Kershaw freefall and Wal-Mart

The 8cr Freefall is on Blade HQ for 26.95... $10 more than the knife the OP bought.

In terms of Walmart the company and Walmart the buyer, that $10 is a huge world of difference. There is a lot of psychology that goes into big box pricing models and the 19.99 barrier is a really really important one to them. Walmart doesn't care what has to be done to get a knife under that price point? They just want it done. They don't care about quality or value, they care about price points and sales.

In terms of the Walmart buyer, you can be sure that the $10, difference is a way way way bigger difference than the quality between 3cr and 8cr.
 
Last edited:
Scurvy092 said:
The 8cr Freefall is on Blade HQ for 26.95... $10 more than the knife the OP bought.

In terms of Walmart the company and Walmart the buyer, that $10 is a huge world of difference. There is a lot of psychology that goes into big box pricing models and the 19.99 barrier is a really really important one to them. Walmart doesn't care what has to be done to get a knife under that price point? They just want it done. They don't care about quality or value, they care about price points and sales.

In terms of the Walmart buyer, you can be sure that the $10, difference is a way way way bigger difference than the quality between 3cr and 8cr.
Click to expand...

Oh I know. Studied their business model extensively and wrote several papers on their practices. The average Wal-Mart shopper knows only a small fraction of the monolith that is Wal-Mart.

Good to know it's available in 8cr, this thread made it seem as though it was only made in 3cr.
 
Scurvy092 said:
I believe Walmart orders some of the knives in 3cr so they can do special holiday packs.

I believe there was one with a shuffle, freefall and a flashlight for $25 last Christmas, with 3cr blades.
Click to expand...

I picked that pack up, just for the hell of it. It was a Swerve, Freefall and flashlight. I gifted a couple and even paid one forward.
 
DShiflet said:
Kershaw used to make knives for those people in 8Cr13. Just sayin.
Click to expand...

Any adult that is conscientious of their finances knows that given enough time, the price of damn near EVERYTHING goes in one direction. Up. Gasoline, electricity, cable TV, clothing, food, etc. Why should steel by excluded from the forces of inflation?

Every big box store has their own pricing scheme/structure. Their goal is to make every human body that walks in their store spend x amount of dollars. There is always a lot more to it than we know, to assume that we know everything the stores and any manufacturer are doing is not helpful. Spreading misinformation is also not helpful.
 
Last edited:
RevDevil said:
Any adult that is conscientious of their finances knows that given enough time, the price of damn near EVERYTHING goes in one direction. Up. Gasoline, electricity, cable TV, clothing, food, etc. Why should steel by excluded from the forces of inflation?
Click to expand...

Don't remind me of gas prices, Rev. :(

Let it be known Kershaw still makes plenty of 8CR knives! But those are not likely to be found at wally world. Strobe, Emerson line, etc.
 
revdevil said:
any adult that is conscientious of their finances knows that given enough time, the price of damn near everything goes in one direction. Up. Gasoline, electricity, cable tv, clothing, food, etc. Why should steel by excluded from the forces of inflation?
Click to expand...

forces of inflation, assemble!!!!! (Was supposed to be caps lock but I guess that didn't work.)
 
The average person that's buying a knife at wallyworld isn't looking for superior blade steels . They're looking for an affordable knife,nothing wrong with that.
 
Walmart gets special runs in of 3Cr or 7Cr steel on some Kershaw models. I was able to pick up an exceptionally cheap Shuffle at a Walmart once because the store had the 8cr model in stock, but was selling it as the 3Cr (they have different model numbers). I've also seen a Freefall/Swerve combo pack in 7Cr. I don't see any problem with it; people like us can still find the 8Cr models elsewhere.
 
RevDevil said:
So before the trolls come in full force and crap up yet another thread, let it be known these knives in 3Cr are made for people that are on a tight budget / could not care less about their knife / wanted a cheap beater for their tackle box or tool bag. They are designed for a specific demographic, and may help people that do not appreciate knives get into the hobby at a deeper level. No need for all the butt hurt comments, we've already heard them before.
Click to expand...

As I recall, they released some 3cr knives for Walmart blister packs (2 for the price of 1, or something; several Kershaw models in a blister pack with 3cr steel.) awhile ago, and I don't think anyone complained then. People seemed to accept it as a cheaper offer. The reason people are complaining now is because it seems to be becoming a standard for their cheaper models - Lifter, Manifold, Starter, and, while exclusive Cabela designs, Median and Mini Thermite -- some interesting designs that are only offered in 3cr steel. It's better to complain now, in the hopes that someone takes notice, instead of when it's already a standard, which could easily happen - I don't think Kershaw will notice any dip in sales because of the supposedly lesser steel; it'll be up to what Kershaw's standards are.

