Queen 2015

[cilohaefink]

The light color (unstained) walnut knives may have been pre-production knives and Queen decided to go with the stained version for regular production (my speculation). The only place that I have seen the unstained knives is on the big auction site. There were several patterns including the medium toothpick, whittler, and trapper in addition to the the railsplitter.

 

[Railsplitter]

The light color (unstained) walnut knives may have been pre-production knives and Queen decided to go with the stained version for regular production (my speculation). The only place that I have seen the unstained knives is on the big auction site. There were several patterns including the medium toothpick, whittler, and trapper in addition to the the railsplitter.

Thanks for the info. I might shoot an email to Ken Daniels or someone at Queen to find out the specifics. If I find out anything I'll post my findings here.

 

[kootenay joe]

We are not a difficult crowd to sell to. Make a good traditional style folder, consistently, and we are 'all over it'.
Look at GEC: in business just 8 years and their business is booming, turning out knives under their own label and SFO's. Dealers often sell out within hours of a new shipment arriving. And soon some of these knives show up on the secondary market and get snapped up there too, sometimes for double the original price.
Same can be said for Bark River.
Why ?
Because both companies rarely let you down. Most of our buying is done online so we cannot examine or feel the knife, but the vast majority of the time it's a good or even great knife that arrives. This is the 'secret' of their success.
Queen could be a success story too because if they consistently produced a good knife we would be 'all over' those too. But it has been 20 or more years since Queen had a consistently good product.
I think the problems there are likely many, at every level and every stage of production and quite possibly includes employee dissatisfaction.
There are businesses that specialize in an in-depth look at a company's operation from start to finish and make recommendations as to how to make improvements from start to finish.
I think Queen needs this outside professional help because problems that have been going on for more than 20 years need more than just a little fix-up here and there.
It would take some deep pockets to pay for a professional thorough analysis, but if this then results in a consistently good pocket knife, we will be 'all over' them and they will make back the money spent(invested really).
kj

 

[Rookie82]

I'm rootin for Queen and love to buy their knives when I can hold it in my hand before paying for it. 1 thing I can say about them, nepotism is running rampant, has been for years, and may be a contributing factor to inconsistent quality leaving the factory.

 

[cilohaefink]

We are not a difficult crowd to sell to. Make a good traditional style folder, consistently, and we are 'all over it'.
Look at GEC: in business just 8 years and their business is booming, turning out knives under their own label and SFO's. Dealers often sell out within hours of a new shipment arriving. And soon some of these knives show up on the secondary market and get snapped up there too, sometimes for double the original price.
Same can be said for Bark River.
Why ?
Because both companies rarely let you down. Most of our buying is done online so we cannot examine or feel the knife, but the vast majority of the time it's a good or even great knife that arrives. This is the 'secret' of their success.
Queen could be a success story too because if they consistently produced a good knife we would be 'all over' those too. But it has been 20 or more years since Queen had a consistently good product.
I think the problems there are likely many, at every level and every stage of production and quite possibly includes employee dissatisfaction.
There are businesses that specialize in an in-depth look at a company's operation from start to finish and make recommendations as to how to make improvements from start to finish.
I think Queen needs this outside professional help because problems that have been going on for more than 20 years need more than just a little fix-up here and there.
It would take some deep pockets to pay for a professional thorough analysis, but if this then results in a consistently good pocket knife, we will be 'all over' them and they will make back the money spent(invested really).
kj

I don't disagree with you on any point, but I will say that in my experience Queen's fit, finish, and QC were fine for the years of about 2002 (year that they introduced the D2 knives) through about 2010. I owned maybe 75 to 100 of the D2 models in the original CSB, the ACSB, Cocobolo, and Maple. I can only think of one that I returned and that was due to a poor shield installation on a Maple handled congress. Its only the recent ones where I have sent back about 50%.

My overall impression of current GEC management vs current Queen management:

GEC: We hope that these knives will make collectors and users say WOW and OMG!!

Queen: We kinda sorta hope that these knives are kinda sorta ok.

Don't get me wrong, I support Queen with my $$ and I have high hopes for them, but that's the way I see it right now.

 

[kootenay joe]

I said about 20 years because the Queen D2 knives i purchased in the early 2000's all had thick blunt blades. They needed more than just re-sharpening. They needed some thinning out of the shoulders of the edge grind and with D2 this takes quite a bit of time and effort (a few hours per blade).
A knife is a tool for cutting with. Selling them so blunt they really won't cut anything is an issue as far as i am concerned. I think the pre D2 blades, "Queen Steel" (440C ?) had better primary and edge grinds.
kj

 

[cilohaefink]

I said about 20 years because the Queen D2 knives i purchased in the early 2000's all had thick blunt blades. They needed more than just re-sharpening. They needed some thinning out of the shoulders of the edge grind and with D2 this takes quite a bit of time and effort (a few hours per blade).
A knife is a tool for cutting with. Selling them so blunt they really won't cut anything is an issue as far as i am concerned. I think the pre D2 blades, "Queen Steel" (440C ?) had better primary and edge grinds.
kj

Joe;

Great point!! (no pun intended)

You are correct about that. I guess I got so used to the blunt edges on the Queen D2 knives that I failed to think of it as a QC issue, but it definitely is.

