Many business owners like to give quality gifts to their clients and employees. It is a great way to show their appreciation. Often the best idea for long-lasting gifts is personalized knives. How do you make this idea a reality? Here are some points:
Personalized Knives
Start with good artwork. If you don’t have any, then just use the name of your company.
Find a quality knife company on the internet. Using the words “company logo knives” will get you the most relevant knife engravers that can help you out.
Order USA-made knives, if they fit into your budget. If not, many Chinese pocket knives are available in high quality. Dako is one of them.
Ask for a virtual proof before your order is put into production. It is better to find a mistake on your computer screen than on 100 Buck knives.
Ask about the warranty. Many knife manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty, or a 25 year warranty.
Your boss just asked you to order some custom engraved knives for his company. He wants to hand them out at the next shop meeting. They will be rewards for being safe employees for the last 6 months. Only those employees that did not get hurt during that time period will be rewarded with the safety award of a $50 knife with the corporate logo. On the back of the blade it will say “Accident Free Award–2016”.
Do you want to score some points with your boss? When you look for a promotional knife company using Google, here are the top 7 questions your boss will want answered as you do your search:
Are the knives USA-made? Buying USA made knives supports our national economy, and gives you the best quality knives.
Is there a warranty on the knives? The best knife manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty against defects and workmanship.
Are the custom engraved knives imprinted using a method that will permanently stay on the blade (or handle)? Laser engraving is permanent. Etching is semi-permanent.
What if the imprint is not done correctly? How will the knife company rectify the problem. Will they re-do the order. The best knife distributors will happily repeat the order correctly.
Can the engraver meet our deadline? The most reputable knife engravers can do a rush order in 2 or 3 days.
How much does the setup cost. Is it free setup? Some distributors do offer free setup, and still remain competitive in this market.
Can we see a virtual proof before production begins? An in-house art department is a good thing to have.
No doubt that everyone knows the value and reliability of Leatherman Tools. They are known the world over as the best multi tool ever made. There are many styles to choose from, and 2 sizes to choose from. So how do you decide which ones are for you? You can’t just make a list of functions that you need, because an emergency may arise, that requires a function that you didn’t think of. Here are my recommendations. A full size one (about 4″), and a mini one (about 2 1/4″). The 2 engraved Leatherman Tools with your company logo that you should have in your car, tool box, or boat.
The Leatherman Squirt, PS4. This mini multi-tool fits easily in your pocket, and will always be with you when you need it.
The Leatherman Wingman LM37, for a full-size tool for about any job you will come across.
Get one of each, and your life will be complete! Made in the USA.
Without a doubt, the best-selling USA-made pocket knives are the Buck Folding Hunter 110, the Case Executive Lockback 7200, and the Kershaw Scallion Knife, Camo 1620. These are the best pocket knives to have laser engraved with your logo and give to your best clients. Your customers will absolutely love these 3 knives because they are American made, and because they are made by companies with a strong US tradition of quality.
Case has been making knives since 1889 deep in the hills of Bradford PA. Each knife is still made by hand by master craftsmen.
Kershaw “Scallion” Knife, Camo 1620
Kershaw, a proud US knife company was founded in 1974. They are a real newcomer, but have established a remarkable reputation with their USA-made knives. They also have some of the models made overseas to their exacting specifications.
Let’s say that your boss would like you to order some Gerber Knives for him. He wants to have the company logo printed on them, and he wants to use them as safety awards for the guys in the shop. Here are some questions he needs to have answered, and you are in charge of finding the answers:
Gerber Knife 08485
Are Gerber Pocket Knives popular with the work force? ANSWER: Yes. Everyone has heard of the Gerber brand of quality company logo knives.
Is Gerber an old USA knife-making company? ANSWER: Yes. Gerber has been making knives since 1939. They are based in Oregon. They make some of the knives there, and import some also.
How soon can he have the engraved Gerber knives? ANSWER: Production time starts when you approve a proof. Production takes 10 business days. If you need them sooner, just let us know your deadline, and we will let you know if we can meet it.
Will the engraving last forever? ANSWER: Yes. Laser engraving will last forever.