I think the main reason people are complaining is because they might feel Kershaw is moving away from making knives for them, or knives they find acceptable, along the lines of some of Gerber's knives I suppose.

It does seem like 3cr is something they want to incorporate into their line, and it'd make sense to start with a few models instead of many, and gradually increase the amount. If, as you say, that 3cr will not replace the 8cr, that's good and all, but it's still the steel used in some interesting designs, and it'd be great if they offered them in 8cr as well. Why couldn't they do it like they used to do it, and release it in 8cr and 3cr?

Just because a company can get away with using lesser materials because of supply and demand, does that make it right?
 
jac_solar said:
Just because a company can get away with using lesser materials because of supply and demand, does that make it right?
Click to expand...

I don't personally see it in terms of "right" vs. "wrong."

Maybe IF they moved ALL models to that sort of steel. But that isn't really going to happen. 3cr stuff is still in the minority and there's no reason to think it's going to drastically increase. And even if it did I think they'd still release newer, better stuff for people like us. Just my two cents.
 
So i see a lot of people complaining about some knives having 3cr and pining for 8cr while speculating that this was going to be the new norm. I wonder how many of them were the same people who a couple years ago complained that all the new Kershaw designs coming out were made in China instead of the USA and how 8cr was total crap compared to 14c. A lot of those people also speculated that Kershaw was going to move all their production to China and there would be no USA made Kershaws anymore.

That was before the Piston, Knockout, Camber, Echelon and Dash all dropped.
 
RedLynx said:
I don't personally see it in terms of "right" vs. "wrong."

Maybe IF they moved ALL models to that sort of steel. But that isn't really going to happen. 3cr stuff is still in the minority and there's no reason to think it's going to drastically increase. And even if it did I think they'd still release newer, better stuff for people like us. Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

Exactly. To date, the only knives made in 3cr have been the 'starter' series that was made very clear were going to be low priced, entry level knives and exclusives to big box retailers who either specifically requested the steel or specified a price point.
 
Scurvy092 said:
Exactly. To date, the only knives made in 3cr have been the 'starter' series that was made very clear were going to be low priced, entry level knives and exclusives to big box retailers who either specifically requested the steel or specified a price point.
Click to expand...

At the risk of sounding too fanboy-ish (I am a Kershaw fan but not rabidly so or incapable of seeing need for improvements) I think this is a very clear marketing strategy that is unlikely to get "out of hand." There is a specific line of knives designed as basic entry level knives for basic non-knife or casual knife users in a basic steel. A set of knives was decided upon and developed, and that's that. I don't know that for sure but that's how I see it. I can't, for example, see them saying "let's start making the Cryo II in 3cr instead." They decided on their basic models and the rest of them will continue to be for the more discerning buyer.

In a more general sense, while I know we talk a lot about wanting to educate the general non-knife public to buy better knives, and I think that's all well and good... does it matter? Average Joe Knife User deserves to go buy a cheap, serviceable knife that he can use. If you look at reviews, many of these guys give 4 and 5 stars and as cheap as these knives are, they're going to be some of the best they, as non knife dudes, have carried. Will it seem slightly silly to us who know there are "better" options out there, for as little as $20 more? Maybe. But again, who cares? This stuff isn't hurting us as much as some think (just my opinion) and again, Average Joe absolutely should be able to go grab himself a $20 serviceable piece of steel for his everyday needs, just like knife companies ideally should keep producing a wealth of other products for blade junkies such as ourselves.

Yes, I know this sounds like a fanboy post and I'm sorry, I don't like rabid fans who take offense to people not liking "their" brand anymore than I like those who pour hate on for no good reason. But this is sort of my take on this.
 
Scurvy092 said:
The 8cr Freefall is on Blade HQ for 26.95... $10 more than the knife the OP bought.
Click to expand...

And the same Freefall on a famous site named for a river is $17.95...NOT $10 more than the knife the OP bought.

As for "Any adult that is conscientious of their finances knows that given enough time, the price of damn near EVERYTHING goes in one direction. Up. Gasoline, electricity, cable TV, clothing, food, etc. Why should steel by excluded from the forces of inflation?"

