The current 'Tactical Custom Folder' market = HOTTEST ever?

I always wondered about the guy that has a few cool ones and ends up with a folder that cost 5 figures by the time the bidding was over.....what's the realization the next morning?!?

I've got knives I should probably sell since they'll bring 3-5x what I paid years ago...some more than that...but I don't because I'd never be able to replace them plus I enjoy having them laying around.

Everything runs in cycles so I'm sure one of these days, with my luck, they'll be less than what I paid. ;)
 
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Kohai999 said:
Not been my experience on the Smith knives....I have made money on every one that I have sold.....which has been 8 over the last 10 years....three of those were purchased directly from John. I currently own three, one of them was EDC carry(one of the best ever), John worked his mojo on it, and it is now resting comfortably.

I also carried an R.J. Martin for four years and sold it for more than I paid for it. Someday, John and Brian will get the love that R.J. gets now, and those knives that depreciate today will go for stupid prices tomorrow.

It is not ultimately supply and demand...it is ultimately TIMING the drives those prices.....people who cannot or will not wait will pay anything to scratch that itch, rather than doing the homework required to beat the market.

What is driving the lather for Terzuola knives right now? Up until 18 months ago, many collectors didn't even know who Bob T was. That one I don't have an answer for. I think he is an absolute pioneer and the ATCF in original form is the paradigm for "gray turd" and that is said with awe and affection.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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I am a huge John W. Smith fan. My f5 is one of my favorite knives. I don't think his prices have surged because A) they are relatively easy to find and B) he has no online presence. Most of the hottest people now have a pretty extensive online presence where they can promote themselves, show off their work and build hype. I hope JWS gets the recognition he deserves but not before I get a SD3 to go with my F5.
 
Many of the knives that experience dramatic price escalation are simply the result of the age old pyramid principle. Social media today enables even faster, broader, and simpler manipulation of this than ever before. The basic scheme is nothing new to knives or any other product (e.g. stocks, houses, sugar and spices - LOL). Tactical knives are easy prey for all the elements, particularly because many are "new" and "sexy". It'll cycle through again and again. In the end, most folks doing the crazy buying aren't collectors at all - simply speculators. Buy what you love, be smart, and benefit from the slime when/as you can.
 
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Kohai999 said:
Got one of those too.;)

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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Pics?!

I got to handle this one at ECCKS:

John%20W%20Smith%20Gentlemans%20Folder.jpg


Man, now I'm thinking about making a JWS thread...

john%20w%20smith%20gold%20quartz_open_L.jpg
 
"It is not ultimately supply and demand...it is ultimately TIMING the drives those prices.....people who cannot or will not wait will pay anything to scratch that itch, rather than doing the homework required to beat the market."

The phrase "people who cannot or will not wait will pay anything to scratch that itch" pretty much defines the "demand" for an item in any collectible market.

Bob Ts knives are increasing in price for a variety of reasons. First, he stopped taking orders about 2 years ago. :( Second, his method of building has gained a lot more acceptance. Third, all buyers understand the classic nature of his work plus the proven performance of his knives over many years of hard use. He's also had three Spyderco collaborations in a row over the last 5 years...good marketing to new collectors of customs.
 
And he's got a sub-forum on a site with almost 50K members....that doesn't hurt either. ;)

Marketing has a TREMENDOUS influence on buyers these days and their perception of what's hot and what's not, IMHO....
 
Without since kind of marketing, how is anyone going to discover someone?

Bob T has been turning out high quality pieces for a long time and might as well be the godfather on the tactical folder. Considering that's what's hot now, I think he deserves all the love he is getting now.

I won an atcf in a raffle at eccks and its one of my most prized knives.

I think spyderco reintroducing the starmate helped. I know that's where I first discovered Bob.
 
Timing I think is nothing more than a measure of supply and demand. The timing is the demand right?

Looking for opinions on this, Jarosz and Turpin just made new knives for Skeltons YT live show. How would you feel if you were on their books?

I have the idea that Skelton is using his live YT show as a next step to a shopping channel knife channel. He sells at table value, drive up the subscribers on YT, sell idea to the shopping network.
 
Jarosz and Turpin will also make knives for Blade. If you are on their books, should you feel any different?
 
Scurvy092 said:
Jarosz and Turpin will also make knives for Blade. If you are on their books, should you feel any different?
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Skelton <> Blade that's for sure...yet.
But, it's a sign of the times. In a relatively short time, someone goes from unknown to star status just from riding the current wave!
 
I know Skelton's show isn't in the level of blade, I just used it as an example since it's around the corner.

Jesse has a sale on his website every month and both of them build pieces for their subforums on another site.

It's all in the name of promotion and getting your name out there. People on the books take the back seat a lot.
 
If you been watching Jesse Jarosz and/or Dustin Turpin you would know they will be very successful. Both knifemakers have nice designs, excellent build quality, great pricing and they market themselves well. They are successful regardless of a video. Anyone who says otherwise has not been paying attention.

Chuck
 
Scurvy092 said:
I know Skelton's show isn't in the level of blade, I just used it as an example since it's around the corner.

Jesse has a sale on his website every month and both of them build pieces for their subforums on another site.

It's all in the name of promotion and getting your name out there. People on the books take the back seat a lot.
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You make a solid point, the trade off for being on the books might be waiting a little longer than the lucky guy
Alpha Knife Supply said:
If you been watching Jesse Jarosz and/or Dustin Turpin you would know they will be very successful. Both knifemakers have nice designs, excellent build quality, great pricing and they market themselves well. They are successful regardless of a video. Anyone who says otherwise has not been paying attention.

Chuck
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Hey Chuck, no one has said anything but the best about those two guys. It's cool
 
to me thats irrelevant.

Anyone skilled enough to make this knife at any level is skilled enough to make this knife though all levels. It makes little difference if the maker mined the ore of the blade or bought a piece of damascus.

Badass is badass. :) YMMV
 
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