ray mears knife

[spamel]

I agree with the makers price being obviously too low. It must make Alan sick to see his knives being sold on for more than double the asking price. Maybe he should put the prices up to the point where people won't see a point in trying the ebay profit making method, but then again it would probably damage his business in the long run.

Sod it, I don't want one anyway, unless anyone is giving one away for free?!!

 

[ArkAngel]

It's one of those weird things that will just happen.

I do have an WS woodie, but it was bought in the days when prices were "normal" and supplies were plentiful. I knew nothing of this site or British Blades and the availability of custom knives.
Knowing then what i know now i would of had a custom made knife made for me. Nothing wrong with the woodie, it was all that was available at the time (that i knew of).

I certainly wouldn't pay £500 for a knife
But don't forget the "Ray Mears pencil" at some £42
Or the early editions of his work that command £200 in some cases.

Love him or loathe him the guy is popular. Mention 'bushcraft' or 'ray mears' and there is a good bet someone will know who or what you are talking about. Mention Mors or Lofty and i bet the response is "Who?"

Ray Mears IS the face of the outdoors in this country to the general public. IIRC a day with him went for £50 000+ on the BBC's Children in need auction last year (the most ever for a single bid).

People need to know about the other options, the custom knife makers, the other popular and knowledgable "Guru's" of bushcraft (and that includes this site).

They will continue to worship at the alter of Ray Mears until they realise that other things bushcrafty exist in this world.

No offence meant to Ray by the way, like most i like the guy, he is responsible for me starting down this neverending path

 

[ArkAngel]

You can have mine for nothing Spamel......................



.......mind you to be sure it gets to you in A1 condition i want £500 for P+P

 

[spamel]

How's it being sent, via RAF Tornado?!!

 

[ArkAngel]

C130 with "B" Squadron 22nd SAS

Well they are hard to come by you know

 

[Tengu]

Id pay that to have a C130 land in my street.

Double if they block out the school buses....

 

[scaleyback]

i think its just ebay,,,,,,,,,i have seen sheffield hand made knives on there for £100-150, and i have the same one bought from the little mesters shop in city centre for £ 20 .........go figure,

 

[Burnt Ash]

It's not the price that bothers me, it is the fact that people are ordering the knives with a view to make money, and therefore they are creating a huge backlog of knives to be made. Therefore, if you wanted one and went through the maker you will get put on a huge waiting list, made all the more bigger because these people are ordering them just to make a fast buck.

But that's just silly. We all strive to make some money. I'm not a registered charity; neither are you; nor is Ray Mears. Markets are about supply and demand. Never mind what might be on a price tag: a thing is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. It doesn't matter whether it's a Picasso, a bottle of Champagne or a bushcraft knife. For something that falls into the category of elective, or luxury purchase, nobody is forcing you to buy any particular kind or make. There's no point in getting upset unless someone in the chain is being utterly exploited.

I'm sure, pinned against a tree, RM would be the first person to admit that -if you were completely persuaded by the Woodlore design and couldn't afford the inflated prices of a genuine Alan Wood version- the sensible thing would be to have a copy made by another competent knife maker. Nowhere (to my knowledge) has RM ever said that Alan Wood is the only decent knife maker on the planet. And -surely- if you're only interested in a knife for using, why should you have any concern whose name is on the blade -as long as its quality and function are up to snuff?

Rejoice that Opinels, Svords, EKAs and Moras, etc. are such incredible bargains!

Burnt Ash

 

[Woodcutter]

Do what I did and make your own, it cost me about £20 in materials, and 30 or so hours. Its as good as the WS, if fact better as its homemade, field tested and its superb, if I do say so myself! I agree with comments about mora, it takes some beating at under a tenner. Have a look at my homemade, and let me know what you think. http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=16654

 

[huntersforge]

like it or not we live in a society where some must have the biggest and most expensive of everything . There is no doubt an Alan Wood is a fine knife but some of the most active and experienced bushcrafters I know have the most modest and basic kit , nearly all of it home made .
I personally have never come back from a weekend out and about thinking it could have been so much better with a £500 knife .

 

[Squidders]

I have an AW Woodie and I love it...

I didn't moan, I just added my name to the waiting list and got it at retail price... this method is available to everyone.

The £500 price tag is effectively jumping the queue, nothing more and is optional.

