Who had a good time at the Chicago Show?

diamdave

diamdave

Joined
Nov 29, 2001
Messages
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Just got back from the show. Saw some incredible pieces. Show seemed busier this time compared to last year. Had a chance to converse with Darryl Ralph and his son, Ryan, Brian Tighe, Steve Ryan and a few others. All are gentlmen.
Prices were definitely higher than last year. There was a Japanese knifemaker who seemed quite busy, Shosui Takeda, had some keen looking sushi and kitchen knives. Anybody else see anything they liked?
 
The show seemed a little bit more upscale this year over last year. A lot of high dollar knives in that room. Who would have thunk you would see Ron Lake at a knife show. He didn't have any knives on his table just a book of pretty pictures. I was able to score an Emerson CQC-5 in the Emerson drawing. Also got a lefty Scott Cook Lochsa. So I got to say it was a pretty good show.

Brian
 
Nice going, BR549! One weird thing....usually you can get a better price or discount at these shows. I went up to the Emerson table, I asked a woman there (his wife? dunno) how much was the La Griffe lying there. Her answer was "$100 dollars". Maybe I'm out of touch or maybe they've upgraded the steel, but I know it's online at Knifecenter in the $70 ish range, and I"ve seen it for less (in the $60's) elsewhere online. SO.........?

Didn't sit real well with me.
 
Diamdave,

That's pretty standard with knife companies. If they are at a show they sell at full retail so as not to under cut their dealers. This was suppose to be a custom only show so you wouldn't have seen any dealers with production pieces on their tables. The Oak Lawn show is next week and should have some dealers with production pieces.

I once had to have a Benchmade auto. I was out in Oregon on vacation and stopped by the Benchmade factory in Clackmas. They were more than happy to sell me the Designer Series #3000 Pardue Auto for $200.00 retail. The guy who sold it to me tried to talk me out of buying it. I should have listened.

It seems the standard in the knife industry is the wholesale price of production knives is 50% of the retail price. So I usually gauge my purchasing on those figures.

Now back to the Chicago show;

If you go to knive shows you really should check out some of the seminars. At saturday's seminars I got to listen to Emerson discussing combat knives and his thoughts on training. Ron Lake talked about his experiences in the custom knife world. How it allowed him to travel to China and visit knife making factories where the conditions would make OSHA and the EPA hemorrhage.

I listened to Dwayne Dwyer from Strider knives talk about the heros among us. He briefly discussed Striders new collaboration with Ken Onion and Kershaw knife company. What you say? Strider Onion Kershaw knife you heard it first at the Chicago show.

Brian
 
i had a good time. i don't get the chance to go to a lot of knife shows...

there were a LOT of high dollar knives there, lots of damascus, and LOTS of well-respected makers mulling around. i was very impressed and humbled to meet so many of them. scott cook, dwayne dwyer, bob lum, allen elishewitz, pat crawford, bud nealy -- all names/faces tha come to mind.

i got a fair deal on a lighthly used, small unique graphic sebenza. also a free copy of blade magazine, a warthog sharpener, and one of those stingray skin wallets from adamunlimited. i'm happy.

i always have fun holding knives i can't possibly afford.



i also heard dwayne's seminar. cool stuff-- an onion/strider. bummer they won't be working with buck anymore. also bummer that i didn't get to see mick strider. :(
 
Always a pleasure to see the Strider Guys. :) Shame Mick could't make it.


I also enjoyed seeing Mr & Mrs Emerson again. :) Great people.
 
I was there. Loved it. Scored a waved bnolstered CQC8 in the Emerson lottery! A nice buy for my first custom knife purchase!

BR,,

I looked hard at the CQC 5 as well before choosing the 8! That is a sweet little knife you picked up!
 
diamdave said:
Nice going, BR549! One weird thing....usually you can get a better price or discount at these shows. I went up to the Emerson table, I asked a woman there (his wife? dunno) how much was the La Griffe lying there. Her answer was "$100 dollars". Maybe I'm out of touch or maybe they've upgraded the steel, but I know it's online at Knifecenter in the $70 ish range, and I"ve seen it for less (in the $60's) elsewhere online. SO.........?

Didn't sit real well with me.
Click to expand...

Diamdave,

The knife BR459 purchassed is an Emerson custom not one of the production knives. They sell for around 2X what you can purchase them for in the lottery or there abouts. I saw several on Saturday that were from the Lottery drawing on Friday that were 550 - 650 at the drawing priced at 1150-1250. Oh and that is not show gouging either those are the going rates for those knives you will find thyem selling for the same prices amungst collectors on the internet as well. Unless you happen to have an order in with Emerson He stopped taking orders several years back due to his backlog, or buy from anpther owner, the lottery drawing is the only way to get an Emerson custom knife.

On the production Emerson knives you will pay full suggested retail if you purchase directly form them. This is so thet they are not in competition with their own dealers.
 
was much more fun thanks to Doorkicker and Jerry
great show, i did not want to leave, to bad i was BROKE
 
Chris,

Like everyone else around the Emerson table, I really wanted a 6. This is the second year I've missed getting one by only a couple draws. I guess I shouldn't complain. My new partner has been waiting since 1998 for his Emerson custom. He came to the show talked to Ernie who told him he is just finishing the 1994 orders. He put his name in the drawing and was the second name drawn. If only he had stayed 20 more minutes. I had fun with him today. Maybe next year.

Brian
 
I was pretty surprised that the first couple of names the people were not there. Yes the 6's went fast. What did you score in the lottery last year?
 
I had more fun at the Chicago show than the law allows, I'm sure. Didn't spend as much money as I thought I would though.
 
Chris,

I scored a 7 last year in the Emerson drawing, it was the custom version of the Benchmade CQC7 I got many years ago. It was the knife which got me started down this road to the knifebuying poorhouse. I bought the BM 7 because it was a lefty.
 
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