Physical Cutlery Stores

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BenLi

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Mar 18, 2010
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So, there's this store in the mall near where I live called Excalibur Cutlery and Gifts. I decided to wander in there and take a look at some of the knives.

Good god. It was ridiculous. All of the knives were at msrp (some were higher). The guys working the store were also not particularly knowledgeable. They were also super snobby. We were talking and he was ranting about VG-10, and I mentioned that since I can sharpen my own knives, I find the 8Cr13Mov steel on my Tenacious fairly usable, and he scoffed. Geez.

Do any of you own or go to a physical knife store?
 
Brick and mortar stores are not too common where I live. There are a couple, but mostly I stay away because of the prices.
 
I go to S&R here in Toronto. Proprietors are friendly and knowledgeable. Prices are good. Nothing can beat handling prospective purchases before handing over your hard earned cash. Call me old fashioned, but it's also nice to support a business in the community.
 
Nothing can beat handling prospective purchases before handing over your hard earned cash. Call me old fashioned, but it's also nice to support a business in the community.
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I agree with these points.

I do buy knives on-line but I also frequent the sporting goods stores, cutlery shops, gun shops, surplus stores, gun and knife shows, etc. I buy something or the other at these places as I can. There is no substitute for handling a blade in your hand before laying out cash for an unknown one.

tipoc
 
I can't afford to buy at B&M stores. For example, they sell BM 710s for something like $180 whereas I can get the same knife on an online shop for $108-ish. Handling a knife in a store is not a $72 service to me.

Stores that sell at MSRP are not trying to be competitive at all. I understand that they have rent to pay and stuff, but I would argue that they then also need an online store to obtain a larger customer base. If not, then they're just going to get killed by their competition.
 
BenLi said:
So, there's this store in the mall near where I live called Excalibur Cutlery and Gifts. I decided to wander in there and take a look at some of the knives.

Good god. It was ridiculous. All of the knives were at msrp (some were higher). The guys working the store were also not particularly knowledgeable. They were also super snobby. We were talking and he was ranting about VG-10, and I mentioned that since I can sharpen my own knives, I find the 8Cr13Mov steel on my Tenacious fairly usable, and he scoffed. Geez.

Do any of you own or go to a physical knife store?
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Which Excalibur did you go to? I used to work at the Lloyd center location. I know that some of the guys there can be pretty silly. But you do have to realize it's just like any other mall retail job. Underpaid and overworked. It only becomes a hobby for some of us. And if you saw the rent on a mall location you would understand everything at MSRP. depending on which location you go to and which guys are working it can be a much cooler place.
 
There really isn't any around here. I know of one a few miles away, but I've never been there. I suppose I should go there sometime, but if it's anything like the gunshop down the street from them, it's going to be ridiculous.

There's another one at a large indoor flea market about 55 miles away. It's actually a nice shop/booth with a great selection of knives, especially folders. They carry most of the popular brands and the prices on them are very competitive with internet shops. It's run by two older ladies in their 60's and they have a good knowledge of their wares.

It's mostly the sporting goods stores that handle knives around here and 95% of the stuff they have, I'm not interested it. The Bass Pro in Cincinnati has a pretty good selection, but I never buy there unless it's on a good sale item. I do go there to see if they have a particular model I'm interested in so that I can handle it. If I like it, then I buy it on-line.

I remember two different stores at two local malls when I was younger. One closed when I was still a kid, but my grandpa bought lots of stuff for me there over the years. They carried many different brands, but I remember that they had a lot of Parker knives there.

The other shop was called Remington Knives and Shavers, if I remember correctly. The guy that owned it was great to talk to. I always saved my money so I could buy something there whenever I was at the mall. They didn't carry many fixed blades, but they had a ton of folders, and they mostly had quality stuff. I remember that the owner carried an original A.G. Russell Sting on his belt. He was surprised when I mentioned it. He said in all the years he'd been there, no one had mentioned anything about that knife or ever seemed to recognize it.

I'd like to have one around, but it's probably in my best interests that there isn't one. :D
 
I go to a store in a nearby mall called 'Advanced Cutlery'. Prices made me want to brick windows. I asked about a gold class Benchmade Griptillian they had, and they told me $400. I go home and find one for $300 on eBay with free and insured shipping.
 
