Marble's Knives: Not For Sale?

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W.T. Beck

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I've been trying for about one and one-half months now and have not been able to buy a Marble's knife. I don't know what those guys do for a living, but from what I have seen they aren't selling knives.

I first ordered a Marble's Plainsman from one internet dealer in early May. Days went by, and then weeks, and still no Plainsman. I finally canceled the order, primarily because the dealer would not answer my inquiries about the status of the order. I had already heard some complaints about the Marble's company, and knew the dealer was probably having trouble getting the knife. However, I did not want to do business with someone who would not answer my inquiries.

I have ordered a Marble's knife again from another dealer, but it has not arrived. In contrast to the first guy, this dealer has been up front in telling me that it is difficult to get knives from Marble's.
He described their shipments to his supplier as "sporadic".

I have noticed that another large internet dealer has not had Marble's knives in stock for some time. Yet another internet dealer told me his company stopped carrying Marble's knives due to the problems they had with that company.

So if you want to buy a Marble's knife, good luck. It appears to me to be difficult if not impossible to buy one through an internet dealer.
 
Actually, I tried to order 3 different knives directly from Marbles, and all 3 times they did not have any in stock! So, it's no wonder the dealers don't have any either...

It's really kinda funny, unless of course you want a Marbles, and then it is irritating as hell..I have since moved on and the urge to buy a Marbles has passed...
 
Hello Mikemck,

I have to agree that this situation with Marble's is definitely something that will kill your interest in the brand. It is irritating to try to buy an advertised brand and then finding out that the company isn't supplying any knives to the dealers. Who wants to order something when you don't know if or when you will get it? I am certainly not inclined to order any more Marble's knives.
 
Maybe I can shed a little light on the subject. Marbles only makes a couple hundred of each model. So a pattern like the Plainsman mentioned above may have 25 or 30 different handle treatments over a few years before it is discontinued. It is common for a dealer to order a model and then have it no longer available on reorder. This kind of thing can work fine for a retail store, who just orders something else, but is dreadful in the mail order or internet knife business. A dealer just doen't know what he can get until he tries to get it. I've tried selling a broad line that made no sense to stock fully but was constantly having to tell customers something was no longer available. I tried selling a narrow line that we could stock but we simply sold less and turned away the same percentage of customers. To make it tougher, Marbles doesn't like internet dealers so most have to buy from distributors who face the same problems explained above. The dealer doesn't know if he'll be able to get something from a distributor who doesn't know if he'll be able to get it from the factory. I once tried to have them make up a model for me so I could have something available with reliability that I could promote. I was willing to buy the entire production of that model but they wouldn't discuss it with me. I gave up and I can understand why others did as well.

My recommendation to those who want to buy a Marbles knife is to visit a knife retailer. Then, at least, you can choose from what the dealer has available. Or, you can contact an internet dealer that sells the product and simply ask what he has on hand. At least you'll be able to get that. The search for some specific model with some specific handle can prove to be very frustrating for a knife consumer. You'll need to be a little flexible. Take care.
 
Should be updating the Marbles page at New Graham Knives this weekend, Have new Blackjacks, new Ken Warner knives to get on the site, shot the pics for them Wednesday evening so check this weekend or Monday at the latest to see what we have, and like I said I shot the pics so the knives are in stock. I believe Ken Warner lives not to far away from the home of New Graham Knives, and He has Mike stock knives for him on consignment ( I beleive this is the arrangment, have to square that with Mike Dye to make sure), so we have a good stock of Marbles, Blackjacks and Warner knives on hand most of the time.

Anyway check this link [ http://www.newgraham.com/warner.htm ] through the weekend to see what Im getting up on the site, hopefully we'll have what you are looking for or call Mike at the store toll free with 1-866-333-4445 stores open 9-5 sat and 12-5 Sunday. Mike can fill you in with whats in stock!
 
Hello Fred,

Thanks for the explaination. I had gotten the impression that Marble's must not like internet dealers. However, I haven't come across any stores that sell Marble's knives where I live.

As for the variety of handles you mentioned, it would appear from what is shown on the Marble's website that they are no longer offering such a big variety. Last I checked, they were showing only four basic models of each knife. One has a leather handle, one has a bone handle, the third has a rubber handle, and the fourth is the gamegetter model. I would think that now it would be much easier for a retailer to get a specific knife, since a customer can't ask for a model with some rare handle that was only made in a small quantity.
 
One other thing about buying a Marble's knife : I don't plan, as has been suggested, to look for a dealer that has some kind of Marble's knives in stock, and order whatever is available. That is not the way I buy knives. I decide I want a specific model, and while I might be willing to accept a different handle style, I am not going to buy an entirely different model just because it is what the guy has in stock.
 
I am a small dealer and collector of Marbles Knives, and others. There
are so many good OLD Marbles knives I have a hard time understanding why anyone wants a new one. But I like old knives, and I always hear the quote"They don't make them like they used to". I know a lot of good folks like them nice and shiny, but a lot of my friends are carrying OLD Marbles knives on there belts.Also if it is a common knife they may have some money left in their wallet.Nothing against new knives, I just like the quality of a old Marbles knife.;)
 
WT.....I found two versions of the Plainsman that are still available:

Black micarta handle w/aluminum pommel (only 2 available)$94.46

Impala jigged buffalo horn handle w/aluminum pommel (only 4 available)$125.69

These are warehoused and will take a couple of days to get to me.

Call Toll Free if either version is of interest.

Regards, Mike

edited to include prices....they seemed a little high to me.. md
 
Hello nifman,

I am probably one of the few people who actually prefer the new to the old Marble's knives. The steel may not be as good, but I like the fact that the new models have longer guards. I never tried to buy one of the old models due to those short guards.

Thanks to everyone for offering suggestions as to where to find a Marble's. However, I had placed an order with a dealer recently and he was honest and up front about the difficulty in getting Marble's knives. I don't think it would be fair to cancel the order until the guy has had a chance to find the model I ordered.
 
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