Over the last several days, I read the blog post and thought about the comments posted about my choice for the 2010 iKC Club Knife.

First let me say, I appreciate all the members who emailed me privately as well as posted and replied in the two previous blog post regarding the Club Knife. And I'm glad to see the amount of interest this topic created. Thanks for caring about our community.

Let me begin by addressing the group who voiced their opinion against my selection of our first knife. I understand your beef about this knife. And the truth is after reading the reasons you aren't happy about the decision, there is nothing I am able to say that will change your feelings. I'd like to but know I can't.

The last thing any of us want is for our community, and the positive culture we have here, to be disrupted over this issue, or any other. Most of us have worked very hard to build a positive foundation for our community over the last 9 months to see any issue wear on it. It is important that we agree to disagree, if it comes to that.


We have differences of opinions on knife styles, choices and makes of knives. This in actually is our community's strength. Just look through the 7500+ pictures and tell me you really think we will ever all agree on a "good" knife. Granted I understand, this community is not one big Elephant Toenail club, OK. So, next year it will be different, and that's OK. There will be years we'll have tactical knives as the club knife and new factory knives too.

Let's also recognize iKC has an increasingly growing number of International members and I expect this trend to continue.

There were solid reasons I selected to go with A. G.'s knife for our first knife. Yes, I could have gone with Case, GEC or several other US companies, but wanted the first knife to this knife- a modern jumbo swellcenter. And I figured some wouldn't like that style, but out of 1000 members there were going to be members who didn't like it anyway. We are diversified (which is a good thing) in our preferences. Think about it. It would be impossible to please everyone here. And life is too short to try (though most of you know I do try). I'm not even going to try to address the quality of the knives A. G. associates his name with. The man owns the largest mail order knife company and has for many many years. He has much more at risk than we do here.

While I don't feel it is necessary to go into all the details about my "research" and conversations with other makers, in case anyone thinks I didn't do any and exactly how I ended up with this knife- I will say, I have been working on getting a jumbo made even before iKC. I have practically begged Case over the last several years to make a version of this knife. Regarding other makers? One day a US firm will produce it, probably, but none do today.

So, there's why that specific knife and the fact that it is made in China. Bottomline is not one US maker produces any variation of a swellcenter sunfish. Sure I could have gone with a whittler (sorry J. J.), a sowbelly, or Strider, or any other, and you know what- some folks would have not liked those choices either. And that's OK too.

The other issues I'm reading, if I understand them correctly, is that I up and made this decision unilaterally. In hindsight I'm admit I should have consulted a handful of the most active members. But sometimes my greatest strength is also my weakness. I have tremendous initiative. I can make decisions- sometimes they aren't popular, and sometimes they aren't even correct (but at the time I try to make the best one possible). But when I see an opportunity and feel it is right, I act. In this case, I wanted our knife to be in the first order A. G. receives, so I made a decision to move forward.

.....and yes, I'm not perfect either and sometimes I make a decision to jump- right in the middle of a mud puddle.


I understand the China issue- if a US maker made that knife, I would have gone with it, even though it would have been $300- $400. But, again, let's be honest, opposition would have been voiced by many the price was too high. And like I said, I wanted a swellcenter for the first knife. Actually it was after seeing that knife I even thought about an iKC knife, especially at only $95.

Like I said in the beginning, our common bond is iKC. And while our members may have different opinions on the type knife and where the knife should, or shouldn't be made, we can't let our own opinion create division within our community.

If we were to have voted on this knife- counting as a Yea only the members who have already committed to buy this knife, and a Nay- for the members who have voiced their opposition- the Yeas out number the Nays three to one. I also recognize there are members who didn't comment on the blog and who don't want the knife for the reasons already expressed.

Scott



If you are interested in serving an active part on an iKC club knife committee for the next knife ( could be a late 2010 knife or 2011, but y'all decide that), please send me your name at scott@iknifecollector.com.

If you are interested in reserving one of the 2010 iKC Club Knives, then please let me know by this Friday. I'll be turning in our order to A. G. shortly after that. If things are a bit tight right now, but you'd like to get one- let's talk scott@iKnifeCollector.com.