Northwoods Harrison Bay

The Northwoods Knife brand name originated in Gladstone, Michigan when a man named Dave Shirley adopted it as his knife company's name in 2004. Dave was well known for collaborating with popular knife companies to have knives made to his specifications for resale well before 2004 & beyond. KnivesShipFree bought Northwoods from Dave & has continued to team up with respected makers to produce knives marked with the Northwoods brand name.
User avatar
gsmith7158
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 8548
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2015 7:25 pm
Location: Canton, Ga. 100% of the time
Contact:

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by gsmith7158 »

kootenay joe wrote:What was the KSF price ? If i look at a 'flipper' i want to know how much he is wanting for himself.
kj
Edit to ask: is the blade full saber grind ?
Smooth micarta $129, Orange curacao $139 jogged bone ?, kudu $199. I haven't seen mine yet but hopefully it's a full grind spear point.
------------------

Greg

IF YOU AIN'T BUYING OR LOOKING AT A KNIFE THEN YOU AIN'T LIVING.
Always looking to buy good quality Empire knives.

PROUD MEMBER AAPK, NRA.
robbobus
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 343
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:30 am

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by robbobus »

Red jigged was also $139.
User avatar
Cletus Awreetus
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2017 6:03 pm
Location: S.Texas-on the border

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by Cletus Awreetus »

Rob, have you seen the count for each finish made? thx

and speaking of "flippers", there's a guy on ebay right now with 3 HBs listed. one each in Red Bone, Blue Denim and Kudu. oh well, that's Capitalism...
fwiw, his prices aren't as bad as what we've typically seen..

**in the time it took me to post he's already sold the Kudu.**
-the problem with society today is, no one drinks from the skulls of their dead enemies anymore..-
robbobus
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 343
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:30 am

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by robbobus »

We the masses won't know the totals until GEC publishes them next summer. Usually 500 total in the shipment give or take.
robbobus
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 343
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:30 am

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by robbobus »

15394547352787208004639800401539.jpg
My latest Bay arrived yesterday. What's the deal wiith all the Bay's? Nice bone and i really like how its lighter around the edges, dark in the middle.
Here's a shot with a 16 spear. And a final showing the blade alignment when open, a hair underbladed compared with the prior model. Perfectly fine mind you, just not perfect.
Can see the thicker grind right to the tip as well.
15394547352787208004639800401539.jpg
Attachments
15394548663768412002747132896737.jpg
15394550946486721432060536948546.jpg
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by kootenay joe »

Rob, what is the "16 spear" ?
A 2016 pattern #15, 3 1/2" ?
kj
User avatar
Railsplitter
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 3165
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 10:43 pm

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by Railsplitter »

robbobus wrote:15394547352787208004639800401539.jpg What's the deal wiith all the Bay's?
I'm not sure about now since KSF has moved from Escanaba to Tennessee but this map hints at where the Little Bay and Big Bay names came from. It probably has something to do with that. Maybe they scheduled the Harrison Bays before the plans to move were finalized. Must be a Harrison Bay near Escanaba too.
Attachments
map_bg.jpg
Rick T.

"My knife money maketh itself wings!" mb>

Proud member of the Buck Collectors Club Inc.
robbobus
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 343
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:30 am

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by robbobus »

kootenay joe wrote:Rob, what is the "16 spear" ?
A 2016 pattern #15, 3 1/2" ?
kj
I was referring to the 2016 model GEC 14 spear blade pictured along the NW HB. Haven't received any of the new clip blade 14s yet.
Drukai
Posts: 331
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2016 4:15 pm
Location: Madison Wisconsin

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by Drukai »

I think Harrison Bay is something a long the lines of Native land in Tennessee, I have always liked the idea around how they name their knives. I think the Freemont is a famous St. In Portland. Lincoln Jack. KSF when in Michigan was located on Lincoln Hwy.
"I don't think you can ever do your best. Doing your best is a process of trying to do your best". Townes Van Zandt

In search of GEC 15 Farm Boy knife user or new(My Grail)
User avatar
Railsplitter
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 3165
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 10:43 pm

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by Railsplitter »

Drukai wrote:I think Harrison Bay is something a long the lines of Native land in Tennessee, I have always liked the idea around how they name their knives. I think the Freemont is a famous St. In Portland. Lincoln Jack. KSF when in Michigan was located on Lincoln Hwy.
I believe you are correct. I looked it up on Google Maps and the current KSF location is about 15 miles from Harrison Bay State Park. There is also a Harrison Bay Road between the Park and KSF.

Thanks for the info. ::tu::
Rick T.

