Osprey K/T Sales Mung Thread

To kick it off properly ... I'm really looking forward to Chris' 1st Sale of '17 today!


There, that has nothing to do with the Osprey Nest so we've got some mung in the mung thread. :D
 
I already munged in the wrong place! Haha, I was too excited to see the knives.

Awesome batch Chris! Also, I want to commend you on the pictures. Detailed, in focus, and well taken pictures help a ton in the sales thread. :thumbup:

Now, I'll sit back and patiently wait for the Ranger that I have in my future.
 
Odaon said:
I already munged in the wrong place! Haha, I was too excited to see the knives.

Awesome batch Chris! Also, I want to commend you on the pictures. Detailed, in focus, and well taken pictures help a ton in the sales thread. :thumbup:

Now, I'll sit back and patiently wait for the Ranger that I have in my future.
Click to expand...

No worries, Thank you for your compliment. I did have some mistakes in there I had to go back and fix. I see Rangers in the future!
 
Man. This batch was absolutely stellar. Especially that black ash burl. Im hedging on one of the remaining knives, but im gonna wait for the next batch. These 3/32 tapered tang pieces are exactly up my alley
 
I didn't think the Tusk was something I'd be interested in, but that one has me curious now...
 
adequacy said:
Man. This batch was absolutely stellar. Especially that black ash burl. Im hedging on one of the remaining knives, but im gonna wait for the next batch. These 3/32 tapered tang pieces are exactly up my alley
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Thank you, they Black Ash Burl on the Trail Hand is something else. I really like the way the wood was cut on it!

Odaon said:
I didn't think the Tusk was something I'd be interested in, but that one has me curious now...
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It is a cool little knife, I had a hard time wrapping my head around smaller knives at first, this one has grown on me and fits nicely in the hand, it also has a lot of cutting edge for its relative size.
 
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Osprey Knife & Tool said:
Thank you, they Black Ash Burl on the Trail Hand is something else. I really like the way the wood was cut on it!



It is a cool little knife, I had a hard time wraping my head around smaller knives at first, this one has grown on me and fits nicely in the hand, it also has a lot of cutting edge for its relative size.
Click to expand...

It definitely has me interested Chris, and I am looking for an EDC knife as well as a larger knife. ;) If that Tusk had OD canvas and natural pins I would have already bought it. Just add an OD 3/32 Tusk to that OD Ranger that's in my future. Haha! :D

I've been doing a lot of looking at different knives and handle set ups recently, because I'm being a little more picky with where I spend my knife funds. OD canvas over natural with orange, white, or blue stripes is by far my favorite set up. There are plenty others I like but if I had to pick one, it would be one of those.
 
I've been down and out with the some kind of wicked flu. I tried checking yesterday but looking at a screen too long just gives me a headache.

Congratulations on the first sale. Some nice knives went fast and some really nice knives are still waiting for new owners to swoop in and claim them. There were a couple in this batch I'd like to try at some point. The little unnamed looks useful with the extended thumb ramp and the Warthogs are really nice.
 
Chris and OKT Fans,

Any thoughts/feedback on the sale format, time, preview window, advance fotki preview, any other comments, etc.?

My thoughts ...
1. I liked having the fotki preview ahead of time.
2. I very much liked having the hours be during the day vs the previous Thursday evening time. Days are easier for me given kiddos' bed time, having to navigate around the wife vs work schedule - work is easier to navigate around than having the wife look over your shoulder saying "Whatcha doin?"
3. I'd prefer a weekday over a weekend day.
4. The two hour window was definitely better than "some time during the day" but maybe a smidge too big of a window when trying to schedule stuff / meetings. Maybe an hour or 30-minute window??
5. Personally I'd be ok with batches every 2-3 weeks to get bigger batches like this one, and so Chris isn't hurried or feeling rushed to a weekly deadline. Somewhere in there, I feel like a fixed day is kind of nice but doesn't really matter if there's some kind of lead time given.


Suggestion to help those with slower internet: Have both the usual sized pics on Fotki but also have smaller pics (smaller size and/or lower quality) on Fotki so the actual sale thread has the smaller pics so that:
1) the page loads faster for slower internet folks and 2)
2) the pics are big enough so the knife is recognizable from having done the checkout on Fotki prior to the sale.
Note: Since I have great speed (245MB-ish download) this doesn't benefit me because the larger pics still load pretty flippin fast. I was just picturing Peter waiting for the page/pictures to load as I was waiting 45 seconds before I could do a 2nd reply.
 
Warrior108 said:
Chris and OKT Fans,

Any thoughts/feedback on the sale format, time, preview window, advance fotki preview, any other comments, etc.?

