want expensive knife but can't touch it first - what do you do?

M

Mrgauth

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Mar 12, 2016
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I am eyeing a Hinderer Half Track but there are no knife stores even remotely near me that carry higher end knives. Hate buying something so expensive without knowing if I would even like it or not the second I get it in hand. I did that with a Chris Reeves Inkosi and returned it. Felt bad doing it but just didn't like the knife. I know you can usually return it but then I feel these knife stores kind of keep track of buyers who return 'often' and will eventually quit selling to you.

So, I usually just never get to try them or have to deal with the exchange route on a knife I just got ten minutes ago. You always lose money that route.

Curious how you guys who in my boat of never getting to see these knives first handle this dilemma.

Almost wish online stores had a knife-in-hand tryout program where they have one knife of each type they just ship around for us to check out. Take the users credit card info and don't charge unless the knife is not returned in a certain time frame. Charge $10 bucks to check it out and I bet after it goes out enough to be checked out they would pay for it. Plus, they wouldn't lose because they have the tryers credit card info and could always bill them. Then at the end of the year have a 'floor' model sale on those passed around knives.

I dunno, just thinking out loud. I just really want to touch a couple of knives before I plop down $500 for them.
 
That's a challenge, for sure. Don't know if this will work, but a couple things I've tried:

1. Contact the knife maker, see if any dealers in your area.
2. Ping folks on the forum either here or in the manufacturer's forums, see what the experiences have been with the knife.
3. When you finally decide to buy, get it from a place that you KNOW has good return policy just in case. I just got a ZT 0452cf , beautiful knife and it worked merely OK, but not what I thought it should for that price, the detent was WAY too stiff to open it. Returned it to the dealer, no questions asked.
 
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There was a thread similar to this(about ordering a knife to get it in hand, and returning it). I remember USA Made Blades(Whitty) chimed in saying he had no issues with someone doing such a thing. They also happen to be the perfect place to get your hands on a Half Track as well. Maybe he could give you more information about the knife in question.
 
I literally just did what the OP is talking about, myself, and took some risk. I ordered a new Bradford Guardian 4, should be arriving next week with new custom sheath from Bob at Survival Sheath Systems. Nobody carries Bradfords retail that I could find, even though the maker is located right here in Washington state, about a 90-minute drive from where I live. I decided for a $250 knife, I'd just ping the forum for feedback, and take my chances. The feedback about the Bradfords if you search around is overwhelmingly positive, also I called Bradford and spoke to the guy who owns the company, very friendly and responsive to questions, very customer service oriented. In the end buying it sight unseen IS a slight risk, but after doing a little research, I'm not that worried about it. Worst case, I don't like it and sell the knife plus a great custom sheath to somebody here on the forum, maybe take a $30 to $50 hit for the fact I tried it out. That's not THAT devastating of a loss.
 
I did some research on knife shows and had to wait a few weeks and drove just over an hour away to goto a knife show. Found only a few models I was interested in and got to see a whole lot of custom knives I'd never heard of before. Something like blade show and usn g9 are really huge knife shows that have far more stuff from a lot of manufacturers but you may have to fly to get there. Think Vegas and Atlanta for them.

You could buy used or trade on the bladeforums exchange or elsewhere (careful tho, lots of scammers out side of bf). And sell it if you don't like it.

You could also email a vendor and talk to them about trying them out or not. They may not have an issue. I'd pick some thing else out if you don't like that.

The other thing is to watch reviews on YouTube. Some people like nick Shabazz give his opinion on knives. You just got to keep an open mind that you may not have the same experience he does (or any. Review for that matter).

Do a search for the knife in question on the forum. Then reply to one that you can ask your questions about. If one is not already open or it's off topic from the other open threads... Make a thread asking about it. You can always open a thread describing what you want in a knife and for others to suggest options with your criteria.
 
The big gun and knife show in Dallas is the only time I get to handle the nice ones. The rest of the time I try to do lots of research and sometimes make a cardboard mockup for size if need be.

I don't return knives if I make a mistake. I resale at a loss, give a good deal to one of my BF brothers or friends and move on.

As long as it's ok with the dealer, I see no problem with returning a knife.
 
I'm in the same boat as the OP.
There is a brick & mortar "tactical" store in my area that is fairly well stocked with ZT and usually has a few of the popular BM models. Outside of that, I'm taking it on faith.

Along with detent concerns, this has kept me out of the Hinderer market, on the exchange or otherwise.

I once purchased and returned a Lionsteel from one of the big online knife retailers. There was nothing wrong with the knife; upon unboxing, it just wasn't for me. I was refunded and was only out postage and a bit of hassle. I had emailed them prior to the purchase to make sure they would support a return under those circumstances.

These days, until I've handled a model to ensure I like it, I won't make a purchase unless I've found a really killer deal. It helps keep my spending down, which is a good thing.
 
I'm in the same situation when it comes to the more unusual blades I think I might like. Not much for knife shops where I live.

While it might not help immediately, start paying attention to which members on blade forums frequently come to the same conclusions and opinions as you on various knives that you have experience with and why they felt that way about the knife, as well as those that you almost always disagree with. That will let you determine how much weight to give an individual member's opinions on knives you're researching on here before buying as it relates to what works for you. You can even search knives you loved or hated to help you start deciding who's close to your taste in knives and who isn't. It's not foolproof since we're all individuals, but it can really help. I know it's helped me.
 
I never go into a knife-shop and have bought many knives "unseen" other than in forum pics. It's not a problem, IMO. I buy knives that are advertised as NIB...or opened only for pics...with return privileges in case it is misrepresented.
OF course, I buy on the Exchange here, and immediately resell those which I don't like..., the net result that very few of them stick around very long.
And, yes, I take a hit on many of them. This is NOT a cheap hobby.
 
