Smoky Mountain Kinfe Works. Worth going?

adam0321

adam0321

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I will be going to Gatlinburg TN this week and was wondering if any one has been to Smoky Mountain Knife Works? Is it worth going to look around? Any tips? Thanks
Adam
 
It's definitely worth going. There's tons of knives to look at. However, unless they are running specials on the knives the prices are very unspectacular. I have founds some good deals though on the specials. There also is a traditional knife counter that sometimes has some spectacular slippies at decent prices. This counter will dicker with you some, while the rest usually will not. Count on spending a few hours there, as there is a ton of stuff to look at.
Hope this helps some, Roger

By the way, I was told by one of the salesman that they ran a 20%+ OFF special on everything in the store about this time of year, after Christmas/New Years. You may be hitting it just right. Good luck.
 
Was there Labor Day weekend. Definately worth going to. Plan some time to visit the knife museum inside SMKW.

The only other tip that I really have is try to stay off of the main drag that runs from Sevierville to Gatlinburg if you can. Can't recall the route number. 16 maybe? You have to take that route to get to SMKW but it can get really backed up real bad. Our resort was in Sevierville and it still took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to get from the interstate (I40?) to our resort.
There are roads that go around the main drag but we didn't look into that in advance. Do some homework and get to know those roads before you go.

But yeah, SMKW was a real good time. You will enjoy it.

Have fun!
 
I went thru there just after Thanksgiving an ran into a 20 mile back up due to an accident on the fwy; got off and went to SMKW. Spent a couple hours. No really great prices, but if you find something you're looking for it's okay. The museum is good, and empty of people when I was there. The basement is good too, lots of stuff you wouldn't expect. They need to take a lesson from Bass Pro and have food and drink available (other than vending machines).
 
Yea,Its a must see for a knife guy.Everything from glitzy junk with a blade to rare antique folders and hunters.Usually a deal on some closeouts and stuff they buy 5 million of.Beautiful area,id like to go back.Have fun!
 
I live 2 hours from there. Definitely worth going. the place is huge, i spend a decent amount of time whenever i am there.

Its where i go whenever i want to get my hands on a knife that i am thinking of buying, since they have such a large amount of knives and amount of brands
 
I enjoy going to the store. It is definitely worth going. I rotate between Bass Pro and Smoky Mt Knife Works when I pass along I-40 and have some time. That is usually on my way back from a job. I buy knives there. But you can often get them for a little less if you shop around a bit. It is pretty amazing how many knives they have there. I go there to look at stuff I have never handled before.

Great place to stock up on kitchen type knives. They have quite a selection from cheap to OMG.
 
been there a handful of times, neat place to see.....pigeon forge is like a year round carnival....there is a neat tool place right next door that is usually worth a visit also
 
Well worth your time. There's some great stuff there and some pure crap (that's fun to look at nonetheless). There's a Coleman store right across the street that's also worth some time. After that, if you are feeling peckish, there's a Bennet's BBQ in Gatlinburg (and another in Pigeon Forge) - the Smokehouse Chicken is good enough to make you slap your grandma.

There are a couple of good hiking stores in G-Burg - the best is the one on the southwest side of town. Also in the area (in Townsend) is Little River Outfitters - best fly shop in the area. Hope you have a great time there!


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Beckerhead #42
 
I am about an hour away,love stopping in from time to time.I have gotten really good deals on clearance knives in the past.
 
I didn't like it. A lot of junk, a lack of newer models, high prices, and a lack of higher end knives made it a waste of time. You might like the museum though.
 
adam0321 said:
cool thanks. Do they offer knife sharpening service?
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Yep, they've got sharpening service and just about anything else you can think of. I live about 30 minutes away from SMKW. It's a cool place to stop in and waste a couple of hours.
 
Well I went and I must say I did not spend as much money as I thought. I bought my wife a Mora. No effort on my part. We both hike a lot and she just walked up and saw the Mora and said she would feel better with a knife in her pack. I also picked up a few gifts for friends. To include a willow tree doll for my grand mother. It was a great trip and I enjoyed the store.

However, the prices are not great. Not horrible but not great. The staff that I encountered knew very little about knives. I asked if they sold brkt of BHK it took 4 employees before one was familiar with the company's I was referring to. I did not feel the store was very well organized. In my opinion they need to get rid of all the dog picture frames, rattle snake toys, and other flea market junk and just stick to knives.

The knife sharpening service was only $1.00 a blade regardless of size. However when I asked if he could re-profile a blade he had no idea what I was talking about. when I asked him to put a specific grind on the knife he said he could not do it. I got each knife back, one duller then when I gave it to them, and the other did not really have an edge to speak of but still will not cut para cord.

If I had the choice I would go again for the experience but I would caution others to have to high expectations for the store.
 
I vacationed in Gatlinburg last July. I visited twice because the store is so big. They have a monsterous selection. They had some closeouts on some CRKTs, but not too much else. The prices are high. If you have ever gotten a flawed blade in the mail you will appreciate having the opportunity to scrutinize your knife in the store before you take it home. They had stacks of knife boxes in shelves behind the display counter. If you collect knives you should definately make the pilgrimage to SMKW. Leave the wife and kids at the hotel; they will ruin the experience.:o You will need AT LEAST two hours to look at everything they have.;)
 
Keep in mind they have to keep the tourist items to make the overhead.
The store has been enlarged several times over the years and that does make the layout a bit weird.Before the last expansion it was much more organized than it is now.All the name brand knives were in that little center area of show cases.Now you have to go looking for some makers like Sog,SAK,Gerber and a couple others.
 
adam0321 said:
The staff that I encountered knew very little about knives. I did not feel the store was very well organized. In my opinion they need to get rid of all the dog picture frames, rattle snake toys, and other flea market junk and just stick to knives.
Click to expand...

Very true about staff knowledge. I would be suprised if the majority of their staff carried or used knives on a regular basis. I was very disappointed that they didn't have a better selection of knife sheaths also. All I could find was a bin full of junk sheaths, very little nylon folder sheaths too.:confused:
 
Very true about the staff.
I think they have maybe 2 people there that really know knives.
From what I have heard it is very hard to find any kind of decent workers around that area.Many seem to be drifters like the type that work in beach stores in the summer.
 
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