Nothing beats brick and mortar...

K

kbog

Joined
Apr 11, 2004
Messages
540
I love internet shopping for the prices. Yesterday I was in the first high end knife shop I have ever been in (Quincy Market, Boston). It was a nice shop with lots of good stuff. I handled a ton of knives and had many questions answered. What a great experience.

The knife that wowed me the most was an H & K drop point. The action was incredible - better than the sebenza that I picked up prior to it. I couldn't believe it. Stunning.

Anyhow, I am guilty of buying without handling because the shops around me are lousy. Now I know that internet research just doesn't tell the tale like holding the knife does.
 
Absolutely true. The best knives out there don't even fit everyone's hand. And the action of a specific knife may exceed the recommendations you read here. Besides, it's fun playing with all of them!

That's what I like about knife shows, too.
 
I agree, but I really have no options in Cincinnati "Who Dey" Land. I would love to be able to spend some time in a good quality knife shop.

Thank God there are at least some decent cigar stores still around.
 
I really enjoy B&M knife stores as well. Whenever I go to a different city I check out all its best knife shops. If I spend a bunch of time handling knives and asking questions, I always purchase something before I leave.
 
Keith Montgomery said:
I really enjoy B&M knife stores as well. Whenever I go to a different city I check out all its best knife shops. If I spend a bunch of time handling knives and asking questions, I always purchase something before I leave.
Click to expand...

What is B&M?
 
kbog said:
The knife that wowed me the most was an H & K drop point. The action was incredible - better than the sebenza that I picked up prior to it. I couldn't believe it. Stunning.
Click to expand...

If it's the new one, it's a HK branded Benchmade. Sweet knives.
 
Pyromancer said:
Hey,
Was this Chesapeake in Quincy? I had thought they had closed...

Desmond
Click to expand...
There is a new, supposedly better, shop in the same facilities.
 
Pyromancer said:
Hey,
Was this Chesapeake in Quincy? I had thought they had closed...

Desmond
Click to expand...

No. It is in the same location however. The name is "The Cutting Edge", I believe. The young man was extremely knowledgable and his knives are quite nice. Great selection of Benchmade and Spyderco. I actually posted a grat big post highlighting the whole store, but I lost it and was to impatient to repost all the info.

Anyhow, I am sure that other stores are as good or better, but he blew the doors off of anything in my area (Army, Navy is about as good as it gets). He had lots of Chris Reeve stuff - amazing products from top to bottom. He had some nice William Henry stuff. The H&K prducts were the new Benchmade based line. Just incredible. I would have bought one if not for the molded rubber on the handle. I thought the Sebenza would be the pinnacle of smoothness - the H&K was smoother.

He had some custom stuff too. He will be getting some Lightfoot products (he hoped). He had a few knives from a custom maker...Jim Cook I believe. I'm about 95% sure on that one, but the knives were easily the nicest knives I have ever seen. I couldn't drop 700 bucks though...
 
What were the prices like on the production blades? Any discount off retail?
 
Well, if you like paying full retail or close to it, then I guess nothing beats a Brick and Mortar store. The B&M shops I have been in think they are generous if they give you 10% off, and 40% off is common on the Internet for new stuff, not to mention used stuff on Ebay...
 
I'll have to check out the new Benchmades, but all of my BM Axis lock folders are smoother than my sebenza.
 
Sledgehammer said:
What is B&M?
Click to expand...

Sorry for not responding earlier, but Temper did a fine job of defining B&M. I figured from the title of this thread that it wouldn't be too hard to understand.
 
Cheasapeake Knife and Tool is near me in the Whitemarsh Mall. Their selection and prices are terrible, sometimes their customer service is good, depends on who it is and if they've had a good day.

Country Knives is near me in Lancaster PA, actually in Intercourse PA. Their selection is huge, they carry everything from Striders and CRK, to CRKT and Buck. The store reminds of me of how I felt as a kid going to the toy store. The people are great, very knowledgeable and always happy. The prices are higher than MSRP and you better hope you have money to get home when you're done shopping there.

Walmart has a good selection of multitools and SAKs, mostly Victorinox and Leatherman, but their other knives are crap.

Target, the same.

There are a couple of flea market stands near me that sell some pretty good knives, but most are overpriced.

Most of the sporting goods stores near me are overpriced for the junk Buck and Gerbers they have.

Gander Mountain in York, I was surprised to find out, had a good selection. Benchmade, Spyderco, Kershaw, Grohmann, in addition to the Gerbers and Bucks. But I was told that they were phasing out their BM, Spyderco, Kershaw and Grohmann lines. Prices were WM, selection was knife shop standards.

I prefer eBay because anything can be had for a pittance. I prefer Bladeforums, because I've bought, sold and traded on here with some very respectable people and have gotten some great deals.

If you don't have any stores near you, join a knife club in your area. Knife World has a listing in the back of their newspaper of knife clubs by state. You should be able to handle the knife you're looking for there. Then you can buy on BF.
 
I also enjoy a good store. Much more so then the internet. I have two modes for shopping.

Mode one is don't care to very much and need a good price at the time = mail order.

Mode two is DO care a lot and will drive the 30 miles to my nearest best shop and spend the money. IF I care a lot and am looking for something special it is worth it spend the time and money to drive there because they will inevitabley have 3 or 4 in stock and I will come home with the best one.
 
To answer the question about this store's prices - I felt they were high. Understand however, I almost exclusively shop internet prices. I don't even pay attention to retail prices so I can't compare them. I suppose the prices may have been good for B&M, but I would be hard pressed to say with certainty.
 
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