My thoughts ...
1. I liked having the fotki preview ahead of time.
2. I very much liked having the hours be during the day vs the previous Thursday evening time. Days are easier for me given kiddos' bed time, having to navigate around the wife vs work schedule - work is easier to navigate around than having the wife look over your shoulder saying "Whatcha doin?"
3. I'd prefer a weekday over a weekend day.
4. The two hour window was definitely better than "some time during the day" but maybe a smidge too big of a window when trying to schedule stuff / meetings. Maybe an hour or 30-minute window??
5. Personally I'd be ok with batches every 2-3 weeks to get bigger batches like this one, and so Chris isn't hurried or feeling rushed to a weekly deadline. Somewhere in there, I feel like a fixed day is kind of nice but doesn't really matter if there's some kind of lead time given.


Suggestion to help those with slower internet: Have both the usual sized pics on Fotki but also have smaller pics (smaller size and/or lower quality) on Fotki so the actual sale thread has the smaller pics so that:
1) the page loads faster for slower internet folks and 2)
2) the pics are big enough so the knife is recognizable from having done the checkout on Fotki prior to the sale.
Note: Since I have great speed (245MB-ish download) this doesn't benefit me because the larger pics still load pretty flippin fast. I was just picturing Peter waiting for the page/pictures to load as I was waiting 45 seconds before I could do a 2nd reply.
Click to expand...

Actually I got pulled away from my keyboard by my wife to help move some furniture. Even though I was only gone for a minute or two, my wife timed it just right to enable a missed opportunity.......and she wondered why I was moody the rest of the day !
 
prom52 said:
Actually I got pulled away from my keyboard by my wife to help move some furniture. Even though I was only gone for a minute or two, my wife timed it just right to enable a missed opportunity.......and she wondered why I was moody the rest of the day !
Click to expand...

I was sitting at the kitchen table with my work laptop, personal laptop and had just been on a brutal customer conference call. My wife was poking me with a stick also to help her with something but I *just had to* tell her I was still busy, and possibly feigned voices in my head. It got even dicier when she started coming over to see what I was working on and I asked if she could get some things together so I could head to my regular office. Phew!

Sharking Tip #87: Prior to the sale time, plant a seed that you have an important engagement. Keep a headset in your ear so you can ward off the wife / significant other / boss and any requests for just a few more moments.


So Peter,

Any feedback on the sale format and such?
 
I like the random time with a window. You are able to be ready and waiting and the luckiest person sitting waiting to pounce can get the prize. I also like the bigger batches. More to choose from is a good thing. I would rather wait for a bunch to look and choose from then a few that comes more often. Lastly, things change and putting a week or 3 between batches could get a creative mind working differently and come up with something fantastic. Great Batch again, Chris!
 
First let me say that while we were keeping a second home in the Cumming area I had the opportunity to visit the shop quite frequently, heck, we only lived 15 - 20 minutes away in traffic. I would even swing over on the weekend and visit with Chris when he was working solo so I have a very good idea of how his work flow differed from Andy's production model.

I could also see the impact that the countless hours he was dedicating to being a one man show striving to meet a weekly deadline were having on his spirit. Something had to give, so when he announced the changes I was quite happy that he had the courage to step up and structure things to ensure his creative spirit would have a chance to thrive. Ultimately, as a customer I am willing to adapt my behavior to whatever business model he needs to follow in order for him to continue to enhance his skills & stay at the top of his game. His desire to keep things fluid will provide him that opportunity.

All that being said, I expect that we may see him mix things up from time to time as needed, and not necessarily follow a fixed pattern. It will be up to us to keep our knees bent and follow his lead as that will offer us the opportunity to snag the OK&T knives that bet fit our personal preferences. IMO, Chris's commitment to provide advance notice, along with work in progress updates, and fotki photos a few hours prior to any planned sale are the primary tools we need to best position ourselves for a sales event.

Peter
 
FeralGentleman said:
I've been down and out with the some kind of wicked flu. I tried checking yesterday but looking at a screen too long just gives me a headache.

Congratulations on the first sale. Some nice knives went fast and some really nice knives are still waiting for new owners to swoop in and claim them. There were a couple in this batch I'd like to try at some point. The little unnamed looks useful with the extended thumb ramp and the Warthogs are really nice.
Click to expand...



Danny, sorry to hear you have taken ill, I did notice your absence, I hope you feel better soon!



Warrior108 said:
Chris and OKT Fans,

Any thoughts/feedback on the sale format, time, preview window, advance fotki preview, any other comments, etc.?

