.
Blame BM for trying to keep some of its dealers liquid, but when they are gone from teh stores because no one can keep a margin on them, whose to blame?
Unfortunately, he ends up saving about 25 times as much as $3. The B&M store at my local mall sells the 710 for $175, for example. Online it's about $100. Honestly, I don't have $75 to give to my local shop. Selling the knife at $175 isn't even trying to be competitive. If they were trying to be competitive and the difference were only the $3 that you mentioned, then I might reconsider.
Pfft, try being Australian. I have seen a shop in my mall selling delicas for more than $175 AUD. IF they had a 710 (never seen any BM's or kershaws for that matter at any knife store in that mall) they would try and sell it for a grand. I have actually seen them try to peddle CRKT rubbish for more than the delicas.
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Happends over here in Europe as well. I was at a store yesterday and a Spyderco that I've seen online for around 80 euro's cost 200 euro's at this place.
Stuff the distributers. I'll buy online.
Stuff the distributers. I'll buy online.
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I'm all for supporting local buisnesses, even at the cost of paying a few more dollars for an item. :thumbup:
The problem is, dedicated B&M cuttlery stores are a dying breed in this country. Sure, you can get cheap imported knives in the big mass market retailers, and occasionally even some decent mid-range stuff. But if you want the high end production knives that many of us are interested in, you need to deal with a specialty knife store, and for many of us the only place to find one of those anymore is on-line.
The fact is, on-line purchasing is here to stay and its going to continue to impact the whole retail landscape, particularly in the area of specialty and luxury items the big retailers can't be bothered to stock. Unfortunatly, this means the small, B&B specialty store is feeling the pinch and it may be that they are just no longer economically viable, no matter what we may prefer. Sad, perhaps, but that is the economics of life.
