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JK Knives

JK Knives

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Joined
Mar 6, 2001
Messages
28,117
I`m taking a break from making knives for few days. I need some time to figure out what to do next, to be able to keep making knives. The designs I think are good, don`t seem to catch on, and the new handles did not really get any interest, so maybe it`s time to try something else. It`s brainstorming time! :D
 
I`ve got my brother coming over Monday to brainstorm with me, and if any of you have any ideas, feel free to email me, or post them here.
 
I hate to sound like a broken record John but A number of them caught on for me very well, I just still haven't found the money :(
 
KYenglish said:
I hate to sound like a broken record John but A number of them caught on for me very well, I just still haven't found the money :(
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I'm of course in the same boat. I haven't been posting a lot in here lately because even though I like nearly everything posted I can't really join in.

The knife business is a finicky one. You need to gain a loyal following, which you have, and while keeping them happy you need to keep evolving to bring in more customers.
You've brought out some really interesting designs lately with some great new grinds. Hopefully people will see them and join in.
As for handles, new and unique materials are great but comfort, fit and finish are the most important keys.

As always, John. You can count on me to back you in whatever you decide. Your friendship is more important that anything to me and to a lot of us here.
 
Ive been trying to order 1 knife a month for a few months now. This month I ordered 2 plus 2 trainers.
Im very very happy with the product and turn around time you provide. Your work is awesome and if theres anything I can do to help
let me know and I will try my best. I really think just contining to put the word out there aggressivly is the key.
JUST KEEP MOVING FORWARD SIR!!!!!!
Thanks for everything
Danny
 
daniel4572 said:
Ive been trying to order 1 knife a month for a few months now. This month I ordered 2 plus 2 trainers.
Im very very happy with the product and turn around time you provide. Your work is awesome and if theres anything I can do to help
let me know and I will try my best. I really think just contining to put the word out there aggressivly is the key.
JUST KEEP MOVING FORWARD SIR!!!!!!
Thanks for everything
Danny
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I agree, and there are about 3 or 4 of you guys doing it. It`s appreciated! I`ve been spending some time today working on designs, one a sort of puuko, and one a boot/chute knife style.
 
I don't think the problem is in your lineup of designs and models, you already have a wide range that
covers pretty much every nook and cranny in the fixed blade market.

I think the reason more people aren't ordering your knives is because they either don't know
about them or when they see one they'd like they don't
pull the trigger because there is another maker out there that shows more results when you type in "Google" or "YouTube"

People are social animals by nature and want some reassurance when they buy something new, cool and fairly
expensive.

The word just has to get out there, YouTube is a good idea if someone here has some good orientation
skills.
 
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Youtube is a great idea to start posting and reviewing your blades John. I look up knives all the time on there and have bought blades because of a great review.
 
ivan51 said:
Youtube is a great idea to start posting and reviewing your blades John. I look up knives all the time on there and have bought blades because of a great review.
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Hopefully someone will do some and put them on there!
 
This might sound stupid, but maybe you're knives aren't priced high enough? In marketing a person might think the lowest price you can still get by with would be the best seller, but often it's not. Too expensive and people are scared off, that's true, but if a person wants to buy a $400 knife they often won't even look at a $175 one. Example- I now a guy that's a master carpenter and speaker designer. He was hit up to submit a drawing for a living room table for a rich doctor. The guy designs a beautiful table, the guy likes it, but he was looking to spend $18,000 not $8,500! The doc's interior decorator/designer gets ahold of him again and tells him, 'Tweak the design slightly and add $10,000 to it and he'll bite." Sure enough, he did and the guy bought it! I'm not saying that's the magic bullet, but it can be an issue. Too expensive for the guys that buy Buck and Gerber but too cheap for the guys shopping for a Busse.

It seems to me that the rage right now is for "Bushcrafter" and "combat" knifes. It seems like any copy of a Bushlore can be sold for $300 and people don't bat an eye. It could be that people want a little more exotic handles, too.

But the big thing could be promotion. Do you do the Blade show? Seems like I hadn't heard of your knives til Dad showed them to me...and I'm kind of a knife nerd. I really do think that making some videos would help a lot. A digital camera is dirt cheap, your phone will probably do video. It's not hard to upload one to YouTube, either. If you don't know how I'm sure there are lots of guys that you could send the file to that would do it.

Have you considered offering to loan one to one of the guys with popular channels? Adam Francis and EquippedToEndure does tons of knife reviews and gets a lot of hits. CutlerlyLover also has a huge following.

You may also have to go to where the users are. That might mean signing up at BushcraftUSA, PWP at KnifeForums.com, etc.

