Pre-Launch Information
So, how does a little knife company launch a new and exciting product made for a wider audience than they’ve ever even contemplated? There isn’t really a play book unless the company is much older, much more experienced, and even then, they get it wrong as often as they get it right. We are balancing the development costs, traditional manufacturing ramp up challenges and bringing an entirely new product to the marketplace. On top of the normal challenges, we are doing it during the second year of Covid madness with all the supply shortages, delays and expenses that entails.
We have found there is WAY more interest than we expected in the ASK™ line and that scaling up the manufacturing had a couple hiccups we needed time to address. We originally wanted to launch the products Jan 1st of 2020. We had to delay launch in hopes the World would come to its senses after the Covid shutdown. We decided to press for Jan 1st of 2021 thinking the Covid “hangover” would be long over. Boy were we wrong. So as labor and supply chain challenges have plagued our Nation, we have pushed to get this project launched on an amended schedule. This several year odyssey will finally launch 1st quarter 2022 in a well-developed and mature form. The extra time waiting on machines, supplies and material has been used to further polish the final product for launch.
We are going to balance getting product to our Phase I launch partners while we allocate a small portion to direct consumer sales each month. We can’t just send a new brand and product to resellers and expect them to communicate our story and generate sales, awareness of ASK™, what and who we are. We have to be a part of telling this story and partnering with the amazing knife aficionados that are so familiar with our parent company. As we trickle a small number of knives to the retail “box-opening” YouTube crowd these knives will be shipping to DLT Trading, Blade HQ and Smoky Mountain Knife Works in larger numbers. The knives will be a bit hard to get initially but as 2022 rolls on our ability to deliver more knives will increase dramatically as our process develops its natural momentum.
If you want to be amongst the very first owners of an American Service Knife™ please, feel free to order with us, back order for the forthcoming models and basically get in line for the very first knives that make it to the world. Our initial pre-launch knives will be of CPM S35VN and S45VN with the main body of MagnaCut knives arriving at our launch partners in Q2 and Q3 of 2022. If you aren’t ready to buy now and do some waiting then definitely see our launch partners when the knives hit the streets! This is the biggest and most ambitious knife launch in decades in America so please bear with the inevitable delays that converge on our little space in time…We imagine this knife will be typically sold out so buy when you can!
ASK™ Launch sequence for 2022
Q1 Launch our Flagship Jefferson model in our signature Grabber Orange
About 700 pre-launch knives made of S35NV & S45VN with all future models done in MagnaCut
Q2 Launch the Washington in Olive Drab
Q3 Launch the Iron Sides in Corsair Blue
Q4 Release the Alchesay in Hi-Vis Orange
Hi , I am a knife and blade fan in the UK. I have loved the Medford brand ever since first seeing one many years ago, the Pretoria.
Since then my love of the products your parent company makes has grown because of the knives themselves, but also because I can very much Identify with Greg and Amy and their ethos. I would love to visit the factory one day. Even work for the company ( obviously just a dream as I am in the wrong part of the world) but this new company and project is very interesting to me and I would love to own one of the first tools if it can be shipped to the UK? Are these locking or slip joints?
I wish you much success with this new venture and am fully on board with it. From a fellow patriot from England. Good luck.
“I’d be happy to sponsor you moving to the United States if you want to work here. That’s actually pretty easy. What you’ll need is to fly here for a tour and an interview prior to getting hired. As for the knives, they are all slip joints.”
Greg Medford
Just ordered the Jefferson! Anxiously waiting to see this master piece in my hand. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I have my first in hand, and another on order, customized as a gift for my granddaughter, for Christmas, with Scout/Order of the Arrow unique artwork. The ASK fires my imagination and fills me with pride. Being associated with creation of the finest, most customizable multi-tool on the planet thrills this old gal’s soul. Greg’s Mom