Is there one best price online shop?

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speedfan

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I couldn't figure out where this belongs, so I figured I'd put it in the most basic of forums. Anyways, with my other hobbies, for each hobby there is one online store that basically always has the best prices. Some store may have a 1 week special or something, but for each hobby there is that one store with the best normal prices. Is there an online store like this for knives? I don't want to waste bandwidth with everybody's favorites, so if there are 10 best price stores, the answer to my question is "no."
Thanks,
Richard
PS - I use the term hobby loosely. By hobby I mean things I only need one of, but I choose to "collect." It's a collection to be used.
 
Well, you are not going to get one particular answer. Are you looking for production knives, and if so, what price range? Custom? Fast delivery? Reliability? Selection? Customer service and upfrontness?

In my limited experiance (I do not buy loads of knives) thegunsource.com has the lowest prices by a couple of bucks. I like Crocblades.com, because they tell you what is in stock right away, their prices are about as low as you will find, the selection is adequate (but no balisongs), and the customer service/delivery is great.

Edit: Good point brownshoe. I've lurked here for about a month, but I guess I forgot about One Stop Knife Store. No rudeness towards the forum was intended. :footinmou
 
Just production knives in the sub-$200 street price range. Price is number 1, but of course a low price means nothing without a selection, so selection is important. When I deal with an online store, all that other stuff doesn't matter (well within reason, if they take 1 month to ship in stock items, then I don't want anything to do with them). I'll check the two you mentioned. Until now the only places I had purchasd from were bestknives, spoon river cutlery, and one other place that I forget.
Richard
 
There is clearly "no one best place" to buy in the world of knives. Most online stores are fairly competative, but vary a few bucks here or there depending on the model. It is always best to compare different vendors, but if you are thinking about purchasing multiple items, be wary of shipping costs. The "one" place I buy most of my knives from is eBay, but I have purchased from just about all the major 'netailers, including 1SKS, knifecenter, knifeoutlet, NewGraham, 2thehilt, swissarmyexpress, and many others who had "specials" on things I was interested in. A word of caution, unless you HAVE to have it right away, prices tend to fall a few months after introduction of a new product. The only drawback to waiting is that the product might be discontinued.
 
When I first saw the crocblades website, I thought they would be my new store, but honestly, the prices are not too different over at spoon river (spoon river was cheaper on the ones I was looking at). The few bucks I may lose by not shopping around every time is worth dealing with the same store every time to me. So in the end, I allready had an answer...wow, I'm disappointed in myself. I just became a bandwidth waster. :o
Richard
 
One Stop Knife Shop sponsors this forum. It's not really ethical to suggest anyone else in this house. I don't know about you, but if I am in a painter's home at a party, I don't suggest someone else to do a painting job when I am in the man's house. I'd do it off line.
 
Well, other dealers like Newgraham do support this forum with the $850/year Dealer registration.

To answer the question though, no, there isn't one. Most the larger ones have very similar prices. If you look hard enough, you might luck out elsewhere, but there's no consistancy to it.

One thing to consider other than price is service. You might find something cheaper somewhere else, but you might also get hosed. The bigger dealers will take care of you. Others might not even answer the phone or return your messages and emails (found a few of these).
 
It has been my experience that if you spend several hours searching and surfing, you might find some obscure site with prices just a little bit lower than Newgraham and 1sks on a few selected items, but not very much and not on most items. And both Newgraham and 1sks are known for good service, fast shipping, reasonable handling of returns, etc.

A lot of cut-rate places actually don't have stock. When you order from them, they order from the manufacturer. So, it at least doubles your wait time. Both Newgraham and 1sks are big enough to be able to keep good stock on most stuff.
 
I'll move this thread to TGB&U for you. :cool:

Unlike most forums owned by someone who also owns a store, we actually encourage people to post praises of other knife stores -- we even have a whole forum for it.

My suggestions: In addition to 1SKS, consider our dealer members -- look at their ads in the Dealer For/Sale section and look at their websites too. Like 1SKS they contribute to keeping Bladeforums going, and they're here and available if you ever have a problem with an order.

Don't buy from anybody without searching TGB&U first....
 
Thanks Cougar. I was thinking about putting it there but wasn't sure if it's the place. You're the moderator so you would know.
Thanks,
Richard
 
Newgraham, Classic Guns & Knives, 2theHilt, The Distinctive Edge, KnifeSite, GP Knives, and Matt D are all paying dealers. Yes, 1SKS does support the forums as well, but each and every one of the other dealers put their money where their mouth was and is supporting the site that you all use. Do not hesitate to do business with any one of them... or all of them.

Each one has their own niche that they fill, and between all of them, you should be more than able to get any of your cutlery needs taken care of.
 
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