Knife ambassadors

Kohai999 said:
.....I'll ask you, MVF....where else are they supposed to get this feedback?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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That's a good point, I'm just not comfortable criticizing someone's work if they haven't asked for it.
 
MVF said:
That's a good point, I'm just not comfortable criticizing someone's work if they haven't asked for it.
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That is OK....but it is also OK for those who have something to offer, and feel differently to use the Forums as a vehicle to hopefully get some dialogue going.

Not everyone will contribute the same way, in the same manner...but contributing SOMETHING has merit.....otherwise, this is what we wind up with:

Maker: Here is a picture of my new XYZ sprocket activated piccolo knife...with CPM154CM...what do you BladeForums Guys think?

Poster A: Golly gee...that's great!:thumbup:

Poster B: Shucks, I wish it was mine..but I don't have any money, darned...guess I'll go sell a kidney, lol.:o(BTW...If I was going to sell a kidney, it would be so, after I recuperate sufficiently, I can get on a plane, fly to Paris, and have sex with Denise Richards, not buy a knife, but no one would buy mine, because they are perma pickled in scotch and bourbon)

Coop: Everyone is a winner, Kumbaya!!!:D

The Chorus: It's swell!:D:D:D

Maker...to wife: Honey, I have posted up my last 10 knives on BladeForums, and no one sent any personal communication, at all, even though they publicly said my stuff was swell...why do you think that is?

Wife to maker...Well, snookie wookums, maybe it's because your knives suck, but no one has the interest in saying anything to you, hoping you will go away, or make duck calls professionally for your next venture....but I love you!!!:)

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

Could happen
 
STeven....one of your best posts in recent memories.....too funny......if someone asks for comments you should give them honestly without being disrespectful......it's as simple as that.....if you can't handle the heat....get out of the kitchen.....ryan
 
Les Robertson said:
The question the maker has to ask themselves is: How educated is their opinion?

Les Robertson
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that is true...the danger is that there are always people who position themselves as "educated" (when they are not...or at least not as much as they think) and newer collectors can't tell the difference

Les Robertson said:
As, RL brings up an important point. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but some of them may not accurately describe what you are looking at.

Les Robertson
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Some further points about this...in my view, comments like "the flow is off" are almost meaningless...that implies the only criteria for the knife is to look good in pictures when in actuality the quality of grinds, balance, sharpness, ergonomics etc. are more important and you can't tell those from a pic...just as an example, i used to think the Pronghorn was the ugliest knife in existence until i actually handled one...it felt so good in the hand and performed so well that i really started to like it and would buy one in a heartbeat.

The bottom line is that you can't give meaningful feedback until you have seen the knife in person (or at the VERY minimum, handled other knives by the same maker)...otherwise it is like trying to argue whether a ferrari is a better drive than a lamborghini based on pictures...until you get in the driver's seat...

RL
 
RL said:
The bottom line is that you can't give meaningful feedback until you have seen the knife in person (or at the VERY minimum, handled other knives by the same maker)...otherwise it is like trying to argue whether a ferrari is a better drive than a lamborghini based on pictures...until you get in the driver's seat...

RL
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Can you tell if someone is, maybe, rotund or pleasantly plump, from a photograph?;););) You just can't tell HOW rotund, until you go up and try to pick them up, and crush all your vertabrae in the attempt.

You can certainly SEE if the crown stag on a tactical knife might be out of place, and other gaffs..for starters, can't you? And should you say something....In my sissy, mother of pearl and mokume loving opinion, yes...'cause those two elements go together like beef gravy at the bottom of a cup of vanilla yogurt.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
Can you tell if someone is, maybe, rotund or pleasantly plump, from a photograph?;););)


STeven Garsson
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probably just as easily as if you can tell if someone is maybe 4'tall from a photograph ;)

Kohai999 said:
You can certainly SEE if the crown stag on a tactical knife might be out of place, and other gaffs..for starters, can't you?
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dunno...there are some dressed up tacticals that look good..where does one draw the line? "that knife looks like crap because you used oosic...when clearly you should have used gemsbock"

i still maintain that aesthetic appeal is ONE criteria...not the ONLY criteria...could be that an "uglier" material has better weight characteristics that feel better in the hand.

RL
 
This was the OP's question:

2knife said:
I am going to ask a question frankly. There are a lot of knives i see posted here and wonder how much response is due to being polite or encouraging, how much do you actually like?

Is there a fear of being offensive, and not really saying your true impressions?

If so, it begs the question, does it help?
Should anyone ever have criticism, or should the only posts be positive and encouraging, to all?
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RL said:
i still maintain that aesthetic appeal is ONE criteria...not the ONLY criteria...could be that an "uglier" material has better weight characteristics that feel better in the hand.

RL
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You are correct in that aesthetic appeal is one criteria...other things matter greatly, like you have already mentioned...BUT...if proportions are off or materials chosen clash, and you KNOW this, saying something seems like an assist rather than a slam.

Ask Les if he would buy a Crown Stag handled tactical for RESALE on his site...doesn't mean that SOMEONE won't be happy with the knife...but it does mean that it MIGHT be a combo that is ill-advised.

You can SEE that.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
A quick edification for those who need it.

Tactical knives cannot have "natural" handle material. If they do they are "presentation or Art" knives.

Tactical knives have synthetic handle materials such as G-10, Micarta, Carbon Fiber, etc.

We now return you to this thread.

