A Word On Customs....School The Noob

Southern Cross

Southern Cross

Joined
Jan 30, 2009
Messages
103
Since I've kicked my knife collecting into overdrive over the past couple of weeks...I see a great deal of talk about custom blades...in particular the Sebenza.

I guess I'm just wondering what the benefits of the custom blade are. Aside from having something unique are there any benefits I'm unaware of? Say I'm looking for a nice fixed blade knife to slap on my belt. Why would I go custom over say something like a Benchmade Nimravus? Or a folder...why is the Sebenza such a hot item over decent folders from Benchmade, Microtech, or Spyderco. Is it the rarity or collectibility? This isn't a slight to any custom folks...especially CR...I'd love to have a Pacific hanging over my safe. Its just that I see the Sebs selling for so much and can't help thinking everyone knows something I don't. Seems to me the tools/machines/access to strong materials a large company can bring to bare on knife production would make them the easy choice.
 
for the most part, chris reeve knives are not considered customs, but rather semi-production.

in and of itself, a custom may or may not be better than a production blade.

in general, what you pay for with higher end knives:
(including, but not limited to, and in no particular order)

1. hand ground
2. exotic steels
3. complicated grinds
4. fit/finish
5. name recognition
6. high tolerances
7. exotic handle materials
8. collectiblity
9. rarity


with a true custom, you are ordering a knife to your specs, or buying one ordered to someone else's specs.

many nuances are difficult to see or appreciate for the beginning collector. the sebenza is elegant in its simplicity. it may not be impressive right away, but carry one for a while and you will appreciate it and understand why it has such a following.

if you have other questions about specific models, i would be happy to try and answer.
 
Excellent...you mentioned something else that I was trying to figure out...the benefits of a hand ground blade? I saw a Currahee that was originally four times what it costs retail and the only difference was that it was hand ground. Its another one of those things that's hard to get as a noob since it would seem that a modern super connected ultra high tech machine could put a better edge on a knife. I remember even seeing some show where they had a guy from Japan who was the be all end all of katana making go up against a guy who used all the latest and greatest technology...the differences were only marginal from what I recall. Sorry for my lack of knowledge...just trying to figure out how to best outfit my collection from the start.

And I must admit I'm one of those who loves the tacticool, all black, glue a glassbreaker on the bottom and it looks cool kind of guy. I think it was all the video games. I cringe when I see all of those bone and wood folders...even though I know some are works of art. I'll take aluminum, titanium, micarta and polymer over wood, horn and bone anyday...I just can't help it!
 
I don't count sebenza's as custom knives (even if you get one to order). They are well made, beautiful knives. Possibly better than many customs.

A true custom knife (I realize I'm misusing this term), has one person behind it. This person accompanied the knife from conception to finish. A part of the craftsman's personality is left in his work.

Both production and custom knives use many of the same materials and techniques. Fancy handles and precise tolerances aren't what make customs valuable. The skill and vision of the craftsman is.

When you buy a custom knife you get more than a tool. You get everything put into the making of that tool. It's easily apparent and cohesive because only one personality is behind it.

If you simply want a tool, production knives are the way to go. There's a less tangible value to custom knives, beyond their basic function.
 
Southern Cross said:
Excellent...you mentioned something else that I was trying to figure out...the benefits of a hand ground blade? I saw a Currahee that was originally four times what it costs retail and the only difference was that it was hand ground. Its another one of those things that's hard to get as a noob since it would seem that a modern super connected ultra high tech machine could put a better edge on a knife. I remember even seeing some show where they had a guy from Japan who was the be all end all of katana making go up against a guy who used all the latest and greatest technology...the differences were only marginal from what I recall. Sorry for my lack of knowledge...just trying to figure out how to best outfit my collection from the start.

And I must admit I'm one of those who loves the tacticool, all black, glue a glassbreaker on the bottom and it looks cool kind of guy. I think it was all the video games. I cringe when I see all of those bone and wood folders...even though I know some are works of art. I'll take aluminum, titanium, micarta and polymer over wood, horn and bone anyday...I just can't help it!
Click to expand...

the lines between custom and production have definitely blurred in the last decade or so.

used to be you had production companies like spyderco and benchmade, and you had your custom makers like dozier and loveless. the lines were fairly clear.

market demand and technology has dictated the direction of many makers. individual makers who were at one time considered "customs only" now use higher production techniques to meed those demands. these are often referred to as mid-techs or semi-custom or semi-production, which are all basically the same thing.

a true custom will have the blade and scales hand ground or milled by the maker, then the parts will be fitted and assembled all by one person.

for my purposes, i refer to the semi's all as customs.

re: your sharpness question, there is definitely a point of diminshed returns. however that point must be determined by the end user. marginally sharper is still sharper. is hand ground better? i think so, and im willing to pay the extra $$ generally. it is costlier to have it done by hand rather than a machine, and the end user must accept that. the quality of the grind will be entirely dependant on the skill of the craftsman.
 
With custom knives I get what I want, not what a manufacturer has decided to provide me with. I get the materials I want and the shape and size I want.
 
Too often what should be called a handmade knife is called "custom" even though the buyer didn't have anything on the specific knife customized for him.
I guess the only reason is that people put more value in that specific word so that when they call they multi-hundred $ purchase a "custom" they feel somewhat better about it...
 
huugh said:
I guess the only reason is that people put more value in that specific word so that when they call they multi-hundred $ purchase a "custom" they feel somewhat better about it...
Click to expand...

+1! I only own one true "custom" knife. It is a 10+ year old, one of a kind, fixed blade Hunter, made by Ed Van Hoy, with a blade of Mike Norris' stainless steel damascus (stamascus), elephant ivory handle scales, and Robert Eggerling mosaic damascus bolsters. It is the most beautiful knife I've ever seen! Been too afraid to ever use it.

Regards,
3G
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. I understand much better now. I can totally get why someone would want a true custom...their blade the way they want it in the materials they want. The other semi-custom, semi-production, handmade types I get better now too...someone that may need that extra edge would be willing to be for it...and the purist collector wanting to have something rare in their collection. I could see myself adding a custom blade in a few years. Need to build up the production side of my collection first though...leatn to walk before I run!
 
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