Why doesn't GEC have a Manufacturers Forum?

[eisman]

I've been thinking about this since seeing it mentioned in another thread. GEC have made our Traditional Forum knife several times over. We have members who have done multiple SFO's. A large proportion of our threads involve GEC knives. So why don't they sponsor a manufacturers forum?

The fact that Buck does just makes me happier to have that company involved in making a forum knife. If I was Spark I'd certainly have that as a consideration...Shouldn't we support makers who support this aspect of our hobby?

Case is another one. They get a lot of "print" in Traditional's and the other forums, but no Manufacturer's Forum?

Look at who is represented. Their not all huge companies. They don't get a free pass; criticism abounds in some cases. But they are here; engaging with their public.

I'm paying a little more attention to that from now on.

 

[jc57]

Call them or e-mail them and ask: http://greateasterncutlery.net/blog/about/contacts/

Probably don't see the need to spend the time and effort staffing it. They are selling pretty much everything they make already.

 

[Norcaldude]

A manufacturer’s forum here is basically a marketing tool.

GEC products sell out quickly. They don’t need this marketing tool.

 

[sitflyer]

This forum has become a marketing tool, for some vendors...

 

[yablanowitz]

My guess would be they can't spare the manpower to moderate it. Too busy trying to keep up with demand to go creating more demand. Ultimately, it is up to them, not Spark.

 

[Planterz]

Manufacturer forums are provided for manufacturers that ask for them and provide a moderator. That's it, really. They just gotta ask. That said, it's, as others have mentioned, mostly unnecessary. Except perhaps to reduce the clutter here. Then again, if we cut out GEC chatter, and Case chatter, there wouldn't be a whole lot left going on here.

 

[leghog]

Case and GEC apparently do quite well with little need for online presence or BF presence.

 

[Railsplitter]

I can't prove it but I do think that GEC personnel visit this forum on a regular basis. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Bill Howard is reading this right now with his first cup of coffee.

My point is that I firmly believe that GEC listens to us and tries their best to meet our demands whenever possible. At the very least, they are aware of what we want without having to deal with the stress of moderating a forum. Can you imagine trying to moderate a GEC forum? I know I wouldn't want to do it.

 

[LastRodeo]

A little bit of mystery, creates a whole lot of interest.

 

[Peregrin]

Since we're not discussing knives here I'm moving this to Feedback.

 

[blanco112]

Not sure what benefits this would provide other than to split up the places to go to talk about traditional knives.

 

[afishhunter]

A manufacturer’s forum here is basically a marketing tool.

GEC products sell out quickly. They don’t need this marketing tool.

This forum has become a marketing tool, for some vendors...

Case and GEC apparently do quite well with little need for online presence or BF presence.

I don't think Buck (or Ka-Bar, Cold Steel, OKC, Spyderco ... at-al) is doing so poorly in the market that they need a knife forum "marketing tool" to create demand.
A manufacturer's forum simply gives the manufacturer a simple way to interact with those who buy their product, without having to go through the hassle of using the "Contact Us" or "FAQ's" on their website.
Let's be honest; those who frequent a knife forum (or forums) are a microscopic portion of the market. Most folk (literally "99.9%"?) who buy a knife are not going to research the various brands, blade steels, etc., or debate with others "which one is best ... or worst ...". I doubt most even care about the brand or what steel the blade(s) are made from.
As for the brand(s) not being discussed in the other forums if they have a manufacturer's forum?
While Buck, Böker, and Ka-Bar may not get as much "Love" in the Traditionals forum as some of the other brands, if you check the General Forum, there are a lot of threads for Cold Steel, Spyderco, OKC/Busse, and the others who have a manufacturer's forum. (As well as a few threads on knives that there are specific sub-forums for, such as Traditionals, and SAK's, for example.)
Just because there is a manufacturer's forum does not mean those brands are not discussed in the other forums.
I've no doubt that if GEC or Case had a forum, they would still be talked about just as much here in the Traditionals forum as they are now.

 

[sitflyer]

GEC is a small company doing big things. The admirers of GEC brand do a pretty good job of marketing their products via fan based threads, posts and photographs of these knives. I can't imagine why GEC would even consider taking on the added time and work to manage an online presesce here or on any other knife forum that might be out there.

 

[Modoc ED]

This forum has become a marketing tool, for some vendors...

GEC in particular!!!!!

As to Case, they do not do direct sales as does GEC. GEC has a retail store they sell from. They should be made to be a Dealer Sponsor if members are allowed to post pictures of their knife releases, work progress updates, home page etc..

 

[LastRodeo]

GEC in particular!!!!!

As to Case, they do not do direct sales as does GEC. GEC has a retail store they sell from. They should be made to be a Dealer Sponsor if members are allowed to post pictures of their knife releases, work progress updates, home page etc..

Somebody can correct me if I’m wrong, but Case does have a factory store in Pennsylvania and sells knives directly to the Colletors Club through their online Collectors Club store.

Case sells more knives directly to customer than GEC does.

 

[Modoc ED]

Somebody can correct me if I’m wrong, but Case does have a factory store in Pennsylvania and sells knives directly to the Colletors Club through their online Collectors Club store.

Case sells more knives directly to customer than GEC does.

I didn't think they sold knives directly to the public but I ain't perfect - I might be wrong

 

[jc57]

At one time Case did sell knives directly through their web site - actually through the Zippo store, but only a limited set of their standard knives, and at full MSRP. Meaning they really didn't want to sell them directly, but they would if you wanted, and at prices that would not undercut any of their dealers. I can no longer find links to the directly-sold knives on either the Case or Zippo web sites, so they may have stopped doing it.

Case used to be active on other forums during the early 2000s but seem to have decided to go with Facebook, Instagram, and their own private Collector's Club forum as their primary outlet for direct customer interactions - and of course they still do events at many of their dealers throughout the year.

GEC used to host their own forum through their web site, but it didn't get much traffic. It does pretty much require at least one full-time employee equivalent to have any meaningful presence on the Internet, though small operators or dealers can perhaps afford to participate in an existing forum while they are doing other work, or maybe they run their store in the daytime and check forums at night.

GEC also has Facebook and Instagram pages, so it's not like they are ignoring social media, just choosing those outlets that best suit their needs.

 

[Jsega51]

I didn't think they sold knives directly to the public but I ain't perfect - I might be wrong

At the Case/Zippo museum right next to the Case/Zippo Factory is a pretty large store. You can get just about every Case knife made, including the yearly Case/Bose collaboration knives and fixed blades as well. Just a word of warning to anyone looking to make the trip, they pretty much sell everything at MSRP.

 

[Modoc ED]

Case doesn't sell knives via the internet/online to the general public but does sell via the internet to members of the Case Collectors Club various knives that are Case Collector Club knives only - at a high price.

 

[knifeswapper]

They should be made to be a Dealer Sponsor if members are allowed to post pictures of their knife releases, work progress updates, home page etc..

Was this tongue in cheek or genuine? Surely I am reading this incorrectly. Every factory would be forced to pay several hundred dollars yearly to every forum that required such - simply because members of that forum were either proud or disappointed of a product made by that factory? In this scenario, could GEC opt-out and have BladeForums prohibit any negative/positive mention of releases, work progress updates, home page links, etc. by the members?