Would you buy a knife at a gun show?

I've purchased knives at gun shows. A ZT 561 which I paid 260 plus tax. Which I could have saved some but at the time 561's were near impossible to find on the web. My last purchase was a NIB umnumzan for 425 out the door. These were from the same dealer so he recognizes me now. Not everyone comes up and buys a CRK. Maybe that interaction will pay off in the future with a price break on future buys. Though, I'd say most of the time you can find better deals online.
 
Ulf Krogstad said:
ABSOLUTELY.:) I'd buy knives at gun show just look them over well. Your name is funny as hell by the way. Although you might not have meant it in a sexual way like first popped in my head. I'm perverse.:D
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I just watched the documentary Zoo last night. This fits. (Absolutely no reflection on HorseloverFat's name by the way).
 
I scour the tables at gun shows looking for knives. The shows are a good source for knives If you know what you are looking at.
 
I've bought a handful of knives at gun shows, gotten some pretty good deals too. The last one I went to (in February) I picked up two Kershaw RAM's for $90, and a Spyderco Cru-Wear Military for $120. Although, there was one dealer who wanted $140 for a S30V Blur, and $210 for a Benchmade Mini Onslaught. So, sometimes if you find the right dealer you can get some steals for sure.
 
I wish most would have a price shown for the knife. I was just looking to spend $50 maybe $75 tops, but every knife I asked to check out was $100+. I felt like I was wasting his time cause there was a lot of knives I wanted to check out, but I didnt keep asking for them to pull them out of the case every time.
 
It really depends on the show and more importantly the individual selling the knives. They are a craps shoot. You can get a great deal or a overpay horribly. You can find rare birds or someone who thinks the leek is a rare bird. You can also get a lot of people selling legit knives or people telling you they are real as they are getting more inventory from china. I would never say never when it comes to buying at a gun show. But I do think it is essential to go in there informed. Ideally I would try to bring a mobile internet equipped device so that if you do find a good deal you can do last second research. Nothing worse than coming home thinking you scored only to find you have been had.
 
Nah. I loooooove guns, but I don't like gun shows. Everybody knows that the best place to buy blades is
 
haven't had much luck with knives at gun shows, but did get a Ti scaled Buck 560 for 35$ a couple of years ago. I tapped a pocket clip to it and it's in my pocket as I write this.
 
Strangely enough there aren't many knife stores in my area, and other retailers either have high prices or limited selection of mostly low end knives. So if I want to look at and handle knives I have to go to a gun show.

I have noticed at gun shows that there are a number of collectors that have older traditional folders. I have noticed a number of sellers with a range of older looking fixed blade knives. I don't usually look at those because I would not recognize what was good and what wasn't, and I wouldn't know anything about prices. I see a few dealers selling modern knives and even some with good selection and good prices. I see 3 or 4 or more custom makers with good looking knives, and there is usually a seller with a lot of supplies such as blade blanks and handle materials.
 
There's a vendor at the gun shows here that has a ton of inventory and REALLY inflated prices. He has little pieces of paper taped all over his show cases that say "you don't need to remind me of Walmart and internet prices" cracks me up every time I see it.
 
Just like anything its caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware. Why is the price what it is? Do you know enough about the knife to tell that it's the real deal? Are you willing to pay the asking price?
 
HorseloverFat said:
I bought a Leek at a gun show several years ago. It has been quite awhile since I last attended one. I haven't come across much discussion here regarding knives and gun shows yet. Are gun shows generally considered a reputable means of buying a new knife ( by majority members here) ?
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You have to buy a knife where ever it happens to be. A gun show, a knife store, a website, a garage sale what does it matter. You get burned when you don't know what you are buying or how much you should pay for it. Working with reputable dealers helps, but you still have to educate yourself and ultimately the purchase is your responsibility and no one elses. A gun show offers the opportunity to handle knives in person, which is becoming rare these days. It is a good place to learn and sometimes a good place to buy.

n2s
 
I never have, but I tend to avoid gun shows these days. The last few I have gone to around the DFW area have not been worth the time, they seem to be gathering places for nutjobs these days. Seriously, I went to a show in a suburb recently and am guessing the Secret Service have a file on about 1/3 people there (figure that out on your own).
 
John_0917 said:
I never have, but I tend to avoid gun shows these days. The last few I have gone to around the DFW area have not been worth the time, they seem to be gathering places for nutjobs these days. Seriously, I went to a show in a suburb recently and am guessing the Secret Service have a file on about 1/3 people there (figure that out on your own).
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It is almost certain that they have files on everyone, including the knife knuts that hang on on these forums. Don't let that stop you from exercising your constitutional rights. Once they have intimidate you, you have lost. Besides, gun shows in my area are pretty big and represent a good cross section of the community.

n2s
 
not2sharp said:
It is almost certain that they have files on everyone, including the knife knuts that hang on on these forums. Don't let that stop you from exercising your constitutional rights. Once they have intimidate you, you have lost. Besides, gun shows in my area are pretty big and represent a good cross section of the community.

n2s
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Ehh right...I was being semi facetious about that, what I was referring to are some of the extreme anti Obama stuff I have seen at shows. Things like selling shirts with his face with a gun sight centered on it are what I'm talking about. A lot of really junk knives seem to be for sale at shows too (S&W etc).

As to the files thing, no, they don't. Alex Jones will tell you otherwise, but big brother really isn't watching you unless you gave them a reason to watch you.
 
Bought a knife yesterday at a gun show the new benchmane 940-1 got a good deal too.
 
I've bought a few knives at gun shows, but now (assuming I can get a signal) I check prices online on my phone before buying anything. I don't mind paying the "going rate" for a name brand knife, but I've also bought knives at gun shows that were readily available for a good bit less somewhere else. To date, I've only ended up with one actual fake, and only a couple cases of buyer's remorse, but a number of pretty nice knives for fair if not outstanding prices. Also, I've had the good fortune to talk down a couple of sellers because I would pay cash.

On a side note, I accidentally found out about what would become one of my favorite knives at a gun show, by accident. I saw a Kershaw Storm in a seller's display case, but when she grabbed the box (with the price tag on it) it was a Kershaw Lahar box - with a price more appropriate for a Lahar than a Storm. However, I'd never seen either knife and wasn't familiar with the prices of either, so it wasn't until I got home and looked up the prices for each that I realized I'd overpaid by a good $20-30 for the Storm. At first I was mad, but then I looked up the Lahar and made up my mind that I had to have one. (Plus, I really do like the Storm and have no regrets about buying it.)
 
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