My Best knife buy ever

misque

misque

Joined
Jul 9, 1999
Messages
3,316
My wife and I sometimes haunt our local Thrift Shops looking for antiques and such. You never know when a real jewel will show up. Persistance is the key. Today we were out making the rounds and my wife found a much sought after photo enlarger at the local Hospice Thrift Store. WOOHOO!
After I paid for her treasure at the sales counter I glanced down at the box of cheap kitchen knives under the counter glass and there it was, sitting at the top of the box of battered blades. I nearly swallowed my tongue as I asked how much the knives were and could I look at them. The lady behind the counter said they are $1.00 apiece. A hot flash washed across my face as she handed me the box and what I thought I saw was actually what I thought it was, a J.A. Henckels 8" carver/slicer in relatively great condition. It was dull and had a couple of light scratches on the surface but it was a thing of beauty. YEEEEEEHAAAA!!!!
Lemme tell ya, I couldn't get that dollar out of my wallet fast enough!
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We got home and I cleaned the knife up and sharpened it up and used it to help prepare tonight's dinner.
Needless to say, it performed like the class act that these knives are and I am one extremely happy camper!
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Have you ever found that "once in a lifetime" buy like this?
If so, speak up!
Good news needs to be shared!


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The individualist without strategy who takes opponents lightly will inevitably become the captive of others.
Sun Tzu
 
Wow...thats great...it pays to hop around those shops like that
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My chance at a buy like that makes me almost to depressed to think about. We live out in the country, and every weekend at the gas station/store they have a flea market. A few years ago, my wife comes home and says that a guy there had a neat looking knife for 5 dollars. She asked me if it was worth it. I said, what kind was it? She says...I dunno, all it said on the blade was PUMA HUNTERS PAL. I jumped in the car and drove at warp speed to find that some farmer had bought it about 5 minutes before I got there.

Doesnt that make ya wanna cry...it does me
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Richard
icq 61363141
Just some knife pictures
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=110070&a=4518795
 
Came close once. Saw a 1930's Marbles Woodcraft in an antique shop once. It was in pretty good shape with the exception of a dime sized hole on one side of the leather handle. The lady was asking $40. I passed since I already had a pristine 1915 model and didn't really need one in such bad shape. Told a friend who went back and bought it for $35. He then sent it to the Marble's factory where they completely refurbished it (including a new leather handle!) and shipped it back to him. Didn't charge him a dime either! While far from being mint, this made him a hell of a user. Where else could you have found a 60-70 year old classic American hunting knife for $35? So there you have it, my major boo-boo.

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It's only a mistake if you fail to learn from it!
 
Two weekends ago I was fortunate to pick up two Trident kitchen knives..8" carver and a 5" paring knife. One dollar each. Two years ago I got an old tool steel Gerber little snick for 50 cents. Even better they were in Canadian dollars.
 
Earlier this year I was looking for the Master Series made by Buck that had the BG-42 blade. Several collectors had these and priced them entirely out of my range. I was at a smaller gun show earlier this year and there was a couple of tables with knives on them. You know the typical ones, they use their small display cases as "suitcases" and all the knives get jumbled together. I spotted a green handled Buck and asked to see it. It was a 501MS--not used, but had scratches on the bolsters. I bought it complete with box and sheath. I roamed around and came back to the same table a couple of hours later and saw another 501MS. It was new as well. Long story short, both knives cost me the price of one of them at their normal retail years ago. I'll never see a deal like that again! funny thing, I asked the person if they ever cruised the internet and visited Blade Forums. Their reply was "Naw, I don't believe in that stuff!". My deal proved it.

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Lead,follow, or get the hell out of the way!
 
I hit the thrift stores regularly looking for interesting kitchen knives. I have found virtually every quality brand you can think of for the last 50 years. I have almost a full set of Case kitchen knives, the major German brands, lots of Chicago Cutlery... I get many of these to compare the blade alloys and how sharp I can get them. Some interesting blades that take razor edges are: MAC (Japan) with rounded points and AUS-8 alloy, Sabatier Au Carbon (France) with a mean non-stanless alloy, Flint Vanadium (US) excellent stainless and non stainless alloys with vanadium, Utica Kutco (US) with Tungsten Stainless alloy, and Spyderco with MBS-26 alloy.

My most remarkable thrift shop finds were: Three Spyderco kitchen knives for $3.00 total, a 90 year old Collins bolo machete for $10.00, and a RANDALL model 10 for $1.00. When you can find a Randall for a dollar, you keep coming back!

Every other month I go with my church to cook at a large homeless shelter. I bring along about 30 kitchen knives for the gang to use. I favor the MAC knives for their excellent work on a cutting board. I have about a dozen MAC's that I picked up for about $1.00 each in my stash.

[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 06-01-2000).]
 
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WOW!!!
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A Randell Model 10 for a DOLLAR??!!

That is TRULY the buy of a lifetime. How could anyone top that?
Three Spyderco kitchen knives for three dollars. JEEZ!
Jeff, as far as I'm concerned, you are the luckiest knifenut ever!
If we ever meet, I hope you'll pass some of that good luck my way.
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The individualist without strategy who takes opponents lightly will inevitably become the captive of others.
Sun Tzu
 
Here is my story, I went into the local pawn shop and in the glass case at the counter was where they keep all their knives. One looked familiar, I asked to see it and sure enough it was what I thought, A Pat crawford "bodyguard model" fixed blade. A $250.00 model for $9.95. what deal in like new condition. I do check back there very often. looking for deals is all part of the fun.
 
I paid, more like robbed, a Spyderco G2 Police Model off of my brother's friend some ten years ago....FOR $5.00!!!

What's more...it didn't require factory attenion until last year!

SWEET!!!
 
"Luck" is disguised as perseverence. My wife had a business selling second-hand household goods at a flea market for a while. Now she collects things to sell on ebay. There are times when we hit thrift stores 10 times in a week. Seasonally we may hit 20 garage sales in a weekend. I got an M1917 Trench knife at a garage sale for $5.00.

I keep meaning to hit more pawn shops. This is a military town and I would expect to find a lot of interesting knives getting pawned. The trick is to spot one that the store owner didn't recognize.

[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 06-02-2000).]
 
I must be totally lacking in perseverance. I NEVER find deals like that.

Misque,
I'm working on filling out my Henkel collection and it sounds to me like it's time to start cruising the THRIFT stores!
A 1.00 Randall?
Beyond my wildest dreams, I can't even imagine it.
GOOD WORK GUYS!
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I cut it, and I cut it, and it's STILL too short!


 
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