Are the 49's worth it?

N

nybble

Joined
Nov 9, 2001
Messages
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I've just been thinking about the bm 49 series, 49-01 and beyond and wondering of those who have them if they're really worth it. In the sense that - for $600 you can get a totally tricked out Dobruski, or a somewhat tricked out darrel ralph, or etc...

Now, I guess a lot of people already have those things (at least on order) so it makes sense that you'd want to get the 49's. *but* if you could have only a couple high-end balis, would you purchose the 49's over the "true" customs?

I have no pre-conceived notions of this, I am genuinely curious. It seems like the quality of these could in every way rival that of the customs (not having handled them I have no idea), and the spring latch.. oh the spring latch..
 
IMHO, no. But I am not a collector. I am a user. The kris blade is not practical for use. I do admire the skill it takes to grind a kris but how does one sharpen it. On the other hand, if the 49 series was offered with a usable blade proile, I would be first in line to buy one. Just my opinion you understand.
If BM would just reopen the custom shop, we would all have a choice of blade profiles, blade material and handle material.
For instance, BM used to offer a modified stilleto blade with choice of handle. One of those with horn inserts.... well they were just beautiful.
I would love to see a three inch Custom with 3/16" blade stock with a choice of handle material. And if BM gets enough complaints, who knows??
 
I don't own one,but if one can afford the BM 49 then I would say it was worth the money.As a collectable I'm sure it would go up in value,so in that sense also it would be worth the intial investment.If you want a custom but money is a big issue,then there are other less costly options available.
 
As the proud owner of 4 of them, I say no as well. For the $600 MSRP there are better bali's to be had. But for the fact that it's BM first issue of the new handles, and the first re-issue of the kris blade, it's worth it to own. And those intrinsic values, plus the huge fact that BM made little to no money on this run, kinda makes it worthwhile for me to have bought so many.
 
Interesting! Ah well, one other thing, I suppose is that BM's the only game in town right now making kris's - I'd like to see someone take a hand at a fire blade, too (as it's defined on Chuck's site - wavy like a kris w/ a straight centerline).

Ah well, I guess I'll hold off. Maybe some of the new BM's'll be a good bit cheaper. mmm... spear point..
 
As for the 49's the 49-02 with the Carbon Fiber is stunning per all the people that have seen it. That might be worthwhile to own. Price still not announced.
 
Do you have the inside skinny? That is, will it be exactly the same as the 49-01 except that the insert will be cf instead of cocobolo (same size, shape, etc..)? Or will there be other changes?
 
The 49-02 will be $600. Only 50 pcs. Carbon fiber inserts with a boron carbide coated blade.
 
Cool! A black bladed kris. Pretty interesting.

Oh and a smaller batch, even more interesting. I wonder if the rest of the 49's will have a similar smaller batch.
 
After considerable thought about value I decided to post theses thoughts.
People are willing to spend close to $2000.00 for a new single action Colt. No intention to ever shoot it. Its just for looking at.
People are willing to spend over $3000.00 for a Leica camera. No intention to ever put film in it. Its just for looking at.

I guess what we are talking about is intrinsic value. Would I like to have a 49? Sure. Will I pay $600.00 for a knife I won't use? No way.

Now we have the BM stainless damascus with SS handles for $350.00. Would I pay that much for a limited run BM? Positively. But I would use that knife. It has a usable blade profile.

I guess value, like everything else is relative.
 
Since I was lucky enough to end up with a 49SPL and a 49-01 with the same serial number, I'd sure like to get the 49-02, -03, -04, etc...ALL #15 but.........back to the original question.

IMHO, as a collectable, the 49SPL was well worth the $$$'s one had to spend on it; just about as nice as any custom bali out there.

The 49-01 is a superb bali and considering the innovations the 49's brought forth and the fact that the numbers produced are going to be very limited, it's worth it as an investment.

I would not buy one to use, for that matter, I wouldn't spend $600 for any knife I was going to use for an EDC. I've carried knives worth much more than $600 but if I had to actually cut something my mini-SAK was in the good ol' Levi watch-pocket! ;)

Now the question remains, do I want to try and get the rest of the 49's with serial #15???????:confused: :rolleyes:
 
Very interesting - I guess people value it differently. It's obviously an excellent collector's piece, but is pretty much just a show piece - for the same money you could get something that flips better.

But one nice side effect is that it is helping BM push their own boundaries, and techniques that they've put into building the 49's are already trickling down to other lines that everyone can benefit from. I guess, for that alone, it is worth it!
 
Felix: As I posted once, and still follow near religiously, I'll do my best to keep BM in business so that they can keep making bali's. I've already gone through the withdrawls once when they shut down the Custom line, and it's not something I wish upon any bali fan. Yes, $600 is a lot of money for a bali, and the 49-01 isn't a good daily carry because the kris blade isn't a good practical using blade. But by buying the 49-01, I'm helping to send a message to BM that the high end bali market is alive and healthy. That there are still customers for those products. Yes, in most cases, it's not much more than well heeled collectors just buying those bali's, but if the 49's weren't a success, then there would be no further motivation for additional developement. Bottom line, it is still a business to BM. I'm not worried that my "investment" in the 49-01's may or may not make me money. I like them enough to want to hold on to them. With that in mind, I would probably keep buying the rest of the 49's. I'll even pay BM retail if I'm guaranteed #009 for the rest of the series.
 
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