Les Robertson
He Knows Tactical!
www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com
 
Les, i have it on good authority that your favourite tactical knives have mokume ;)

RL
 
BrB said:
Some have mentioned A grade materials in a butt ugly knife (I guess it was STeven). I was a knife dealer for a long time and one thing that I just can´t get is how tons of people will stop to say something good about a horrible piece of work.

Sometimes the knife itself is not ugly, it´s just badly executed. Even to some of the famous guys. And people will jump in to say all great words to something that IMHO looks like crap.
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lots of that bandwagon shit going on in the forums.
 
STeven and Severed.

The forums for a lot of people become a virtual club house...a place to hang out with your friends if you will.

A maker becomes popular, flavor of the month, or club favorite. Their knives may be poorly made, not worth the money, etc.

However, should you provide an honest critique..you will on some forums suffer the wrath of the the "club" members. Not because you are wrong, but because you have bad mouthed the "Flavor of the Month".

Many of the club members buy a knife from this maker, not because of the quality or utility, but because it is what the club said to buy. So if you bad mouth the maker, you simultaneously bad mouth the owner of the knife.

Now you have gone and done it.

So you get bad mouthed, almost always behind your back. On occasion you get banned. :D And after I coined the term that was used to name the network.

Makers, if you put it out there, understand that not everyone is going to like or appreciate the knife.

Generally most of the posts you will get are complimentary.

However, take heed of STeven's post.

I refer to this as the "Love" factor.

A knife maker who is one of my best friends was next to me at a show lamenting that he wasn't receiving the "Love" he though he should be on a particular forum.

Now when the show opened, his table saw a steady flow of those offering "Love". Phrases such as:

Dude your Rock

Your knives Suck (in a good way I guess).

You are the Man!

You get the idea. Now he got lots of "Love"...but not a single sale.

So the question to the full time maker had to be asked...you want to sell some knives now?

We both had a good laugh. He is now a top 5 tactical folder maker. Yes, FBI agents, SF guys and SEAL's have his knives. If that matters?

At the very same show, another dealer whose initials are Bob Neal. Had a left handed Sebenza (what he was doing with a factory knife I don't know)?

A member of the forum walked by his table and stopped! He ran back to the case with his friend and fellow forumite and extolled to all who would listen "Dude that is the knife I have been looking for...for YEARS".

He asked to see the knife, in the background his friend regaled him with "you da man" and "You Rock"!

He asked Bob to hold the knife. He looked at me and smiled that "I just sold a knife" smile. See Bob didn't understand how the "club" works. Purchasing the knife is not required to get the "Love".

Soon he returned with 7 forumites in tow! He proudly displayed the knife for all to see. Paying Homage to the finder! You Rock, You Suck, You Da Man was spread liberally for all to hear and see. Bob looked at me again and smiled. I looked back and shook my head "no".

As he handed the knife back to Bob they all walked away laughing and enjoying the moment.

Now remember this is the knife that he had been looking for....for years. Lets face it it was just another Sebenza. He could have ordered one from CR...but didn't. Why, because if you can get the "Love" without spending the money...why spend the money.

So to you knife makers out there, remember this cautionary tale. Even the seasoned custom knife veteran Bob Neal was taken in. He was blind sided by the "Love"!

Needless to say I took great delight in watching my best friend and very savvy custom knife dealer trying to maintain his balance on the Slipper "Love" Slope!

Remember, the knife isn't sold until the money is in your hand!

Les Robertson
Can't Buy Me "Love" :D
www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com
 
I hate being the punchline of a GOOD joke! :grumpy: ;) :eek: :mad:

The best jokes always have some truth embodied in them.... :thumbup:

Coop
 
Severed,

Jigged bone is taken from the trash.

Well so is giraffe bone....but it is exotic...being from Africa and all! :D

How about "Wild Wood's"? Color injected pine! Usually purple, teal, pink and other "beautiful" colors found in nature....in wood. The nice thing is they do this with Giraffe bone as well. Beautiful

How about Ivory micarta that turns Yellow in 5 years. Especially appealing if you have it scrimshawed (the ink turns blue).

****NOTE**** There is a reason for the above sentences.

I don't sell knives with those handle materials....so I don't buy knives with those materials.

So don't bring knives with that stuff on them to me at a show and then get offended when I have no interest. It is not a personal affront to you. You just bought a knife that has a very limited market. I know you bought it because you liked it.

WWG
 
Les Robertson said:
How about Ivory micarta that turns Yellow in 5 years. Especially appealing if you have it scrimshawed (the ink turns blue)......

You just bought a knife that has a very limited market. I know you bought it because you liked it.

WWG
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1. I don't like scrimshawed knives.....turn down knives with it, as a matter of fact.

2. I LOOOVE ivory micarta..certain knives get more for this material by way of it NOT being, green, black or burgundy, and you KNOW this(YOU just might have a hard time selling it, because you are not a true believer.:D)

3. You have to be in this for the KNIVES, NOT the love...that is the only way the long game works...because...at the end of the day, the one polishing of spit and drool marks off these slivers of sharpened steel, overpriced, useless talismans of man's ultimate drive to succeed and fail, is YOU, alone at night, in your underwear, belly dripping with Miltec 1, and floor littered with dirty paper towels(oh, sorry, that's me...maybe not YOU):eek:.

And so, that slavish devotion to learning about something that you might not know much about, or didn't at some point...the days, months and years you put in as maker or collector, that gives you the right, NAY, the responsibility to communicate, and share with fellow makers, and collectors, so we all learn something, and it ain't always pretty, or sooo lovey-dovey.

Kumbaya, amigos, indeed!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
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