500 dollar productions over customs?

SIFU1A said:
they just fell apart??

please explain..........
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-CMT-X5-dual action broke 2 times, the second about 5 opens after getting it fixed
-Troodon-every time opening it would disengage
-Troodon 2-every time closing it would disengage
-Troodon 3-screw on the assembly of the clip was stripped and it fell off
-Socom Elite-spring snapped a month into it

All were newer models...on the other hand, the Lightfoot Microtech is IMO the best dual action ever made. This is a sad story of a highly talented man wasting his skill.
 
NickZac said:
Most custom folders I have owned have been liner locks...they will not perform as well as a Sebenza. The liner lock has too many flaws. There are plenty of people who will agree with me in the superiority of the Sebenza. I have had custom William Henry knives costing upwards of 2Gs...they were awesome!, but nowhere near as solid as a Sebenza. The custom Neil Blackwood I handled was great...but heavy, a liner lock, and pricey. The Sebenza is nowhere near as neat as customs (I think it is personally, but my buddies liked my custom WH more than anything else), but it uses:
1) tighter tolerances than most customs I have handled (blade play in a Sebenza will not occur initially nor after extended usage)
2) better materials and a locking mechanism that has proven itself to be the most reliable in the business
3) the IDEAL cutlery steel for a folding knife with the best heat treat in the business
4) practical handle design and blade design which is easy to sharpen
5) practical weight
6) easy to service yourself

This is just my opinion and I could be wrong, but none-the-less its how I feel :)
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well, if thats the way ya feel lol, i just have never seen the allure of a seb myself, though lotsa folks do like them, i could say all the same stuff about my emerson custom '8 though. or my ralph maxx's.
 
SIFU1A said:
well, if thats the way ya feel lol, i just have never seen the allure of a seb myself, though lotsa folks do like them, i could say all the same stuff about my emerson custom '8 though. or my ralph maxx's.
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That's what creates diversity in the knife world...and in all respects, that's a good thing as the same thing over and over is boring! :D
 
You can't buy a custom Emerson for anywhere close to a Sebenza price.The only time you may get a good deal is a raffle at a show put on by Emerson himself. Then they usually go for $500-$600 from what I am told.The only Emerson Customs I have ever seen for sale,and this is three in all,were all over a grand.Don't get me wrong,when I am ready to afford one,I will get a Emerson Custom.There is alot of really great knives out there and I would love to own many of them. Buy one,buy many or buy them all.Its your choice.

MPE
 
It's a cryin' shame Busse doesn't have a folder...I have a Sebenza and it makes my other production knives feel 'stamped out'. I don't have any custom folders, but I have handled a few. There are some that are of a rare quality, no doubt about it.
 
I dont think emerson customs should be $1000 myself. I almost feel like if you sell a $500 folder you HAVE To sell your customs for 1 grand so people dont feel slighted for buying your production. I feel the same way about Mick and Duane customs. I shure would like one though. The CQC-15 custom shure looks sweet.
Edit: Not that Ernie shouldnt sell them for that much, the demmand alone justifies it. I just think there production business has inflated the demmand for there customs beyond what the knives and reputation alone might have. For a simmilar materials folder you could certainly get one for less even custom.
 
Some people think that the Seb is the best knife ever made.
I respect that. They use tolerances as tight as anyone, and their locks are are good as anyone's. While I'm not a Seb fan myself, I have yet to see why any other knife should be logically considered "better" than a Sebenza, since they are extremely consistant high quality knives. (except for Cliff Stamp's arguement that revolves around the Reeves limited guarantee). And there are plenty of options to make the Seb look better if you don't like them plain.
 
NickZac said:
1) tighter tolerances than most customs I have handled (blade play in a Sebenza will not occur initially nor after extended usage)
2) better materials and a locking mechanism that has proven itself to be the most reliable in the business
3) the IDEAL cutlery steel for a folding knife with the best heat treat in the business
4) practical handle design and blade design which is easy to sharpen
5) practical weight
6) easy to service yourself
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I'd say the only one that adds to the price is #1. There are several other S30V titanium framelocks out there. The other aspects are subjective, matched by other businesses, or really would have no bearing on price if they were changed. What I wonder is how much online retailers would sell the Sebenza for if they were able to push them at a discount. The Buck 172 is of similar materials, build, and MSRP, yet no one really expects to pay that online. So is the sm reg Sebenza or the sm regular Sebenza $10 or $140 better than the Buck produced knife? Without allowing retailers to compete in pricing, it's a little bit harder to gauge. They can/will cut the price on the brands without MAP, so we don't know how the 172 would have moved if held at MSRP across the board.
 
