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If I order stag from the shop is there any way to know what it will look like?
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Keith Hicks

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Keith,
No, you won't actually see it until it's delivered. You could always suppliy the stag and pay the extra fee of $45 to have customer supplied material installed plus the $50 or so cost of the piece of stag to begin with, but then again there is no way to know how it is going to look for sure. Those wanting a large diameter stag may be surprised at the area needing to be taken down so it fits flush with the guard or hilt, and so on. This is the major reason why the knives on the secondary market bring a higher price (well this and the 5 year wait invloved). When looking at one for sale you get two really great things... 1). eliminate the wait 2). you get to see it first to know for usre if it's exactly what you like/want. To someone getting many knives for a large collection it may not be so important as they may have several of the same model so different, or variety, is good for them. However to the guy wanting just one knife for using, a model 25 for instance, and not planning on ordering any more but wants the 25 "just" the way he likes it with coloring and texture in the stag, etc. it may be much more advantageous for him to supply the piece. 5 years is a long time to wait for something you won't be really happy with after it finally arrives. To a guy like me... I like them all so any look is good. But as mentioned, even when supplying the stag you still don't know for sure what it will look like... which is why buying one that is already finished makes it so much easier. You can see it first...as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
~dale