Queen Cutlery Company Closes

mnblade said:
On a somewhat related note: Is there a traditional slipjoint manufacturer whose social media-outreach and online marketing isn't lousy? I sure wish (for THEIR sake) that they'd put in more than a token effort. This is 2018!

-- Mark
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I'd say GEC does the best job. They post on Instagram and Facebook regularly. They could probably do more though.
 
I'm not a traditional knife kind of guy but I have been eye balling a traditional knife to throw in my rotation. I admittedly don't know much about Queen but I hate to see any US manufacturer (especially a knife maker) closing their doors. Maybe they come thru Ch 11 a better company....

I hope and pray China doesn't buy the Co, move production to China, and try to cash in on the Queen name...
 
Dean51 said:
As traditional knife users we all value tradition patterns and there is a certain nostalgia about knives being made the way they always were.

But!

We have to realize that if if traditional knives are going to survive into the future the old ways are going to have to change or there will be no future.
GEC makes some truly great knives but they are selling to a small niche market. They are doing it with old labor intensive machinery. As labor costs go up so will their prices. Until they eventually price them selves out of the market.

Case is now competing with RR for budget knives. Buck hasn’t put out anything different as far as traditional knives go in years.
Several modern knife makers are turning out consistent quality with newer steels, blade geometry is mostly horrible but they sell.
New knife buyers are used to newer steels and consistent quality. If traditional knives are going to survive they are going to have to offer better steel and quality. Or they will not attract new buyers. Inconsistency is not considered character with these new buyers.

There will still be a market for 1095 but that is not enough to keep traditionals going into the future.
No one complains about Victorinox and their modern manufacturing process. If traditional makers don’t up their manufacturing processes and materials.
They will eventually be gone or replaced with Chinese brands. That will be a very sad day.

I’ve carried a traditional knife since some time in the 60’s. If it wasn’t for Queen I am not sure I would still be carrying a traditional knife. I won’t use the old stainless steels or the something less than 1095 Case CV. Don’t even get me started about the Teddy Roosevelt’s with the China stamp.

Queen will be missed. I truly hope they can reorganized and back on their feet.
In the mean time I sure am glad CK came out with the Roundhead and Shuffler.
Maybe as a community we should not be so quick to condemn change.
Any doubts look at the brands already lost to history.
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Well stated!
As somebody over here said: tradition doesn't mean conserving the status, but developing the things to the future with consideration of the good old values.
It seems, Queen missed this chance. I feel very sorry for the workers, but unfortunately it´s like always: bad management decisions hit those, who weren´t able to decide :( .
But also the others still playing in the market have to watch out. Not very long and we old guys are not able to buy anything any more. And if they don' t persuade the younger ones about the good old pattern, they'll join us while leaving
 
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L.H.S said:
I'd say GEC does the best job. They post on Instagram and Facebook regularly. They could probably do more though.
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Buck and Case post more interesting stuff, IMO (GEC seems to just post pics of knives). But there's soooo much more they could all be doing. Case hasn't posted anything on Facebook since Dec. 19. They all ought to be all over these platforms (which are FREE) preaching the gospel and telling their stories. It's an integral part of marketing these days for any company, but especially for niche companies with (potentially) fanatically supportive "tribes."

-- Mark
 
mnblade said:
Buck and Case post more interesting stuff, IMO (GEC seems to just post pics of knives). But there's soooo much more they could all be doing. Case hasn't posted anything on Facebook since Dec. 19. They all ought to be all over these platforms (which are FREE) preaching the gospel and telling their stories. It's an integral part of marketing these days for any company, but especially for niche companies with (potentially) fanatically supportive "tribes."
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GEC already sells more than they can produce, so they must be doing something right.
 
I think that the days of people collecting hundreds of knives is a thing of the past. I see people nowadays that LIKE knives saying, "here's my collection", and there's maybe 5-10 knives in there. Maybe part of the minimalist movement, I don't know...

I guess it won't stop me from over-indulging. I have way more knives than I could ever carry, but I guess it's the thrill of the hunt that keeps me going.
 
glennbad said:
I think that the days of people collecting hundreds of knives is a thing of the past. I see people nowadays that LIKE knives saying, "here's my collection", and there's maybe 5-10 knives in there. Maybe part of the minimalist movement, I don't know...
I guess it won't stop me from over-indulging. I have way more knives than I could ever carry, but I guess it's the thrill of the hunt that keeps me going.
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I don't want anyone to take this wrong, but I have noticed the biggest buyers never show up on forums / social media. If they do, it is just in conversation, not showing / discussing purchases. Many folks that show their collections (smaller as you suggest) are moving knives out the backdoor as new ones come in the front door. Don't know if it is a limited budget or just having no desire to accumulate. But the guys that buy several knives at a time, and consistently, are not visible on social media. If I run a store report, out of the top 10 accounts over the last 6 months - 8 of them I have never seen on social media. Many times the folks that like to show the latest purchase, barely keep it long enough to get the pictures taken. But, one thing I have learned is that people come and people go. As one hard core buyer fades away, another one shows up. And then there are those that have been buying for 15 years consistently; I wish I knew where my expendable income was from the last 15 years....
 
