Nick Wheeler, JS ~ Ironwood Burl Bowie

Wulf said:
Guys, a quick word about Nick. I have known him for a number of years now, own a few of his knives, and have handled many, many more. If there is one thing that I can say about Nick as a knifemaker, it is that he is absolutely uncompromising about the quality of his work. Some would even call him obsessive. It's just the way he's wired.

What that means for collectors, is that when they buy a Nick Wheeler knife it will be about as close to flawless as humanly possible, and will represent quite a bargain for the quality of work delivered. What this means for Nick, is that he will continue to struggle in silence.

In order to really make it today as a knifemaker, you have to be efficient, productive, and prolific. You need to have new knives posted on Instagram, Facebook, and the internet forums every week or you will cease to be "current." You will need to find ways to streamline your process, or you will fail to make money. This is where Nick will always struggle. Because he is so uncompromising, he is also inefficient, and will not be able to produce the volume and earn the profit margins required to make a good living making knives.

As I said, this is the way he's wired. Collectors who appreciate his work have to understand that you can't be simultaneously obsessive and efficient. For Nick, this means that he will work other jobs to help him cover his health insurance, mortgage, groceries, gas and electricity bills, and his knife production will remain limited.

Roger, if you are waiting for a response from him, I do hope that he gets back to you soon. If he's posting on instagram, he should certainly be able to reply to an email too.
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Very well put! From my perspective, Nick's work speaks for itself, and the sheer quality will keep him in high demand. The limited quantity will also continue to keep his work in demand among those in the know. He may never reach a wide audience, but heck, 6,000 followers in instagram isn't a bad place to be. Oh yeah, Doug, that is a lovely knife, one you should be very proud to own. More posters would probably have told you that, but got diverted into the maker's marketing efforts, or lack thereof.
 
David Stifle said:
Very well put! From my perspective, Nick's work speaks for itself, and the sheer quality will keep him in high demand. The limited quantity will also continue to keep his work in demand among those in the know. He may never reach a wide audience, but heck, 6,000 followers in instagram isn't a bad place to be. Oh yeah, Doug, that is a lovely knife, one you should be very proud to own. More posters would probably have told you that, but got diverted into the maker's marketing efforts, or lack thereof.
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Hello David,

Now that you understand why my name is spelled like that on the 'net, we can get to YOUR perspective above.

You think Nick's work on it's own right of quality will keep him in high demand?

That is not my experience.

My experience is that Nick's work is of the best quality, but there are a very limited amount of collectors for his work, and when they have what they want, they are not so likely to buy.

Had a VERY nice piece that Nick made, a jellyroll damascus fighter....maybe the handle was a little long, but the workmanship was superb, included one of his kickbutt sheaths. I think Nick's table price for it was about $900.00, very fair. I showed this piece to one of his biggest collectors, even did the "let's make a deal" thing, and he wasn't remotely interested.

Tried to sell it on BFC for almost a year, for less than I paid for it. Rather than continually lower the price in a visible medium, I pulled the knife and took it to Blade about 3 or 4 years ago. Blue Ridge Knives wouldn't buy it, but Daniel at BladeGallery did, for a very discounted price. It was one of the few knives that I have had that was frustratingly hard to sell.

The reason WHY I wanted to sell it was that I had waited for something like 8 years for Nick to deliver a dagger that he made for me, and he is in my permanent collection(2 knives per maker, 50 makers), so that jellyroll fighter needed a new home

Quality product does not guarantee sale ability....it's a factor that people expect, especially in the types of knives that Nick is known for.

You and very few other people can say that I don't know what I am talking about, but until you have looked at things from my perspective, which includes talking with people in the industry about knives every day and attending 6-8 shows per year for over 20 years....you might not have all the information to make a truly INFORMED opinion.

Remember, THIS s/f is for the DISCUSSION of Custom and Handmade knives, not just to drool and say "I like pretty pictures".

IF you have a problem with the things I post or are curious as to the reason why I post them, feel free to reach out with an e-mail or pm and I would be HAPPY to answer you with a mature and easily understood rationale....Thanks!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
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STeven, agreed with your above statement. As an early collector, I know I have very nice knives that I would not be able to recover my cost. That is what anyone who collects for their own pleasure must accept. Some are worth more but were not purchased for that. Collectors like me drive the market. If I don't like a current trend I don't buy or make that style.
Knife collecting and forging knives, what a great ride.
 
Kohai999 said:
Hello David,

Now that you understand why my name is spelled like that on the 'net, we can get to YOUR perspective above.

You think Nick's work on it's own right of quality will keep him in high demand?

That is not my experience.

My experience is that Nick's work is of the best quality, but there are a very limited amount of collectors for his work, and when they have what they want, they are not so likely to buy.

Had a VERY nice piece that Nick made, a jellyroll damascus fighter....maybe the handle was a little long, but the workmanship was superb, included one of his kickbutt sheaths. I think Nick's table price for it was about $900.00, very fair. I showed this piece to one of his biggest collectors, even did the "let's make a deal" thing, and he wasn't remotely interested.

Tried to sell it on BFC for almost a year, for less than I paid for it. Rather than continually lower the price in a visible medium, I pulled the knife and took it to Blade about 3 or 4 years ago. Blue Ridge Knives wouldn't buy it, but Daniel at BladeGallery did, for a very discounted price. It was one of the few knives that I have had that was frustratingly hard to sell.

