Hey Bob, put me on the list for a BF version, too. Will that be in ATS-34 or 1095? Both the Fang and the Utility? Only in green?
I definitely think you should reconsider ditching your neck knife line-up. Just do a search on "neck knives," "REKAT Fang," etc. in either this forum or, even more importantly, in the Knife Reviews forum. NEVER a bad word about your knives. In fact, the reason why I purchased a Fang was b/c of the copious praise heaped upon it. I've never looked back (but continue to look around, but that's really a obsessive/compulsive thing)
I called you about a month ago and ordered a belt clip for my ATS-34 Fang sheath and you ended up telling me that you were discontinuing your neck knife line b/c you didn't want to compete w/ "El Cheapo," as you put it. Besides that, you said you felt that everyone took REKAT's idea. Well, look at it this way: imitation is the best form of flattery, even in capitalism. Take Spyderco's hole and clip ideas. Everyone's emulating those traits, but has that really drasitcally diminished Spyderco's market? I think what you've done w/ the Fang and the Utility is establish a LOYAL customer base(me especially) for your neck knives and knives in general. I wanted to tell you that day that I was pretty upset that you were going to quit making them, but I didn't want to tell you what to do (like I am now). But looking at the responses to this, I'm gonna come out and say it: Don't do it (please don't kick my ass)! I like my ATS-34 Fang, would love a 1095 version, would love a NATO Green version, a blue version, would really love a Gold TiNi version, and would like the same versions on a Utility. I realize the coating on your 1095s should make it much higher in price, but who's to say we won't pay $70.00 or $80.00 (maybe more?) for such goodies, now that you've established a customer base? I personally like the prices where they are, but that's b/c I'm a poor recent college grad. After all, other neck knives are also going for prices that high, and in my opinion, people are wasting their money. And no matter how many people recomment such and such, or this custom maker, or that one, when it comes to what neck knife is recommended the most (at least from what I've seen), in all aspects, is the REKAT Fang or Utility. That's why I think you should keep making them, if you want to look at it in an economic light. You don't even have to advertise, people say good things; you don't have to brag about who's best at what like Lynn Thompson does, your cusomers do that for you, and get newbies like me to buy more. That's the bottom line: People like the Fang/Utility and are buying them. Maybe your market share is dwindlng b/c of other models flooding the market, but I really think those people come around (I tried a STIFF KISS, a CS Para-Edge, which sucked like hell, looked at some custom makers, and THEN asked others--they said go w/ REKAT). I hope this plea might put some thoughts of reversal in your mind, combined w/ everyone else's assorted levels of complaint. In any case, enough of this harassment; it is your decision after all (you like the guilt trip/reverse psychology bit there?).
