Went to a knife store and fell in love with Al Mar's Shrike!

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kgriggs8

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I went to one of those knife stores in the mall today to pick out a new carry knife and after picking up most of the Benchmade and Speydercos (I don't know how you spell it!), I wasn't really thrilled. I almost left with the info on the BM 960 and BM 732 with the intent to do a little online research into what a good price would be when I picked up an AL Mar Shrike. I was blown away by the quality and feel of this knife!

How does it compare to Benchmade and other makers in the same price range? My thoughts were that it was better than the Benchmade knives I was looking at but I wanted to get some of you guys to chime in.

Any info you can tell me is needed as I have never seen an Al Mar knife in person until this day.

I see them on E-Bay for about $108-120, is that a good price or can I do better? I have not bought it yet. The store wanted $230 for it but I knew that was going to be high. They wanted $220 for the BM 960 as well. :rolleyes: What is the best and cheapest place to get an Al Mar Shrike?

I am going to put a want ad in to see if anyone has one they are getting rid of.
 
Al Mar is a well respected company started by the late Al Mar. Nice high quality stuff. Hope you enjoy your VG10 Shrike!
 
Nothing wrong with your tastes. The Shrike is one cool folder, and is on my "Gotta Have" list. :)
 
I purchased a Benchmade 732 online sight-unseen for $99. The 730 series is excellent, comfortable grip even when strongly grasped. In my opinion, best handle ergonomics I've felt. Strong spear point blade, and at 3.6" as close to ideal as it gets for me. Tip up, reversible clip, very well made. Hope you enjoy whatever you choose.
 
kgriggs8 said:
... when I picked up an AL Mar Shrike. I was blown away by the quality and feel of this knife!

... What is the best and cheapest place to get an Al Mar Shrike?

I am going to put a want ad in to see if anyone has one they are getting rid of.
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A knife is a very individual decision. If it feels right, it fits your hand, you like the looks of it, that's the knife for you. Anyone else's opinion can't tell you how it feels in your hand or how it matches your needs or expectations of a very personal tool.

Those E-Bay prices were pretty good. One Stop Knife Shop is also competitive and they are the store behind these forums.

I've bought most of my knives in recent years off other guys on the sales forums.
 
I agree that Al Mar is on par with Benchmade in the finish dept. I do have a little bone of contention, though. Benchmade products are pieced together by precisely finished parts, and then screwed together, and that is the finished product. Al Mar knives are put together, and then have the edges polished, ground, etc. to make the fit. That is what gives them the perfectly smooth feel. Although this has no bearing on the actual quality of the knife, it is still something that bothers me a bit. YMMV.

This in no way keeps me from wanting a Shrike, though.:D It's just the lack of any guard or finger choil, or the like that keeps me from jumping on one right away.

DD
 
Daniel Dorn wrote:
This in no way keeps me from wanting a Shrike, though. It's just the lack of any guard or finger choil, or the like that keeps me from jumping on one right away.
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Ditto.

This folder would be a home run if it had a flipper/guard extension on it or even a finger choil. Too bad...

Al Mar makes great knives with very good fit and finish. I just don't understand the reasoning behind this design. It screams for a design tweak. :confused:

I wonder if they'll try making one with a choil or a flipper if approached with the idea?
 
"It screams for a design tweak."

I have come to learn that almost everything screams for a design tweak! Whatever product there is, it is never quite perfect and someone can find a few things that they would improve on.

I have become more of a take it as it comes kind of guy. If there is a knife or a gun that not right for me, I pass on it and look for something else. Nothing at the knife store was perfect but out of every knife that I looked at, the Shrike was the closest. I would prefer it to have had a flat ground Warncliff style blade but it didn't. It does have a nice thin blade that doesn't look like it will have a problem cutting and the quality seemed out of this world from what I am used to. I am used to medium priced Benchmades, Kershaws, Gerbers and stuff like that. The Al Mar seemed closer to a custom knife quality than a production knife.
 
My old Al Mars (early 90s) were good designs made out of average materials. It's nice to see that the materials have caught up with the designs. Fit and finish seem to have got even better.
 
Last place that you would want to buy a knife.....is a "knife store" in a mall. :eek:

If I'm curious about a particular knife, I go to a mall to see if the "knife store" has it in stock. If so, I handle it, look it over, and then leave.....and buy it somewhere else. :D

I'm surprised that the "knife stores" even stays in business, charging the prices that they do..... :(
 
I have a Shrike, a SERE 200 and a couple Benchmade 941s. I think I generally like the Benchmades better, but the Al Mars are sturdy and well built knives. Both cut well and the locks seem secure in my use. A deeper finger choil on the Shrike and while screwing around with mine a few weeks it slipped in my hand and bit me. With a secure grip it's never been a problem. Grip might have been lubricated with beer that night:)

Another difference is that to my knowledge, AL Mar these days hires a designer and then has the knives made by a reputable firm in Japan. Kirk Rexroate designed the Shrike. Benchmade also does collaborations, but tends to promote the designer more and many of their knives (except the Red line I think) are still made in Oregon.

I bought my Shrike after playing with one on a pass around and don't carry it often, but it does get some pocket time. The VG10 does hold a nice edge and slices quite well. Doesn't tear through cardboard boxes like my Microtech Amphibian though....

John
 
I'm surprised that the "knife stores" even stay in business, with freeloaders coming in to see what they like, but not respecting the store enough to spend a little money in appreciation.
 
