You should have seen all the pocket knives last Saturday in Niles-Liberty Ohio. The Ohio Gun, Knife & Military Shows packed the house with vendors and
Ohio Gun & Knife Show
customers. They used the vacant Big Lots store in Liberty Ohio, in the Belmont Plaza. The next show at that location will be January 23 and 24, 2016, in case you missed this one. The address is 3495 Belmont Ave., Youngstown, Ohio 44505, next to Aldi’s. Most of the tables had rifles and hand guns, be we were there for the knives. There were more knife tables than we saw at our last regional knife show. We were impressed, even though most of the tables were for guns. Ohiogunshows.com is the place to go for more information on upcoming shows.
Here are some pictures of just a small percentage of the knife displays from last Saturday, December 19, 2015. If you are a knife lover, you should enjoy these. See you at the next knife & gun show! Tim Pike, my nephew usually goes with me.
There are 4 major pocket knife brands that make the best Christmas presents, with your company logo engraved on the handle or blade.
284CM Buck Camo Knife
Buck knives are as American as apple pie. Personalized with your corporate logo, they carry your good will to the recipient. Everyone has heard of the name Buck.
Case knives also have a universal brand recognition. They are noted for being USA-made. People collect them world-wide. W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery has been making knives since 1889.
Kershaw is a major American knife company with very high standards. It’s
Kershaw1620-camo-scallion-smooth
knives have ushered in new and unique designs that are being copied by other manufacturers.
Kutmaster/Utica is also an American pocket knife company that produces some union-made knives, too. The quality is on par with Buck, and sells for a lower price because of brand recognition. They have a fine line of custom engraved knives.
Dako knives are imported from China, but offer much value for a low cost. Its personalized knives provide much value when you want to show your logo on a keepsake knife or multi-tool.
Logo pocket knives are quality gifts that can promote your company to your employees and to your customers. Here are 7 testimonials from happy companies. Some of them might be your competitors! Follow what your successful competitors do, and you will be successful, too!
An oil drilling company said: Thank you so much!!! The bosses all really liked the buck knives and they were able to hand them out to the field guys. I appreciate all of your help. Thank you again.
An outdoor clothing company said: The knives are great!!! Thanks so much
A large engineering company likes to give logo knives, and shared: Just to let you know the knives were delivered yesterday and they look great! Thank you and we look forward to working with you again.
A wire manufacturer had this to say about their knife-giving program: Dave just wanted to let you know that the Leathermen arrived and the logo looks awesome. Thanks a lot!
A big welding company uses engraved pocket knives in their employee gift program. They said: We loved the last batch of knives we received, and fast processing/shipping!
Thank you. My boss would like to order an additional 25 knives, with same
logo on blade. No deadline this time. Thanks again!
A national sheet metal company loves to use logo knives to promote their business. They said:
just wanted to say thanks and
to let you know we love the knives. so much
our LA office wants more;-)
its a good problem for sure.
any chance we could get another shipment
of say 25?
i know its nuts right now so
let em know if there’s any chance before
christmas and if not the new year
thanks again
A regional hydraulics manufacturer believes in using logo knives to give to their customers. They shared this with us: We received our knives today and they are absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much and we look forward to doing business with you in the future.
We went on our yearly tour of the Leatherman plant in Portland Oregon this year. It’s amazing how fast this company is growing. They had to increase the production area. To do this, they had to move the shipping department to another building 3 miles away. That new location is rented, and it houses the warehouse of the tools, the shipping area, customer service, and the custom laser engraving area.
Back to the main building, the small Leatherman museum is in the front office
Early Leatherman Prototype2
and open to the public. Here are a few pictures of the prototypes that Tim Leatherman made in his garage during the birth of his brilliant idea.
Early Leatherman Prototype
You know, necessity is the mother of invention. The Leatherman idea started when Tim and his wife toured Europe in the 1970’s, using a used car he bought there. It kept breaking down, and Tim would fix it himself. He really needed some pliers, but didn’t have any. It would have been nice if he had something like a Leatherman tool. Many months later, Tim perfected some prototypes
Early Leatherman Prototype3
in his garage, and started a very successful company. Too bad Gerber Knives turned down his proposal to produce his tools. Too bad for Gerber, but not for Tim.
