Went to SMKW in Tenn. to buy the new Case Marilla folder

zippo123

zippo123

Joined
Dec 11, 2020
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Finally got to see the mecca of knife stores…and it did not disappoint. Its huge. Pretty much every major Knife maker has its own seperate section and sales person. Plan a vacation in the Smokey Mountain National Park near Gatlinburg Tn and then take a short ride to SMKW. its very close.

I like case, and was excited to get the new Case Marilla edc folder. Went to the case secection and there she was!!!!!

Unfortuneately the Case Marilla was left in the “case” . Was like a 75 buck Kersaw…to me, they need more refinement and polish before they can compete in the edc upscale flipper market successfully, again its my opinion, others will disagree.

This guys less than impressed review nails it.

Anyway, I left with 2 beautiful folder flippers in hand…….a very nice Buck sprint Pro sv30 Micarter and a very nice Civivi flipper. combined….. the same cost as the Case, $135 for both.

The modern Buck was real classy, nice looking lines , great flipping action, smooth and fast, and nice sv30 steel. The Burlap micarter scales are very organic feeling, almost like wood and a bit of walnut or lemon oil is going to pop those scales nicely. BUCK USA can make a nice EDC Flipper!

The Civivi Backlash fit like a glove, nice blade shape and really pretty blue tone internal liners. Its my 6 civivi so I guess I am bias. Hard to beat them for fit/finish and price point.

And of course I bought a tee shirt and hat,,,,and then I was walking over to the Benchmade section to probably buy something and my wife said…I will be waiting in the car, I,’m bored, lets leave.

You should check out this store if in area. EACH MAJOR KNIFE MAKER HAS THEIR OWN STORE SECTION OR BOOTH…set up like a trade show….Quite something….I should have took some pics of the Spyderco and Benchmade booths…quite impressive..oh well...but leave your wife at home and do not bring a lot of money…you will go broke.
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I am very jealous you got to go there, I've watched video walk throughs of the store and it looks awesome! Going there is like a pilgrimage for knife people 😆
 
All I can say about that store is I am glad they are nowhere near me. I have read so many glowing reports about that place that here on BF that is almost seems a vacation destination for knife guys. And I need more knives like a hole in the head. But in a store like that, I have no doubt I would be telling myself all kinds of things that would lead to more purchases.
 
midnight flyer said:
All I can say about that store is I am glad they are nowhere near me. I have read so many glowing reports about that place that here on BF that is almost seems a vacation destination for knife guys. And I need more knives like a hole in the head. But in a store like that, I have no doubt I would be telling myself all kinds of things that would lead to more purchases.
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To make it even worse, the Microtech factory is only an hour and 45 minutes away from SMKW.
 
I used to drool over the catalog as a teenager. Fortunately I've never been near there. Someday when I've hit the big time (or robbed a bank) I'll go there.
 
It's like a museum, with all the displays and very well laid out to boot. I haven't been there for a few years, but it's always a stop on the way back from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
 
jill jackson said:
It's like a museum, with all the displays and very well laid out to boot. I haven't been there for a few years, but it's always a stop on the way back from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
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If it's been that long since you've been there, it likely WAS a museum when you were there. However, the museum part is gone now. It's still fun though. I live about a half hr drive away, and have been more times than I can remember. The only bad part about the place is it can get extremely crowded in high tourist season. Summer, especially during the Rod Run car shows, and around Christmas as well as spring break it can be a mess.
 
Esee4me said:
If it's been that long since you've been there, it likely WAS a museum when you were there. However, the museum part is gone now. It's still fun though. I live about a half hr drive away, and have been more times than I can remember. The only bad part about the place is it can get extremely crowded in high tourist season. Summer, especially during the Rod Run car shows, and around Christmas as well as spring break it can be a mess.
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So this is gone and all the taxidermy and outdoor displays?

"Inside the store, you will find the free National Knife Museum. This small museum features over 12,000 knives, swords, and artifacts from every era – there are even some pieces from colonial times! In addition, there is even a small theater with films related to cutlery and shows."
 
The taxidermy and stuff is still there. The displays with museum collections are gone. There was a whole faff about it at the time I believe. Search here and there were some threads about it I think. Basically, the museum collection was broke up and sent various places around the country. There was supposed to be a concerted effort to save it, but I think it fizzled out.
 
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