First purchase at Arizona Custom Knives...

[the count]

In addition to the gun virus I recently got infected with the knife virus. Is this a coincidence?

Anyway, I have a dozen or so folders and fixed knives of various qualities incl. a Fallkniven S1. Stumbled upon the ACK website and boy do they have some nice stuff. I ordered what appears to be a pretty good deal ($149, 5" damascus blade) from a knife maker called Magma. Never heard of them but the knives ACK has from them are pretty much sold out. Here is a pic of the one I got. Any opinions on Magma or ACK in general?

 

[hso]

Arizona Custom Knives has been one of the most respectable custom knife dealers around for as long as I can remember. They'd changed hands a few years ago, but any concern about their reputation disappeared as the new owner proved out. The quality of their offerings have not been as high as originally, but the collecting dollars available aren't what they used to be. OTOH, high end collectable knives have maintained their value and collectors at that level weren't hit as hard and have kept buying.

 

[JimStC]

Great looking knife.
To deal with your virus visit here: http://www.knifeart.com/.
It is one of my favorite knife sites, but DON'T sign up their monthly newsletter. It can be habit forming and expensive
I have the same virus as you.
Jim

 

[kamagong]

You think you have it bad now, it gets much worse. Pretty soon you'll be joining various knife forums and eventually the dealers' won't be enough and you'll be bookmarking individual knifemakers' websites.

Enjoy the ride, you've just picked up another expensive hobby.

 

[hso]

http://garylevine.com/

http://www.classicgunsandknives.com/

http://www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com/

http://www.exquisiteknives.com/?gclid=CNesl4TdxrECFSVvTAod1GYAqw

http://www.nordicknives.com/

http://knifepurveyor.com/

http://www.nordicknives.com/

 

[JimStC]

hso, now that was a low blow.....
And Kamagong, you accurately describe the progression of this illness
Jim

 

[hso]

Misery loves company.

 

[sidheshooter]

Love AZ custom.

And that looks like a buy for 150.

 

[hso]

Gotta remember that it is from a unknown maker that is probably overseas and that no one else is carrying MAGMA.
These may be like the ebay offerings, but quality controlled by ACK (which is a better guarantee than just buying them from ebay).
You'd expect a US or European maker to charge more for any damascus piece that size.

Ask ACK if the knife is an offshore manufacture, how it is different from the ebay offerings and if they're adding value by making sure these are the best examples of that genre they are providing good value for the money.

 

[the count]

Gotta remember that it is from a unknown maker that is probably overseas and that no one else is carrying MAGMA.
These may be like the ebay offerings, but quality controlled by ACK (which is a better guarantee than just buying them from ebay).
You'd expect a US or European maker to charge more for any damascus piece that size.

Ask ACK if the knife is an offshore manufacture, how it is different from the ebay offerings and if they're adding value by making sure these are the best examples of that genre they are providing good value for the money.

Called ACN, they said the Magma knives come from a dealer in London, further details unknown...

Anyway, what I think one has to do is keep the truly collectable knives separate and resist the urge to actually use them. Like I do with my guns. I have plenty of shooters, but keep my NIB Colts from the 70s neatly stacked in the safe. Our hobby is not only expensive, but requires a great deal of self control...hahaaa.

PS I saw a bunch of 'damascus' folders on ebay for around $20! How can that be? Fake damascus? Etched/painted on?

 

[kamagong]

Here's a bit of unsolicited advice. Buy what you like, without consideration of increase of value. If you end up with a collectible in the future, that's a bonus but don't get into this expecting to make a ton of money. It's very hard to predict what will or won't be desirable from a collecting standpoint when it comes to knives.