2018 BF Traditional Knife

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Elgatodeacero said:
I dont see the problem, especially if forum owner isnt selling "t-shirts" to begin with.

If this is such a problem, why doesnt the forum owner do the work to get a forum knife made? My sense is the forum owner doesnt have the bandwidth to tackle this.

Relying on others to make a forum knife and then denying them profit for their effort seems very unfair. The forum owner can do whatever he wants, but so can I when I spend my money and decide whether to upgrade or continue my forum membership.
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Spark isn't " relying" on us making a forum knife, he has graciously ALLOWED us to have one up to this point. He has had runs of Bladeforums knives made in the past, and they were not traditional knives.

We are guests here, this forum is a business, and our paid memberships allow us varying " privileges" here.
 
Elgatodeacero said:
I dont see the problem, especially if forum owner isnt selling "t-shirts" to begin with.

If this is such a problem, why doesnt the forum owner do the work to get a forum knife made? My sense is the forum owner doesnt have the bandwidth to tackle this.

Relying on others to make a forum knife and then denying them profit for their effort seems very unfair. The forum owner can do whatever he wants, but so can I when I spend my money and decide whether to upgrade or continue my forum membership.
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I think the moderator said that the owner does sell knives, so this would be intruding on his bread and butter. I get it. I did not know either that Spark was a knife retailer until now.

Please upgrade and join in. It is money well spent.

,,,Mike in Canada
 
This will be my last comment on the forum knife thread. I am not interested in making someone work for me for free.

From my perspective the forum owner gets great free advertising from any forum knife, and the fact that he wont spearhead project, and also has a rule that no one else can make a profit makes the entire situation seem incredibly unfair and also a waste of time. This is doubly true if the interested dealer already pays the forum owner a 350 dollar per year dealer fee to sell on the forum.

It is no wonder that many established people have no interest in doing a forum knife project. I suspect there is a connection between the lack of interest from many dealers and the forum owners "rules".

Good luck with your forum knife for 2018.
 
I want to thank Charlie for weighing in here. I have huge respect and admiration for this man who has weathered the storm many times in championing the yearly Traditional knife. It's a huge amount of work with the only reward being the thanks and gratitude of the forum members. I respect your decision and understand completely, Charlie. Thanks also to Barry for all he has done in helping the process come to fruition for the past number of years.

Thanks, Frank, for weighing in with the particulars. Your "this is how it works" post was needed at this juncture.

To those that haven't been around too long, and that don't know the history, make sure you understand how this works before you start spouting threats and demands. There have been many years where we were very close to not having a knife built for this unique community of ours. If last year was the final one, so be it. If you don't like the rules or don't like the knife (if one is offered), don't order one.

If someone else is willing to step up to the plate, keeping in mind the guidelines that Frank spelled out, the appropriate step now is to contact Spark, the forum owner. Nothing will happen in this sub-forum, regarding actually ordering a BladeForums knife, without his consent and approval.

It's a lot of fun to discuss what we'd like while this all shakes out, so let's keep the conversation on that please.

@knarfeng
waynorth waynorth
 
Hey, I just heard back from Otter.
Even though it seems to be locked in on buck pretty much as of now I'll still post the info here. Maybe it's interesting in the future:

First off they're willing to do a custom order. They can add a logo to the blade and would be willing to source materials they don't usually use with their knives. The can also do a complete custom design (something they don't have in their lineup) if so desired.
 
Any knife resulting from this angst is certainly not worth the bad feelings being created. I suggest that skblades skblades contact Spark and move forward with a Buck knife as soon as possible. I say this being one member who would have preferred a GEC knife. However, we are fortunate to have a well respected Buck dealer, and an iconic company, willing to work together to produce a nice knife for a reasonable price.

Going forward, I hope the Forum owner changes this process. It runs counter to everything I enjoy about the Forum.

