Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. marketing for Kershaw Knives, says innovative opening mechanisms and locking designs have boosted sales. “Our most innovative models aren’t for everyone, but they help keep our name in lights. Our Ferraris, or limited-production knives, do that, but often the technology filters down to our lower-priced knives,” Goddard said. At Benchmade, the company is meeting the needs of the consumer, according to marketing director Rob Morrison. “We’re offering some new tricks on our handles like 3-D machining, like in our new Rift model, which not only looks awesome, but really improves the grip on the knife. That’s the kind of thing knife buyers like to see,” Morrison said. SOG President and Founder Spencer Frazer sees innovation as key to his company’s growth. “We’ve introduced more and more high-tech knives by looking at things from a different angle,” Frazer said. “We’re unconventional, we try to always push the envelope in terms of materials and mechanisms, and that has allowed us to expand our company.” At Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT), “Innovation is what is driving knife sales,” said Doug Flagg, vice president of sales and marketing at CRKT. “We’ve introduced new opening mechanisms on several of our knives and they’re selling like crazy. Customers walk into stores and they want to know what’s new and different.” Companies are using innovative designs to create interest and, in turn, sell other models in the line. Retailers can duplicate this successful marketing approach by offering some exotic knife designs to elicit customer’s interest. Diversification is a great way to broaden your customer base in a competitive Variety Creates Spark Custom knifemaker Bob Dozier (left) welcomes a pair of future sportsmen to his booth. Tacticals Still Drive The Market T he tactical knife category, particularly folders, continues to grow. This segment of the market has become vastly more broad-based in recent years and this is where most of the innovations and technology are focused. Industry regulars have often wondered whether the tactical bubble would eventually burst. “The tactical bubble hasn’t burst and isn’t going to because it appeals to a younger crowd,” said Ernie Emerson, president and founder of Emerson Knives. “Every year there is a new generation of consumers who become old enough to buy knives. The tactical trend is not over; in fact it’s probably only a quarter of what it could be.” Jared West, the 27-year-old founder of Mantis Knives, a hot new company based out of California, saw the opportunity in selling to younger knife consumers. “We wanted to appeal to the younger generation with Mantis Knives, not only with the aesthetics of our knives, but also with the price-point,” West said. “Our knives are definitely not your grandfather’s knife. What we saw in the market was knives that were very unique in the materials being used, but the look of the knives was not necessarily unique. It seemed like 42 SEPTEMBER 2008 there was a big, gaping hole in the industry (Masters of Defense) line. and somebody needed to come in and fill “We have pared the MOD line down it. That’s where we came in.” to the best sellers, and we’ve taken those The tactical market is strong and will knives and reengineered them to make continue to be strong, says Gary Fadden, them even better with more functional president of Al Mar Knives. designs and upgrades in steel on some of “We’re selling higher-grade pocket- the models. In the process, we have made knives, both everyday users and tacticals. them more user-friendly and affordable. We’re bringing back our Al Mar Classic se- The knives are now sleeker and more efries in some of the old traditional handle ma- ficient overall,” said Michael Janich, catterials and our customers really like it. They egory manager. can have a tactical knife that doesn’t look like an M-16 rifle,” Fadden said. The typical Al Mar customer is a little older with more disposable income, according to Fadden. “I like to think that we’re not the first knife a customer buys, but the last,” Fadden said. BLACKHAWK! is in the midst of a progressive make- Gary Fadden (center), president of Al Mar Knives, says consumers over of the MOD “can have a tactical knife that doesn’t look like an M-16 rifle.” www.shootingindustry.com