Knife Bubble?

[Comeuppance]

Is it just me or do others feel there is a flipper bubble?

I think it's just become a new standard opening style. I wouldn't say flippers are "exciting" anymore since most companies have more or less figured out how to make a decent manual flipper, with or without bearings. Heck, Kershaw has been slapping KVT into budget knives, and even other companies are getting into the budget-bearing-flipper game. Outdoor Edge has this bearing framelock flipper ("The Devide") for under $50:

I think what we're seeing is companies reacting to a market that has expanded and demands higher quality. Cold Steel and Zero Tolerance have made significant and risky changes that seem to have paid off, where Benchmade and Spyderco have continued on doing their thing without any seemingly significant changes. Spyderco seems safe, given that they have always gone for experimental materials and designs and trying to anticipate the market, but... Benchmade? The only thing they've come out with recently that anyone seems to want any part of is the 940-1, which is just a material upgrade of one of their standby models. Nobody is clamoring for Locos, Vicars, etc. I don't think I've ever seen someone recommend a -recent- Benchmade design outside of the 940-1, but I do see a lot of Spyderco / ZT / Kershaw knives being tossed around whenever someone is looking for something new.

 

[Mister X]

Even if prices collapse a knife will still cut. When the sports card market went south I couldn't even use my "investment" of unopened cases to wipe my ass.

 

[ToxicBot11]

A Spyderco sprint run or a "limited edition" knife is as useful as a 1990s holographic comic book cover.

Lol Seriously? Tell that to my Green 204p Para2..I've used the hell out of it..its got scratches all over the blade..dirty beat up g10 etc..still cuts and works like a champ.

One big difference between stamps, comic books and the like is that knives have and always will be useful..it was our first tool and in one form or another cutting is necessary to life.

 

[22-rimfire]

You can kind of see a bubble happening and that because knives are becoming a collectible with intrinsic value. Much like what happened to beanie babies, comic books, pogs, sports trading cards. Kind of a collectible fad.

With knives the same thing is happening. They are being manufactured on a high end scale and then people buy multiples to sell taking them out of circulation.

There is a guy right now on this site who just got the new Alpha beast balisong which only came out like 2 weeks ago which was limited to 400 made limit of two per household. Well this guy apparently brought the two just to resell at a substantial price gouging. Makes you wonder just how many of those guys actually are good for the site. Sure its a capitalist mentality and they may contribute vital info but marking up a item 40% two weeks after it comes out is low. That is predatory like a vulture circling prey.

You have a lot of people now who buy knives to collect and not use. So you're starting to have an abundance of new knives in circulation that just pass through hands never being used.

No bubble. Doziers you use. But years from now people will be buying and selling Doziers after Bob is retired. Grown ups have been buying more knives than they can use for a long time now. I don't think much has changed other than there may be more variety now.

As for the "guy". Damned capitalist.