If you want one, send Woodlore an e-mail and be patient... it is, after all, a virtue

Also, for the record, I think it's easily worth the money, every knife is hand made and ever-so slightly diferent... You are paying for something that is unique, beautiful and functional and that's rare indeed.

I don't understand why this topic/rant keeps coming up

 

[Feygan]

Id rather think of the beatings a knife is going to take when buying, at the end of the day its a knife it's meant to cut, get dirty and other stuff. My mora has been bashed, dented, left rusty and other crimes more times than I can count, yet I never worry because of the price it's a simple case of "well if I can't repair it this time it won't break the bank"

Like to see anyone who spent £500 on a WL leave it wil rust and food parts on it for a day or more without having a heartattack.

 

[Burnt Ash]

Like to see anyone who spent £500 on a WL leave it wil rust and food parts on it for a day or more without having a heartattack.

You'd be surprised! A knifemaker friend has shown me several expensive knives, sent to him to try and fix up, that had clearly suffered outright abuse or woeful neglect.

It's hard to understand how someone can spend a couple of hundred quid on a knife (carbon steel, timber handle), then leave it for a month with their wet camping gear out in the shed after a trip.

Burnt Ash

 

[Blankfisherman]

C130 with "B" Squadron 22nd SAS

Thats not bad for £6.95

 

[Nod]

i think its just ebay,,,,,,,,,i have seen sheffield hand made knives on there for £100-150, and i have the same one bought from the little mesters shop in city centre for £ 20 .........go figure,

You're right. e-bay seems to create it's own vacuum of prices for items. I think that many of the people who use it don't even bother to look elsewhere for the same items. They buy and sell everything thru e-bay.

I sold some old cufflinks I had on there, and they ended up going for more than the person could have bought them for new. Likewise I saw a fire steel (proper black smithed one) go for more than they were on certain web shops. Crazy not to check around before you start bidding on something.

 

[Tengu]

I always do.

You really have to watch it with Ebay, particularly with army surplus.

 

[markw]

I have an AW Woodie and I love it...

I didn't moan, I just added my name to the waiting list and got it at retail price... this method is available to everyone.

The £500 price tag is effectively jumping the queue, nothing more and is optional.

If you want one, send Woodlore an e-mail and be patient... it is, after all, a virtue

Also, for the record, I think it's easily worth the money, every knife is hand made and ever-so slightly diferent... You are paying for something that is unique, beautiful and functional and that's rare indeed.

I don't understand why this topic/rant keeps coming up

Hello,

Agree with Sqidders its the price you pay for jumping the Q, no doubt the purchaser is happy at not waiting however long for the blade and the vender as made a tidy profit. Right or wrong its supply and demand, market forces and all that. I suppose if Woodlore up the price in line with demand then that would be a different issue.

I doubt that when Raymond laid down the design for the knife that he had any idea how popular or iconic and sought after it would become. Love him or loath him he knows his stuff.

Personaly until now I've never paid more than about £50 for a field knife, either a Mora, Helle or similar, never seen the point (no pun intended ). I appreciate the beauty and asthetics of handmade kit, but also the simplicity, functionality and history of the £15 Mora

I'm fortunate that my partner has indulged me and I'm eagerly awaiting an 'OutBack' by Paul Baker, an early christmas present. I will make it earn its keep tho and will probably spend a fair while trying to justify the cost.

Regards

Mark

 

[gregorach]

I'm fotunate that my partner has indulged me and I'm eagerly awaiting an 'OutBack' by Paul Baker, an early christmas present. I will make it earn its keep tho and will probably spend a fair while trying to justify the cost.

If it's of the same standard as his other work (and I can't imagine it would be any less) then you should be very pleased with it and have no trouble at all justifying it. Sure, you could get a cheaper knife, but (a) Paul's work is superb, and (b) he's a British craftsman who deserves the support.

I'd take my PB "New Graduate" over a WS woodie any day of the week, regardless of what they sell for.

 

[nickg]

Ive got to say - now that i have found out how truly simple it is to make a fully useable & functional knife myself, with no real loss of aesthetics either, I really could not bring myself to pay someone else even £50 to make one for me.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=15954
I have a wilkinson woodlore that i could not bring myself to ruin the mirror finish on, but my own I have no worries about doing anything at all to. That means that I get the fullest use possible from the tool (and I will emphasise the word tool)

Nick

 

[gregorach]

That's all very well if you've got the space and the tools.