Keep it Alive in 2025

I meeeaan... can't we vote on anything? How many lines on the bolsters? Etch design? Tube art? Something? Anything? How about pull weight? Seems like there's been a glut of anemic pulls coming out of Titusville lately... wouldn't want that on a forum knife!!!

I understand the theory that if Bill wants to give us weird, pasty flesh-tone bone we just have to eat it up (I'm lying - I don't understand this theory at all), but it seems like we should be able to do something to make the knife a real part of the community. To me, that means end-user input.

AAPK gets a stamped shield - that seems like a unique customization to me. What gives?

Even though I'm happy with the dye job I did on '24, the jigging still feels strange and unrefined, and the shield has to be one of the most obvious aesthetic blunders I've ever seen on a traditional knife. If I ran the forum, I'd have told Bill to figure out how to get a serpentine shield on there or to just forget the whole thing. 🤷‍♂️
 
Alex.Y. said:
I have a solution to avoid that. I keep one drawer (let's say it's a drawer) for knives. Whenever it gets near to full, I review and pick best of the best, and sell others. Next time it gets full I'll clean out some moderns, because I think I am keeping a few non-GEC traditionals that I have. GECs are not for sale per se. And what's outside the drawer is in use (very few, mostly fixed blades). Users are also not for sale for obvious reasons. You might try similar startegy if you like.
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As I was reading your post I finished your story with “Whenever it gets full I start a new knife drawer” and I was like: wow, I have the same system! But I see you’re more responsible…
 
pjsjr said:
Being a Buck fan boy and liking the 501, I would love this option. I don't know how Buck would react. They(Buck) say they are out of the SFO business dealings.

Buck has done a few 'stealth' run 501s, all have been nice.
Here’s the Larin 501…
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And Buck has a custom shop, with engraving. We could have a 110, 112, or 501 made, in the latest steel, with our choice of oak, cherry, walnut slabs, all for under $175. Tops.
Just another option.
 
Hope you guys get a nice knife. The price increase in 2024 put it way out of my budget. Allowing for inflation, $150 would be my upper bound and that would have to be a knife I really wanted. Used to be $100 was my limit, but that may not be realistic in today's world. It is not that I can't afford it per se, just that there is only so much I am willing to spend on yet another knife when I have a lot already.
 
Danke42 said:
These were pretty slick. Probably wouldn't have too many extras to worry about moving.

northwoods-fall-creek-mammoth-ivory-front-9__27204-1636550984-jpg.2318356
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This!!! Tiny legal-everywhere fixie with traditional roots. I'd be absolutely in!

Frank.K said:
As I was reading your post I finished your story with “Whenever it gets full I start a new knife drawer” and I was like: wow, I have the same system! But I see you’re more responsible…
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I'd love to think so, but I'm afraid I just have way less free space. 😂 Knives have already started to compete with books, and no matter how much I love traditional knives, they can't win in this battle. Books I do read, at least. 😅
 
birdsbeaks said:
I meeeaan... can't we vote on anything? How many lines on the bolsters? Etch design? Tube art? Something? Anything? How about pull weight? Seems like there's been a glut of anemic pulls coming out of Titusville lately... wouldn't want that on a forum knife!!!

I understand the theory that if Bill wants to give us weird, pasty flesh-tone bone we just have to eat it up (I'm lying - I don't understand this theory at all), but it seems like we should be able to do something to make the knife a real part of the community. To me, that means end-user input.

AAPK gets a stamped shield - that seems like a unique customization to me. What gives?

Even though I'm happy with the dye job I did on '24, the jigging still feels strange and unrefined, and the shield has to be one of the most obvious aesthetic blunders I've ever seen on a traditional knife. If I ran the forum, I'd have told Bill to figure out how to get a serpentine shield on there or to just forget the whole thing. 🤷‍♂️
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I agree. I've never bought one so I don't know that it's worth much, but no input from anyone that's a part of the community kind of makes a community knife hollow. Might as well get labels applied by a third party. Same goes for any kind of standard customization options. I can just buy one myself whenever I want at that point.
 
Honest_Thomas said:
Not quite Son, you’re forgetting good ol’Blighty where the knife is the most feared infamous tool ever created!!
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Ah, yes... So only sub 3" folders allowed there? For a moment I thought that small sub 3" fixed will do also, apparently not?
 
jc57 said:
Hope you guys get a nice knife. The price increase in 2024 put it way out of my budget. Allowing for inflation, $150 would be my upper bound and that would have to be a knife I really wanted. Used to be $100 was my limit, but that may not be realistic in today's world. It is not that I can't afford it per se, just that there is only so much I am willing to spend on yet another knife when I have a lot already.
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You are in my head!!
Ditto!! 👍🤝👍
John 😁
 
birdsbeaks said:
I meeeaan... can't we vote on anything? How many lines on the bolsters? Etch design? Tube art? Something? Anything? How about pull weight? Seems like there's been a glut of anemic pulls coming out of Titusville lately... wouldn't want that on a forum knife!!!

