Would you buy a knife at a gun show?

Guns shows were in fact my dominant source of knives prior to online buying. Admittedly, many here know no other way to shop for knives other than a retail store, but knives did get bought and sold prior to the internet.
 
You can almost always find the same knife cheaper on the interweb, and from reputable vendors. The gun show has the upside of allowing you to fondle the knife and buy it on the spot.
 
powernoodle said:
You can almost always find the same knife cheaper on the interweb, and from reputable vendors. The gun show has the upside of allowing you to fondle the knife and buy it on the spot.
Click to expand...
True. You might save a couple of dollars online but it's worth it to me to be able to inspect the knife I'm interested in.

There are two knife dealers who regularly come to our local shows here in the DFW area. Both have a web presence, travel the country year-round doing gun shows, and make their living selling knives. Both are good guys who I enjoy talking to when I see them. I would rather support them than throw my money at Amazon or some eBayer.
 
Macguy said:
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.
Click to expand...

MAC, you beat me to it, LOL. Yes, they are the largest dealer at our shows. They carry all the major brands of production blades, and even have CRK. Everything's tagged at MSRP, or over(CRK)....and they are rarely inclined to deal. They must do quite well for themselves, as they are always present at every show.

There's also a couple of little-guy vendors at our shows that I've bought/traded from several times. As a prior poster pointed out, if you find a dealer where the knives are an afterthought, you may often find a nice deal.
 
addylo said:
Yep, I've bought quite a few knives at gun shows. But in each case I knew the street value going in so I knew whether I was getting a good deal or not. I usually find better deals than brick and mortar stores and sometimes even better than internet prices. It's all about knowing your product.

There are a couple of reputable knife dealers that regularly attend gun shows around here. I always try to do business with them. As a regular customer they know I'm a knife knut and always treat me well.
Click to expand...

bdmicarta said:
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.
Click to expand...

addylo said:
True. You might save a couple of dollars online but it's worth it to me to be able to inspect the knife I'm interested in.

There are two knife dealers who regularly come to our local shows here in the DFW area. Both have a web presence, travel the country year-round doing gun shows, and make their living selling knives. Both are good guys who I enjoy talking to when I see them. I would rather support them than throw my money at Amazon or some eBayer.
Click to expand...

I'm with these guys. It is surprising that there isn't a large store here in DFW like Knifeworks, or New Graham or something. House of Blades in Fort Worth is well stocked but quite a ways across town. So I typically attend the two larger local shows expecting to buy knives, and there is usually a decent selection of new products along with a scattering of older pieces. You have know what you're looking at and what market rates are, however, because many table vendors there do not. But, like addylo above, I usually want to personally handle a knife before buying even if it means paying a small premium to keep it local. :thumbup:
 
I got the three best deals of my life at gun shows. A Buck Mayo for $40, a Don Hanson, sunfish forge slipjoint for $250 and a Mike Franklin fixed blade for $60. That being said, I've been to 4 times as many shows where I've bought nothing compared to gun shows where I've got something. You need to "shop" to find deals. The best gun shows for knives are those that attract all kinds of gun sellers and collectors.
 
I think some folks have unrealistic expectations of what they'll find at a gun show. You're going to find a lot of bad deals and a few good deals. The bargains ARE there but you have to dig through the clutter to find them. Those who enjoy antiquing know what I mean. It's all about the hunt. And as always, it's "Caveat Emptor".
 
DallasSTB said:
I'm with these guys. It is surprising that there isn't a large store here in DFW like Knifeworks, or New Graham or something. House of Blades in Fort Worth is well stocked but quite a ways across town. So I typically attend the two larger local shows expecting to buy knives, and there is usually a decent selection of new products along with a scattering of older pieces. You have know what you're looking at and what market rates are, however, because many table vendors there do not. But, like addylo above, I usually want to personally handle a knife before buying even if it means paying a small premium to keep it local. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

It really is kind of odd that for such a large metro area we don't have more knife stores. HOB is in west Fort Worth and is really the only dedicated knife store in the area. Unfortunately, their prices are terrible. Cabelas has a decent selection but again high prices and lost of blister packs. I often go to Cabelas to see a knife (if they carry it) and then buy it online from BladeHQ.

It is nice to support a local small business if possible, and I will pay a small premium to that end. Unfortunately, the stores I mentioned aren't charging a small premium, it's more like double the price of online.
 
True that.

I love to browse HOB but most of their prices are full MSRP. I've never understood their business model.
 
powernoodle said:
You can almost always find the same knife cheaper on the interweb, and from reputable vendors. The gun show has the upside of allowing you to fondle the knife and buy it on the spot.
Click to expand...
That depends on what you are buying. Some of my best knife deals, I've gotten at gunshows, but I mostly buy out of production knives.
 
Last edited:
addylo said:
True that.

I love to browse HOB but most of their prices are full MSRP. I've never understood their business model.
Click to expand...

Same here, in fact I was there last week. I don't get it either, why would anyone pay $129 for a Blur that can be had online for $60?
 
If you can't tell something is a fake, you should not be buying it in the first place, gun show or on-line. Even at a Brick and Mortar store, unless they are an authorized dealer, you need to know what you are buying.

I've gotten knives at gun shows I would never be able to get on-line just because they are new old stock (not available on internet) and I had to hold them in my hand to appreciate them.
 
brownshoe said:
If you can't tell something is a fake, you should not be buying it in the first place, gun show or on-line. Even at a Brick and Mortar store, unless they are an authorized dealer, you need to know what you are buying.

I've gotten knives at gun shows I would never be able to get on-line just because they are new old stock (not available on internet) and I had to hold them in my hand to appreciate them.
Click to expand...

How does a neophyte determine if a knife such as a Manix 2 G-10 is a counterfeit? I'm not sure if you are aware of the counterfeiting of consumer goods via the media or not, but it has
really become a problem. Caveat emptor!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterfeit_consumer_goods
 
HorseloverFat said:
How does a neophyte determine if a knife such as a Manix 2 G-10 is a counterfeit? I'm not sure if you are aware of the counterfeiting of consumer goods via the media or not, but it has
really become a problem. Caveat emptor!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterfeit_consumer_goods
Click to expand...

They take the time to learn about the knife. They visit local stores and shows to handle the product. They search on line to see the various options, variations and prices. Then equipped with all of this information they chose to make an informed purchase. Most of the time you will find that counterfeit are less of a problem than misrepresented products; and, often the error is on both parties since neither know what they are actually buying or selling. It is the same issue that you would encounter just about anywhere. The venue doesn't matter. You have to become an informed buyer and the bigger the $$$$ involved, the more incumbent on you to become better informed.

n2s
 
HorseloverFat said:
How does a neophyte determine if a knife such as a Manix 2 G-10 is a counterfeit? I'm not sure if you are aware of the counterfeiting of consumer goods via the media or not, but it has
really become a problem. Caveat emptor!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterfeit_consumer_goods
Click to expand...

And old adage applies --- "If you don't know jewels, know your jeweler."

Otherwise, look, read, learn, handle, look, read, learn, handle, look, read, then buy.
 
I would if there were knives worth buying at gun shows. One show I attend does have a nice selection of case knives, but I have all the case knives I want. The rest of the shows are littered with cheap Chinese specials or john doe's homemade made garbage. I always look just in case there are some knives worth having, but I have yet to see anything worth having. Guess the local market doesn't appreciate knives like we do here on BF...:grumpy:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top