Why do shirivo bear knives so expensive??

Many have very early lockup; I know a guy who spinewacked a couple at a knife show and they all failed.Thats why he likes CRK
 
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Casinostocks said:
I have been fascinated by Roackstead for as long as I've been fascinated by Shiros. The only reason I went for the latter is because that Rockstead's shiny shiny finish with my OCD and also my TOTALLY CRAP "ability" to sharpen anything with zero edge convex would drive me mental!
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I used to own a Rockstead Shin, and it was a very nice knife. And IMHO not near the knife my F95NL is.
 
A couple observations ...

The markups on Shiros are excessive by any standard. Limited distribution, short production runs, hand finishing, two and three layers of middlemen, shipping costs at both ends, and excise, state and local taxes all come into play. Add the company proclivity for higher and higher end finishing to produce show models only collectors want and the legitimate perception is what we have today.

It leaves the entry level models almost as an afterthought or even bastard children. A lot of owners, here and elsewhere, contribute to that perception every day. The One, Two and Three Bear ranking reinforces that impression.

While there is validity to every criticism about Shiros I have read here and elsewhere, the one feature I almost always find missing in discussions are their very versatile blade shapes. In general the nuanced drop point seems to be a style shared by a few other Russian makers, like Cheburkov and Olamic.

Add that to the list of practical features they possess and few other brands can make that purchase decision for me. That decision was to accept the price of an F3 yet draw the line there, knowing I’m a user and not a collector.

YMMV.
 
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^ Very well said which succinctly explains the price escalation as their products reach us here in the U.S. Don't be too surprised if the listed Shiro dealer prices in the U.S are marked up by about 50% when factoring in all the above. For instance the same F3 which is listed in our market at 695 is about a 400-450 folder in their motherland! There is nothing unusual about this as the reverse (a very well made knife in the U.S. to Russia) would also most certainly hold true if the market was also protected in Russia via limited dealerships and distributorships.

As Marchone has stated, both F3 and F95NL are excellent working Shiros and if you are patient and look around, you can get them here in the 5's on the secondary markets. Heck, I even saw a used one go for mid to high 4's on the Big Auction Site a few days back. While their price hype still holds strongly at their dealers levels, their re-sale values by and large at times present a decent-good buying opportunity as the "want market" is showing signs of a slow down.
 
If these knives are 50% less in Russia,can you imagine the bargains on their version of bladeforums exchange? they can be as low as 300 or less.Id have a field day on there !
 
They are nice looking knives that are nicely made. The high price is due to low supply - until recently they did not have a designated distributor in the US, now there is only one that I am aware of. Shiro's midtechs should not cost more than 500-600 IMHO, but what are you going to do, - the reality is untill they ramp up production and enlist more distributors we will not see them at lower prices.
 
Quiet said:
I kiiiiiinda find it hard to believe that someone running a table that had Shiros on it would let a customer spinewack them.
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CPP said:
He must have meant batoning
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Those would be the first things I'd look to try if I picked up the Russian Dr Death Arctic or one of Sergey's Customs off the Shirogorov table.

Threads like this are always so much fun.... :rolleyes:
 
He said he did it on his hand when the guy was dealing with other people
 
Im gonna have to try the “spinewhack” nonsense on my hand with my shiros when i get home. Im not a believer that they would slip. Only a test will tell. :/

Just to be clear: the spinewhack test is ridiculous.
 
WValtakis WValtakis
I would generally agree with this...however...Shiro’s are designed to easily continue to engage the lockup when in use, depending on how hard you use it. So if it was flipped open and then whacked i could see a possibility of it maybe slipping. If say someone is worried that hitting the spine on the way out of a tight space after using their Shiro, and it closed that would be a defect. However, if the Shiro was used, the lockbar would engage the tang further, and I highly doubt a bang on the spine while exiting said tight spot, would cause the lock to fail.

Edit to add: If someone flipped open said shiro, and cut open some mail whilst holding their shiro like an english tea cup, it may disengage when knocked whilst they are exiting the “tight spot mail opening cupboard”. ;)
 
Sharp & Fiery said:
WValtakis WValtakis
I would generally agree with this...however...Shiro’s are designed to easily continue to engage the lockup when in use, depending on how hard you use it. So if it was flipped open and then whacked i could see a possibility of it maybe slipping. If say someone is worried that hitting the spine on the way out of a tight space after using their Shiro, and it closed that would be a defect. However, if the Shiro was used, the lockbar would engage the tang further, and I highly doubt a bang on the spine while exiting said tight spot, would cause the lock to fail.
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Maybe I'm misunderstanding...are you saying they're designed to slip? This is the problem I see with this fad of dropshutty, super early lockup, ultralight lockbar pressure fidget toys...if I have to make sure that I've squeezed the lockbar into full lockup that's a poor design. ZT gets a ton of crap for being able to push the lockbar into further engagement.
 
WValtakis said:
Maybe I'm misunderstanding...are you saying they're designed to slip? This is the problem I see with this fad of dropshutty, super early lockup, ultralight lockbar pressure fidget toys...if I have to make sure that I've squeezed the lockbar into full lockup that's a poor design. ZT gets a ton of crap for being able to push the lockbar into further engagement.
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Im not saying they are built to have lockslip...im saying they are built to engage the lockup further when being used. And without lockstick then the bar needs released. Also, i have not conceded to the fact that Shiro’s may have slip, and im also not saying that they dont until i can check myself. (I kinda hope they do, so i can get some more shiros when people get scared and start selling them off cheap!) ;)
Im generally not a fan of super early lockup either. Now, lockslip is only an issue if the blade fails in real world use. If you grip the shiro in a regular grip, the lock will engage further and slip will not happen.
Make sense? We are still friends. :)
 
goldie said:
Sorry he meant hand pressure; they closed like a slipjoint
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This is my point...hand pressure on the handle and blade with no grip on the lockbar.
 
Short answer per usual is, cuz they can. Longer answer is always the same, what the market will bear which depends on usual variables as why X costs more than Y and each person having to decide where the law of diminishing returns kicks in for them.

No knife better represents than the Loveless I have for sale. No lack of knives as good for a fraction of the cost, but history, availability, provenance, etc are a variable to perceived value.
 
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