Woodlore Owners...

[FGYT]

I've gotten into trouble before over the woodlore discussion,so I'm going to be very careful here.
I have owned a woodlore,the wilkinson sword version, but found the handle to be a bit too thin for me,also I wasn't impressed with the lack of liners.I realise they don't actually add anything to knife but do look nice.Overall I think the blade shape and size is ideal for me,but would like to see them a lot cheaper and with the handle a bit thicker.
Would I buy another?When they make thicker handles,yes.

im sure if you order from AW direct you can get what ever handle thickness you want

there are also plenty of makers doing similer or identical copys for a lot less money

and before i get shot down for suggesting a copy artist etc etc untill recently SWC was one of these offering a Woody identical profile in balde kit or full knife. Now hes a fully endorsed RM maker the prices are a lot more and hes probably actually making less per knife
wonder if hes still allowed to sell the pattern on his own any more
mind you probably wont want to see another one soon

ATB

Duncan

 

[JonathanD]

Well, so far on BCUK.. of the people that own a Woodlore 60% see use, and 40% are in drawers. Of the people planning to own them 80% will use them and 20% will be bought as collectors items.

On BB... 47% use them and 53% keep them as collectables. Interesting.

 

[sapper1]

I'm quite surprised at the low number of overall votes,only 30 people seem to have any interest in them.

 

[JonathanD]

I'm quite surprised at the low number of overall votes,only 30 people seem to have any interest in them.

It's not bad, only had the thread up a couple of days. The results on BB were what I was expecting. I thought a higher percentage of people on here would have had them as users though. Of course that's not taking into account the multiple owners though. I'll do a thorough results post in about a week or so.

 

[xavierdoc]

It's not bad, only had the thread up a couple of days. The results on BB were what I was expecting. I thought a higher percentage of people on here would have had them as users though. Of course that's not taking into account the multiple owners though. I'll do a thorough results post in about a week or so.

It's a good idea for a poll but don't forget that there is a fair amount of overlap in the membership of BB and BCUK.

 

[JonathanD]

Yeah, that's why I asked them to post on both forums. Hopefully this will negate the crossover slightly. Still quite a difference though. The last two questions on this poll are missing on the BB one as I couldn't go back and edit

 

[phill_ue]

I am surprised that the Sheffield cutlers haven't been approached to do a run on factory versions since the demise of Wilky Sword. There is a version of the Woodlore style available from a Sheffield works that is approximately 100 quid if you go for the standard finish and basic scale material, I think it is made by Wrights, and I have seen them for sale in a shop in Sheffield and they are very nicely made. I can't help but think that Woodlore may be missing out here.

 

[heath]

I got a call from woodlore last year saying that my name was top of the list and did I still want the knife, I'd completely forgotten putting my name down for one, I think it had been about four years. I bought it knowing that if I wanted to I could sell it on. I've never used it, partly because I don't need to, I make my own knives and prefer using them, and also it would effect the value. I've thought about selling it but if I do then I doubt I will have another opportunity to get one. I enjoy having it as a collectible.

 

[UKdave]

Will these knives eventually go out of "fashion"?as it appears that the market is being saturated with them,and the market will only stand a certain amount of exposure.
I my self wouldnt bother waiting 10years for one as to ME all it is,is two bits of wood stuck to a piece of O1, which I can get quicker,cheaper and "better" from elsewhere, but without the special logo.Would i have one,no,as theres not enough in it for me,but then ive spent more, on less, on other things.

 

[phill_ue]

I doubt they will go out of fashion as they are sought after due to Mears using them. If he suddenly said they were crap and started using a Tom Brown Tracker (A wise choice, Mr Mears!) then you may see them reduce in price, but as that is not likely to happen any time soon they will continue to command a stupid price!

 

[Doc]

I am surprised that the Sheffield cutlers haven't been approached to do a run on factory versions since the demise of Wilky Sword. There is a version of the Woodlore style available from a Sheffield works that is approximately 100 quid if you go for the standard finish and basic scale material, I think it is made by Wrights, and I have seen them for sale in a shop in Sheffield and they are very nicely made. I can't help but think that Woodlore may be missing out here.

That's a good point.
Bushcrafters are, almost by definition, into tradition and there is something traditional and reassuring about the 'Made in Sheffield' blade stamp.
Even Mors Kochanski commented on the quality of Sheffield steel in his book.
The Wright bushcraft knife looks good, though some dislike the rather wide ricasso and plain looking sheath.

 

[JonathanD]

The Wright bushcraft knife looks good, though some dislike the rather wide ricasso and plain looking sheath.

I thought they'd sorted the ricasso dimensions out, and made them smaller.

 

[phill_ue]

I don't think it is much bigger than the one in your sig line. The one I saw didn't have a massive ricaso.