From what I understand,you can't buy the customs direct unless you are on a list which is not being added to.Of course,as with many knives out there that are custom,they have a aftermarket value that can bring double+ $$ depending on the demand.The demand for the Emerson Customs is very high indeed. They don't sit around for very long before they are snatched up.I have read that the fit and finish and build of a Emerson Custom is top notch without a doubt.I paid $100-$150 for my Emersons and would have spent more.They are great knives IMO.With the customs,I will eventually buy a Emerson Custom because of the above mentioned and the rarity of them.

MPE
 
hardheart said:
I'd say the only one that adds to the price is #1. There are several other S30V titanium framelocks out there. The other aspects are subjective, matched by other businesses, or really would have no bearing on price if they were changed. What I wonder is how much online retailers would sell the Sebenza for if they were able to push them at a discount. The Buck 172 is of similar materials, build, and MSRP, yet no one really expects to pay that online. So is the sm reg Sebenza or the sm regular Sebenza $10 or $140 better than the Buck produced knife? Without allowing retailers to compete in pricing, it's a little bit harder to gauge. They can/will cut the price on the brands without MAP, so we don't know how the 172 would have moved if held at MSRP across the board.
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After having multiple Buck 172's because I had to keep sending them back until I got a good one and multiple Sebenzas because I like them I can tell you that they are not in the same league at all. The design and the materials on the Buck are excellent, the fit and finish is far from a Sebenza. I had three knives all of which had blade play, both vertical and horizontal. The bead blast finish was, IMO cheap looking and course to the touch and the edges on the handles were sharp and not nicely radiused. It's a decent knife if you can get a good one, but still no Sebenza.

I love how people always love to conjecture about how much the Sebenza should sell for, as if it's overpriced for what it is. Yet, no other knifemaker or company has ever been able to produce a knife that was it's equal for any less money. Honestly, the only knife I've ever handled that matched a Sebenza for fit and finish was a Scott Cook Lochsa, which is simply amazing but almost impossible to get your hands on even if you do have the $550 to spend. It's the only other knife I've seen that duplicates the pivot bushing of the Sebenza. The tolerances for such a setup have to be incredibly stringent. It's worth it IMO though. I love being able to tear down my knife anytime and put it back together, thighten the pivot up all the way and be done with it. Perfect blade tightness every single time.
 
Why don't more makers/companies use a pivot bushing? It seems to be a no brainer as far as functionality. Is it mucho expensive to manufatcture?

Having said that, I went to Blade this past summer with about $600 in cash. I was really jonesin' for a new custom. I handled customs from most, if not all, of the makers mentioned in this thread. I handled custom knives that had flimsy looking liner locks, loose screws, uneven grinds, bladeplay, dull blades, and on and on. They were nice knives, but for the money, I couldn't get past these minor flaws.

What did I decide on? You guessed it, a large sebbie with gorgeous burl wood inlays. I think the consistency is what attracts me to CRK. Out of all the Sebbies I've owned, each one has been flawless. That is worth it to me. I'm sure I will buy more customs, the xm-18 is calling, but I will be amazed if they are able to surpass my sebenzas.
 
Billman said:
I don't think they are. I believe, direct from Emerson, they're more like $500-600.
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Everyone I have seen for sale by him over his website has been at least $900, maybe his show prices are lower. I know he does a lotto to sell em at the shows. Maybe its the knife stores making them so much. If you want an emerson custom they are actually pretty easy to find imo. They have some in at ACK and Steeladdictions regularly. Usually 1 grand though :(
 
BigJimSlade said:
Everyone I have seen for sale by him over his website has been at least $900, maybe his show prices are lower. I know he does a lotto to sell em at the shows. Maybe its the knife stores making them so much. If you want an emerson custom they are actually pretty easy to find imo. They have some in at ACK and Steeladdictions regularly. Usually 1 grand though :(
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I think some of the knives through the website are auctioned, which he isn't really pricing. But I think if you have ordered a knife through Emerson or you buy one at a show they're like $500-600.
 
There are or were just some "special" one-of-a-kind customs auctioned on his website. Some of them sold for over $2K. At shows knives are $550 except for 1 or 2 larger models which are a bit more. Emerson stopped taking order for customs several years ago (around 2000 I think). There are still people on his waiting list, some of them for about ten years or so now. The only way to get a custom Emerson now is either to have gotten on the waiting list prior to 2000, get your name called in a lottery and buy one for $550 or buy one on the secondary market from someone who won in a lottery- this includes dealers as well. The secondary market, and dealers who have new/mint Emerson can mark them up 100% or more because the supply is so limited. I paid a high price for both of mine as well. Emerson goes to about 5-6 or so shows a year and usually brings a couple of each model- there's really not too many around. Like I said, I paid a relatively high price for mine- and they are worth every penny to me.
 
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