I understand the theory that if Bill wants to give us weird, pasty flesh-tone bone we just have to eat it up (I'm lying - I don't understand this theory at all), but it seems like we should be able to do something to make the knife a real part of the community. To me, that means end-user input.

AAPK gets a stamped shield - that seems like a unique customization to me. What gives?

Even though I'm happy with the dye job I did on '24, the jigging still feels strange and unrefined, and the shield has to be one of the most obvious aesthetic blunders I've ever seen on a traditional knife. If I ran the forum, I'd have told Bill to figure out how to get a serpentine shield on there or to just forget the whole thing. 🤷‍♂️
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AAPK put in their request in January to GEC for the 2025 knife, with their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd preferred choices. All 3 were shot down. I think the only input allowed on SFO's at this point is "what etch do you want on the blade" or "what do you want the tang stamp to say"
 
Rookie82 said:
AAPK put in their request in January to GEC for the 2025 knife, with their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd preferred choices. All 3 were shot down. I think the only input allowed on SFO's at this point is "what etch do you want on the blade" or "what do you want the tang stamp to say"
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wow, i thought theyd have a little more juice than that
 
AdamFuzzyballs said:
I’ve never understood how Case refuses to do a 300 piece order for the largest gathering of traditional knife buyers, yet they have SFOs at a 200 square foot country store local to me with custom logo work on the blades.

Also, don’t they do the PB&J bone for SMKW, which I’d imagine is well under 300 pieces since it sells out so fast. I might be completely wrong, I just personally think reaching out to Case again might come up with some good news.

If we could get a classic pattern done in unique (not garish) bone or wood and carbon, it would be very special indeed.
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I would love to see if someone could approach Case about a forum knife. I personally would be very sentimentally interested in a Case forum knife (especially a scout, sailor, or whaler pattern). I was very touched some years back when Case reached out to me to donate a number of knives to my annual memorial giveaway. It was a moment that really drove home that as much as Case can seem like a big faceless company, it is made up of people. And my limited experiences with those people have been entirely positive. They also make my all time favorite version of the classic scout pattern knife, so an opportunity to get a Blade Forums Scout Knife from Case would have me over the moon. I would definitely have to spend way too much money buying multiples.

Will Power said:
Good ideas and practical from @lambertiana and @kamagong :thumbsup:

If flippers emerge from hibernation then so what if sales are restricted to one knife per member and a 6 month joining minimum regardless of post count ? 250 knives would certainly be enough for the Traditional contributors and more. I have to say I suspect the motives of some chest beaters in the past who used the occasion to sneer at 'unfamiliar' people not from the mythology 'porch' conveniently forgetting that this is a Blade Forum's knife not solely a Traditional one. Or those who were annoyed they couldn't buy many knives for their numerous and possibly mythological descendants or forebears.....;) in some cases this was just pique at not being able to reap profits whilst conveniently denouncing flippers 🤑 How many people are there on the Traditional Forum anyway ? Clearly not enough to cover the 2024 knife allowing for the discouragement of overseas members, high price and questionable desirability of the knife.

Given all this, a simple and popular single-blade from GEC makes the most sense: 15, 71, 92 or 73 particularly IF it can have a distinct bolster or handle material- this I suggest would suit nearly all of the parties concerned, provided Bill Howard has room in his production schedule.

I'd also like a small fixed blade as an alternative, could Buck be tempted into offering something, perhaps in White or Yellow synthetic?
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I suspect Buck would be disinclined to do another forum knife for us. The last one seemed to spark a fair amount of griping. And they have not been doing special runs the way they used to for some years now. I really miss the SK Blades knives they used to run. 100% of my retail Buck knife purchases this century were through SK Blades, and I really really like those knives. I personally thought the 2018 Buck that we got through SK Blades was one of my all time favorite forum knives, but I know many disagreed. So as much as I would love a Blade Forums Buck 105, I think that the chances are between slim and none.
 
dsutton24 said:
Second. You're forgetting the Haggis.
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And the motorbike.....which is an Australian invention btw.

Price hikes
Lack of input
International Knife laws
Currency conversion blowout
Lack of enthusiasm at the top
Flippers

But lets not be downhearted....even if it is the end of the era and all hope dashed against rocks.

Cue Welsh choir humming

Porchmen Will Not Yield.
 
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