"My knife money maketh itself wings!" mb>

Proud member of the Buck Collectors Club Inc.
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by kootenay joe »

With the Northwoods Harrison Bay in one hand and a # 14 GEC in the other hand, is there a noticeable difference in feel, real or imagined ?
I want the Northwoods brand to be special but it seems to be headed in the opposite direction by being more similar to regular run GEC's.
kj
robbobus
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 343
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:30 am

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by robbobus »

I would say they do have their own flavour. The Northwoods seems more rugged, owing to less swaging and the heat treat scale. The GEC branded knife is more refined. I like them both, I have a couple of the GEC 14s as users and quite like them, particularly the 2 blade. Can't wait for Lyle's version.
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by kootenay joe »

Well after numerous posts about the Harrison Bay being rather plain and ordinary for a brand intending to be 'upscale',
i bid on a Kudu bone version on ebay. It had 32 watchers and i put in a 'low ball' snipe just in case the 32 decided to not bid.
"Low ball" because i don't mind paying a little over the original price of $199 but i will not bid high enough to 'feed the flipper'.
And, i won at $220 and it looks like very nice kudu. After ebay & PP fees, i think the seller broke even.
The internet speed in my area is slow enough that i cannot score in the KSF scramble so the secondary market is my only option and this time it worked out just fine (assuming i get the knife).
kj
Attachments
s-l1600 (10).jpg
s-l1600 (9).jpg
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by kootenay joe »

I now have this Northwoods H.Bay knife. The kudu is translucent and looks more like an acrylic than bone.
This knife originally sold for $200 which is $100 more than the regular run #14's. It is not worth it. The knife is no better than the regular GEC #14.
I got sucked in by the Northwoods past history of being a step up from regular GEC's. I feel annoyed at KSF for charging such an excessive price.
Northwoods is becoming more of a scam money grab than a knife worthy of it's price.
If the next Northwoods offering is also just a tweaked regular GEC for double the money then this brand will truly be dead as an upscale knife.
Note: there is nothing wrong with my kudu Harrison Bay. It is on par with the regular #14's which are excellent and cost half of the Harrison Bay.
I am disappointed.
kj
edit to add: i also just received my 2 blade #14 ($100) and i love it. Excellent deal.
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by kootenay joe »

Here are my pictures of this Harrison Bay with "Kudu bone" handles. The kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is a woodland antelope found throughout eastern and southern Africa. And we all know what "bone" is.
In the last 2-3 years we have seen giraffe bone & camel bone knife handles so bone from another African animal is not too surprising. But "Kudu bone" is a surprise because it is not bone. SURPRISE: it is acrylic !
I did not see anything on the KSF Northwoods pages that says anything about kudu bone not being bone. This is deceptive marketing and up to this point i have always seen KSF as being a most honest & honorable business so i am shocked and disappointed. I also feel cheated because the price was $200, $60 more than the other handles. I would not have spent this amount of money had i known that the handles are 100% synthetic.
The surface of the handles on this knife has scratches and a few small pits. Is this typical for acrylic handles ?
I got this one on ebay so it is not returnable to KSF.
kj
Attachments
IMGP5534.JPG
IMGP5537.JPG
IMGP5538.JPG
User avatar
big monk
Posts: 5690
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:53 am
Location: Ninety Six,South Carolina

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by big monk »

kootenay joe wrote:Here are my pictures of this Harrison Bay with "Kudu bone" handles. The kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is a woodland antelope found throughout eastern and southern Africa. And we all know what "bone" is.
In the last 2-3 years we have seen giraffe bone & camel bone knife handles so bone from another African animal is not too surprising. But "Kudu bone" is a surprise because it is not bone. SURPRISE: it is acrylic !
I did not see anything on the KSF Northwoods pages that says anything about kudu bone not being bone. This is deceptive marketing and up to this point i have always seen KSF as being a most honest & honorable business so i am shocked and disappointed. I also feel cheated because the price was $200, $60 more than the other handles. I would not have spent this amount of money had i known that the handles are 100% synthetic.
The surface of the handles on this knife has scratches and a few small pits. Is this typical for acrylic handles ?
I got this one on ebay so it is not returnable to KSF.
kj
Sorry you didn't get what you expected and I don't have a dog in this race but,

From the KSF site -- Kudu Bone ( porous bone filled with resin. Color and surface of the material will vary )

https://www.knivesshipfree.com/northwoo ... rison-bay/
I'm not young enough,____to know everything !!!!!!!!!!!!