Here are 2 stories of how a Leatherman tool came to the rescue.
Your customers will love a gift of a Gerber Knife. Here are 3 ways it will “strike” them……
The famous brand of “Gerber”. This fine company has a history going way back to 1939 with a mini order of handmade knife sets that were only given as Christmas gifts. Then thousands of retail stores started selling them all over the United States. Then in just 21 years, 1960, this knife company became very trusted as a manufacturer of “collectible legends”. Today, the Gerber name is well known in the knife world, even being sold in our nation’s Walmart stores. For business gifts, engraved Gerber knives with your company logo are available on the internet.
Gerber Titanium Nitride Paraframe 8446
The variety of knives and multi-tools. Gerber not only makes folding pocket knives. They make multi-tools, in the fashion of Leatherman Tools. Key chain multi-tools are the newest addition to their line, with the Gerber Shard Key Chain Tool.
Gerber® Shard Key Chain Tool 1769
The economical price of Gerber knives. Their knives are reasonably-priced, in the 20 to 30 dollar range. This is due to their global sourcing of raw materials and finished materials. Some assembly is being done in the Gerber Portland Oregon plant.
You must have a favorite pocket knife. Tell me about it. Is it one of these? See if you agree with me that these are the 5 best pocket knives in the world.
Boker Magnum King Barlow
Boker Magnum King Barlow. Boker is a big name in quality knives. They design and produce them around the world, using the best stainless steel. This barlow is a lockback formulated to please the hard core barlow lovers. Its prize features are a real damascus blade and burl wood scales (handles). This knife is the crowning glory of the long history of barlow knives, which originated in the 1600’s.
When someone asks for a Buck knife, this is the one they mean, even though Buck makes a lot of styles of cutting instruments. The 110 was first made in 1964, and just celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Case Smooth Natural Bone Trapper
Case Trapper Knife. Case makes all of its knives in the USA. This Natural Bone Trapper 91445 is the best selling Case knife by a long shot. Hand made, fine stainless steel, pure bone handle, and a lifetime warranty make it a winner.
Kershaw Scallion Camo Knife.
Kershaw1620-camo-scallion-smooth
They make this one in the United States out of the best material. It is a precision piece comprised of assisted opening, closed safety lock, and of course, the popular camouflage design.
Kutmaster Compact Rescue Knife
Kutmaster Compact Rescue Knife. Popular because of its stylish look, and its usefulness. Black blades command a mysterious look, along with the black handle. The tanto style blade adds to its attractiveness.
Well, that’s my 5 favorites. How about yours? What is your Best Pocket Knife?
You are a successful business owner, and you want to give your employees a special gift. You chose Engraved Kershaw Knives with your corporate logo. Here are 3 things to watch out for when you order…………..
Is laser engraving included in the price? Some online knife companies charge you extra, over $6 per knife for that service. Reputable knife engraving companies always quote you the price that includes free laser marking. Some companies do electro etching instead of laser engraving. Electro etching is a good way to apply your logo, but is considered semi-permanent. Why settle for anything less than professional permanent laser imprinting.
Kershaw Chive 1600
Is online ordering easy to do on their website? Do they give you an option to call in your order instead of typing it into the shopping cart? You may prefer to do it one way or another. Some people like to talk to a human being. Some enjoy reacting with their computer, and like to automate their ordering. Easy online ordering is characterized by a neat-looking, attractive, and well-organized website. It is a website that makes it easy to find your product, and to add it to a shopping cart and check out. Most people don’t want to “register” and “enter a password”, and have someone else’s computer “store” their credit card number for future use.
Kershaw 1620 Scallion-Blue
Do they offer “personalized service”? Can you talk to the same person each time you call in, or do you get a different person each time? You would probably like the same friendly person handle all your questions each time you call or email.
