Carpe Gladium

It's now or never: Carpe Gladium*

We have a prediction.

We predict that you're going to read this post and surmise that it's some sort of sneaky sales pitch, nothing but a shameless appeal to your emotions, designed to get you to buy more knives from us.

That's not what this is about.

Oh sure, after you read this you may end up pulling the trigger on a new knife, some blade that's been calling your name, and trust us, we'd be thrilled if you did. But the tale we'll tell today is about the rewards of choosing, the price of waiting, and how to improve your chances of getting what you really want.

The theme, if you will, is carpe gladium.*

Spend much time browsing KnivesShipFree and you'll notice that a lot of what we offer is either limited-edition, special-edition or full-on custom. There are prototypes and commemoratives, short runs and sprint runs. Even on the production and semi-production knives we sell, the natural handle materials vary so much that each individual knife often gets its own listing, its very own page.

We do business this way intentionally, and it's quite satisfying. We truly enjoy offering our customers knives that aren't merely unusual or special -- they're unique. And you have a chance to pick up a knife that no one else, anywhere in the world, can claim to own.

There is, of course, a dark side to anything that's one-of-a-kind or made in small quantities: If you snooze, you lose.

We know the sting of "missing out" because we've felt it ourselves. For example, we wish we'd snagged a Lone Wolf Paul while the company was still in business. ( occasionally we still find these...) We're still kicking ourselves for passing on that Benchmade 740 Dejavoo, too, the big one, before its limited-edition ship sailed into the sunset. Likewise the Great Eastern #25 Barlow in green bone and Spyderco's Bob Lum Chinese Folder with glass-fiber scales.

How about the Cumberland Trail that Bark River prototyped several years ago? Don't get us started. It still hurts just thinking about that one.

And that's only a short list of our disappointments. There will be more. But over the years we've learned a few tricks for making those missed opportunities fewer and farther between.

First, get in the game and stay in the game. In other words, connect with other knife knuts and keep the connections alive. There are countless Web forums devoted to the love of fine blades, some general-interest communities and some focusing on specific patterns or makers. These forums can be your best source of intelligence about what's hot and what's not, new releases and impending demises.

(Naturally, you should also bookmark KnivesShipFree and check back here every couple of days to see what's new. We just thought we'd mention that.)

Second, if you fall in love with a knife crafted by the likes of  Lon Humphrey, Alan Warren, Mike Malosh, L.T. Wright or Andy Roy, there are two things you need to know:

1. You're probably not the only one who's smitten; and

2. Custom knives often don't stick around for long.

It's not unusual, in fact, for a batch of a custom blades to disappear in less than 24 hours. Knives with a long lead-time -- the top-shelf folders from  Chris Reeve and Jason Brous come to mind -- create pent-up demand, and they've been known to sell almost as soon as we post them.

Third, especially if you're unable to buy right away, give yourself options. Let's say you're head-over-heels for the Tuna Valley Gunstock Jack in Amber Stag, or maybe the Bark River Gameskeeper 4V in Desert Ironwood Burl. If you get stuck on just one handle, and if it's gone by the time you're ready to buy, you've engineered your own disappointment.

It's ok to be absolutely sure about exactly what you want, but let's not be silly about it. If you can be open-minded enough to fancy more than one knife, add them all to your KnivesShipFree Wish List and, when you're ready to do business, you'll have choices.

Choices are good.

Finally (and speaking of choices) there's one sure way to avoid disappointment, have exactly what you want, and (if you like) guarantee that you'll own a knife like no other: You can pre-order a Bark River knife.

The process begins with a visit to BarkRiverForums.com. Once there, clicking on the annual "Production Schedule" topic will tell you what's UP in Escanaba, Michigan. Review the schedule, decide on the knife you want, figure out how you want it made -- handle material, liners, pins, even a special grind -- and then come back to the "Contact Us" page of KnivesShipFree to place your pre-order with us.

We don't ask for a deposit, but placing a pre-order means that you commit to buying the knife when it arrives in our hands. It also requires some patience on your part -- sometimes a little, sometimes a lot, depending -- but your reward will be a knife that you custom-designed.

It's pretty doggone cool, actually.

When you come right down to it, you're here because you have a passion for knives and, sooner or later, you're going to fall in love with a knife you see on KnivesShipFree. Your brain will, naturally, react by trying to fend off your emotions -- Do you really need this knife? Is now the right time? Weren't you saving your money for new seat covers for the pickup?

Only you can make that decision. Only you can silence the voices of temptation in your head, balancing the rewards of snatching up The Perfect Knife with the risk of missing out.

Again.

In the meantime, we'll be here -- your favorite enabler.

P.S.: Carpe gladium.* Just a suggestion.

*Latin, literally, "Seize the sword."