@Spark Peregrin Peregrin @knarfeng
 
Except for some brief moments, this organization of the BF knife production has been a volunteer effort. Back a way, one member shouldered virtually the whole thing, co-ordinating the build, and handling the shipping and money while being in poor health. He also ate some losses!!!
He, and I did it for the good of the community, and I for one appreciate the enthusiasm with which everyone responded. He taught me the beauty of volunteerism.
I see a lot of new faces around here, and a lot of different tastes in knives.
I wish this project well, but just remember; Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.*
Do your homework, and study how and why we do this.
Another paraphrase;
Be always sure you are right! Then go ahead!**

This project is part of an important tradition, and deserves respect and preservation.





*[George Santayana (16 December 1863 in Madrid, Spain – 26 September 1952 in Rome, Italy)]
**[Davy Crockett]
 
Well, this thread took a somber turn, didn't it? :confused:

As someone relatively new to the forum, this is my first experience with this process. From my perspective, having an annual forum knife looks like a "bonus" that has been made possible in the past via some hard work by volunteer efforts.

I don't quite understand the frustration being vented here. It seems that any of us would be capable of reaching out and getting some details from our preferred vendor, if we were so inclined. As someone who is not so inclined, I appreciate the efforts that have been made to gather and present the info and options thus far.

If and when the time comes to evaluate the options presented, then I will decide if it's the right knife for me. If there isn't a forum knife this year, then I still have all the same knife purchasing options as I did before. In the end, it's just another knife that may or may not get pocket time.

Thanks to those putting forth the effort! :thumbsup:
 
I'm relatively new to this community. I recently bought a Drover off the exchange here, mostly because I think it's an awesome blade combo, but also thought it would be neat to own a BF knife. Reading through this thread has made me realize that the BF knives are way beyond being "neat". There's a ton of work, collaboration, passion and risk going on here. This certainly makes me appreciate my Drover even more.

Regarding this year's knife, I have nothing to add except that you can count me as a sale in appreciation of the accomplishment.
 
Can't wait to get the fun started!

But first I want to thank anyone and everyone that has and is envolved with the organization of these annual knives. I only have one forum knife. From last year's run. Boy, what a great and unforgettable knife (for a couple of reasons). I unfortunately lost my original knife and was given the opportunity for a new one. From a great member here (reast easy BOB @BigBiscuit). Thanks waynorth waynorth and @gunstockjack for everything last year!
 
Though I'm only sitting at a computer screen, something physically palpable has just happened to this thread. I'm sure I am not eloquent enough to give a response perfectly, so I'll just go ahead and do my best and hope for grace if needed.

Hearing of the tradition outlined by waynorth waynorth adds weight to the actions taken here. Also, the no profit rule has clearly shifted the game. I'm a guest over here with you all, the Buck Forum is my home, so I will tread as respectfully here as possible. Two options come to my mind for moving forward:

1. An Official Blade Forum Knife
SK can handle the communication between Buck and someone who would like to take on the volunteer position for the official Blade Forum Knife, can do so. That would shift the financial burden to the volunteer, as well as shipping and logistics. We could still use our dealer status with Buck to get the knife ordered and moving through the factory. This would still need the blessing of Spark.

2. A Buck Offering from SKBlades
We remove the Blade Forum logo, etching, stamp etc, from this knife and SK does what we do best. We facilitate a discussion for a Buck 301/303 with all the options already laid on the table, the two dot stamp being included. SK handles the financial burden, the logistics, and the shipping. This would not be "this year's forum knife" but rather an offering by SK built on the normal polling and discussions we have been doing for the last several years over in the Buck Sub.

I've sat and reflected on the recent thread posts, and talked them over with my business partners, and it makes very little business sense for SK to handle the financial burden (we are the original offerers for funding), logistics, and the risk in honor of what the tradition has been laid out to be. Personally I don't see how making a profit and creating something for the benefit of the community have to be mutually exclusive. We feel as though we offer both to the Buck Forum and have had a blast doing so. Ultimately, SK is a business and paying member of the forum to be so. Although the volunteer tradition is honorable, it is not something we are willing to do for such a large risk. The person or people that have done this in the past are to be given the utmost respect and thanks. The time and labor alone is monumental with such a large risk on the line.
 
Elgatodeacero said:
This will be my last comment on the forum knife thread. I am not interested in making someone work for me for free.

