Been on the lookout for reasonably priced throwing knives that are made in the US. So far all I've been able to find are more custom and way out of what I consider to be a reasonable asking price. I know that I could get like 30 knives made in China/Taiwan/Nepal/wherever, but does anyone know of any brands of throwing knives that are made exclusively in the US that won't break the bank?
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American Made throwing knives?
- Thread starter mellanman
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Here is my take on that.
First, what is "break the bank?" When I started throwing, the prices on ammunition had just shot to the moon. I am 60 and have been a lifelong shooter. I reload all sorts of obsolete cartridges some of which are 20 for $125 if I was to just buy them. But with a box of fairly common pistol rounds going to $30 and they are good for about half an hour of practice, while one knife at $30 can be used for years and years or many hundreds of hours of fun, throwing seems pretty cheap. Even if you buy $100 knives they can be a very good investment. I do take very good care of them by cleaning, sharpening and oiling after use as I would do with an antique pistol. Consider what you spend on cartridges for your rifle or good archery or fishing gear and the price point of good American made throwers (which can last forever and be passed to your grandkids) looks really good.
Having said that, I have set a personal price of $35 each for my own consumption of American made knives. And by watching certain auction sites have bought several very nice vintage (1940's and 1950's ) pieces for $35 or less. Keep in mind that if you want one knife with your hunting gear or at Rendezvous, a handmade throwing knife at $100 is really not a bad price point at all. I do go out and throw eight or so in one direction though and then move down there and throw them back so I knew I needed a bunch fairly cheap. I also wanted at least three of most configurations so that I could practice with different lengths and weights as well as differing points of balance. This has caused me to look for some very specific things I might suggest in a one-on-one e-mail. Message me if you want to discuss further.
Good luck!
First, what is "break the bank?" When I started throwing, the prices on ammunition had just shot to the moon. I am 60 and have been a lifelong shooter. I reload all sorts of obsolete cartridges some of which are 20 for $125 if I was to just buy them. But with a box of fairly common pistol rounds going to $30 and they are good for about half an hour of practice, while one knife at $30 can be used for years and years or many hundreds of hours of fun, throwing seems pretty cheap. Even if you buy $100 knives they can be a very good investment. I do take very good care of them by cleaning, sharpening and oiling after use as I would do with an antique pistol. Consider what you spend on cartridges for your rifle or good archery or fishing gear and the price point of good American made throwers (which can last forever and be passed to your grandkids) looks really good.
Having said that, I have set a personal price of $35 each for my own consumption of American made knives. And by watching certain auction sites have bought several very nice vintage (1940's and 1950's ) pieces for $35 or less. Keep in mind that if you want one knife with your hunting gear or at Rendezvous, a handmade throwing knife at $100 is really not a bad price point at all. I do go out and throw eight or so in one direction though and then move down there and throw them back so I knew I needed a bunch fairly cheap. I also wanted at least three of most configurations so that I could practice with different lengths and weights as well as differing points of balance. This has caused me to look for some very specific things I might suggest in a one-on-one e-mail. Message me if you want to discuss further.
Good luck!
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Production scale is a huge factor in knife price. This is not particular to the knife industry. Any product that is not mass-produced is seemingly overpriced. A good example I recently encountered is mixing propellers. Search Amazon for "mixing propeller" and find one about 2 inches in diameter. It is a little piece of sheet metal, about 0.020" thick, welded to a little bushing or a piece of round rod. They are $40 to $50 each.
US throwing knife makers go one of two routes:
1. Virgin steel: guys like Zucati, Branton, and I buy virgin high-carbon bar, sheet, or plate in relatively small quantities, cut the shapes, and heat-treat. Lets look at each of those steps.