 

[durulz]

I doubt they will go out of fashion as they are sought after due to Mears using them.

Yeah, but when Bushcraft and Ray stop being so popular, I wonder if they will still be as valuable. What about in 10, 20 or 30 years? I think people who are buying them and keeping them pristine as collectibles are wasting their money - they may have value NOW, but I don't see a Woodlore knife as a long-term valuable collector's item. And I don't see the name 'Ray Mears' as a seller either - it may be to some bushcrafters, but people outside of the bushcraft circle see the whole Ray Mears thing as faintly quaint and slightly comical. Their value is to bushcraft enthusiasts and when bushcraft starts falling in popularity (which it will) then so will the value of the knives. As a short-term investment (assuming you are collecting it for financial reasons - as most seem to be suggesting) then it may be worth doing. But I think 'true' knife collectors would rather see names such as 'made in Sheffield' as a long-term sign of quality, rather than a fad.
All that said, I don't doubt the quality of the knives. I don't have one, never held one, and not interested in owning one (don't like labels). But I have no problems with people who do crave them - fill your boots as far as I'm concerned.

 

[JonathanD]

I don't think Ray Mears endorsement on the blade will make it as much a collectable as Alan Woods long term. Go back to the Eighties and look at the trend in survivalism and survival knives that came after the first Rambo movies. That died, yet the big knife to have at the time was the Wilky Survival Knife. That is still commanding great prices thirty years on, and if you have one boxed like new, your laughing. All this from a knife that most will say is a very daft design.

I don't think the majority are kept as an investment, but purely as a collectable. Those that want to make a profit on them have slightly missed the oppurtunity that Ebay offered, but the prices are still high for those who are buying to sell.

True knife collectors will always value anything that comes from Alan Woods workshop. He has become recognised around the World and holds a place at the top of the UK knife making industry.

 

[PRKL]

I dont own one,and never will,i think,as the price is pulled from utopia.Knives are made to be used,and i think bushcrafting aint about gear hoarding,especially hoarding stuff for posing and showing off.I mean,whats the idea of buying knife,if you dont use it

 

[JonathanD]

I dont own one,and never will,i think,as the price is pulled from utopia.Knives are made to be used,and i think bushcrafting aint about gear hoarding,especially hoarding stuff for posing and showing off.I mean,whats the idea of buying knife,if you dont use it

It's all about collecting not at all about bushcraft. That's why I posted the poll, and also why I did it on here and BB as I suspected that the majority of collectors would be there. Many people collect knives as items of interest and don't ever intend to use them, same goes for many things in the world, books,toys,ornaments, etc, etc. It's not at all about bushcraft, but some people who are into bushcraft are also knife collectors as this poll is beginning to prove.

I also don't think that anybody here who hoards their Woodlore is doing so to show off or to pose, quite the opposite as their collections are personal to them and kept hidden from people. There is also a disturbing stigma against those people who buy and use their Woodlore knives such as that shown in your post, so most people use it for their own pleasure to avoid the scorn. It's even worse for the poor sods that have bought a BG Bayley. A perfectly good knife made by a brilliant maker. Who would have thought a couple of knife designs could cause so much distaste and derision not for just the knives, but to the people who use or collect them. It's that I find weird.

 

[John Fenna]

OK - if it is about collecting, not Bushcraft or knives per se, I can almost grasp it...a bit like collecting Picassos (rubbish as far as I can see...there is much better art out there at lower prices, which is more attractive and life enhancing but just does not have "The Name") but I still find collecting tools, that will never be used as intended, wierd - like keeping Picassos in a bank vault instead of on your wall I guess!
I keep my knives on display when I am not using them, and have a couple purely for display (but all have been used at some point) such as the first one I rehandled, the first one I made from scratch, a couple of Skian Dhubs (sp?) and an "Arab Dagger" I made as a souvenier of a trip to Marrocco as I could not afford one out there!
I apreciate the artistic and aesthetic value of a knife (I also have some of my drawings and photos on the walls) but to not use a tool for its real job....I struggle with that idea....

 

[JonathanD]

I can understand your confusion John. It confuses me why people collect paintings to store them too, and those people that collect cars and never drive them. But i can understand people who collect Japanese Swords and never use them, and therefore, knives. It's the extreme end of enjoying a visit to the Royal Armories and museums, and I like that peoples work is being preserved for future generations. If I was a knife maker, I'd like to see some of my work surviving into the future a little longer than most.

The poll also is showing that the majority who do collect, buy duplicates to use and enjoy too.

I've enjoyed this thread and peoples views on the subject. I'll give it another week or so before compiling the results.

 

[John Fenna]

I look forward to seeing the results!