Smoky Mountain Catalog.... I find it odd...

DeSotoSky

DeSotoSky

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... that given the long history between Smoky Mountain and Buck knives the newest 90 page catalog only managed to have "1" page of Buck knives. Not going anywhere with this, just a comment on something I noticed this morning.
 
I don't usually see that many Buck models listed so probably par for the course. About the only Bucks I buy from them, and I've never bought anything but Bucks are the limited editions like the 110/112 combo from earlier this year.

I can usually find my Bucks cheaper or at least with cheaper shipping else where.
 
got today. 13 or so pages and a front fold out of case, and 1 page of buck.

not much on the buck unless ya like the rivals, quickfire, and Chinese made traditionals.
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That's me, an old timer that's trying to use the computer... o_O

I guess my meaning was they should have more in the catalog because they do offer quite a few bucks on their website...
 
The last catalog was about 90 pages and Buck had four pages so one page in a little 13 page mailer seems reasonable. The last catalog featured lots of the U.S. made classics so they must have wanted to mix it up for this one. Ive only been getting their catalog a little while and I'm continually surprised at the knives they include and the ones they don't.
 
It surprised me too. More because of the selection rather than the amount. That was the oddest part to me. There should be at least one 110 in there. I reckon they didn't want to take away from the Rough Rider selection which took up half the dang catalog. I think they own Rough Rider or something like that though...
 
I dont understand the Rough Rider knives, Hen and Rooster, ETC.
 
Deere Man said:
The last catalog was about 90 pages and Buck had four pages so one page in a little 13 page mailer seems reasonable. The last catalog featured lots of the U.S. made classics so they must have wanted to mix it up for this one. Ive only been getting their catalog a little while and I'm continually surprised at the knives they include and the ones they don't.
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it was just 13 pages of case knives. it's much bigger than 13 pages. I didn't count but maybe 30 or 40 pages..give or take. Im guessing though as I didnt count them all.
 
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Have any of you guys visited their location in Tennessee? I just went for the first time last week. Place is awesome. I really enjoyed the old knives displayed on the walls. It was like a museum. For as big a venue as it is, Buck's area wasn't really that much square footage. It was on the 2nd floor and I'd count probably 5-6 glass cases. Their Rough Rider section had more than 10 cases and Hen & Rooster the same, so I think their big sellers are the traditional folders. I saw lots of people congregating around the traditional knives area. Might be why their catalogs focus more on those brands than on Buck.

By the way, some of the knives I noticed that were listed as "sold out" on their website, were in stock at the store.
 
Spent about 3hrs there this past May!! WOW!! What a store!! Bought 3 CASE knives and a Esse HM3 while there.. Wife had a good time also..:D. John
 
jbmonkey said:
it was just 13 pages of case knives. it's much bigger than 13 pages. I didn't count but maybe 30 or 40 pages..give or take. Im guessing though as I didnt count them all.
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Ahhh in my haste I misunderstood what you were saying. In that case only one page with just imports does seem lacking.
 
RevolverGuy said:
Have any of you guys visited their location in Tennessee? I just went for the first time last week. Place is awesome. I really enjoyed the old knives displayed on the walls. It was like a museum. For as big a venue as it is, Buck's area wasn't really that much square footage. It was on the 2nd floor and I'd count probably 5-6 glass cases. Their Rough Rider section had more than 10 cases and Hen & Rooster the same, so I think their big sellers are the traditional folders. I saw lots of people congregating around the traditional knives area. Might be why their catalogs focus more on those brands than on Buck.

By the way, some of the knives I noticed that were listed as "sold out" on their website, were in stock at the store.
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With rough rider occupying roughly double the real estate that Buck has, it would be interesting to know how many different stock numbers each company has. The business model for RR seems similar to that of Case meaning that they have a bunch of different patterns that they produce with a bunch of different handle scales or other small variations. RR also has the luxery of greatly reduced cost in tooling for all those different models because the factory is in China, meaning they can produce a larger variety of patterns including some of the lesser known patterns. That's not really the route that Buck takes. I wouldn't be surprised if RR produces twice as many different models as Buck does.

That said, being a big fan of Bucks, I do find it sad they don't have a bigger presence in the catalogs. It means some folks are missing out on owning American made quality knives.
 
Given the rise of internet sales, I think print catalogs play a very different role today than they did, say, just 10 years ago.

My hunch (just a hunch) is the SMKW's catalog is primarily directed to customers without regular internet access, which (speaking very broadly) means lower income. This may explain the focus on low cost brands like Rough Rider, zombie killers and Buck's value oriented knives.

I'm not saying that middle and upper income buyers might not get (or even enjoy) the SMKW catalog. Just thinking out loud that the purpose of the catalog is to reach folks who aren't online regularly.
 
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