A reality check for most makers

I agree with you as it was one of my first knives, and I did OK, because it was an extraordinary Bowie in spite of the G-bone.

But still, IMO there's giraffe bone that looks very good. Like this excellent Rodrigo Sfreddo fighter where many would take it for ivory.

spbowiedif4.jpg


spbowieaj5.jpg


Personally, I would like to see more of Rodrigo's old styles as above. IMO, his integrals (which is debated by some) are quickly approaching TOO much of a good thing. :eek:

Les, I'm going to start a "best" giraffe bone thread. ;) :D

Got any good examples on your site? :D :D :confused:

By the way the only reason G-bone is cheap is because you get quite a few knife handles from your typical giraffe leg. Don't you agree? :eek: :D
 
It wouldn't probably be so damn difficult to contribute to or follow these threads if those who are so full of themselves, along with the elitist idiots, would go the way of the dodo (which, incidentally, is also a very descriptive adverb to describe both groupings). Oops, was I just insensitive??
 
Incidentally, giraffe bone ain't goin' away. Too many people love the varied looks. I don't think a purveyor is going to change that.
And that's a GORGEOUS knife, Kevin~
 
Les Robertson said:
Amazing, a $1,000 plus knife with $3,00 worth of handle material on it.

What is in question is using that material on knives today.
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what about a $1,000 knife with $5 worth of steel on it? giraffe bone is an excellent handle material. it can look as good or ugly as any handle material. this flavour of the day discussion is important to day traders and short time investors only.

hans
 
To each his own.
If you like it buy it, but beware as you may not get your money out if that's important to you.
 
G-bone for 1. 00? 3.00, None I've ever seen. Waste of your time. Wouldn't reciprocating be a waste of time. Just have to have the last word as always! You go Boy'

The Cutlery industry has used Cow bone for over a century. Still does. Plain olé dried and died COW BONE!!! Now just how the heck is C-bone or Giraffe lower class than Cow Bone?

It just doesn't-get any lower that Cow on the scale. Yet is see it on every thing from Case, and Boker to fine knives from Ruple, and Bose. Looks just fine to me.

But what the hell do I know. My knives bring a lot of money with plain olé plastic (Micarta) on them.

Seems to me you have no problem selling so-so fit and Finnish Tactical with cheap handle materials on them. But wait, you like them. So they are OK! What ever happened to workmanship selling the work. Lets' face it. You don't know workman ship and fit and finish form shinola! Just what sells at any given time. Nothing more, nothing less.

Haven't bought a knife in 10 years? Huh?

There is no way to be a bigger Ass Hole that to be completely full of your self. To the extent that no one else's opinion or likes matter but yours. Vere accurate assessment!

I don't care how many Knives you buy or sell. Bully for you. What I want to know is how many do you make. Those that can't do, teach. And God, do you try to teach every one who in in ear shot how live. Work,. buy, Sell, Invest, Its a LR World according to LR! The grand standing never stops. Perhaps you should run on the Dem. Ticket! Guy's, If you like G-bone. Buy it. Not every knife ha to be obtained with an eye on selling it for a profit. It is perfectly OK t just plain olé like something. Got to wonder how this boy ever got a date. Was he always looking to resale them for a profit. What won't he pimp? Is there anything in the sole other than profit? Profit? Profit. Greed in the highest order. Its getting to the point of being disgusting!

Sickening!!!
 
Michael Lovett said:
Seems to me you have no problem selling so-so fit and Finnish Tactical with cheap handle materials on them. But wait, you like them. So they are OK! What ever happened to workmanship selling the work. Lets' face it. You don't know workman ship and fit and finish form shinola! Just what sells at any given time. Nothing more, nothing less.

Haven't bought a knife in 10 years? Huh?

There is no way to be a bigger Ass Hole that to be completely full of your self. To the extent that no one else's opinion or likes matter but yours. Vere accurate assessment!

I don't care how many Knives you buy or sell. Bully for you. What I want to know is how many do you make. Those that can't do, teach. And God, do you try to teach every one who in in ear shot how live. Work,. buy, Sell, Invest, Its a LR World according to LR! The grand standing never stops. Perhaps you should run on the Dem. Ticket! Guy's, If you like G-bone. Buy it. Not every knife ha to be obtained with an eye on selling it for a profit. It is perfectly OK t just plain olé like something. Got to wonder how this boy ever got a date. Was he always looking to resale them for a profit. What won't he pimp? Is there anything in the sole other than profit? Profit? Profit. Greed in the highest order. Its getting to the point of being disgusting!

