All About Pocket Knives

American Blade 92 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 3:31 am I don't know about y'all, but I find myself daydreaming of somehow starting a pocket knife company that makes affordable knives for everyday usage. A knife that is great quality, but meant to get used hard everyday. And priced $20 to $30 a piece. Something between a USA Schrade old timer and a Case. A little better than schrade, but not quite as shiny as Case. Somewhere in between. And emphasis on being affordable. Something you can love, but if you lose it in the woods it's no big deal. Three patterns only. Single blade knife. Two blade Barlow. And A three blade stockman. Only four handle varieties. Red bone, green bone, stag and American hickory. Lifetime warranty.
If I get it going, this place will be the first to know.

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 12:24 pm

American Blade 92 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 3:31 am I don't know about y'all, but I find myself daydreaming of somehow starting a pocket knife company that makes affordable knives for everyday usage. A knife that is great quality, but meant to get used hard everyday. And priced $20 to $30 a piece. Something between a USA Schrade old timer and a Case. A little better than schrade, but not quite as shiny as Case. Somewhere in between. And emphasis on being affordable. Something you can love, but if you lose it in the woods it's no big deal. Three patterns only. Single blade knife. Two blade Barlow. And A three blade stockman. Only four handle varieties. Red bone, green bone, stag and American hickory. Lifetime warranty.
If I get it going, this place will be the first to know.

Maybe that is financially possible, but I would doubt it. All costs would have to be considered, including paying your employees a living wage.

btrwtr wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 3:58 am Sounds good to me. You covered a lot of ground with the great patterns.

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 12:24 pm

American Blade 92 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 3:31 am I don't know about y'all, but I find myself daydreaming of somehow starting a pocket knife company that makes affordable knives for everyday usage. A knife that is great quality, but meant to get used hard everyday. And priced $20 to $30 a piece. Something between a USA Schrade old timer and a Case. A little better than schrade, but not quite as shiny as Case. Somewhere in between. And emphasis on being affordable. Something you can love, but if you lose it in the woods it's no big deal. Three patterns only. Single blade knife. Two blade Barlow. And A three blade stockman. Only four handle varieties. Red bone, green bone, stag and American hickory. Lifetime warranty.
If I get it going, this place will be the first to know.

Maybe that is financially possible, but I would doubt it. All costs would have to be considered, including paying your employees a living wage.

1967redrider wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 12:35 pm Sounds like an awesome idea, you just need to get your hands on some working production machines cheap.

Steve Warden wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 12:50 pm

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 12:24 pm

American Blade 92 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 3:31 am I don't know about y'all, but I find myself daydreaming of somehow starting a pocket knife company that makes affordable knives for everyday usage. A knife that is great quality, but meant to get used hard everyday. And priced $20 to $30 a piece. Something between a USA Schrade old timer and a Case. A little better than schrade, but not quite as shiny as Case. Somewhere in between. And emphasis on being affordable. Something you can love, but if you lose it in the woods it's no big deal. Three patterns only. Single blade knife. Two blade Barlow. And A three blade stockman. Only four handle varieties. Red bone, green bone, stag and American hickory. Lifetime warranty.
If I get it going, this place will be the first to know.

Maybe that is financially possible, but I would doubt it. All costs would have to be considered, including paying your employees a living wage.

I was thinking the same. Would love for it to be possible, but....

knifeaholic wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 2:29 pm Great idea, but for that price point, would have to be mad in China or Pakistan.

SwedgeHead wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 3:23 pm >> Great idea, but for that price point, would have to be mad in China or Pakistan <<
And at that point you are competing with likes of Rough Ryder, where the difference may be just in the steel used, also driving your cost point.

Rookie wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 6:40 pm premium quality materials mean expensive knives. It's just how it works out. Knife companies are not raking in 50% profits on the knives they make. A GEC knife selling at a dealer for $150 probably has $120 worth of time/materials into the knife, and the dealer makes $30.

CutleryCollector-com wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 5:15 pm As a former owner of a knife shop at a truck stop and current knife dealer, I would pre-order two complete sets of twelve. One of each handle per set. With shipping, an investment of around $750.00.

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 4:06 pm Dream on! Definately an uphill struggle.

You’d be well served to do a little basic research into what it costs to operate a business in current-day. The salary of the typical semi-skilled worker in communist China is between $300-$350 a month. From that the Chicom government typically withholds 2-4% for health insurance. Some employers provide room and board via on-site dormitory style accommodations for employees, for which they deduct a stipend from the employee’s salary. Of course, the Chicom government will subsidize the capital investment in tooling, brick-and-mortar, etc, but will also control your business decisions and keep a portion of the income to fund their military, propaganda, etc.

Try that here and see if you get any workers. That’s just the “tip of the ice burg”. It gets more challenging from there!

Ken