Smoky Mountain Knife Works — Attraction in Sevierville

Smokey Mountain Knife Works is a very unique place and came highly recommended.( if you're squeamish about seeing all kinds of real animals that have been stuffed and displayed, then this is not the place for you.) That being said, upon entering I can see why this is such a unique store. It's 108,000 sq foot knife showroom which is the world's largest. It houses a vast collection of high-quality cutlery memorabilia, artifacts, and mounts, optics as well as every type of knives and outdoor equipment you can think of. . SMKW has two levels. They have a ramp that goes all around the store, besides steps. There is also water that flows down into the lower level. Everyone throws coins in the water and makes a wish.( see my video.) I spent 2 hours walking around. It's broken down into sections because they offer so many interesting and practical items besides knives, guns, bullets, clothing, tactical, and housewares,etc. As I walked around there was so much to see from all the displays.On the main floor is all kinds of knives displayed in glass cases, and behind the counter and in framed pictures on the wall as I walked around. They also have work and camo clothing on this floor. . In another area on the same floor is guns, ammo, rifles, tactical gear, etc. Each area has staff that are knowledgeable and helpful. This place gets so busy so there are times when you will have to wait to be helped but on the whole, the staff is very nice, friendly and helpful. On the lower level is cutlery, all kinds of cooking knives, pots n pans, knickknacks, and every kind of gadget imaginable. There is also several tables that are what I call the sale tables, and you can find all kinds of knives reasonably. You must be 18 years old in order to pick them up. I bought a heavy duty sheet pan made in the USA and a 9x9 heavy duty baking cake pan, jumbo muffin pan, pairing knife and cute spoon rest with my name on it. My boyfriend bought a huge sword, and a Japanese style single blade chopping/ slicing knife. Everyone is encouraged to try on historical looking armor and a sword, and sit on a thrown style chair for a photo op.( see pictures.) You can pick up geodes, different kinds of stones, and fossils. Since there's so many knives of all kinds, grades and styles, prices may vary.I really can't say if it's a bargain or not, but the quality is there. This place is wheelchair friendly and has handicap parking. My time spent here was a fun one. I definitely recommend...

While vacationing in Gatlinburg this week, I made two trips to the Smoky Mountain knife Works. I make multiple trips to Gatlinburg each year and always stop at the knife works to pick up the stainless steel model case knife and have it engraved for trophy presentations. It’s usually about a 15 minute visit I go straight to the Case display talk to the two gentlemen that have been there for years. Pick up the knife pay for it and engraving, Engraving only only takes about three minutes after you fill out the paperwork. That certainly wasn’t going to happen this trip. The first day the engraver was sharpening knives and said that he would give me the paperwork to fill out which he never did so after watching him spend 15 to 20 minutes on each of three knives and a stack of about seven more to go. I returned the knife to customer service and asked for a refund.

Today I go back and there are two people behind the counter, one sharpening knives, and the other one supposedly engraving however I didn’t see him even turn on the machine, and he told me I would have an hour wait and there was nobody in line or even in the department. I go back to the Case department and tell him I do not want a knife because I cannot get it engraved and explained what had happened previously. They immediately summoned Deborah a store manager and once again, I explained the situation and she casually observed that there was nothing happening over in the engraving department, but at the same time she told me it wasn’t her area and she really couldn’t help me. Let me say this about the two black haired bearded young men and the engraving department.I found them not helpful at all, and neither gave a greeting on either day when I approached the counter and stood there, which I thought was fairly rude compared to all of the other employees at the knife works. Both gentlemen had an anir about them that would lead anyone to think they were very lazy and not approachable.

In summary, I’ve bought many Case knives and had them engraved in a 15 minute process. I’ve always been greeted with a friendly smile and a, “can I help you”? I’ve never been told I had to wait an hour for any transaction at the knife works. This is the first time I’ve ever seen two employees that I would consider lazy and not worth hiring.

The Smoky Mountain Knife Works is not the business it used to...

Absolutely horrendous online service. Do not purchase from this companies website. Customer support is completely useless and has no knowledge of knives, or their products.

I purchased a Spyderco PM2 in Magnacut (all black sprint run) in June, and they never completed my order. They told me that the knife was on backorder and my order was reserved for when they received new stock. I tried confirming with the representative that this is a sprint run, and that I wasn’t sure they were going to receive more. I considered cancelling the order to purchase from another site that had the knife in stock for a bit more, however due to their confidence that they would be receiving more, I didn’t cancel my order. (Big mistake, don’t trust the people holding money/product over your head)

I waited for 2-3 months, checking back in every couple of weeks, and suddenly received an email letting me know that SMKW had cancelled my order. At this point, the knife was out of stock everywhere and I could not find it for sale retail.

This is atrocious, and absolutely exposes the excessive lack of knife knowledge or customer care from their support team. Do not expect this support team to have any useful knowledge of their products or restocks from manufacturers.

Because I’ve already been through the wringer with customer support, I am seriously frustrated with SMKW, and will not be trusting their company again. At this point, some SERIOUS wrong-righting would be necessary for me to ever recommend or view SMKW as a legitimate service...