MONK****
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by kootenay joe »

Thanks monk, i did not see that. What i do see is the knife i received and it shows no evidence of any bone when examined with a 9x loupe.
I don't know what "porous bone" is. Some bones are denser than others and large ungulate/antelope animals have dense bones because there is a lot of stress(weight) on their leg bones.
Even if i had read the description i would still have expected handles to be mostly bone. This one looks to be all acrylic. I can see the underlying liners !
No doubt KSF is quoting description from the supplier of this material, the supplier is quoting the source. I would like to know how the bone becomes 'porous' and how much of the result is acrylic.
I'm posting the KSF picture showing the handle options. Look at the kudu one, top knife. It does look like bone or even like some mammoth. Now look at my knife. They are not the same material. Something deceptive is going on here.
kj

EDIT: i don't know why the 2 pictures do not show up here ? I post lots of pics. Never had this happen before.
To check what i am describing, click on KSF link given by big monk above and then look at my pics above. I tried to put those 2 pics in this post.
Attachments
IMGP5533.JPG
IMGP5537.JPG
User avatar
gsmith7158
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 8548
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2015 7:25 pm
Location: Canton, Ga. 100% of the time
Contact:

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by gsmith7158 »

Yeah! Why can't we have some kudu horn instead of that cheap looking leg bone anyway. ::shrug::
------------------

Greg

IF YOU AIN'T BUYING OR LOOKING AT A KNIFE THEN YOU AIN'T LIVING.
Always looking to buy good quality Empire knives.

PROUD MEMBER AAPK, NRA.
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by kootenay joe »

Greg do you have a 'kudu bone' knife ? Looking at the pics i posted above, can you see any bone ? Mine does not look to be of the same material as that shown in the KSF group Harrison Bay picture.
I am just trying to understand how the acrylic handles on my H.B. are related to the kudu bone in the group picture. I am hoping someone here is able to explain how both are the same material.
kj
User avatar
big monk
Posts: 5690
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:53 am
Location: Ninety Six,South Carolina

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by big monk »

just for comparison -- I found some more photos of the ""Kudu Bone "" knives for sale on ebay -- all seem to have a look of their own** :)

interesting handle material, that maybe needed the resin to fill in the grooves or gaps ??? ::shrug::
Attachments
Kudu Bone.jpg
KUDU.jpg
Kudu #3.jpg
Kudu #4.jpg
Kudu #5.jpg
I'm not young enough,____to know everything !!!!!!!!!!!!

MONK****
User avatar
gsmith7158
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 8548
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2015 7:25 pm
Location: Canton, Ga. 100% of the time
Contact:

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by gsmith7158 »

Roland I looked at some kudu bone available from Jantz supply. It looks pretty sold to me so I'm not sure how they inject acrylic resin in it to make handles like yours and mine but I have decided that I don't like it and won't buy another kudu bone.
------------------

Greg

IF YOU AIN'T BUYING OR LOOKING AT A KNIFE THEN YOU AIN'T LIVING.
Always looking to buy good quality Empire knives.

PROUD MEMBER AAPK, NRA.
User avatar
Doc B
Posts: 3700
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 10:57 pm
Location: San Antonio

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by Doc B »

Looks like the used this very "porous" portion of the bone, filled with acrylic. Giving a kind of honey comb appearance.
kudu bone.jpg
Heretical Refurb / Mods of cheap old folders, since late 2018
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by kootenay joe »

Monk, the examples of kudu bone you found and posted all look different from each other. Some are easily ID'd as bone, but others like mine don't look like they have any bone in them.
The picture posted by doc B of the porous bone surface looks like it is the inner side of the bone surrounding the marrow in the center.
Given all this i still cannot understand why some of the "kudu bone" appears to be all acrylic.
kj
User avatar
Cletus Awreetus
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2017 6:03 pm
Location: S.Texas-on the border

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by Cletus Awreetus »

gsmith7158 wrote:Roland I looked at some kudu bone available from Jantz supply. It looks pretty sold to me so I'm not sure how they inject acrylic resin in it to make handles like yours and mine but I have decided that I don't like it and won't buy another kudu bone.
I feel better reading this. I remember you and I talked about our feelings for the Kudu when we got our Bear Lakes. I like it okay but I won't be paying the exorbitant premium for it, again.
-the problem with society today is, no one drinks from the skulls of their dead enemies anymore..-
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: Northwoods Harrison Bay

Post by kootenay joe »

I have had very good experiences with KSF. This kudu H.B. is the only time i have felt that KSF has put profit well ahead of giving the customer a fair deal. Posts show that there are other kudu bone owners who are also dissatisfied.
Do you think KSF is aware that a number of their customers are feeling a bit ripped off ?
KSF had my trust. Maybe i was foolish, too gullible, but now they no longer have my trust so the reason for being a loyal customer is gone.
Charging such a high price for what turns out to be a rather suspect material was a major mis-step by KSF.
I hope they read this because it is not too late yet to get back on track. But one more ho hum over priced Northwoods will kill the premium status, and alienate even more customers.
kj
Post Reply

Return to “Northwoods Knife Collector's Forum”