Honestly, I would prefer that Queen drop the D2 and return to using 440C with decent blade grinds and no blunt edges.

 

[JustinR]

I received my Schatt and Morgan sheepsfoot barlow in ATS-34 this afternoon and I am thoroughly impressed. Came shaving sharp (bald spot on the back of my hand as proof) and not a gap in sight. Blade is slightly off center if I stare at it long enough and a nice 6-7 pull.

I think we need to see more matchstrike pulls on barlows.

 

[knifeswapper]

If you take away the last 20 years, I'm not sure when you think Queen had a good run...

I would say they ran a great knife quietly under other names from late 1980's to 2000; and their own brand built a large following from 2000 to 2008 - but if we don't give them credit for anything after 1995 we might as well not give them credit for anything at all.

The fact is (in my mind) they made the best slipjoint in this country from 1987 to 2007. There may have been a knife here and there in the 2000's that needed a little warranty love; but the return rate for Queen was 1/3rd that of Case in the early 2000's.

Nowadays, there is a ton of Queen seconds that make their way into the market via back door distributors. Much of the eBay stuff has come from that channel. So people buy items that have come through a long channel and the pricing increased enough as it passed thru hands to move it from being a good buy for a second to a bad buy as a knife being sold as a first. It took me a long time to realize why GEC will not sell seconds; but this is why.

I personally have marked entire runs as "Near Mint" and sold them at near break-even just to bring the "value" in line. But there are still many that don't want a mediocre blade grind or pin crack at any price - that doesn't mean the knife is not a value at -some- price for -some- function. I'm still praying for Queen, but it doesn't do anybody any favors for dealers to sit around and act like every knife they are putting out these days is top shelf.

Does someone that knows wood think that walnut looks like a true walnut? It doesn't look like the walnut I see on Canal Street or GEC.

 

[cilohaefink]

If you take away the last 20 years, I'm not sure when you think Queen had a good run...

I would say they ran a great knife quietly under other names from late 1980's to 2000; and their own brand built a large following from 2000 to 2008 - but if we don't give them credit for anything after 1995 we might as well not give them credit for anything at all.

The fact is (in my mind) they made the best slipjoint in this country from 1987 to 2007. There may have been a knife here and there in the 2000's that needed a little warranty love; but the return rate for Queen was 1/3rd that of Case in the early 2000's.

Nowadays, there is a ton of Queen seconds that make their way into the market via back door distributors. Much of the eBay stuff has come from that channel. So people buy items that have come through a long channel and the pricing increased enough as it passed thru hands to move it from being a good buy for a second to a bad buy as a knife being sold as a first. It took me a long time to realize why GEC will not sell seconds; but this is why.

I personally have marked entire runs as "Near Mint" and sold them at near break-even just to bring the "value" in line. But there are still many that don't want a mediocre blade grind or pin crack at any price - that doesn't mean the knife is not a value at -some- price for -some- function. I'm still praying for Queen, but it doesn't do anybody any favors for dealers to sit around and act like every knife they are putting out these days is top shelf.

Does someone that knows wood think that walnut looks like a true walnut? It doesn't look like the walnut I see on Canal Street or GEC.

Mike;

Thank you for posting that info - I see all of the Queen knives flooding the big auction site at times, but none of the seconds are marked in any way as seconds. That makes the situation worse if Queen is releasing seconds to backdoor channels and the knives can be sold as first quality.

 

[quattromori]

Does someone that knows wood think that walnut looks like a true walnut? It doesn't look like the walnut I see on Canal Street or GEC.

Mike,
thank you for your insight. Weird that you mentioned the walnut thing.
I don't know enough about wood, but I certainly see a difference between the new Queen and other walnut handled knives that I have seen. I thought it was an image issue, but after seeing a couple pictures from other members who own the new Queen knives, it does look different, and I'm curious to know if anyone here can shed some light on the matter.
As for the company, I can only relate to the three Queen made knives that I have owned and handled; all of them are very nice knives...but belong to different years and lines and so on. I do know that I hope they step up their game, cause I do like D2 in slipjoints (just like I wish CSC to produce more patterns).
Time will tell...

Fausto

 

[Shaggy]

Does someone that knows wood think that walnut looks like a true walnut? It doesn't look like the walnut I see on Canal Street or GEC.

Could it possibly be a walnut "laminate" similar to Dymonwood?

 

[r8shell]

If you take away the last 20 years, I'm not sure when you think Queen had a good run...

I would say they ran a great knife quietly under other names from late 1980's to 2000; and their own brand built a large following from 2000 to 2008 - but if we don't give them credit for anything after 1995 we might as well not give them credit for anything at all.