I might buy this as a valid reason, if it wasn't for the fact that there are plenty of other knives in the same steel range from multiple other makers that did NOT go up. Does inflation only hit Kershaw? Is Kershaw harder up for money than say, Ontario?

I don't hate Kershaw, I'm certainly not going to quit buying Kershaw knives, but I DO hate that they've downgraded the steel in their budget knives. Again, for all the people arguing "entry level knife, knife on a budget, etc", as I said before Kershaw used to make their entry level knives, knives for those on budget, etc, out of 8Cr, not 3Cr. They had a reputation for having a great variety of quality "budget/entry level/beater/whatever" knives. Now...well, they're losing that. I LIKED their budget knives, I have a ton of them(I have like a dozen of their budget knives, I have ONE ZT) and I was always looking forward to the new ones in the lineup...but when they're going down to 3Cr for them, it makes it a lot harder to get excited for a new Kershaw budget knives. Again, I'm not saying I'm gonna boycott Kershaw or anything of the sort, I just bought a Strobe last week, and if BladeHQ doesn't sell out of the one I want, I'm buying a Blur next paycheck. They're a great company, it just hurts to see their budget line, a lineup I've always been a big supporter of and have recommended on this board many many times, go down in quality.
 
Last edited:
I just got one in 8Cr yesterday from that online place for $17.39 shipped. Jinkies - I really like these entry level Kershaws.
 
So then we are under the ASSumption that all makers have the exact same operating costs, regardless of every variable? Personally, I am not a fan of 3Cr, 8Cr, or 9Cr, nor am I a fan of knives made in China. It's my personal preference to buy knives made in the US. I own exactly one knife made in China, it was a gift to me from a forum member here that included it in a deal when I bought a couple knives from him. Most people buying the 3Cr stuff cannot tell the difference and they really could not care less about performance. That is what people are getting hung up on, over and over. They know better, but they just cannot let it go or come to grips with the fact that Kershaw is producing more products for the budget minded consumer/big box shopper. I really cannot make what should be plainly obvious any clearer and I opt to allow someone else to beat the horse which has already been hung, drawn, quartered, burned at the stake, pulverized and the ashes shot out of a cannon...twice.

I understand it is a let down, but such is life. I buy and own only UsA made Kershaw knives. If other guys like the low dollar stuff, that is cool with me. I just won't buy it. The day they start making ZT knives in China is the day that I will really be bothered.
 
So then we are under the ASSumption that all makers have the exact same operating costs, regardless of every variable? Personally, I am not a fan of 3Cr, 8Cr, or 9Cr, nor am I a fan of knives made in China. It's my personal preference to buy knives made in the US. I own exactly one knife made in China, it was a gift to me from a forum member here that included it in a deal when I bought a couple knives from him. Most people buying the 3Cr stuff cannot tell the difference and they really could not care less about performance. That is what people are getting hung up on, over and over. They know better, but they just cannot let it go or come to grips with the fact that Kershaw is producing more products for the budget minded consumer/big box shopper. I really cannot make what should be plainly obvious any clearer and I opt to allow someone else to beat the horse which has already been hung, drawn, quartered, burned at the stake, pulverized and the ashes shot out of a cannon...twice.

I understand it is a let down, but such is life. I buy and own only UsA made Kershaw knives. If other guys like the low dollar stuff, that is cool with me. I just won't buy it. The day they start making ZT knives in China is the day that I will really be bothered.
 
RevDevil said:
, but they just cannot let it go or come to grips with the fact that Kershaw is producing more products for the budget minded consumer/big box shopper..
Click to expand...

Which, again, ignores the FACT that Kershaw has been doing that for YEARS...with 8Cr knives. All those 8Cr knives I own? They didn't cost me any more than these "products for the budget minded consumer/big box shopper" cost, and I even GOT some of them at Walmart. If I wanted to buy another Kuro or Crown(both made in 8Cr), I can still run up to Walmart and get them for $20 or less.

So, again, the issue is NOT "the fact that Kershaw is producing more products for the budget minded consumer/big box shopper." The issue is that Kershaw used to make "products for the budget minded consumer/big box shopper." out of 8Cr, and now dropped it to 3Cr. I'm not sure why some people don't seem to get this...
 
DShiflet said:
If I wanted to buy another Kuro or Crown(both made in 8Cr), I can still run up to Walmart and get them for $20 or less.
Click to expand...

I actually just noticed the Kuro the other night. Wish it was in a plain edge version as well (I didn't see it but it was late at night and I may have missed it.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top