It's sad to see a company with over a century of making traditional knives close it's doors. Especially, since it's in PA. It always gives me a small sense of pride when I get my Barlow or stockman out to do something & another old fart like me, comments on it & asks to fondle it. It's an added bonus when I can tell them that it's made right here in PA, by companies that have been in business for so long.
 
I recently visited Titusville the first week of Oct. last year. I spent 3 days in Oil Creek State Park backpacking with my dog. At the south end of the park where I started and finished there was a train museum. A much smaller version of the main museum downtown. It is mainly a point for visitors to get on the train and ride it into town from what I gathered.

So anyways the women working at the train station was awesome. Pennsylvania is very dog friendly and she welcomed my dog in, let him run around the whole place, and even gave him an ice cream sandwich, lol. We had both just finished hiking 33 miles so he deserved it. When I told her how I came to discover the park by looking into GEC, I than showed her my peach seed jigged TC Barlow. And she immediately sparked up and with great enthusiasm said "we have Queen here in town" (she had never even heard of GEC) And than she told me about a set of steak knives she has from the 70's made by Queen with similar looking jigged bone handles as my TC. I hung out there for a while and she taught me a bunch about Titusville and was very helpful. I was running out of time so I went into town to see the larger train museum, walked around a bit, and went to the brewery. I plan on going back and staying in those rail car motels(that are pet friendly!) and doing some more exploring.

When reading through this thread I instantly thought of the women I met in Titusville and how proud she was to have Queen there in town. I sure hope somehow they can get back on their feet. I will be following this story closely and wishing good things to everyone involved.
 
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5840EEBD-3163-4268-A4F2-3B862B1BB2BB.jpeg On the whole it seems that most will miss Queen, and are hoping for the best. The workers who will feel the pinch are also, I’m sure. As a buyer, I can live with the imperfections, most folks , unless it’s grinds or lack:eek: of sharpening, who like Queen knives find it worth it for the steels available, if nothing else. I will miss my D2. I’m seriously thinking of getting another of these, just as a back up. I never do this, can’t afford to. But I carry and USE some aspect of this knife everyday. I’ll even ask TK for a regrind, for the simple fact-I love this knife!
Thanks, Neal
Ps-isn’t that the point?
 
knifeswapper said:
I don't want anyone to take this wrong, but I have noticed the biggest buyers never show up on forums / social media. If they do, it is just in conversation, not showing / discussing purchases. Many folks that show their collections (smaller as you suggest) are moving knives out the backdoor as new ones come in the front door. Don't know if it is a limited budget or just having no desire to accumulate. But the guys that buy several knives at a time, and consistently, are not visible on social media. If I run a store report, out of the top 10 accounts over the last 6 months - 8 of them I have never seen on social media. Many times the folks that like to show the latest purchase, barely keep it long enough to get the pictures taken. But, one thing I have learned is that people come and people go. As one hard core buyer fades away, another one shows up. And then there are those that have been buying for 15 years consistently; I wish I knew where my expendable income was from the last 15 years....
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I would be willing to venture that there are several different levels of folks and users on social media. A lot of people read discussions here and elsewhere mostly to gain insights about the experiences of others prior to purchase (a lot of people are friendly "Lurkers"). I have often taken time off from posting actively myself, but I will still look in at what is being said from time to time. Some people don't really collect so much as they seem to flip knives, not so much for profit or accumulation but rather to enjoy the use of the item (and finance the hunt for the next item).
 
Sad to hear. I was really hoping the Daniels would turn Queen around. Honestly, they haven't been making things that I'd get excited about in the last few years. Not sure if that was part of it. I hope the reorganization goes well.
 
knifeswapper said:
I don't want anyone to take this wrong, but I have noticed the biggest buyers never show up on forums / social media. If they do, it is just in conversation, not showing / discussing purchases. Many folks that show their collections (smaller as you suggest) are moving knives out the backdoor as new ones come in the front door. Don't know if it is a limited budget or just having no desire to accumulate. But the guys that buy several knives at a time, and consistently, are not visible on social media. If I run a store report, out of the top 10 accounts over the last 6 months - 8 of them I have never seen on social media. Many times the folks that like to show the latest purchase, barely keep it long enough to get the pictures taken. But, one thing I have learned is that people come and people go. As one hard core buyer fades away, another one shows up. And then there are those that have been buying for 15 years consistently; I wish I knew where my expendable income was from the last 15 years....
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The biggest collectors I've met have been totally unaware of the forums. They just purchase for their own enjoyment. The few guys I've met like this have had such large collections that they couldn't possibly get even half their collection out to handle and admire the individual knives regularly, so they must have just enjoyed collection itself.