PristineDamascus said:
I go to a store in a nearby mall called 'Advanced Cutlery'. Prices made me want to brick windows. I asked about a gold class Benchmade Griptillian they had, and they told me $400. I go home and find one for $300 on eBay with free and insured shipping.
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you're in anaheim and don't go to plaza cutlery??
 
tipoc said:
I agree with these points.

I do buy knives on-line but I also frequent the sporting goods stores, cutlery shops, gun shops, surplus stores, gun and knife shows, etc. I buy something or the other at these places as I can. There is no substitute for handling a blade in your hand before laying out cash for an unknown one.

tipoc
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Couldn't agree more.
 
THG said:
I can't afford to buy at B&M stores. For example, they sell BM 710s for something like $180 whereas I can get the same knife on an online shop for $108-ish. Handling a knife in a store is not a $72 service to me.

Stores that sell at MSRP are not trying to be competitive at all. I understand that they have rent to pay and stuff, but I would argue that they then also need an online store to obtain a larger customer base. If not, then they're just going to get killed by their competition.
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A bit off-subject, I found it interesting when shopping at a local Barnes & Noble that the prices in the store where considerably higher than what you can find at B&N on-line. When I asked about it at the store, I was told it cost more because of stocking costs. What's funny tho is that B&N offer free shipping on most of their stuff. hmm, no-brainer or what? :D
 
I live in New York City. And have an amazing store that specializes in Custom Knives, mainly fixed blades. But they carry lots of folders some of the newer ones the prices are a bit high. But they have an amazing selection of all sorts of production knives. Mainly the higher end stuff.
The owner/staff same person is very knowledgeable and personable. And dosnt put any pressure on you to buy. And let's you play aroung with $20,000 Katanas from the 1600s
Love the store. Have bought tons there

Mastersmiths
BeutifulBlades.com

If you are in new York, check them out
 
Here in the Bay Area, we have a relatively good selection of B & M stores, at least that's how it seems based on other people's posts on the forums. A few of them even have some competitive pricing. I have found that in a few stores the people at the counters think they know than they do. Probably because they generally do know more than their average customer.

BTW, if you sharpen with diamond stones, VG-10 should be relatively easy to sharpen compared to something like 8Cr13Mov on a ceramic stone.
 
yuldeli said:
I go to S&R here in Toronto. Proprietors are friendly and knowledgeable. Prices are good. Nothing can beat handling prospective purchases before handing over your hard earned cash. Call me old fashioned, but it's also nice to support a business in the community.
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There's the key. Even online, prices don't always have to be the best if the people are friendly and knowledgeable. THAT'S the essence of customer service.

As far as supporting a business in the community, think about what happens when a factory closes down. All those employee salaries gone, other local businesses suffer or close, it's a downhill slide.

Even one small knife store closed can hurt the shops alongside.
 
And yet many of the major internet stores also have physical sales locations, as THG suggested.
 
I have a B&M nearby that I visit every month or so to chat it up with the owner.

I go there and purchase odds and ends, and when the occasional value blade surfaces, I pay asking price. That is what physical location is worth to me, if they want $48 dollars for a Spyderco Tenacious, I am happy to give it.

Online nameless, faceless transactions are just not as fulfilling. Doing business with the dealers affiliated with this site is kind of a happy compromise to being face to face and I still get muh low low prices.
 
I have one shop within a 10 minute drive but they only stock cheapo knives(frost, mtech, etc) and antiques. he has distributor catalogs to order from but i can get better prices online if i'm going to order. I do usually find something in his selection of antiques to tickle my fancy when i go out there though, got a few nice slip joints from him.

There's a custom knife shop with a few production knives about 45 minutes north of me so if i want to drop a grand on a knife i will head up there. great shop, the owner will let you play with his stock no questions asked. picked up my first CRK mnandi from him.

about an hour drive west of me i've got a knife shop that has a ton of product and a good selection of brands however they sell at MSRP. I will go there if i'm already going that direction but i don't know if i'd make a special trip out there.

There used to be a knife store in the local mall when i was growing up but i really only had an interest in SAKs and multitools when i was a child so i used to go in and stare at the cases of SAKs.
 
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