I have a difficult time returning a knife to the dealer because I just don't like it. I try to reserve that option for when there is something legitimately wrong with the knife. If it's something I have reason to feel I might dislike, I generally wait for a deal on the Exchange; hopefully minimizing my loss if I choose to resell. (That obviously doesn't always work - in which case I put the knife away for a while...I can reevaluate, or repost, later)
 
I usually am okay with the size, weight, and looks cuz I can get all that online, but how it FEELS in hand, how smooth it is, does it destroy your thumb when closing 1/2 dozen times in a row, etc can, for me anyway, only be determined by holding it. I like big knives, for example, love Ti, love frame locks, and love Spyderco. So, I bought a K2 and when I got it in hand I hated it. It had more hot spots than Sophia Vergara and the lock stick caused it to kill my thumb when closing. It was gone on the exchange quicker than breathable air at chili eating competition.

I will just take a chance and take the hit I guess. Much of what you guys said was good advice and food for thought. Thanks.
 
Since returning the knife is an option at just about every online dealer , I don't really see the problem.

But I like the idea of finding out about local brick and mortar shops relatively close in order to drive there and handle said knife in person. If the OP is insistent on hands-on time with the knife then this is the way to go.

Personally , I have no issue buying an expensive knife ($500 and up is what I consider expensive) online since returning a knife to the online dealers I shop at is never a problem.
 
Yup, it's the feel that makes or breaks it.
My most recent dilemma - the SteelCraft Bodega. The numbers showed it was a big knife...but neither the OAL, nor the weight, was a deal killer for me. My concern was that it would feel too big (mainly due to the height). I passed by several offerings, until I found one that got my attention. I bought the knife... and while I recognized the quality, I wasn't wowed by it. I did like it, though, so I stuck it in my pocket. Pulled it out to use it, stopped, and put it back in my pocket because I knew it had to go. Why? I didn't like the way the jimping on the lockbar felt when I gripped the knife. Posted it up at a lower price than any currently on the Exchange, and got no takers. Offered it in trade on a couple of knives that interested me, and got turned down. The thing is still sitting in its box, in a drawer of my desk. One of these days, I'll pull it back out & see if I still feel the same way. Until then, the knife serves as a reminder to pay attention to the voice that tells me not buy things... because it's usually right.
 
You will love the Half Track - no doubt. But I second USA Made Blade for completely hassle free, no restocking fee, fast payment returned experience.

I bought one of the Hoback MK Ultras not fully understanding how small it was. I stewed on it for about a week and then emailed Scott and explained my mistake. He made it so simple and regret free. I've bought a few other things from them since then. USA Made Blade is tops.
 
Mo2 said:
...The other thing is to watch reviews on YouTube. Some people like nick Shabazz give his opinion on knives. You just got to keep an open mind that you may not have the same experience he does (or any. Review for that matter)...
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more... Have learned so much from YT.

And Nick is one of the very best there... honest, objective, intelligent, humorous, entertaining, even-tempered.

Have spent many a dollar w/o regret based on his reviews and the knives he chooses to review/disassemble/maintain...

Thanks,
-Sid
 
I think the risk of a store banning you is very remote. I'd imagine that would only happen in the case of clear fraud, or someone really abusing the system.

I'll admit to returning a lot of knives (I do keep more than I return) and have never had a store ban me. Even amongst the stores that say they'll charge restocking fees for serial returners, I don't think I've ever gotten classified as such.

A few general rules I try to keep in mind:
  • If you do return a few knives, you should definitely buy something eventually. I don't know the exact profit margins stores have, but I'd expect that even if you bought 3-4 Hinderers and kept only one, they'd still make a profit off the deal.
  • Keep the knives in the exact same condition you got them, including packaging, etc., until you're sure you're keeping it. Think of it as trying the knife out at the counter at the store - don't do anything you wouldn't do at the counter.
  • If you're on the fence about a knife and think there's a reasonable chance you'll return it, skip the free shipping and pay for USPS Priority. I think a lot of the dealer cost in returns is the outbound shipping.
  • Decide as soon as possible if you want to return it, and return it with USPS Priority. The faster it gets back to the dealer, the better.
I think that applies fairly well to readily available production knives. Rarer knives, and customs, may be a trickier subject in that the store is losing sales while you have it in your possession.

I have also found that for new releases, if it's in LNIB condition, you can probably resell it (e.g., on this forum) for pretty much what you paid for it. You're paying shipping either way, so all you're out is the PayPal fees; someone who may have missed the knife at the original release gets a second shot; and the dealer doesn't need to deal with a return.

If any dealers disagree with any of that - please let me know - I'd love to check my assumptions against actual practice.
 
My general method has been to haunt the buy/sell subforums and ebay until the desired item comes up at a good price and buy it. If I don't like it, I put it back on the market at a price where I don't lose money on shipping and fees. It can take a long time for certain models, but, so what? It's not like I'm going to encounter a cutting task that only that knife could handle while I wait.

As long as it isn't a super rare limited release or something, which the Half-Track certainly isn't, I wouldn't stress about it. Just wait until you can get one pre-owned and you'll have the benefit of both generally knowing the condition and behavior of the knife before you buy it AND you'll have a knife you won't be afraid to use if you choose to keep it.
 
Some great advice. Thx. I am on the fence about the half track. Size is my concern. Looks really small. I may just have to bite the bullet and if too small return. If that knife was 3.25 inch, done deal. The other problem is there never seems to the right combination. Every time I find the one that has a scale color I like and the ano I like it has a working finish that I don’t like. And USA has very few non working finish blades to choose from. Ugh, this crap is hard. : )
 
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