I have mixed feelings on mall knifestores.

On one hand, the prices are absurdly high. No way I'd pay $700+tax for a MT Scarab when I can get it 2 miles away for $400 OTD. Or $75 for a Delica when I can get it for $45.

On the other hand, you can't really look at mall knifestore owners as evil price gougers. They're businessmen, just like anyone else. With expenses that'd make a brick & mortar store owner pee his pants. Rent in a mall is outrageously high, plus the store might have to pay a percentage of sales on top of that. Their prices reflect this.

Besides, the different types of stores are targeting different types of customers. Mall shoppers are impulse buyers. Here's a comparison: I've talked at length to owners of both types of stores. The mall guy says he has problems keeping certain knives in stock because they sell too fast. He mentions specifically that Microtech D/A (both OTF and side openers) fly off the shelves. We're talking $700 for a Scarab, $530 for an Ultratech, and $330 for a UTX-70. People exit Radio Shack, and on their way to Orange Julius, they pass the knife shop, see the coolest knife they've ever seen, and just have to buy it. If people are willing to pay that much, why should he charge less?

The brick & mortar store owner however rarely even stocks Microtechs. His biggest sellers are Kershaw Speedsafe knives and various CRKT M-16s. Even so, he still sells loads of MTs, to repeat customers (myself included), because they know he has great prices ($400 for a Scarab, $325 for a UT62) and takes care of the customers.

In the end, how do they each make out? Probably about the same. The mall store owner wouldn't be able to sell his stuff that pricy outside of the mall, and the B&M store owner wouldn't be able to make enough money selling at those low prices and pay the mall's dues. It's all just business.

That said, I am guilty of going to the mall to check something out (usually has a better selection) before buying it at the brick and mortar store on numerous ocassions. I usually end up buying something there anyway. Not a knife, but something small, like a Tuf-Cloth or something. Something I need, but wouldn't want to buy online without buying something else so the S&H charges are reasonable. Plus, it placates my guilty conscience. I don't whom I do that for. The store, or myself.

I understand the animosity people might have towards the mall stores and the prices they charge. But I wouldn't classify them as evil moneyhoarders like Gap or Old Navy or Spencer's. In the end, you're free to shop where you wish. And so are the poor fools that overpay.
 
Paratrooper said:
Last place that you would want to buy a knife.....is a "knife store" in a mall. :eek:

If I'm curious about a particular knife, I go to a mall to see if the "knife store" has it in stock. If so, I handle it, look it over, and then leave.....and buy it somewhere else. :D

I'm surprised that the "knife stores" even stays in business, charging the prices that they do..... :(
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This really depends on the store. A number of mall stores charge MSRP and then some, so that the price could be 50% more than what you could find at a good internet site, such as 1SKS. On the other hand, several good stores charge below MSRP (although still more than you would pay over the net). This latter type of store is something that I value. The advantage of the stores is that you get to play with the knives and see how they handle. for me, this is well worth the price that I pay. I'll tell you something else. If you are known as a regular customer, they will sometimes knock a few points off the price-- and let the once-a-year-holiday-kitchen-knife buyers pick up the slack. Don't forget, these store pay a lot of money in rent, as well as a percent of the profits in many malls.

By the way, I also believe in supporting good internet sites, like the one I mentioned (and I was getting knives from 1SKS years before I had even heard of Bladeforums). they have a huge inventory, and their prices can't be beat. So basically, i believe in dividing my knife money about equally, and benefiting from both worlds.
 
Planterz,
I'm in agreement with shaldaq, I've had a lot of good luck with B&M places in malls. I've gotten a couple Brownings from an Overton's in the local plaza mall, and picked up a couple decent Columbia Rivers at a place in Rhode Island for a fair price. I think it all depends on the mall, location, and the amount of customers that they get. Higher traffic malls, usually have lower prices in my experience, because they can bank on the numbers. On the other hand, even though I buy a lot of things (mostly knives and books) on the internet, I'm someone who likes to support the B&M's when I can. On the subject of Al Mar's I haven't handled any of the folder's but I do have a sawback SERE 2000 in S30V. It's a great little knife, fit and finish are pretty good. I feel that Benchmade's are a little better in that regard but not by a lot.

Lagarto
 
Mall knife stores charge way too high prices! They must to pay the rent. I understand BUT have no desire to help them pay the rent when I can get the same product much cheaper on line at NG. They stay in business and do quite well thank you with the high traffic ignorant impulse buyers who dont know a sebenza from a shovel.

Esav seems to think "us freeloaders" should pay huge markups "in appreciation" for the joy of going into the store? Get real, they are doing just fine.
 
Sheesh! Who rang your bell? When did I say you "should" do anything? Do whatever you like, little guy. Don't listen to me ... :p
 
The bottom line is that if you want to have real stores that have displays for you to check out, you need to occasionally patronize them as well as just fondling their merchandise. If you count on everyone else to shoulder the burden, they'll just go out of business and won't be there one day when you want to handle a prospective purchase. There's a local surplus store with a tremendous selection of knives. Sometimes they'll even discount a lttle, but certainly not to online proces. I make it a point to buy something from them occasionally as they're people too and I appreciate them letting me check out their stuff. Sometimes it's a small accessory like mentioned in another post, but once in a while I'll buy a knife from them that I know I could get for a few dollars less elsewhere. Most times I don't, but I buy from them often enough that I still get greeted with a smile, and if it's Christmas eve, even a taste of single malt:)

John
 
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