What knives to keep in stock?

[bmitchell2929]

Hello, I am new to the whole knife scene and was wondering if I could get some peoples opinions. I am trying to pole a large audience of people to find out what their favorite everyday carry knife is and why. Any opinions are welcome and thank you for them.

 

[BladeChick777]

Tough question. This is also very generalized as preferences differ from person to person, and many have more than one as a favorite.
In general, we can give you ideas on what to try, but just because one person really likes one knife doesn't mean you will. That's a big part of the knife world. Personal preference. You will begin to form your own personal preferences over time.
(I read this like you're trying to go with general consensus to know which knives are the absolute best EDC's for people)

I guess a good question is - Are you looking for a knife(knives) to carry or to have as part of a collection or something?
Do you have a certain price limit?
Any certain size of knife?

A big fan favorite is the Spyderco Paramilitary 2 though.

 

[bmitchell2929]

the reason for these questions is to get a general idea of what knives I should keep in stock for resale. I am looking to start up a very small business and only have about a thousand dollars to buy for my inventory. So obvisiously I don't want to spend it all on just a couple of very high end knives. I rather have about ten knives that people can put their hands on. I myself like to carry a Kershaw Leek as my EDC. Thank you for your replies

 

[9blades]

I think IMO some knives that would good sellers in the lower end:

)Keshaw skyline
)Keshaw cryo
)Ontario rat 1

In the mid to high rang:

)Benchmade griptilan
)Keshaw blur

I think you should sell at least one multytool and a fixed blade:

)Becker necker, Becker eskabar, esee izula.
)leatherman,wave,fuse,charge,blast..ect
)victorinox everything.

I think there's some knives to consider here..hope this helps!

 

[Sonnydaze]

Read this thread which is close by this one.
EDC II Which knife or knives are you carrying today?

The are about 14,000 replies so far. This should set you up for a long time.

 

[MatthewSB]

Spyderco Endura
Spyderco Delica
Spyderco Military Para
Benchmade 710
Mora Clipper
Case folders, an assortment
ESEE-3

 

[HardTripper]

Spyderco, ESEE, and Becker/Kabar will all sell faster than you can stock em.

 

[BladeCommander]

Some of the edc's I see alot around the forums are as follows:

Under $100:
Benchmade griptilian (and mini)
Spyderco endura
Spyderco delica
Spyderco dragonfly
Buck vantage pro (and mini)
Kershaw leek (composite blade is popular)
Kershaw blur (limited editions mostly)
Kershaw skyline

Low/Mid $100s:
ZT 566 (not out yet but a sure favorite)
ZT 350
Spyderco paramilitary 2
Spyderco sage series
Spyderco gayle bradly
Benchmade 710, 940, 950, 581, 300sn

High $100+
ZT 550/1
ZT 560/1
Spyderco brad southard
Benchmade Griptilian & 710 M4 blade sprints


That sould give you a nice price range for all buyers as well as a range of the most popular brands out there right now. Might not be able to stock em all, but its a good start.

 

[kvaughn]

Anything Swiss Army knives. Particularly the Alox models.--KV

 

[The Mastiff]

Very good ideas above. Don't forget the standard Buck 110, 112, fixed blades from Kabar, and ontario with prices from $50 up to $80.

Don't forget inexpensive knives from the Spyderco "Byrd" line, as well as up into the resilience, Delica, dragonfly, Endura,

As you find out what's selling in your area you might branch out into things like Moras, and folder classics like "black cat K55" Mercator ( german lockback already old by the time I was a child in the early 60's yet still performing well and in demand), Douk Douk, Opinels, and other international favorites.

You might think of upgrading to a dealers membership allowing you to advertise and sell here on Blade Forum. Without that there won't be many more threads like this as it wouldn't be fair to give you free advertising while others are having to pay for it.

Good luck. Try the upgrade. It gives you access to resources , information and experience that will make it worth more than your small investment in membership fees.

Joe

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Knifecenter posted this on their blog a while back.

As The Mastiff said, though, you'll probably want to invest in a paid Dealer membership here before posing those sorts of questions.

Edit to add: I understand the value of polling folks, but if you don't have a solid idea what knives are popular you may want to hit the books and bone up the pulse of the industry before starting a business venture.