Sickening!!!
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Utter rubbish. Having the ability to make a knife has nothing to do with the validity of one's opinion as to the marketability of a certain type of handle material. Having bought and sold countless knives by makers in different genres at a wide range of price points probably does.

Do these outrageous personal attacks somehow make you feel better about yourself, Mike?

Roger
 
I probably should stay out of this but I'm not hear to stir up anything.
I have read the posts on this thread trying to keep up with its on goingness and have concluded 416, blued steel and damascus to be the more desirable for hardware used on higher end pieces, but what is acceptable for handle materials? Is it only ivory,mammoth, walrus, elephant, hippo. (questioning hippo) Any woods? what about stag, most stags I've seen with only a few exceptions wasn't worth carring home. What is looked upon as OK and pleasing and not shunned or avoided, of all the available materials.

Thanks

Bill
 
RogerP said:
Utter rubbish. Having the ability to make a knife has nothing to do with the validity of one's opinion as to the marketability of a certain type of handle material.
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makers sell their knives. guys who do it full time would seem to need some ability to judge what the customer wants. hindsight is 20/20, but you have to have something to look at first.
 
Don Hanson III said:
Actually, the last time I looked, G-bone was not cheap and some of it is down right gorgeous:eek:
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I agree Don, as it seems this thread has covered everything at some point except the presidential candidates (opps :eek::foot:). Forget I said that, PLEASE.


You definitely see some butt ugly g-bone, but that's true with any handle material. We have seen ivory on knives costing thousands and wondered why someone used it.

IMO, though un-popular for sure, is that as long as micarta is widely accepted and used on many, even some ultra-expensive knives, than any material can be acceptable for consideration. As after all the praise and hype, it's just everyday overpriced plastic. :barf:

OK micarta fans, let me have it. :p;)
 
While in school, I hated the arts and business because the "right" answers were often just what your professor deemed right. When it comes down to it, there is no right answer that can be calculated when you are dealing with people and what they like or dislike. You can argue about resale values and marketability and whatever other social science term you want forever, but it will always boil down to personal preference, and you will never know what course is correct until you succeed or you fail, or how much it is really worth until you sell it.

If a knifeseller was serious about this they would have a relational database showing how much each steel/guard/maker/handle material sold for and use the sales history to buy knives people like to buy, just like the programs large retailers use to analyze their sales and determine orders. Doesn't sound like an enjoyable hobby anymore.

Of course everyone wants their knives to go up in value, but becoming too concerned with that seems like a great way to suck the joy right out of your collecting to me.
 
Mike,


Seems to me you have no problem selling so-so fit and Finnish Tactical with cheap handle materials on them. But wait, you like them. So they are OK! What ever happened to workmanship selling the work. Lets' face it. You don't know workman ship and fit and finish form shinola! Just what sells at any given time. Nothing more, nothing less.
Click to expand...

You know nothing about the custom knife market. How do I know that? Several years ago I received a phone call from a maker who upon the recommendation of Kit Carson and George Herron. That maker was looking to get back into custom knives and needed advice with marketing and pricing.

Then tells him he is going to get him knives. Delivers 2.

Then excuses of the excuses start. Delays (excuses) for over 18 months. Then he looks you in the eye at the SOS 2005 show, writes down in his book and says "Im sorry I will have you knives by December....2005.

Who was that maker...Mike Lovett. Yes it is true I have never made a knife...Just as it is true that you are a liar and a man of no integrity. Yes, I do know fit and finish.

Mike, speaking of pompous and arrogant check out some of your posts on the Loveless connection. BTW how are you on a computer...shouldn't you be on your knees in front of the "Master". You better hope he never stops short or you will have a broken nose for sure.


There is no way to be a bigger Ass Hole that to be completely full of your self. To the extent that no one else's opinion or likes matter but yours. Vere accurate assessment!

I don't care how many Knives you buy or sell. Bully for you. What I want to know is how many do you make. Those that can't do, teach. And God, do you try to teach every one who in in ear shot how live. Work,. buy, Sell, Invest, Its a LR World according to LR! The grand standing never stops. Perhaps you should run on the Dem. Ticket! Guy's, If you like G-bone. Buy it. Not every knife ha to be obtained with an eye on selling it for a profit. It is perfectly OK t just plain olé like something. Got to wonder how this boy ever got a date. Was he always looking to resale them for a profit. What won't he pimp? Is there anything in the sole other than profit? Profit? Profit. Greed in the highest order. Its getting to the point of being disgusting!