From my perspective the forum owner gets great free advertising from any forum knife, and the fact that he wont spearhead project, and also has a rule that no one else can make a profit makes the entire situation seem incredibly unfair and also a waste of time. This is doubly true if the interested dealer already pays the forum owner a 350 dollar per year dealer fee to sell on the forum.

It is no wonder that many established people have no interest in doing a forum knife project. I suspect there is a connection between the lack of interest from many dealers and the forum owners "rules".

Good luck with your forum knife for 2018.
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I think you are missing the point. The people that have "spearheaded" the traditional forum knife project in the past volunteered to do it out of the kindness of their hearts, their love of traditional knives, to show love for the community, and did not want to profit off of their forum brothers and sisters.
 
Well.
Here we are. Dead in the water, as it were.
Thanks for chiming in waynorth waynorth .
Edit: Let me say that differently.
Thank you for letting us know what you think, and a huge thank you for all the past efforts, Charlie and Barry and everyone else.:thumbsup:
 
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We are not dead in the water if you look at SK Blades #2 offer. What you do lose is the official "Blade Forums" tang stamp and identity. I have bought a couple of SK Blades offerings in the Buck Sub-forum here (and am waiting on the word to order another). They are short run Buck Knives, designed with the input of the Buck Sub-forum members - it works out very nicely for all involved. If the "Blade Forums" tang stamp is the key decision point, then we are currently back to the drawing board. OH
 
skblades said:
Though I'm only sitting at a computer screen, something physically palpable has just happened to this thread. I'm sure I am not eloquent enough to give a response perfectly, so I'll just go ahead and do my best and hope for grace if needed.

Hearing of the tradition outlined by waynorth waynorth adds weight to the actions taken here. Also, the no profit rule has clearly shifted the game. I'm a guest over here with you all, the Buck Forum is my home, so I will tread as respectfully here as possible. Two options come to my mind for moving forward:

1. An Official Blade Forum Knife
SK can handle the communication between Buck and someone who would like to take on the volunteer position for the official Blade Forum Knife, can do so. That would shift the financial burden to the volunteer, as well as shipping and logistics. We could still use our dealer status with Buck to get the knife ordered and moving through the factory. This would still need the blessing of Spark.

2. A Buck Offering from SKBlades
We remove the Blade Forum logo, etching, stamp etc, from this knife and SK does what we do best. We facilitate a discussion for a Buck 301/303 with all the options already laid on the table, the two dot stamp being included. SK handles the financial burden, the logistics, and the shipping. This would not be "this year's forum knife" but rather an offering by SK built on the normal polling and discussions we have been doing for the last several years over in the Buck Sub.

I've sat and reflected on the recent thread posts, and talked them over with my business partners, and it makes very little business sense for SK to handle the financial burden (we are the original offerers for funding), logistics, and the risk in honor of what the tradition has been laid out to be. Personally I don't see how making a profit and creating something for the benefit of the community have to be mutually exclusive. We feel as though we offer both to the Buck Forum and have had a blast doing so. Ultimately, SK is a business and paying member of the forum to be so. Although the volunteer tradition is honorable, it is not something we are willing to do for such a large risk. The person or people that have done this in the past are to be given the utmost respect and thanks. The time and labor alone is monumental with such a large risk on the line.
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SK, You spoke well. I understand you are a business and I also understand the "Blade Forums" proprietary naming rights and that they are also a business.

If this Buck Blade Forums knife does not come to pass then no hard feelings and thanks for your efforts so far.

Again as said many times recently in this thread, to those that have volunteered their time in the past a big THANK-YOU. I had no idea of the complexity and costs. I have volunteered many times in my life and it is rewarding but it is work.

,,,Mike in Canada
 
Camillus said:
Great posts from my colleagues and friends on these forums.

Why don't we take a break from GEC, and let Charlie recover, and go ahead and order with Buck this year?

The fact that the number of manufacturers is diminishing should be of concern to us all.

I am not opposed to letting dealers make a profit and would gladly pay someone for their time - particularly if it keeps the BF tradition alive.

I value this thread as much as the knife itself because it reflects who we are and the values that sit behind the manufacturing process.
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Camillus I agree with you whole heartily. Well said :thumbsup:
 
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