The history of Kershaw goes back
1660CKT Kershaw Leek open
to 1907. Then in 1974, they opened for business in Lake Oswego, Oregon and started their no-hassle, lifetime guarantee. Today their product line includes the finest USA-Made and imported knives in the industry. That’s why Kershaw knives is a household name. Every Man Wants a Kershaw.
When was the first time that someone used pocket knives to deliver an advertising message? When was the first Logo actually put on a knife, a logo not belonging to the knife’s manufacturer? What is an old advertising knife worth today? All these questions are answered in a unique book, ADVERTISING CUTLERY, by Richard D. White, c. 1999. It’s published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd, Atglen, PA.
It’s an amazing book to me, but I’m partial to company logo knives. I sell them for a living. I’m glad Mr. White decided to assemble this valuable information and present it in a fun, easy to read way. You can tell he loves knives, and has been collecting them for a long time. The book divides the collectible knives into categories:
Advertising on knives began about 100 years ago. That was long before laser engraving. According to Mr. White’s pictures (and the book is loaded with color pictures), the early logo knives were imprinted with the die-struck method. That’s when a heavy stamping machine forces the imprint from the die into the metal handle. This imprinting technique is still used today on name plates and key tags. I haven’t seen it used currently on knife handles.
Die-Cast Imprint
Die cast was another early way to advertise on a knife handle. This provides a 3 dimentional look that is very impressive.
Then hot stamping and screen printing were used. Hot stamping uses a heated die, which pushes the color of a foil ribbon into the plastic handle of the knife. The heat makes a slight indent into the partly melted substrate. This method is still used today, but not so much on knife handles.
Screen Printed Handle
Screen printing is familiar to most people. That’s when the ink, or paint, is pushed through the porous areas of a screen onto the knife handle. This is still very much used today on knives.
Today we use laser engraving, machine engraving (like a jeweler’s), electro etching, screen printing, pad printing, and laser engraving followed by a color fill.
If I had a quarter for every time someone has emailed me that question, I’d be rich by now. Mr. White’s book has these guidelines for determining the answer to your question.
THE 5 FACTORS WHICH AFFECT THE OVERALL VALUE OF ANY COLLECTIBLE CUTLERY ARE:
Condition
Brand Name
Style
Handle Material
Age
The advertiser is also a factor. If it was a company that used to make asbestos, or any other obsolete product or service, that knife has more appeal to a collector. Barlow style knives have their own special appeal.
Old Imprinted Logo Knives
Do you have an old advertising knife? Tell us about it, and email a picture. I’d be happy to see it. So would everyone else. Thanks.
Let’s say that your boss wants you to be in charge of ordering Christmas presents for all the employees, or all the customers. This could be a huge task. Fortunately he has narrowed down the gift idea to custom engraved knives. Great. Now you have to go online and find the perfect pocket knife or hunting knife that will get the job done. If he hasn’t given you a list of criteria, I’ll help you make that list. Here are the points that he should want you to look for. If you and he can narrow down your wish list, then you will be able to find the perfect Personalized pocket knives:
Price. Which knife will fit into your budget? This is a good place to start your list. Knives sell for a range of $5 to $200 each. So you can narrow down your search using this parameter.
Tech Colors by Case
USA-Made. Is the country of origin important in your decision? This is something to keep in mind when you are looking for the perfect gift knife.
Size. Would an 8 inch hunting knife become a cherished gift? Or would a small “Every Day Carry” (EDC) pocket knife be the answer.
Brand. Some brands have universal recognition, like Buck, Case, Gerber, Leatherman, and Kershaw. How important is the brand name in your giving campaign?
Color. Knife handle come in different colors of bone and synthetic. Also stainless steel and wood. Does your corporate logo require a certain color combination? Would Laser Engraving your logo into the blade work for your purpose?
Method of Imprinting. Laser engraving is the most permanent, and most popular. It can be done on metal and wood. If you need a color imprint, Case offers the imprint colors shown above.
Production Time. How soon does your boss need the knives? Production times vary from 24 hours to 5 weeks, depending on the brand and current availability.
If you can help your boss with the answers to these 7 things, you will make him happy. And one step closer to a Promotion (I hope). At least the two of you will be able to promote your corporate name to a group of key people.