Sickening!!!
Click to expand...

You what is really sickening? The way slaughter the English language?

Mike it is you who should be on the Dem ticket. You rail against make a profit and greed. Dems do that...you know take away something from someone who has earned it. So you can recieve something for free. Take you for instance. Do you make ML knives in your style? No. Your whole line of knives are but a copy of what Bob Loveless designed.

You don't want to go out and make a name for yourself. That is too hard. So you decided to "Sponge" off of Bob Loveless. Yes yes we all have read your tales of meeting the man, being given permission, blah blah blah blah blah.

So you make Loveless style knives, In order to sell knives, you have to copy the work of some one else to sell knives. Loveless Connection,

Mike you know one style of knives by one maker (ok two, don't forget to include Jim, the actual maker of today's Loveless knives).

So you had to call someone for market advice and what types of knives to make and what styles, what steels, what handle materials, etc.

Mike from now on I'm going to refer to you as "Kinko's." Why?

Because all you do is make copies!

Les Robertson
Custom Knife Entrepreneur
www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com
 
Les Robertson said:
Hi Kevin,

You did well indeed, buying a $550 bowie from knife art for $850 and then finding someone else to buy it for even more...
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if I read that correctly you are indicating that the knife was overpriced from the dealer ( seller , purveyor , etc ) , so then one would assume that nothing on your website is overpriced ? highly doubtful.

I gotta agree with Mike...Les you do tend to throw out the vibe that " no one else's opinion or likes matter but yours ".

Les Robertson said:
You what is really sickening? The way slaughter the English language?
Click to expand...

Man , I may just use that for a signature line ..... ;)
 
The really sickening thing about how you children act is that you could do it in private, just between yourselves, and not interrupt the others who are here for valid reasons having to do with our love of knives.
 
Everybody loves the giraffe bone.

Betzner, would you post a photo of a knife out of your collection with a giraffe bone handle? Especially if it is the dyed stuff!

Pompous and elitist??? I have sold thousands of knives with Micarta...perhaps the least arrogant of all handle materials.

You guys continue to miss the point of my posts.

I post my dislike for things like Giraffe bone, Mokume, brass, nickel silver, etc.

So, no one will offer knives with these materials on them....this is merely a time saving device for my business.

I am not trying to manipulate the market or tell others what to buy. If it was all about "Greed" as Kinko's says (mike lovett). I would welcome any and all materials that sell in the short term and I could make a buck on. So why is it that I am willing to incur the wrath of BF and utter such blasphemous statements. Because collectors out there tell me day in and day out their likes and dislikes.

Unlike many in the custom knife world, I understand that without customers I am out of business. So contrary to what several of you have posted about my telling people what to make or buy. The truth is I am responding to what my clients tell me "WHAT THEY WANT AND WILL BUY."

Im not here to attack the poor Giraffe bone. Yes, there are makers out there who like it and collectors who like it. It is of course their prerogative to both use it and buy a knife with it on it. If a collector tells a maker he wants a knife with Giraffe bone...well he needs to make it that way. Is it his place to recommend another handle material that may provide a better chance to sell the knife in the future? No it is not. The makers customer wanted Giraffe bone and that is what customer will get.

My point is you are relegating a knife to the 20% group by using this material.
Giving it less of a fighting chance to retain it's value in the after market.

Bill Buxton,

Have you looked into stone for a handle material? Yes you will need some lapidary equipment, about $600 should set you up to work most stone.

Les Robertson
Custom Knife Entrepreneur
www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com
 
John,

The knife was priced correctly by the maker for that point in time. The first dealer that sold that knife jacked up the price and sold it to Kevin. Today that is not a knife that Kevin would buy.

The knife was then consigned to Blade Gallery, where the knife was priced so both Kevin and Daniel could make money on it.

Not one single person along the way had a gun put to their head and was told to buy the knife.


John, Of course you agree with Mike.

But don't you think it is odd, that he sought me out for advise?

Me being such a low life greedy bastard and all??? :D

Les Robertson
Custom Knife Entrepreneur
www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com
 
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