Thanks DW! I wondered if people were managing to find a way around the 1 knife/3 months rule. And it seems they are. I guess this is what you run into when you make one of the most prized and collectible knives in the world.

Brad,
...Today I am a collector. The way I see it is if I can wait four years I can wait five years. I would hate to buy a RMK and then wonder if it had been made without a Randall family member or very long time Randall cutler ever touching it. I think there is a shortage of people with the artistic ability and skills and work ethic required to expand the shop. I do feel for the people who are looking for the best user hunting or camp knife and cannot wait for a Randall but I would not want them getting priority ahead of me to get their knives. IMO the shorter wait for combat knives going to active duty soldiers is the right thing to do. BTW, there are gunsmiths and custom gun makers with similar long waits to either make or modify guns.

Jeff,

Are you sure you're a Gator? You seem like you're not such a bad guy after all, OH!, that's right, you revealed the skeletons in your closet!

Anyhoo, You're right about the lack of craftsman that are able to step in, you see, at RMK we make the knives like Bo taught us to do and down the line. We haven't sacrificed quality for quantity and have no plans to! We can take anyone with eye/hand co-ordination and train them to be a knife-maker, but a true cutler takes YEARS to train to where if they miss time away from the shop that their absence means the rest have to step it up to pick up the slack.

We have a few "newbies" that are currently in "training" and do show promise. In fact, one of our new posters on this forum Gatorhunter (gotta' love that name) is one of them. So, with a little patience and a whole lot of training, the shop will be just fine, in time.

---DW---

Hey Come On Now !!!!! We demands equal time. Your next hire has to be Seminole-Slicer.

It's either that or Al Sharpton will be in the parking lot, and he won't be there to pick oranges,either.

Dubie Baxter

I really hate to bring this thread back on topic but I have a question that has really been bugging me:

If I chose to leave something off that normally comes on a knife, such as ordering a #14 without a wrist thong, does that count as an option?

gary

You mean substituting an option for a non-option?
My bet is no but maybe one of the experienced collectors will chime in.

Hello All...

My input--this is only my point-of-view on the RMK back log, wait time. It is interesting to me because I am currently attempting to purchase my first RMK! I do not own a RMK @ this time and never have before.I have sold some for a friend (private collection) at gun shows hear in FL. This is where I became interested in owing my own RMK. I have always liked knives and RMK's are the best made...so I would love to own one, or many.

As I have done research on the best, most affordable, way to purchase a RMK...with out the huge wait--I have found that:

1.) If you order from a knife dealer (who is not a Randall authorized dealer) you pay well above the catalog price...however you can have a RMK today--no wait!

2.) If you purchase a knife from an authorized Randall dealer (i.e. not directly from the Orlando shop)--the wait can be as little as four months and as long as three years--in some cases...far shorter a period of time that ordering direct from RMK (four plus years)!

In some retail situations manufacturers do not sell customer direct...meaning if you want to purchase their product you must purchase it from an authorized dealer. This is not such a terrible thing and could be a way for RMK to catch up on back orders and maybe decrease the overall wait time for all of the costumers. I am not talking about an order freeze...mentioned previously. With the wait time and the situation with the back log at it's current state...I am only saying that I feel luck that I can still order directly from Randall and do understand what ever measure they use to attempt to catch-up with shipping orders.

This being said, I do also think that that is a unbelievably long time to wait and with luck it will not always be so! I should have started placing order several years ago...I would not have this point-of-view...

Here is how I sees it. Most of us who buy and sell Randalls like them just as much as straight collectors. If we did not then there would be no demand. There is a little collector in every dealer or secondary market seller. I like things just the way they are. And here is my OPINION. Now this is just my view as a collector and seller. Randall knives are for sure not un-obtainable. At knife shows you should see the look on customers faces who have heard of Randall knives and don't have an idea of what they cost. When I tell them that there is a 4 to 5 year wait that makes their jaw drow even further. The playing field is set in their head. "WOW, those must be really good knives". I don't ever want that to change. Because of demand! collectors and sellers spend big money for Randalls. That keeps the secondary market moving. The second that the wait time goes down to a reasonable area then everyone has pretty much what they want or it dosen't seem like a bad idea to wait a year or two and pay less. When collectors and buyers pay top dollar for a knife for a long period of time, then that locks in the price for years to come. Older knives retain their value, cause no one wants to get less for a knife they paid more for 5 years prior. I like things the way they are. It is the American way to buy and sell. In our case buy and sell Randalls. If they were not in demand they would not be as valuable. If they are not as valuable then I am not as interested. I love Randalls. You love it, I love it, It's FUN. Keep up the good work and we will keep on buying. Let them all complain about the wait and in the long run they will still buy a Randall. Remember just my opinion.
Dave Samolis
RKS #4314

Well I could not disagree more!

The issue as I see it is supply—not demand.

The ability for the Randall shop to produce the amount of knives need to supply the market ...is just not possible. I think, as you put it, as a seller you are looking at the profit.

I am neither a collector nor am I a seller. I just have a RMK (that I use in the field) and do not plan to sell it. I would not purchase a RMK for $ xxx.xx and turn around and sell it on line to make a few dollars—get a real job! I am not speaking of an individual who's profession is, selling knives... I am talking about the people that are out to make a buck, on the side and are buying RMK's to sell, but are not knife dealers and are most definitely not authorized RMK dealers.

When I purchase a RMK I do not expect to pay more than I could purchase it from RMK... however this is not the case. Sellers (backyard type) are out to make the buyer pay as much as possible to make money. I also expect to be able to buy directly from Randall without the unreasonable wait time... this is also not the case—for what ever reason!

If you are a collector and out for the one-of-a-kind rare knife then get ready to pay. However if you are looking to purchase new production knives you should be able to purchase them at a reasonable price!