I was on Randall’s site, checking stuff out after seeing someone’s post in the classifieds on here. They’re quoting a 5-6 YEAR lead time on orders. Are you supposed to designate a beneficiary for your place in line?
I, too, have owned many Randalls (still have more than I need), and I too have gotten most used or from shops.
I did order myself a Gambler with muh name on it, and at the time that was a 4-5 year wait. You really do forget about it after awhile. It's not as bad as I was expecting, the wait. But to be honest, I don't feel the savings you get under retail by ordering direct really offset the wait, unless you're getting engraving (which means you
have to order from the shop) or you've figured out how to go REALLY custom, at which point you're paying a premium anyhow. There are other features available ONLY from the shop, but generally you can get whatever you want on the secondary market faster than you can from the shop. The extra hundo or so you'll spend at KTP or someplace like that really is worth saving the time.
I also ordered engraved Randalls for my kids. My daughter's is sitting in my safe, waiting for her to turn 18; my son's is on its way in, oh, two more years? Maybe less? You forget after awhile. I guessed on the specs they'd want in a knife, and while I got hers right on the money, I'm pretty sure my son will have picked a different handle combo if it was up to him.
But ultimately, he can suck it. His dad's getting him a personalized Randall freakin' knife. He'll take it and he'll like it!