Will the knives last forever? ANSWER: Yes. Gerber gives you a FULL LIFETIME WARRANTY (North America Only). Warranty limited to 25 years outside of North America
What kind of art file do you need? ANSWER: Vector art is the best. Examples are eps and ai files. We can use other files, but will need to modify them to give your logo the neatest and clearest look on your knives. There is a small charge for that, depending on the complexity of your logo.
Can we see a virtual proof before we order? ANSWER: Yes. It will just take a day or 2.
You become known as a generous person who gives useful gifts.
Your business grows partly because the pocket knives that you distributed are mobile advertising media.
395CM9 Camo Buck Knife
USA-made knives like Buck, Case, and Kershaw are the most popular ones. These brands carry a high brand recognition value. Some imported knives like Gerber and Dako and Maxam are less expensive. They are good for trade show give-away products.
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.
Thinking of giving something special to your male employees for Christmas this year? Here are 4 reasons for giving them engraved Buck knives with your company logo on the blade.
Buck 110 Folding Hunter Lockback Knife
Mostly American made. Most of the Buck knives are American made. They have always made the model 110, Folding Hunter Lockback Knife, in the USA since it was introduced in 1964. Some of their knives, like the popular
Buck Nobleman Linerlock Knife 327, are imported, but made to the strict standards of Buck.
Brand Name. Everyone knows the name “Buck”, and associates it with quality cutlery. Of all the engraved pocket knives, the name “Buck” is the most recognizable.
Appreciated. A Buck knife gift is appreciated by all your male employees.
Advertising. The special gift will display your logo. It will also last a very long time, and promote your company to everyone who sees the knife in the future.
284CM Buck Camo Knife
The Buck-110-folding-hunter celebrates it’s 50th birthday.
The best knife show in Ohio 2015 had the best pocket knives this year. The Ohio Classic Knife Show was put on by Battle Horse Knives. It was held at the Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center, 7033 Glenn Hwy, Cambridge, Ohio 43725. The best pocket knife that I saw was one of the Buck knives. Buck has always been one of my favorites, because of the durability and its reputation.
Ohio Classic Knife Show 2015
Here are some highlights of the show. Among the 90 tables were unique displays from “aroundthecabin.com/campfire“. These guys put on an entertaining live program 6 nights a week.
Kip from aroundthecabin.com
The “Best Display” award went to “Hair of the Bear” owner Moon Munjas from Marietta OH. Moon makes custom knives, sometimes 5 or 6 at a time. His display was colorful and attractive.
Moon Munjas of Hair of the BearHair of the Bear
Yurco Handcrafted Knives owner Mickey Yurco, is from Canfield Ohio.
Mickey Yurco and wife
He makes custom designs, specializing in self defense knives. He is a member of The Knifemakers’ Guild. Mickey is accompanied by his wife in the picture.
Tim Roddy
Mickey’s buddy, Tim Roddy, from neighboring Youngstown, Ohio also had a nice display of
Tim and Mickey
custom knives that he made from the finest stainless steel. He specializes in quality fixed blade knives.
Woodlab Outdoors, LLC
Michael J. Balaskovitz, the director of the 2016 knife show, has “Woodlab Outdoors, LLC”, Premium Materials & Servicing. He sells various knife handle materials.
Greg Gottschalk
The award winner for “Best Value” in the show was Greg Gottschalk of Carnegie PA. Greg does a beautiful job making hand crafted knives, and is a member of The Knifemakers’ Guild and ABS Mastersmith. Of course, all the custom-made knives at the show are made in the USA.
Vallerie Hibbard
Valerie Hibbard, of Plain And Practical LLC (Scales & Grip Blanks & More) had a huge display of various hardwoods that she sells to knife makers. She is from Hilliard Ohio, and travels around looking for unique specimens of hardwood which she can bring into her store.
Plain and Practical LLC
Wayne G. Hensley, and his business, Custom MadeCutlery, had an interesting table. Wayne’s motto is: Materials by God, Crafted by Hensley. Wayne is a member of The Knifemakers’ Guild, Professional Knifemakers Association, and Georgia Custom Knifemakers’ Guild. He is also the vice president of The Knifemakers’ Guild. His picture is missing here.
My nephew, Tim Pike (a camo knife connoisseur) and I had a great day looking at some of the country’s best pocket knives.