The fact is (in my mind) they made the best slipjoint in this country from 1987 to 2007. There may have been a knife here and there in the 2000's that needed a little warranty love; but the return rate for Queen was 1/3rd that of Case in the early 2000's.

Nowadays, there is a ton of Queen seconds that make their way into the market via back door distributors. Much of the eBay stuff has come from that channel. So people buy items that have come through a long channel and the pricing increased enough as it passed thru hands to move it from being a good buy for a second to a bad buy as a knife being sold as a first. It took me a long time to realize why GEC will not sell seconds; but this is why.

I personally have marked entire runs as "Near Mint" and sold them at near break-even just to bring the "value" in line. But there are still many that don't want a mediocre blade grind or pin crack at any price - that doesn't mean the knife is not a value at -some- price for -some- function. I'm still praying for Queen, but it doesn't do anybody any favors for dealers to sit around and act like every knife they are putting out these days is top shelf.

Does someone that knows wood think that walnut looks like a true walnut? It doesn't look like the walnut I see on Canal Street or GEC.

Interesting insights, though I don't think these two I bought from KnifeCenter are seconds. Perhaps they should have been.

I want to reiterate, I don't want to bash the company. Some of my favorite knives are Queens and I want them to do better. I have a couple in cocobolo that are excellent (anyone know what years those were made?)

 

[Sam Dean]

Does someone that knows wood think that walnut looks like a true walnut? It doesn't look like the walnut I see on Canal Street or GEC.

Not an expert - just a casual woodworker.

The walnut you commonly see from GEC and others is Eastern Black Walnut:

According to Wikipedia, there are 21 species of "walnut" trees. It looks (to my untrained eyes) like the walnut Queen used is Brazilian Walnut. This wood is most commonly imported from Brazil as flooring in the US. The REALLY funny thing is the fact it's not even a "walnut" tree at all. They just call it walnut because it "kind of" resembles the American and English walnut wood. And, adding to the confusion, several species of trees from Brazil are loosely called Brazilian Walnut, including Ipe and Imbuia. Just do a google image search for Brazilian Walnut and you'll come up with a ton of images for wood flooring that kind of looks a little similar, but not really....



Kind of makes me wonder if the folks at Queen went to the local home improvement store and bought a box of "walnut" flooring to make the scales from!

 

[cilohaefink]

r8shell;

The cocobolo was the first wood that Queen used on the D2 knives when introduced in 2002. It was used until (I think) 2006 when they switched to the birdseye maple.

 

[knifeswapper]

Interesting insights, though I don't think the ones I bought from KnifeCenter are seconds.

No, no, no. I am not saying that anyone is selling seconds, especially reputable dealers. I am just saying that when you let seconds out the door under even the most honorable intentions (bargain prices for a work knife) and somewhere down the chain someone decides to be a little less scrupulous - it causes problems. I don't even know if they are marked or not.

 

[r8shell]

r8shell;

The cocobolo was the first wood that Queen used on the D2 knives when introduced in 2002. It was used until (I think) 2006 when they switched to the birdseye maple.

Thanks. I've been wondering where they fit in the timeline.

No, no, no. I am not saying that anyone is selling seconds, especially reputable dealers. I am just saying that when you let seconds out the door under even the most honorable intentions (bargain prices for a work knife) and somewhere down the chain someone decides to be a little less scrupulous - it causes problems. I don't even know if they are marked or not.

OK. I was a bit confused.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

I bought a Joe Kious stag hunter a while ago, it was atrocious. At over $250, it was easily one of the worst made knives I have seen in a long time. I called Queen, they really did not seem to care, so I sent it back to the dealer. I was disappointed to say the least.

That is quite unfortunate.

 

[BigBiscuit]

A recent Queen acquisition of mine was quite a disappointment as well. Rough opening and closing. When closed the spring sat low and when open, it was proud. I think the spring and rough opening/closing issues were related. I honestly think the pivot hole on the blade was off. The tang was cut crooked. It was a single blade knife, but the blade was ground very sloppy on one side. Similar to the grind on a two bladed knife for clearance, but the grind was very sloppy like someone randomly hit it on a belt sander.
I contacted them (it took a couple times for them to respond) and they had me send it in for repair. They've had it for at least a month now and I haven't heard anything.

 

[brownshoe]

No, no, no. I am not saying that anyone is selling seconds, especially reputable dealers. I am just saying that when you let seconds out the door under even the most honorable intentions (bargain prices for a work knife) and somewhere down the chain someone decides to be a little less scrupulous - it causes problems. I don't even know if they are marked or not.

What are you saying?

It seems to me that you, a dealer, says that Queen is letting unmarked factory seconds out to be sold as first quality merchandise. Knife companies usually mark seconds.

Is this what you mean knifeswapper?

This is a pretty dramatic accusation of Queen. Particularly when you say it is not done by GEC. I thought GEC sold their less than perfect items through their store, not true?

Are you a Queen dealer in good standing? What is different about the few S&M and Queen knives on your site?