- Joined
- Oct 28, 2006
- Messages
- 13,363
There's been threads on forums and discussions both positive and negative regarding what's in the future and what direction the ABS and the Reno show will take. Leaving all the political views out of this thread, I just want to say what a pleasure it is to attend the Reno Show. I haven't been to a show where you feel more welcome whether you buy thousands of dollars of customs a year or just someone looking for their first. This was my second in three years and both seemed more like a gathering of friends and knife lovers rather than about the sales. I think the size of the show may have something to do with it, but the makers definitely do.
The makers that I have bought from and many that I have talked to have figured it out. Making a great knife does not necessarily make you a great maker. It's the eagerness to teach, the interest in other makers and collectors, the drive to make better, the love for knives and just treating people right. I remember going to my first Blade Show and hesitantly going up to tables of several icons of the custom knife industry and being treated like I mattered. Them knowing I was a newbie but showing me things without treating me like one. At another show one maker took me to the Banyan Bay booth and showed me what to look for when buying ivory. Yes, just a group of good old boys doing what they like to do, sharing their knowledge and going out of there way to treat people right.
The makers that I have bought from and many that I have talked to have figured it out. Making a great knife does not necessarily make you a great maker. It's the eagerness to teach, the interest in other makers and collectors, the drive to make better, the love for knives and just treating people right. I remember going to my first Blade Show and hesitantly going up to tables of several icons of the custom knife industry and being treated like I mattered. Them knowing I was a newbie but showing me things without treating me like one. At another show one maker took me to the Banyan Bay booth and showed me what to look for when buying ivory. Yes, just a group of good old boys doing what they like to do, sharing their knowledge and going out of there way to treat people right.
