What Brought You Here?

JK Knives

JK Knives

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Joined
Mar 6, 2001
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What brought you to JK Knives? Was it a picture you saw, or maybe something you read?
 
I came across the picture of the Osage Bluegill laid out with the habanero peppers. I was looking for a small, pocketable fixed blade, and that picture drew me your little corner here. Eventually, leading to my first order and subsequently a second order for a knife I dreamed up. I was initially drawn to your business approach of "your design or mine". It was refreshing.
 
I think it was the big bushcraft knives shootout several years back.
your knife did well and cost half as much (or less) as most of the other entries.
 
1066vik said:
I think it was the big bushcraft knives shootout several years back.
your knife did well and cost half as much (or less) as most of the other entries.
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That would have been the Camp Knife Challenge, that’s going back about 8 years ago. I was one of only two makers who had the balls to enter a knife of 1/8” steel, everyone else used 3/16” or 1/4”.
 
For me it was one of the proud supporter banners that I saw in someone’s signature while I was in the maintenance forum. I liked the all business look of the knife and went to look at your current lineup. I saw the mud turtle and I needed to have it. Funny enough I ended up with a muddy camp instead.
 
Them proud supporter numbers that are all over the forums!!

The organization of the ordering format and the monthly sales you run. I really like the way you run this sub form.
 
I like your style of knife very good looking blades with functional design that seem to beg to be used when you pick them up. I also really like your business model your design or mine not a lot of makers will do that and I think it's very overlooked by people.
 
For me it was when John was trying his hand on framelock folders, didn't work out well and returned it. John took it back no questions asked, from then on I collected a friction folders and warnincliff fixed blades. Was really impressed what he could do with O1, so the collection continues to grow. John has always been up front with with his commitment to make sure you are happy with what you get from him, that goes a long way in buying with confidence.
 
I actually couldn't remember, so I went searching through earlier threads, and found that I first came here in 2011. At that time, I was hanging out in the WS&S forum a lot, and had seen a bunch of John's knives popping up. I was looking for a fixed blade maker, and John's forum had a lot of traffic. I pulled up a chair and never left!
 
I was a lurker in this forum since joining BF. While I had carried and used knives since who knows when, I did not really know custom from shinola. Lots of forum activity - interactive both between maker and members - drew me in at the time and has kept me here, as well as the fact that I am still amazed a one man shop can produce so many useful blades. I have bought more JK's than knives from any other maker, maybe any brand aside from Spyderco. Shoot. Now I need to do an inventory check.
 
I don’t remember exactly how I first discovered the J.K. forum. I think it was a pic I saw of a Kephart with orange scales (which ended up being my first JK a few months later). That was close to 9 years ago.

When I first visited I read about a maker who went by Stomper and he was hosting a get together at his house. It was also the fact that he was based in Illinois, not that far from where I lived and I thought that was cool too.

I caught the tail end of some of the original JK forum members like UDT Jim and a guy named Ruben, as well as a cool guy who went by JDS1 and a crazy guy named MQQN, both of whom I would later meet in person Along with some great people who are still around!
 
All the Proud Supporter sig lines I'd see in the old W&SS forum brought your work to my attention.
 
mykel m said:
All the Proud Supporter sig lines I'd see in the old W&SS forum brought your work to my attention.
Click to expand...
If I remember correctly, the first knife you bought from me was one of my old Pack Knives, in orange G10.
 
JK Knives said:
If I remember correctly, the first knife you bought from me was one of my old Pack Knives, in orange G10.
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Yup, snagged it when you put a couple up for sale and I was waiting for the Keebler Muk to be made.
Then the MO got lost in the mail....

Yay PP.
 
I think it was the Hudson Bay knife that first caught my eye, then the overall simplicity, functionality and good looks of John's work stood out. Then his good, friendly personality won me over and finally his heat treat reputation with 01 impressed me.
 
I've been on BF forevah, not even sure when I first dropped into the JK subforum. The first JK I ever had was given to me by my dad who was fan and friend of John. So it was natural to stop in here once my own JK collection began to grow.
 
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