I sold as much as or more than I bought for a while out of necessity. I couldn't reasonably have a collection or make purchases often without selling because I was in college and/or working part time. Now that I have a different situation I'm able to keep more than I sell, and my (small by the standards of many here on the forums, let alone those to whom you refer) collection is growing. Still, I'm sure my low level of purchasing doesn't hold much sway with dealers.

I often wonder if this kind of barrier to entry, coupled with GECs low production will end up being hurtful to the traditional knife market in the long run.
 
knifeswapper said:
I don't want anyone to take this wrong, but I have noticed the biggest buyers never show up on forums / social media. If they do, it is just in conversation, not showing / discussing purchases. Many folks that show their collections (smaller as you suggest) are moving knives out the backdoor as new ones come in the front door. Don't know if it is a limited budget or just having no desire to accumulate. But the guys that buy several knives at a time, and consistently, are not visible on social media. If I run a store report, out of the top 10 accounts over the last 6 months - 8 of them I have never seen on social media. Many times the folks that like to show the latest purchase, barely keep it long enough to get the pictures taken. But, one thing I have learned is that people come and people go. As one hard core buyer fades away, another one shows up. And then there are those that have been buying for 15 years consistently; I wish I knew where my expendable income was from the last 15 years....
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I agree 100%. The biggest collectors I know, some of which have collections valued over $100,000 spend a lot of time going to shows, but none have accounts on the knife forums that I am on. A guy I met in Texas has a giant old Remington collection, with 100's and 100's of knives all near perfect condition, in authentic Remington display cases. The largest known Queen collector and historian, Fred Fisher, isn't on the forums. Tony Foster has the largest old Case collection I have ever saw. The list goes on and on.
 
knifeswapper said:
I don't want anyone to take this wrong, but I have noticed the biggest buyers never show up on forums / social media. If they do, it is just in conversation, not showing / discussing purchases. Many folks that show their collections (smaller as you suggest) are moving knives out the backdoor as new ones come in the front door. Don't know if it is a limited budget or just having no desire to accumulate. But the guys that buy several knives at a time, and consistently, are not visible on social media. If I run a store report, out of the top 10 accounts over the last 6 months - 8 of them I have never seen on social media. Many times the folks that like to show the latest purchase, barely keep it long enough to get the pictures taken. But, one thing I have learned is that people come and people go. As one hard core buyer fades away, another one shows up. And then there are those that have been buying for 15 years consistently; I wish I knew where my expendable income was from the last 15 years....
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It is always good to remember (or be reminded) that one patch of land isn't always representative of the whole landscape. I have such limited experience that any opinion or guess would be ill-founded, but I wonder what the number of independent knife makers are as compared to what people here consider the golden age of collecting? It seems to me like there are a lot of guys wanting to learn how to make knives, but maybe that's just an impression without basis in fact?
 
Lansky1 said:
I only have 1 Queen - a large frame toothpick. Superb knife. I have had 6 S&M's ... each of them was lousey for many different reasons & I never kept any of them (I'm talking not nearly as well made as a modern era mass produced Case). That Queen toothpick though is outstanding ... this is too bad for the knife community at large.

I have a theory that I don't think has been mentioned yet ... in the old days, all you had were traditional slip joints and everybody carried a pocket knife (even my grandfather who was a banker). Today, even if a young man has an interest in pocket knives (which is rare), it will likely be slanted toward tacticals/lock blades of all shapes and sizes - which are the "cool" knives. Quality traditionals (for the most part) appeal to us who are long in the tooth, with $$ to spend on collectible things, and unfortunately represent a dying breed. Plus the fact that I'm the only one out of maybe 25 guys in my office that even carries a pocket knife (the secretaries always come to me when they need a package opened). I think it's a bigger problem and much of the downfall of the knife industry is cultural ... even the few guys I work with who hunt, don't carry a pocket knife regularly. I really think the USA made quality traditional slipjoint market share is so limited, Case, Buck & GEC cover the bases ... the lesser known companies are destined to struggle today
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I'm youngish (41) and own traditional pocket knives as well as modern the problem is it's 2018 I don't want dead trees, dead animal parts, or plastic on my knives. Give me an aluminum/titanium frame and bolsters, CF/Micarta/G10 covers and a stainless blade and I'll buy all day long, but everyone thinks a high end slip joint needs steel and dead stuff. If these companies want to continue they need to appeal to me and the younger and we like different stuff.
 
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