SMKW the End of an Era.

by Mike Bryant

on Sunday

Happy to have received the CHRISTNAS Catalog from SMKW this year. I know many didn't. Sad to say that according to the last page of the catalog this is the LAST Printing since the 1970's. A standard in my knife collection Media are the SMKW Catalogs from many years. Somje of my early Case Classics were purchased from those old catalogs and the 1 Case xx 5165 1/2 pattern, Bull Knife I got for Christmas years ago for less then $65.00 came from those Catalogs. They were great reference materials. It is SAD that everything has changed so much. But I guess things change. This one may be worth a few $$$ in the future. I know the knife on the front cover is advertised for Big $$$ on ebay and is sold out on the web page.


  • Featured

    dead_left_knife_guy

    Thanks, Mike, for letting us know about this!  Gotta get my hands on one of these catalogs.  I have some catalogs from when I started collecting knives back around 2007, and always looked forward to receiving the SMKW catalogs (they had some great sales!).  Print is just so expensive, and then postage is expensive on top of it all -- especially when they rely more on online sales. 

    I understand the problem, but the physical catalogs (like magazines) were just nice to hold, to look at, and to page through -- wondering what will be on the next page, always anticipating something irresistible on the next page, getting the catalog in the mail & wondering what you'll be buying soon...  So yeah, I'll miss it, too.

    on Monday


  • KnifeMaker

    Andy Larrison

    Oh wow, I guess I missed that.  I used to like seeing them come in the mail also, times they are a cha-an-ging.

    on Tuesday

  • J.J. Smith III

    We didn't get one this year.

    Haven't got one in many months either.

    Í always looked forward to the Christmas and the 11th hour catalogs because they always had a little bit of everything in them.

    Now, unless you know pretty much what you want, it's hard to find things on the site.

    on Tuesday

  • Mike Bryant

    I agree J.J  I usually try to get pretty detailed when I do a search. about 80% of the time I have already seen the item I want some place else and I come to SMKW to check availibility and price.  

    on Wednesday

  • Mike Bryant

    I agree with you dead left. I am Old school and yeah i like the printed type media. Years from now unless you join one of those On line places like Shepherd Hills collectors club their won't be any way to research knives. 

    on Wednesday