There's no doubt your knives are superb, John. It might just be matter of getting the word out better. If there's one area you could "improve" (and I hate to put it that way since I actually prefer simplicity) it might be that some of them could be "fancier" or more ostentatious. Again, I prefer clean lines but maybe a high polish, some figured wood or fancier patterned micarta, and maybe a little brass on there could kick up perception of the knives.

I'm just spitballing, tossing out some ideas I have.
 
I think that more exposure would help a lot.

The only video I remember seeing is the one Andy did when he had the ViKtim.

Have you considered making a knife and donating it to one of the Youtube reviewers in exchange for a video or two with your knife?
 
While I don't have a knife from you yet, I can say based off of our interactions that you will be my go to guy for the future:) You fill a niche for a custom maker who will build designs people send in or customize ones you already have designed yet keeping it at a price that a working man with a family (first child to me and my wife was born yesterday!!) can afford. I have ideas of knives I would love to have you make for me that I will send you in the future (once money allows).
As for little things that you could try that in my opinion could help....

1 - Offer different steel options... A2, S30V, 3V etc... I know that changes cost, heat treat etc, but would get the "super steel" fanboys involved... and they pay top dollar;)
2 - Youtube is amazing when it comes to selling a product. Get some guys to do reviews for some of your products and get them out there (that was the first place I looked when I was considering ordering from you)
3 - Play around with the website... maybe hire a designer to put together a real nice looking page with Hi rez and multiple angle photos. (something else I looked for - spine shots, handle profile shots etc.)
4 - I think you have some really nice designs as well... very practical and attractive. You have, in my opinion, a very good design for almost every application that at least I could want a blade... and if I was "that" specific, I would still go with you because you make full customs and I would design my own.
5 - Get some pics of your sheaths up on your website as well... and maybe list options such as Firesteel loop, kydex, etc. Some knife buyers are very picky about picking a "complete" package and having actual pictures of what they can expect for sheaths could help.
6 - Marketing - probably the biggest factor. This is the reasons "Blu Ray" won over the "HD DVD". I used to be in a band and had a guy "advise" me that "10% of your fans can do 90% of your marketing work". Having a very strong core group that promotes you is very helpful. I am involved on the ESEE forum and am putting a good name in for you... I plan on doing a review when i receive my knife and will put my opinion there. Why? Because I want you to get the business you deserve:) This forum is a good example of that. Possibly come up with creative ways to "encourage" your core group... Knife pass arounds (another good way of getting your designs out and more reviews), special member only models or serialized for members etc. etc. etc.
7 - Some sort of payment plan. This is something I have seen other makers do that I am fond of... say they want a $200 knife, but can't pay that up front, they can "make payments" on it (say $50 a month) until it is payed for. Then you can put them on the waiting list.

Be encouraged you do a great job:) The economy isn't the best either right now and it is heading in to winter time when people are planning for the holidays etc and may be more conservative.

These things are just my $.02 :)
 
I don't like the idea of being on video but maybe I can try a few; doing the pocket knives, designing a knife and making a cardboard cut out of s design to send?, just my hands kind of a thing. I'll give it a shot, my camera shoots video though i don't know how high quality it'd be, or need to be for youtube.

JK Knives said:
Anyone know how to do a youtube video, or would care to do one?
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Thanks for all the ideas coming in, I` going to review them, and see which of them I can and can`t do.
 
I'm glad to see you doing chute style and other sharpened swedge designs. I think that'll pull some people in. I think I asked you about a chute knife ages ago. Good luck John, looking forward to seeing those supporter knives.
 
I really like the new handle designs and was >< this close to pulling the trigger on the Model 1, just didn't have the funds. Youtube videos sound like a good idea. If I had a video recorder I might give it a shot. Maybe in the next month or so I will pick one up.
 
I am in agreement with those that say you need more exposure. You have a great following here. You make great knives at a good price.

You are pretty well known around the outdoors forum, but maybe not many other forums. I am guilty of not being able to order from you recently, but I do my best to champion you products.

I realize this is stating the obvious, but you need to be targeting people that aren't buying your knives. I like the idea of the you tube videos. Maybe sending a knife to someone who does the online reviews.

The viktim pass around was a cool idea, that got some good publicity. Maybe also some small giveaways, just to bring some traffic to your forum. Alot of newer members search the term "giveaway".

I wish I was able to support you more, but like many, things are tight. I am loving the new stuff coming out of your shop, but I just don't have the extra funds right now. I think it may be like that for alot of people, so getting alot more exposure is the thing that should increase the sales.
 
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