Weekend Open Thread: Tricked Out Edition

H. Clay Aalders
Weekend Open Thread
·12 Comments·

Greetings and salutations everyone. Anything happening this week?

We just got done carving pumpkins tonight. What is your favorite pumpkin carving tool? I use a keyhole drywall saw. Vastly superior control, and a non-slip handle.  I have used it for years.

 

Of course Halloween falls on a Saturday with Daylight Savings and a Full Moon, because we needed an extra hour of 2020.

 

2021 looks to be starting out craptacularly, if you missed it, January’s SHOT Show cancelled. This is not a good thing for either the gun or knife industries. Companies are going to need to get creative to get their products exposure, maybe this will lead to an uptick in advertising, which would be a silver lining. Between show ads cancelling, and belts tightening at production companies, we are feeling it.

Here is a different take on it:

While technically we could be considered “influencers” in that we are highlighting products online and on social media, but that really is of secondary importance. And we don’t make money directly from social media. With 40 years in print, KNIFE Magazine has a different niche, and is treated differently by companies. Having been a pure blogger back at TTAK, I have experienced this difference firsthand.

For me the SHOT cancellation means another 6 months without seeing industry friends, whom I have already not seen in a year. That is what sucks about Blade and SHOT cancelling. I could care less about a couple of swag knives. (Well, maybe a little)

We are going to need to get creative as well. I foresee a bunch of Zoom calls in my future, with many different companies. I will probably be publishing individual virtual booth visit posts, which will probably generate some traffic at least. It will be interesting.

People need to improvise…

There are many changes this year…

On the plus side, I do have a Work Sharp Tribrasive Benchstone Knife Sharpener to give away.

It is slightly used, in that we demoed it around the office, and I wrote about its release in Knife News in a print issue earlier this year.

It is a nice little unit. The rotating “TriBrasive” platforms are a nice feature, and setup and use are simple and quick.

I will draw a comment at random, and as always you can enter up to five times with comments and replies. Comment on something I have discussed, the election, my meme game, the End of the World, or anything else that strikes your fancy.

Finally, this meme is off topic this evening, but it is the best thing I have seen all week.

If you get that on a password reset, you’re screwed.

Have a good weekend everyone.

 

 

 

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H. Clay Aalders

H. Clay Aalders is a lifelong edged tool user. He spent the past 20 years as a woodworker and fishing guide in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Tennessee. While guiding in Idaho, Clay worked part-time writing for a local newspaper, and upon moving to Tennessee began writing for the blog The Truth About Knives - spending his last 5 years there as Managing Editor. His background is in fixed-blade hunting and bushcraft knives, but has jumped into the world of vintage slipjoint collecting with both feet since coming to work at Knife Magazine. Clay’s primary role is as Digital Editor, curating and creating new content for our website and blog, as well as maintaining the Knife Magazine social media accounts (FB/IG: @theknifemag, Twitter: @knifemagazine). He is also a contributor and Associate Editor of the print magazine.

12 Responses

  1. Clay, after “Al” passed away, his knife brand moved its operations from Seki City and the USA. The new “owners” of “Al Mar Knives” are profiteers and that is the Chinese business story. Hey, how about a First Responder story in an upcoming issue.

    Reply

  2. Once in a Blue moon . . . I tethered my Black cat, Lou, to a post on the front porch Saturday night. He loved it. Our big Orange cat, Hobbs, sat in the bay window and sang a wailing song; Bruce, the Gray & White pain in the ass, did his banshee routine through the house; Leonard the Alpha, wise and aloof, laid in the rocker without a care; and, Abby, sister to Lou, Hobbs & Bruce ghosted everybody. No trick or treaters, watched Adam Sandler flick, “Hubie Halloween”. A couple of laughs out loud.

    Clay, the keyhole saw is interesting. While organizing my tool shed, I located a bunch of them acquired through auctions. Very useful for all sorts of cutting. Got my November “Knife”. Reminder to renew my subscription. (December). I enjoyed Bernard Levine “Whut Izzit” and Neal Punchard’s “Sterling Silver Pocket Knives” which I found to be excellent, especially the “Hallmarks”information.

    M. Willson Offutt IV’s “Field Trial” article on the “Al Mar 4 Ultralight Titanium Eagle” shed more light on why knife manufacturers use Red China: $Price$. Yep, most knife folks get that. It is Offutt’s insight to the first responder market that caught my attention, . . . “Often, I see expensive knives made in USA ostensibly marketed to first responders, who routinely tell me they can’t afford or won’t pay more than $100.” American manufacturers may offer first responders a discount, usually 10% but that is insufficent to close the price gap with China. Well, this Red China-made “Al Mar” is MSRP $235 and this knife is pretty darn plain vanilla.. Surely, there are American manufacturers who can provide first responders with a useful, practical knife that fits their needs at a cost that fits their budget.

    RIP, Al Mar.

    Hocky

    Reply

    1. The funny thing about the drywall saw is that it leaves behind these little squiggles of pumpkin “sawdust”. But the fat nonslip handle is grippy and safe enough for the kids to use, and the blade shape allows for some fairly tight radius turns.

      Re the AlMar. I don’t disagree. It is far from my favorite. Though if I recall correctly, it is AlMar that told me that the equipment they use in china is more modern and precise than what they used in Japan. Still no first responder knife should be more than $200. Especially imported.

      Reply

  3. How’d everyone’s Halloween turn out. My neighborhood was busy here in TN but my parents in upstate NY had 0 kids.

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  4. Moon rose orange over north Texas!. We set out a table in the driveway with candy packaged in individual zip lock bags. Then sat on the porch and enjoyed the kiddos!
    Not nearly the traffic of past years. Still, it was steady. Best costume was a little girl-maybe 3- dressed as the virus. Was ridiculously cute!
    Clay, I’ve got a 30 year old pumpkin”knife” that works great. My wife picked it up at the grocery store as part of a larger jack-o-lantern carving kit..And the only piece to survive- the blade is 3″ or so long. Duller than a butter knife. Orange plastic handle complete with pumpkin! Blade is more rippled than serrated. But it works incredibly well.
    The virtual both visit has potential. Do you think Shot would ball you promote it? Maybe reach more folks?

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    1. I wonder if most companies will just go the route of instagram and Facebook posts. It would be nice to see a cohesive collection of new product videos all in one place though.

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  5. Not a lot on here Halloween wise, well not so you would notice this far West in CA, its only relative the level of weirdness round these parts.
    This week I made my first leather sheath for a Mora 120 carving knife, saddle stitched and everything, surprised myself that it worked out. Always fun to try new things, and nice to have some pride and story in an item that you might otherwise just buy from an online store.
    Sporty week ahead, hoping for the best, would be a shame if the real goblins get into power (at least in greater numbers than they already are).
    .

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    1. Glad to hear about your homemade leather sheath writing out for you. I’ve tried in the past with only workable and ugly results.

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  6. here’s hoping most of y’all will get a good look at moonymoon tonight. I’ve got a growler of red rye and huge bowls of full size just waitin’ for goblins. they try to stifle the kids but I think they’ll be out. even though around here all the parents are snowflakes.
    Sam hain, y’all.

    Reply

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