The SOCNET knife thread....

[leopardprey]

Originally Posted by Veritatem Cognoscere

New one from Half Face Blades

Now that is a nice knife! Good shape of the handle and the blade.

[GPC]

VC, does your knife have rockwork?

[Veritatem Cognoscere]

Yup, rock work along the spine. Custom inlays on both sides (different ones). Left the choice of handle up to Andy.

[GPC]

Originally Posted by Veritatem Cognoscere

Yup, rock work along the spine. Custom inlays on both sides (different ones). Left the choice of handle up to Andy.

Sweet have to come down to test it.

[Expatmedic]

Model #16 SP-1 Fighter. 7" blade full tang.

Didn't have one, and I did not want to pay crazy markup prices. Ordered the same knife in the pic. except with green Micarta and single finger groove.

Put, $50 down to order and freeze the price. $430, and 5.5 years till done. Should be ready 12/15/2022.

It'll go in the camping box.

http://www.randallknives.com/knives/...6-sp1-fighter/

[X-rgr]

I used to do business with the owner of a well known police-equipment company. We were having lunch one day, talking about how come he couldn't deliver, and was always back-ordered for insane amounts of time. This was in the early 90's.

By way of an answer, he told me this story: "I was at a trade show, and R***** Knives was exhibiting. Old man R****** was in the booth. I went to him, and complained that he was always back-ordered and the lead times were obscene. I was young and had just started manufacturing my own products, and was all about efficiency and on-time delivery. I volunteered to help him streamline his processes, so he could reduce his legendary leadtimes. In order to do that, I asked him 'what's your manufacturing capacity?' He winked at me, and said 'Son... my capacity is always just a little bit less than we need it to be.'"

Apparently, being backordered all the time gave the impression that his products were more in demand than they actually were-- which (perversely) drove people to jump in and place orders for future delivery... before things got so bad they'd never be able to own a R*****. That was a built-in portion of the company's marketing... at least according to the guy telling me the story, which (he was intimating) he worked it in to his company's marketing.

I'd like to own a R***** knife (or eight), but no knife on earth is worth a deposit, a monthly ration, and a multi-year leadtime to me. I wish them luck, and respect their spot in the market, but the business-aspect of the transaction makes the product less attractive to me.

[BadKarma]

Originally Posted by X-rgr

I'd like to own a R***** knife (or eight), but no knife on earth is worth a deposit, a monthly ration, and a multi-year leadtime to me. I wish them luck, and respect their spot in the market, but the business-aspect of the transaction makes the product less attractive to me.

My books got to a year once, I closed them and decided that took ALL the fun out of making the knives. It sucks to have people waiting, I feel guilty anytime I make a project knife or god forbid take day off. Now I make what I want and only take orders in the rarest circumstances in which case wait times run about 3 to 4 months.

Its pretty common for people to run multi year long books (I know a few makers who average 10 year waits) because they long ago spent the money to make the customers knives that were already paid for. They need new orders to make the knives already on the books. This is how so many knifemakers get in over their heads... Randall is probably fine LOL, no fear of them going out of style.

[leopardprey]

Originally Posted by X-rgr

I used to do business with the owner of a well known police-equipment company. We were having lunch one day, talking about how come he couldn't deliver, and was always back-ordered for insane amounts of time. This was in the early 90's.

By way of an answer, he told me this story: "I was at a trade show, and R***** Knives was exhibiting. Old man R****** was in the booth. I went to him, and complained that he was always back-ordered and the lead times were obscene. I was young and had just started manufacturing my own products, and was all about efficiency and on-time delivery. I volunteered to help him streamline his processes, so he could reduce his legendary leadtimes. In order to do that, I asked him 'what's your manufacturing capacity?' He winked at me, and said 'Son... my capacity is always just a little bit less than we need it to be.'"

Apparently, being backordered all the time gave the impression that his products were more in demand than they actually were-- which (perversely) drove people to jump in and place orders for future delivery... before things got so bad they'd never be able to own a R*****. That was a built-in portion of the company's marketing... at least according to the guy telling me the story, which (he was intimating) he worked it in to his company's marketing.

I'd like to own a R***** knife (or eight), but no knife on earth is worth a deposit, a monthly ration, and a multi-year leadtime to me. I wish them luck, and respect their spot in the market, but the business-aspect of the transaction makes the product less attractive to me.

If you are in the military, overseas with an APO address, you will get a Randall within a month or so. You go to the top of the list. I was overseas, called Randall, and had a new model, with the modifications I wanted in two weeks!

Also, there are several Randall dealers that keep many in stock, usually about a $100 mark up from Randall's MSRP. Or some like Nordic Knives have around only several months waiting time. Even with the mark up, Randalls are a great value. Hand forged still.

I currently own a Model #16 SF and a Model #1, that I have carried and used throughout the the years.

[knifemaker]

Originally Posted by BadKarma

My books got to a year once, I closed them and decided that took ALL the fun out of making the knives. It sucks to have people waiting, I feel guilty anytime I make a project knife or god forbid take day off. Now I make what I want and only take orders in the rarest circumstances in which case wait times run about 3 to 4 months.

Its pretty common for people to run multi year long books (I know a few makers who average 10 year waits) because they long ago spent the money to make the customers knives that were already paid for. They need new orders to make the knives already on the books. This is how so many knifemakers get in over their heads... Randall is probably fine LOL, no fear of them going out of style.

If you ever take an ABS course they briefly talk about this during a business segment and let you know it's a good way to go out of business and piss everyone off. If you do this the money is supposed to go in an escrow account and you don't get it till the knife is complete.

Jerry Fisk wrote a pamphlet about the business for knifemakers that talks about backlog and taking other peoples money before you build the knife.

[BadKarma]

Another Voodoo Resins scale set on one our Pups. These scales actually glow in the dark!

[BadKarma]

WIP shots of a Damascus full tang Searles Bowie variant I'm working on for a SOCNET member. Black linen micarta scales with Red g10 liners. 12 3/4" overall.

[Mars]

Beautiful work, as usual!

[AZ5326]

Whoa, that's nice!

[Chimo]

Wow. That's beautiful!

[Expatmedic]

Steadfast. Sharp to begin with, easy to sharpen, well balanced, very comfortable. Just a GP camp knife. On sale at Cabelas for 35 bucks. Sheath sucks.

http://www.gerbergear.com/Knives/Fix...Knife_22-41120

.50 Cal for comparison.

[foxcolt13]

nice

[maim]

For the WW II and SOE/OSS inclined here are a couple of sites, 1 historical and 1 repro, I found it v interesting.
http://www.fairbairnsykesfightingkni...ggers-etc.html
http://www.macdonaldarms.com/armoury/forsale.php

[NoChai]

Any of you SOCnet knifemakers able to make a damascus steel (love the looks of it) general purpose kitchen knife with a nice handle for my wife before Christmas?

When asked what kind of handle she would like on a kitchen knife I got " Something comfortable, but not wood, I want it to look clean".

Sorry for the last minute request and crappy details but hoping one of you might have the time and vision to assist. Thanks in advance!

[BadKarma]

PM sent.

Originally Posted by NoChai

Any of you SOCnet knifemakers able to make a damascus steel (love the looks of it) general purpose kitchen knife with a nice handle for my wife before Christmas?

When asked what kind of handle she would like on a kitchen knife I got " Something comfortable, but not wood, I want it to look clean".

Sorry for the last minute request and crappy details but hoping one of you might have the time and vision to assist. Thanks in advance!

[BadKarma]

Just finished this Wraith with Voodoo Resins Caged Sunflower scales. I've got one more in progress and then I'm out of Voodoo until after Christmas.