I'll make a prediction right now.  Love it, hate it, just don't give a damn, doesn't matter.  Without a doubt, the stir around the Whaler tells me this has the makings of one of the more popular GEC collectibles.  I'm basing that on a number of things.

1. I have had more requests to be put on a 'want' list than any recent release
2. The Rendezvous knives sold out fast and a reported Ebay sale came in at close to double the issue price (before the Rendezvous was over!!)
3. I continue to get emails daily asking about additional releases, availability of Rendezvous knives, etc
4. This is one of the more expensive releases we've seen and the price hasn't discouraged many determined buyers
5. It' s a big, unique knife
6. I'd be watching for an Industry Award 

I'm not saying that distributors will necessarily sell out overnite on all releases, but it's going to be interesting to see how many are sitting on the shelves 6 months from now.