My thoughts ...
1. I liked having the fotki preview ahead of time.
2. I very much liked having the hours be during the day vs the previous Thursday evening time. Days are easier for me given kiddos' bed time, having to navigate around the wife vs work schedule - work is easier to navigate around than having the wife look over your shoulder saying "Whatcha doin?"
3. I'd prefer a weekday over a weekend day.
4. The two hour window was definitely better than "some time during the day" but maybe a smidge too big of a window when trying to schedule stuff / meetings. Maybe an hour or 30-minute window??
Click to expand...

I like all of the points you made here, I will narrow it down to a one hour window and will do my best to give at least 24hrs notice to that time block.

Warrior108 said:
5. Personally I'd be ok with batches every 2-3 weeks to get bigger batches like this one, and so Chris isn't hurried or feeling rushed to a weekly deadline. Somewhere in there, I feel like a fixed day is kind of nice but doesn't really matter if there's some kind of lead time given.
Click to expand...


I did enjoy having the extra breathing room to get the knives up to my expectations un rushed. I don't intend on sticking with a particular day other than trying to stay with Tues and Thurs, I will do my best to avoid Wed, and Fri out of respect for Andy and Alan. I will plan on posting up one or two at time in the near future at random.
I plan on keeping you guys in the loop by posting an evolving work in progress thread. And as I get closer to completion I should be able to start narrowing down the sales date and time.



Warrior108 said:
Suggestion to help those with slower internet: Have both the usual sized pics on Fotki but also have smaller pics (smaller size and/or lower quality) on Fotki so the actual sale thread has the smaller pics so that:
1) the page loads faster for slower internet folks and 2)
2) the pics are big enough so the knife is recognizable from having done the checkout on Fotki prior to the sale.
Note: Since I have great speed (245MB-ish download) this doesn't benefit me because the larger pics still load pretty flippin fast. I was just picturing Peter waiting for the page/pictures to load as I was waiting 45 seconds before I could do a 2nd reply.
Click to expand...

I don't really like the Idea of having 2 photo sizes, it adds a lot of extra work for me and headache keeping photographs organized and in order. I do resize the photos once I take them, I size them in a manner so that it fill the whole screen so the customer can see as much detail as they need to make a comfortable decision about their purchase. All that being said I think the photo size is only an issue during the first few minutes of the initial rush that I post the sale thread.

I do want to thank you personally Jerry for everything you do on and off the forums, the suggestions, loaning your personal collection, and just being a great asset and advocate for us knife makers in general, I really appreciate it!




mjbine said:
I like the random time with a window. You are able to be ready and waiting and the luckiest person sitting waiting to pounce can get the prize. I also like the bigger batches. More to choose from is a good thing. I would rather wait for a bunch to look and choose from then a few that comes more often. Lastly, things change and putting a week or 3 between batches could get a creative mind working differently and come up with something fantastic. Great Batch again, Chris!
Click to expand...


I am glad you like the new format and we seem to be on the same page, thank you for your input!



FeralGentleman said:
I think he should just toss the batch of knives in the dirt and let us 'rastle for them
Click to expand...

Lol, I like this idea, any rules? Gentlemans fight, Bareknuckle, or to the Death!




prom52 said:
First let me say that while we were keeping a second home in the Cumming area I had the opportunity to visit the shop quite frequently, heck, we only lived 15 - 20 minutes away in traffic. I would even swing over on the weekend and visit with Chris when he was working solo so I have a very good idea of how his work flow differed from Andy's production model.

I could also see the impact that the countless hours he was dedicating to being a one man show striving to meet a weekly deadline were having on his spirit. Something had to give, so when he announced the changes I was quite happy that he had the courage to step up and structure things to ensure his creative spirit would have a chance to thrive. Ultimately, as a customer I am willing to adapt my behavior to whatever business model he needs to follow in order for him to continue to enhance his skills & stay at the top of his game. His desire to keep things fluid will provide him that opportunity.

All that being said, I expect that we may see him mix things up from time to time as needed, and not necessarily follow a fixed pattern. It will be up to us to keep our knees bent and follow his lead as that will offer us the opportunity to snag the OK&T knives that bet fit our personal preferences. IMO, Chris's commitment to provide advance notice, along with work in progress updates, and fotki photos a few hours prior to any planned sale are the primary tools we need to best position ourselves for a sales event.

Peter
Click to expand...


Peter,

Well said, I couldn't have said it better myself, thank you for sharing your observations with us. I am glad to have your support as well as everyone else's. I do miss having you and your lovely wife Susan stop by the shop every few weeks. It was an honor to have the opportunity to get to know you two on a more personal level.
 
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