were do you buy your knives?

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pahl

pahl

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Feb 23, 2002
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Hi,
I have been looking around for a new knife. Because of my location I do not have much of a choice of places to buy from. There are not any dealers around my area. There are no knife shows that I know of. I will probly have to buy online. It would be nice to go to a knife shop or show and handle a knife befor you buy it. Its going to be hard buying online not knowing for sure just what you are getting till its in hand.

Were do you buy your knives from?

JP
South Dakota
 
If you are willing to gamble your money ... ebay. Most people put NIB knives on there and start most of them off at wholesale. Most of the time you will win it $1 more then what it started. Good luck, I am staying here to make my deals. :D Much warmer and safer.
 
pahl,
Great question!
My focus is customs so my comments are directed there,
A knife show is probably the best place, especially for a newbie: you get to see and handle the knives, and you get to compare a whole bunch of different knives and makers, and to talk to them about their knives. probably the next best thing is a reputable dealer who has a great selection and a great reputation for quality and honesty. several of them also have good return policies if you aren't happy with your purchase and may even let you trade up later. And some manage to get exclusives and have the same price as the makers. There are some first rate dealers out there and you should read the Good, Bad & Ugly forum to see who forumites think they are. At the risk of leaving out some very good ones, check out Les Robertson, KnifeArt, BladeArt. TripleAught, and Arizona Custom Knives, for starters. Sometimes you will get the best deal from other forumites right here, but be sure to check out any comments about them on GB & U. There are some great people here.
My preference is to buy directly from makers: usually because I have custom requests and want a really custom blade. many makers have web sites and are easy to talk to by phone or email. However, when you order a custom custom, you takes your chances as to how it turns out, to a point.
There are other possibilties: auction sites, ebay and whatnot. I do that from time to time, but these are riskier and, for me, less satisfying than dealing with the usual suspects :)
 
right here in the exchange section

never had a bad transaction!

there are some I wished I never traded but that is my fault. :(
 
http://www.1sks.com

So far I have bought most of my nives here, as I don't have any good places near by. They have a good selection and prices, and in my experience the customer service is great.

If you want customs then that is a whole nother story. I just ordered my first custom direct from the maker. I am still waiting for it, but so far it has been a great experience, I actually had a role in developing the knife, so it will be exactly what I want.


Erik
 
eBay. I've gotten some killer knife deals on eBay, much better than from an online store.
 
One more good dealer to list, I believe Ragnar gets two thumbs up from everyone who's dealt with him. Some very nice Scandanavian knives, his prices are good, shipping is fast.
 
thanks for all the great links.
still looking, that seems to be the fun part :)

JP
 
I have had a chance to see and handle a lot of knives now, but I remember when I was in your position, and got a few surprises on size and shape of knives, even looking at pictures (Blade magazine, Knives Illustrated, catalogs). One thing I did before sending money, I drew a full-scale picture of the knife and held my hand over it as if gripping it.

Lately, I've been on a buying spree, and most purchases now have been off fellow forumites in the exchange forums. Not one problem (you guys are great :D) and you have the advantage of saving a few bucks, and another advantage that if there's something wrong with the knife, it won't get sold or you'll hear about it ahead of time. If you're looking for a user, you really should consider a second-hand knife for much less money.
 
I have found the Bladeforums guys are very good and if I buy a Camillus I go to CR Specialities and talk with Cheryl - they have great prices and they are nice to deal with.
 
medusaoblongata said:
You won't find better deals or better people to deal with than on the For Sale forums right here at BladeForums.
Click to expand...
Lol you probably won't find better people but you can definitely find better deals (sometimes) elsewhere. I don't remember what knife it was...actually I think it was a tanto cold steel code 4 now that I think about it for sale on here...guy wanted like $100 or a little more i think...and that was like new I think without the box....first 3 online knife stores I looked at all had it in stock for $85...I get some price gouging on hard to get items but always check online at other places before purchasing on here.
 
I buy mostly through eBay now. I've never had a problem. I also like Collectorsknives.net. They are a first-rate company. Before the internet I purchased mostly through catalogs. Way back in the day, Hoffritz and the Remington store were my go-to physical locations. I miss those days.
 
I have purchased most of my knives through the exchanges. They usually sell at a discount. I can then buy knives just to check them out, and if I don't care for them re-sell at a minimum loss(or at least that is the plan). While I have bought and sold way too much it has allowed me to check out some of the finest knives out there.
 
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