Ka-Bar cost

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evildick

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Man I love your guy's knives and have had many in my lifetime and hope to own more in the future but something has to be done about the rising cost.

This week I had about $150 bucks set aside to buy two knives. I was wanting a BK9 and a BK16. In the past I could get the BK9 for about 78 bucks. Now it is 95 bucks.

Guys I love your company but I had to get a Ontario Marine raider and a over seas made MKI. I looked at your MKI and really liked it and the prices was even good at $54 but compaired to the one I got for $57 it looked like a toy. It was not a leather stacked handle and the blade is very small. I do like the triple lock sheath but it just did not hold up to the one I did buy. It has leather stacked handles and a very polished sk5 blade and its a lot bigger than your MKI.

I was also wanting a BK9 for sure and maybe a BK7 but both are way to expensive now to own. I understand the rising cost of everything but what can you do to lower the price of your knives. Maybe the retailer is getting gready since they are selling so good?

I never want you to move production over seas but have you thought of maybe moving to the great south and re-tool to a complete CNC facility with a few set up men and many parts changers. I am almost sure you have to use union labbor and I have much respect for unions but those times are gone and we have to tighten our belts and work for less to stay competative.

You guys are awesome. I do not want to loose you because I can no longer afford you.
 
You can still get a BK9 for about that much online. That price is a retailer markup.
 
What they said. Don't mistake MSRP for street price.
 
Guyon said:
What they said. Don't mistake MSRP for street price.
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I wish I would have seen Tomars price but I did not see it and does that include shipping.

The place I was looking at is a well known knife shop and all other places I looked at was also at the $95 level if you include shipping.

In the past I could walk into this shop and walk out with a $78 BK9 and at the same time their USMC's were only like 54 or 59 bucks but now they are in the high 60's and low 70's.

I looked at knives ship free but they do not carry the BK line.

Its no big deal, I really like Ka-Bar but I have to buy what I can afford and trust. Ka-Bar or at least the dealers I deal with are getting too expensive so I now chose to go Ontario.
 
evildick said:
Its no big deal, I really like Ka-Bar but I have to buy what I can afford and trust. Ka-Bar or at least the dealers I deal with are getting too expensive so I now chose to go Ontario.
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No worries. Use what you can afford.
Based on reviews and experience with the RTAK II, I personally think Ka-Bar makes a superior knife well worth the price difference, but your mileage may vary.
 
evildick said:
Man I love your guy's knives and have had many in my lifetime and hope to own more in the future but something has to be done about the rising cost.

This week I had about $150 bucks set aside to buy two knives. I was wanting a BK9 and a BK16. In the past I could get the BK9 for about 78 bucks. Now it is 95 bucks.

Guys I love your company but I had to get a Ontario Marine raider and a over seas made MKI. I looked at your MKI and really liked it and the prices was even good at $54 but compaired to the one I got for $57 it looked like a toy. It was not a leather stacked handle and the blade is very small. I do like the triple lock sheath but it just did not hold up to the one I did buy. It has leather stacked handles and a very polished sk5 blade and its a lot bigger than your MKI.

I was also wanting a BK9 for sure and maybe a BK7 but both are way to expensive now to own. I understand the rising cost of everything but what can you do to lower the price of your knives. Maybe the retailer is getting gready since they are selling so good?

I never want you to move production over seas but have you thought of maybe moving to the great south and re-tool to a complete CNC facility with a few set up men and many parts changers. I am almost sure you have to use union labbor and I have much respect for unions but those times are gone and we have to tighten our belts and work for less to stay competative.

You guys are awesome. I do not want to loose you because I can no longer afford you.
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We hear you and we certainly don't want to loose you either. Balancing the rising costs of raw goods and other miscellaneous expenses versus the overall quality of the product is a balancing act for sure. We strive to make a quality product at an affordable price. We try our best to hit every dollar level to ensure that anyone who wants a KA-BAR can get a KA-BAR. Thanks for posting and enjoy your weekend.

-OKB
 
I did a quick search for "Ka-bar BK9" and found it for $78 shipped and worth every single penny if you ask me. I have a few Ontarios as well and they make good stuff but I have yet to find a blade that has the excellent weight and balance of the BK9 that allows the knife to perform so well at a variety of tasks. And it just looks so freakin' cool! My favorite knife I've ever owned. I detest the sheath though. AZWelke kydex FTW!

You need a BK9. You can't not have a BK9!

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I love your BK9 too bigghoss. It's awesome.

If I can't not have a nine, but can't afford one right now, could you loan me yours? LOL

just kidding
 
There are good deals all over the net if you search hard enough. You just gotta look in the right places I guess.
 
It baffles me when people say crap like this. What do you think happens to a product when you start using cheaper labor, cheaper materials, cheaper techniques? You get a cheaper sub-par product. What kind of reply do you think you would get from a maker like CRK if you told him to make his knives cheaper so you could buy them? This is why our county is screwed. I want to save a dollar so lets bust unions and send production overseas. Then wonder why you can't find work and make 30k a year. What a troll thread.
 
I will say the economic index (cpi) does not seem to be raising at the same rate that price increases are. If I am to understand correctly the cost of commodity raw materials is 3 to 1 to CPI. That said if we want to rebuild the middle class in this country and stabilize the American dream we better pony up and buy it once.... Merican made.
 
about 2 seconds of searching at a LARGE online retailer of EVERYTHING (the "river store"), finds me a BK9 shipped for $80ish (yeah, i have prime, but things over a certain price often ship free)

and i'm seeing a BK16 for $70ish

if you're willing to bargain hunt, you hit the exchanges. you could probably find a used BK9 easily for $70ish or so shipped.

i'm aware of a CNC based knife company that seems to be having quality control issues, and doesn't seem to care about it, and their prices went UP. go figure.
 
Nic S. said:
It baffles me when people say crap like this. What do you think happens to a product when you start using cheaper labor, cheaper materials, cheaper techniques? You get a cheaper sub-par product. What kind of reply do you think you would get from a maker like CRK if you told him to make his knives cheaper so you could buy them? This is why our county is screwed. I want to save a dollar so lets bust unions and send production overseas. Then wonder why you can't find work and make 30k a year. What a troll thread.
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I buy most of my consumer products overseas. It's capitalism at its purist form. They have the supply, I have the demand. I won't spend an extra $400 on electronics bc of brand marketing.

This has nothing to do with Kabar though.

I just wouldn't attack the dollar spenders of an entire country for spending their money in this economy in a manner based on the basic principles through which it was founded.

There's nothing capitalist about workers unions. So don't drag the country into it.
 
I know they are priced right - and I think I will have to have one of these for myself after handling one at Blade -
DSC_2030.JPG


best

mqqn
 
evildick is/was a returning troll who has been banned multiple times. I'm shutting this one down.

Nice Swabbie though. :D :thumbup:
 
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