I'm thinking about ordering a Northwoods knife. I really like the looks of the Indian River Jack & Forest Jack. I'm curious as to why this line of knives, made by GEC, cost more than comparable GEC knives. Is there a little extra "something" added to the Northwoods knives? Different specs maybe?
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Northwoods (Made By GEC) Cost More Than GEC..Why?
- Thread starter fairhaven
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2013
- Messages
- 914
That's a bit like asking why a Lincoln costs more than a Ford. Materials, attention to detail, tooling, technology, and marketing have more to do with the price than the badge on the hood.
Michael
Michael
Northwoods is a brand name owned by KnivesShipFree. The owner of KSF has those knives made to his specifications by GEC and Queen (or any other makers he chooses, but those are the ones I know of) and is free to set his pricing level at whatever he thinks he can sell them at. You can always contact the owner for additional information about his pricing strategy and business model.
Many of them are a bit different than standard factory offerings and production costs may be slightly higher. My personal opinion on the matter is that since KSF is the only dealer who sells Northwoods, they can charge whatever they want. People, including me, are buying them so they must not be priced too high. In fact, some of their newer knives have disappeared almost instantly. I think they've got a pretty good thing going for both sides.
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2012
- Messages
- 2,554
I agree with draggat and I'd buy more if I could. I also think Derrick is really good at marketing his knives. He's keyed in to social media, the forums and sends out regular emails. The customer service is top notch. He really knows his target audience and how to access them.
Hey, thanks everyone for answering. You guys nailed it.
We work with manufacturers to get the designs we want made
We buy tooling for various things
We source the best handle materials and provide them to the manufacturers
We supply them with a premium pocket sheath
We do all the marketing
We provide customer service
We risk the capital to have the knives made and the failures sit on our shelves for years
That about covers it.
I love what I do and I am glad that people enjoy the knives we produce!
We work with manufacturers to get the designs we want made
We buy tooling for various things
We source the best handle materials and provide them to the manufacturers
We supply them with a premium pocket sheath
We do all the marketing
We provide customer service
We risk the capital to have the knives made and the failures sit on our shelves for years
That about covers it.
I love what I do and I am glad that people enjoy the knives we produce!
Hey, thanks everyone for answering. You guys nailed it.
We work with manufacturers to get the designs we want made
We buy tooling for various things
We source the best handle materials and provide them to the manufacturers
We supply them with a premium pocket sheath
We do all the marketing
We provide customer service
We risk the capital to have the knives made and the failures sit on our shelves for years
That about covers it.
I love what I do and I am glad that people enjoy the knives we produce!
The customer service is what separates KSF from the competition. They go far above and beyond the standard. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about them and probably never will. Just the fact that Derrick replies to these threads should say something. I get the impression that he really does care about each and every customer. In this day and age, that's really worth something
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
- Messages
- 34
What you're reading here pretty much hits the nail on the head. Derrick knows knives very well. I've been in the shop and personally observed him and his staff bending over backwards for customers, and the Northwoods line appears to reflect that attention to service and detail. But Derrick, his smiling, caring demeanor aside, has a very dark side... he will put something in your hand in the shop and then BAM! You know you neeeed it and you're in trouble with the Mrs. all over again, lol! I just can't believe she thinks I have too many knives. But seriously, Derrick has never steered me wrong, even going so far as to steer me away from a purchase and towards something else which he understood better met my needs. The Northwoods products, like the Scagels, are just beautiful and very well made. They are what I would consider "heirloom quality" products that I will be proud to hand down to my children and grandchildren.
It's been mentioned and seconded already, but KSF is an awesome dealer. Great customer service and communication, not to mention the great construction and materials found in Northwoods knives. The Northwoods Hawthorne Wharnies in particular get me super excited every time I see one. I haven't bought one yet, but I've handled a couple and probably will when I have the opportunity.
In short, don't overlook them for their premium (but still very reasonable) prices.
In short, don't overlook them for their premium (but still very reasonable) prices.