Third Grismo Norseman

Joined
Nov 7, 2017
Messages
28
Either I am lucky or not many people are sending in their email addresses to Grismo for their email lottery. I have been chosen 3 times in two years, plus once for their pen which I actually like and use everyday. I bought two knives and passed on the 2nd one. I have a good sized knife collection with some fairly expensive knives which I consider an investment since I do not use my expensive knives. They are under glass and oiled regularly.

Is demand decreasing for the Norseman at about $1000 each? Your Opinion?
 
I think there is a finite number of collectors that can afford and are willing to pay $1,000 and most of those already have a Norseman, or had a Norseman and have moved on, so yes the demand does seem to be slipping a little each year. At one time they were the smoothest flippers and had the best drop shut action but it seems other makers (Koenig, Brown, etc.) have somewhat caught up with the brothers.
 
Ive been chosen twice. Once when they were around $750, and about a month ago with the current price of $900 for a plain jane model with no anodizing or upgraded steel. I passed both times. I wanted one way back in the day when they were around $600, but at almost $1000 for a stonewashed Ti framelock on bearings made on a CNC its a hard pass.
 
Though still well known in the knife community. The Norseman's desirability has greatly decreased over the last 2 years. Couple that with the fact that The Grimsmos apparently haven't accepted the fact that the WAY overhyped status is now gone, but still overcharge by about 25% and there you go. By matching their prices to what the knives were fetching on the secondary market. The Grimsmos priced themselves out of their own market. All the people who "had" to have one, now do. While the guys who weren't willing to pay the inflated secondary prices, now refuse to pay the current maker's price because they know what the "real value" of the product is. So until they reduce prices to where they should be you will likely be getting contacted again pretty soon. That is, if you're still on the list.

And I can't even fathom spending over $300 for a Ti pen just because it has a neat clicky mechanism....
 
Yeah not nearly as many people shelling out that much for what basically amounts to a fancy handkerchief weight for social media posts. I still think I have only ever seen two people ever actually use them haha

I think the time for the Norseman as an investment has passed, just like with Hinderer, but for different reasons.
 
Believe me, the brothers Grimsmo have zero issues selling their knives... So why would they care a few people think the prices are inflated? All the knives get sold in a matter of days. The market has decided that they still will pay, and now that the starburst pattern is out I see a renewed interest. Good business move there, adding a little more variety.

As for the lottery: I’ll agree that most people that want one have one, so there are people that stay on the lottery list because the scarcity is exciting but probably a lot of people passing on buying so it might bounce for a few days. The frenzy is over for the plains, but the Damasteel models will always fetch a premium.
 
Yeah not nearly as many people shelling out that much for what basically amounts to a fancy handkerchief weight for social media posts. I still think I have only ever seen two people ever actually use them haha

I think the time for the Norseman as an investment has passed, just like with Hinderer, but for different reasons.

With Hinderer I think the company burst it's own bubble by upping production to meet demand.
Also, Hinderer never jacked up their prices to maximize their profits by taking advantage of their over hyped status. Their prices pretty much remained static.
 
I personally think it's because people have become aware of what Norseman's are: a machine made knife that costs more than many completely handmade customs from a reputable maker would cost you, primarily sold on Instagram likes and hype. On top of that, the design is polarizing, and isn't classic, or timeless. I personally think they're hilariously ugly, and wouldn't pay anything close to what they cost*. I've gotten to inspect several different Norsemen in person and I'm simply not impressed. I'm left asking myself "The price is about $500 more than it should be for this knife, why is that?"


* Ok, ok, I'm exaggerating. What I meant to say is that I'd never buy one at all.
 
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With all the Corona-19 related shutdowns and lay-offs, I wouldn't find it surprising or unusual there are fewer willing or able to spend a hundred bucks for a knife, let alone a grand.
 
With all the Corona-19 related shutdowns and lay-offs, I wouldn't find it surprising or unusual there are fewer willing or able to spend a hundred bucks for a knife, let alone a grand.

I would love to agree with you, but the truth is that the luxury goods market is through the roof right now.
People have been unable to travel. So instead are using that vacation money to buy stuff. It may be hard to believe, but try and buy any Rolex stainless steel sports model, or one of the high-end ladies fashion handbags. That stuff is damn near impossible to get at retail prices, and secondary cost can be at a 100% markup.

Knives are definitely a luxury product. Especially once you pass the $100 threshold. Knives from top tier makers like Mayo, Rexford, Southard, Carey etc. are still selling for top dollar.
Considering all that, you should still be unable to buy any style Norseman new from the maker. Not only can you buy them directly from their website, but the secondary price has cooled off as well. From what I've seen, not many folks seem to be selling them for a profit like before. Regardless of materials.
 
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With Hinderer I think the company burst it's own bubble by upping production to meet demand.
Also, Hinderer never jacked up their prices to maximize their profits by taking advantage of their over hyped status. Their prices pretty much remained static.
Right, that's what I meant by different reasons. Basically he just couldn't keep up with demand which inflated the secondary market. When he caught up, prices went down to normal.
 
Right, that's what I meant by different reasons. Basically he just couldn't keep up with demand which inflated the secondary market. When he caught up, prices went down to normal.
There was also the whole, only selling to first responders thing. He burst his own bubble when he stopped doing that.
 
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