All posts tagged Gatco Sharpeners

Knife Sharpeners, Utility Knives, Warranties, and will you cry if you lose it?

Knife SharpenersKnives and flashlights are kind of in the same group when it comes to accessories.    Most people in this industry are carrying one or both of them almost all the time but depending on the job you are on, there is always a chance you are going to loose it.    Sometimes these are consider expendable and other people spending money for pouches or holders so they reduce the chances anything will be taken off of them.   Just clipping a knife to your back pocket doesn’t mean a fall down the stairs, or getting in and out of your car is going to keep it in place.   I’ve seen enough people walk in our door several days after purchasing a knife only to come back in and buy it again because they lost it.   If you take care of your stuff, and spend the money for a good knife, you are going to want to brush up on all of the knife sharpening optics especially if you have a serrated or partially serrated knife.   It can be difficult to keep that part sharp and if you have to cut through something, it makes it a lot easier to do.

I have done Filet knives, steak knives and plenty of tactical and utility knives with the Gatco 5 Stone Knife Sharpeners.   We always try to keep them in stock and have one at the counter to show some of the various features, and also how easy it is to use these.    Most people don’t pay attention to warranties in this industry and from a retail standpoint, it’s nice to be able to point people to the manufacturers website if there is a problem.    SOG Knives and Leatherman have great Warranties and always keep that in mind if you need to replace a multi-tool blade or device.  We always looking for new stuff to carry especially in the rescue and multi-tool so if you don’t see it on our website, let us know what you are looking for.

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Timberline Tactical Knives and Molle Gear

We had the pleasure of attending the NRA Convention last year and we worked the Gatco Sharpener booth,  Gatco has probable the best and easiest sharpening tools and it was very educational for us.  At first glance all of the knives looked the same to our novice eyes but after about a day of listening to customers and learning about the uses of each, they were all very different.  The one thing that amazed us the most about the day was the number of people walking around the show with dull knives.  Why would you care which knife you carried if it was dull?

Getting  a knife to be sharp is not all that hard, but there are quicker ways of getting it done.  Some old fashion measures might work for you but the day we had to sharpen several of our Timberline knives meant it was time to do it right, but get it done quickly. The Timberline ECS knives were the real show stoppers because not only were they eye catching, nobody had a clue as to how they worked.  Many picked them up and attempted to fold them over because they looked like they might, but this unique locking system is actually a Molle vest knife.

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More blather about tactical knives

Here’s the scoop about which knife, tactical knife, folding knife or lightsaber.   It’s all about how much you want to spend.   Sure there are some knives that are better than others, but what good is it to spend a boat load of money on something that you are going to lose or break.   I have gone through cell phones and flashlights in the past because at first they were small and easy to carry, but then they were even easier to lose.   Not to mention that after working the Gatco Sharpener booth at the NRA Convention last Summer I noticed that no matter what knife people were carrying around with them, 80% of people didn’t even have a sharp knife.

The Gatco Sharpening System that we sell the most of are the 10003 and 10005 because they aren’t that pricey and they are easy to understand.   The 10005 sharpening system has a sharpening stone for doing serations and that’s a pretty big deal for tactical knives.   Being able to get in there and get the hard to sharpen parts of the blade is a big deal even for a small blade.  The serations should work like a saw and for small blades, the job of cutting through rope or re-enforced packaging tape ect should be easy if the blade is sharp, how much you spend on a knife can make it a better blade, but only if you sharpen it right.

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Timberline Tactical SOC folder Promotion

We are now a stocking dealer for the Timberline tactical knives.  Not only have our customers asked us to carry them, but we are having fun showing people how to use them and doing demonstrations on using the Gatco Sharpening Systems.   One of the best things about the sharpening systems is the ability to sharpen serrations.   The type of knife you choose will be all up to you, but I’ve found the knives that are partially serated to be the best.  There are times when cutting isn’t going to get the job done, something more like a saw is needed. This tends to be the case when cutting down rope.

A few years ago a friend held a shooting competition and people must have spent hundreds of rounds trying to cut rope with a bullet.  It was amazing the number of times we saw the rope get shot, but it would hardly tear.   Cutting through seat belts is even harder and the 18 Delta full serration is probable the most recommended for EMS.   Timberline Knives also release the Timberline Tactical SOC folder, we are giving them away for anyone that orders $200 or more of tactical or CCW clothing this month while supplies last.

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Timberline Tactical Knives

I had the fortunate experience to work the Gatco Sharpener booth at the NRA Convention last Spring and it was a very insightful experience.   When I first showed up most of the knives looked the same to me, but after about 2 days of handling them, I was able to distinguish between all of the knives and how they were different.   There are numerous sharpeners from Gatco that are options in sharpening your knife, but some of them are pocket sizes and others are kits.   The Military Carbide sharpener is probable the most straight forward, but since not all knives are straight edge or plain edge.   You may have a hard time getting to partially serated knives.  That’s where the the sharpening kits come in.

We ran a giveaway at the Gatco sharpener booth where we gave away an SOC knife with every kit that was purchased.  Probable the biggest seller for those that purchased the Timberline knives, was the Edgemate Professional Knife Sharpening system.  There is a stone that can be used to get to the serations and it only took a few strokes to notice the difference.  Once you get the hang of using the sharpening system, you can sharpen knifes even faster.   One thing we didn’t see at the show was any blood flow, but I was informed that almost every year somebody cuts themselves there.   Safe handling of knives is something you’ll be practicing whenever you use a sharpening system.

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