The reason WHY I wanted to sell it was that I had waited for something like 8 years for Nick to deliver a dagger that he made for me, and he is in my permanent collection(2 knives per maker, 50 makers), so that jellyroll fighter needed a new home

Quality product does not guarantee sale ability....it's a factor that people expect, especially in the types of knives that Nick is known for.

You and very few other people can say that I don't know what I am talking about, but until you have looked at things from my perspective, which includes talking with people in the industry about knives every day and attending 6-8 shows per year for over 20 years....you might not have all the information to make a truly INFORMED opinion.

Remember, THIS s/f is for the DISCUSSION of Custom and Handmade knives, not just to drool and say "I like pretty pictures".

IF you have a problem with the things I post or are curious as to the reason why I post them, feel free to reach out with an e-mail or pm and I would be HAPPY to answer you with a mature and easily understood rationale....Thanks!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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STeven, I simply asked why you spell your name like this in a discussion on this thread in a different forum, I had no part in the rough good humor that followed. As for the value of Nick's knives in the aftermarket, I will bow to your experience, although I hope the quality makes his knives shines through to collectors.

As for this thread, although I have not previously said so, either here or anywhere else, I felt the Op posted the knife to get comments on the knife, and a detailed discussion of a related issue, i.e., the maker's marketing strategy or lack of strategy, took away from the primary focus of his post, the knife itself. While interesting, it could have well been a separate post. I have no desire to get into a long, or heated debate. Simply one guy's thoughts.
 
David Stifle said:
STeven, I simply asked why you spell your name like this in a discussion on this thread in a different forum, I had no part in the rough good humor that followed. As for the value of Nick's knives in the aftermarket, I will bow to your experience, although I hope the quality makes his knives shines through to collectors.
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Fair enough, and no worries, Nick's work IS sought after, just perhaps not with the fervor that you (and I) might hope for or expect.

David Stifle said:
As for this thread, although I have not previously said so, either here or anywhere else, I felt the Op posted the knife to get comments on the knife, and a detailed discussion of a related issue, i.e., the maker's marketing strategy or lack of strategy, took away from the primary focus of his post, the knife itself. While interesting, it could have well been a separate post. I have no desire to get into a long, or heated debate. Simply one guy's thoughts.
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Sometimes threads stay on topic, sometimes they don't, my own OP's as well.

Will not continue this then, have made my points.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
My apology for never having posted a professional shot before.
They really are the only way to show anything at all about the subject matter.

Caleb,


Your skill really impressed me, truth being told, after my years here of enjoying Coop's threads/posts immensely.
My loyalty would have went to Jim. He then posted he was booked so I looked to you.
Especially after the Lurquins. :)

Just letting you know how pleased I am with your talent and wanted to see the Wheeler again. :D

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ps: Looking forward to you shooting my Sfreddo, Caleb. :cool:

Doug
 
Boy, sure glad nobody comments on my work or career like y'all.

Great shot Caleb, great blade Nick!
 
Again, I love the knife and photo.

Just checked out Instagram for the first time. It clearly could let you come to know a maker better, but doesn't seem like a very effective vehicle to further a long term career. I assume most makers using it understand that and simply enjoy the social interaction with more people and/or consider it a supplement to other marketing efforts. To each his own. Given that, I now have the app and will probably be following Nick and a few other makers for at least a little while.
 
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instagram can give you too much insight into someone's life to the point where you don't actually like them or want to buy knives from them.. In this day and age of too much personal info being out there it can be bad
 
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Hi Doug!

Thanks for having Caleb shoot this beauty of yours! I am really enjoy seeing the knives in your collection and can't wait to see Rodrigo's addition!

Best,
Alex

PS: as a collector I am enjoying the simplicity of Instagram a lot and think it has a hughe potential for those who know how to use it to their best. Oh, and Bob, just gave you your first follow... ;)
 
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Kohai999 said:
He's a homeless fluffer.:D

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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A fluffer is a makeup person for porn movies. This is a skillfully played adult-themed comment and insult...but only if you don't work in the porn industry or enjoy porn. Thanks for helping me remain humble KOhai99 but it may not have worked :) In the world of HD, fluffers have become much more important.

I remember your Wheeler, you're right it was different, but still slick and well made. Seems to me your problem is you paid too much for a blade that's "out side the box" for current Wheeler collectors thus you cannot receive your return on investment when it's time to flip...I can hear that tiny violin :)
 
Gentlemen....let's keep the discussion focused on the knives and not each other. Thank you. :)
 
Thanks for the great comments, guys!

Doug C. Thank YOU again for sending me your Wheeler. It was a pleasure to shoot. I look forward to the Sfreddo.
 
Doug, that one is up there with the best I've seen, and I've seen many Bowies at Blade.
Congrats on owning such an outstanding piece of perfection.

Caleb, you did a really great job on the photography. Thanks, and keep up the great work !
 
Thank you all for the nice comments. :)

This really is a special piece for me and despite all the hype about Nick's work,
you really have to see and handle to understand what it's all about.

Caleb, So pleased you could shoot this. It turned out perfectly !
..and knowing how booked you are I'm glad you can shoot my Sfreddo Bowie in Dec.,
I'm sure I'll be just as happy. :thumbup:

Thanks again all.

STeven, you are a RIOT. :D

Doug
 
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