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Hoorah For Jim Frost

(moved from Members and New announcements)

I know he makes a ton of money selling junk knives on late night TV.

I also think his return policies suck and ship and handling charges are outrageous.

And I've heard how he began his cutlery empire selling knives out of his lunch box way too many times.

And who can ever forget:

Despite all this. Jim Frost deserves a lot of credit for turning a lot of people on to knives and knife collecting. Perhaps his import line hurt some of the struggling American Cutlery Companies but many of them had already started out-sourcing production overseas.

And I agree he still sells a lot of junk however, you see Frost pushing more and more Case knives as well as the Michael Prater lines. and more importantly is still attracting new knife enthusiasts to world of knife collecting.

One young man starts off buying a Frost Eagle Eye and then moves onto a Byrd then a Spyderco.

Another sarts off with a Steel Warrior Trapper, then buys a Case and moves on Schatt & Morgan

Still another buys a Frost White Tail then maybe moves onto a Hen & Rooster or a Buck, and beyond

The thing is, a lot of people get their first taste of knife collecting by the likes of Jim Frost, or Taylor Brands LLC, or the House Brands of SMKW and then move onto to better made knives. If it wasn't for the low priced economy knives many of the higher end, made in America companies would eventually die because very few people enter this hobby buying knives that cost $100.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on April 11, 2014 at 14:23

Hats off to anyone that can help the knife collecting community. Jim Frost does do that. He provides an interest, that is the first step.

He provides a product that NOT ONLY sells on late night TV. From there it becomes the items found at flea markets and the $10.00 or less table at a show. These days that may well be a youngsters first knife! You remember, that first cheap knife you lost in a couple weeks but remember well the moment it became yours?

Are the knives made for a serious collector, no. Are they meant to serve the purposes of a inexpensive knife? Yes. I dont resent his selling the products he does and knowing what most knife collectors know...I think his marketing is genius. He is not aiming that marketing at experienced knife collectors but he is the first step in growing some of them!

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on April 11, 2014 at 15:15

Well Said, Jan.

Someone has is going to make cheap, mass produced, knives.

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Permalink Reply by Alexander Noot on April 15, 2014 at 1:09

That's not really what I mean.

There are plenty of low priced knives out there that are NOT cheap. Look at your Opinel, Rough Rider, etc. All knives that can be had for very low prices but that are fairly high quality.

I bought a Buck 110 clone when I was younger. Played around with it. Threw it around a little (what did I know I was only 16 or so and didn't know much about knives)....and the thing snapped right in half.

I never bought a buck styled folding hunter after that untill a few years ago when I briefly owned a Buck 112. It turned me off that style for a long time.

For the same kind of prices there are high quality knives to be found. If you're gonna sell cheap knives....why not sell high quality cheap knives?

Tobias Gibson said:

Alexander, I think it is harder for you to understand. America is full of gullible people who are attracted to cheap disposable crap. And a lot of the people watch late night TV and buy stuff simply because it is shiny. They often are tired of the item before it even arrives.

No offense to any Americans present. It is like what Toomy Lee Jones said in Men in Black -- "A person is smart. People are dumb" I know i've made purchases similar to what John made (Probably even worse)

We also have a lot of people living here who are always looking for a way to "get rich quick" 1/4 of the commercials on TV/Radio are on ways to get rich quick or build wealth - 1/4 is on how to improve your sex life - 1/4 is how to lose weight and get in shape and 1/4 is on how to kick an addiction. And in every case the person selling the product is telling you it will be fast, easy, and you won't have to do anything!

Alexander Noot said:

One the one hand those types of guys do the industry a great service by attracting new buyers.

One the other hand the hawk a LOT of crap. I never understand why they can't sell decent stuff....in the same type of priceranges there's all sorts of companies that make decent product.

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Permalink Reply by Michael D. on June 10, 2014 at 20:40

Has anyone ever got a Frost Cutlery catalog in the mail? I got this yesterday (copied only three pages of it). Interesting knives pictured. Strange names of the brands: Crowing Rooster, Uncle Lucky, Wild Turkey Cutlery & Honk Falls Cutlery! Frost is also the home to the Hen & Roster Collector's Club. To join just send your name, address and email to info@henandrooster,com.

Frost does own the H & R brand name but I picked up a 2012 H & R collector knife and it was a well made German one. Have no idea who made it but it was nice. The cover shows a few Buck Creek brand knives so I guess he owns that brand also. I have some Buck Creeks from the 1980s. Back then they were sort of looked down upon. I'll bet if I pulled them out now (if I could find them), I'd be pleasantly surprised.

Attachments:

Frost Cutlery.pdf, 2.2 MB

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on June 11, 2014 at 12:29

No doubt Mister Frost has more house brands that Carter Had Little Pills. And it seems every other day he comes up with a new one or has bought the rights to some other defunct obscure brand that used to be made in Germany.

He has made attempts to keep some semblance of quality some of the better known brands such as H&R. However he has also expanded that brand to include the H&R International (read China made) knives.

Honk Falls Cutlery. That's a new one to me Depending on the price and the box I might have to buy one of those just for giggles! What can I say... A knife fool and his money!

Honk Falls Knife Co. was an old knife company originally located in Napanoch, New York. Not sure when Frost Acquired that TM. Might have been the same time they snarfed up E.C. Simmons.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Thrower on June 11, 2014 at 14:31

While I agree the late night knife hawkers are selling the lowest of cheap junk, the term "collectable" is relevant. Some would claim Rough Riders are cheap Chinese junk, while others "collect" them. I think the problem comes when people think these knives will appreciate and go up in value. If they tried to pass them off as some future museum center pieces, that is fraudulent. I've bought some crappy knives in the past and regretted it, but it turned into a lesson. I learned what makes a good knife and what not to buy. I continue to buy what I like and my collection grows with knives I enjoy. Whether these be eight dollar Rough Riders or hundred dollar Great Eastern, they all give me enjoyment.

The bigger issue is that some of these are down right dangerous to use. One of my co-workers bought one of those late night batches of knives. He tried to give me one and I politely turned him down. The handles were so flimsy, they would twist in the hand and the locks did nothing.

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on June 11, 2014 at 17:36

Doug you make some valid points. especialy about poor quality knives and knives sold for the purpose of collecting. The problem is many people also feel that some of the high end (especially traditional patterns) are made to collect and not to use.

As for the word cheap, I try to avoid it when I talk knives and rely on words such as economical or inexpensive to describe the price of lower priced knives and reserve words such as poor quality, sub-par, etc. to describe the quality of the knife.

I also always consider the price tag. If you're going to spend $100 on a hundred knives then you should realize you're going to get poor quality knives because they are selling them at a price slightly higher than you will get it you took them to recycling center for scrap metal.