Steel: In the manufacturing world, anything less than 10,000 pounds of steel is a "small quantity" - by that I mean a prospective buyer of less than 10,000 pounds is buying from a middleman and has minimal negotiating leverage. That buyer is in a pool of other buyers including other high-end knife makers and high-end machine shops. This pool of buyers is paying anywhere from $2 (e.g. 1075 steel) to $50 per pound (e.g. something fancy from Niagara). In contrast, a large-scale cutlery company, who is buying 10,000 pounds or more, can go direct to the mill and has tremendous negotiating power. I guestimate they are paying less than $0.50 per pound.
Shape cutting: Generally we outsource this step to a laser or waterjet shop. Again, we are in a pool of buyers that includes other high-end knife makers and manufacturers/machine shops. It's important to understand that the US machine-shop industry is not a flea market. Everything is expensive, costs are high, and prices are high. I guestimate the average price to waterjet a knife blank at $12. A maker who sells a $300 bushcraft knife can easily absorb a $12 cutting cost, but the same cannot be said for the maker of a $50 throwing knife.
Heat-treating: Controlling warp is the challenge here. One cannot send knives to any old heat-treater and expect good results. We are either outsourcing to specialty shops like Peters, or spending significant time and money on an in-house process. Again, when outsourcing, we are in the same aforementioned pool of buyers. Again, the heat-treaters don't give us special pricing because we are making $50 knives instead of $500 knives.
2. Recycled steel: guys like Joe Darrah, Bill Page, and others make throwing knives from pre-hardened, used saw blades. They skip the heat-treating step, but still must source the steel and cut the shapes. Again, it is small-scale production so costs are high.
US throwing knife makers go one of two routes:
1. Virgin steel: guys like Zucati, Branton, and I buy virgin high-carbon bar, sheet, or plate in relatively small quantities, cut the shapes, and heat-treat. Lets look at each of those steps.
Steel: In the manufacturing world, anything less than 10,000 pounds of steel is a "small quantity" - by that I mean a prospective buyer of less than 10,000 pounds is buying from a middleman and has minimal negotiating leverage. That buyer is in a pool of other buyers including other high-end knife makers and high-end machine shops. This pool of buyers is paying anywhere from $2 (e.g. 1075 steel) to $50 per pound (e.g. something fancy from Niagara). In contrast, a large-scale cutlery company, who is buying 10,000 pounds or more, can go direct to the mill and has tremendous negotiating power. I guestimate they are paying less than $0.50 per pound.
Shape cutting: Generally we outsource this step to a laser or waterjet shop. Again, we are in a pool of buyers that includes other high-end knife makers and manufacturers/machine shops. It's important to understand that the US machine-shop industry is not a flea market. Everything is expensive, costs are high, and prices are high. I guestimate the average price to waterjet a knife blank at $12. A maker who sells a $300 bushcraft knife can easily absorb a $12 cutting cost, but the same cannot be said for the maker of a $50 throwing knife.
Heat-treating: Controlling warp is the challenge here. One cannot send knives to any old heat-treater and expect good results. We are either outsourcing to specialty shops like Peters, or spending significant time and money on an in-house process. Again, when outsourcing, we are in the same aforementioned pool of buyers. Again, the heat-treaters don't give us special pricing because we are making $50 knives instead of $500 knives.
2. Recycled steel: guys like Joe Darrah, Bill Page, and others make throwing knives from pre-hardened, used saw blades. They skip the heat-treating step, but still must source the steel and cut the shapes. Again, it is small-scale production so costs are high.
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you really ought to say what your idea of a reasonable price range is.
Also look at H&B Forge for nice mountain man style throwers.
Also look at H&B Forge for nice mountain man style throwers.
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You should definitely check out all of his knives at flyingsteel.com, but something Patrick left out is that he does sometimes offer discount knives. Same excellent quality steel and process, but they're either refurbished or have some superficial issue that doesn't meet his high standards for full-priced items.
Easily the best option if you're looking for top quality at an entry level price, currently about $25.
Easily the best option if you're looking for top quality at an entry level price, currently about $25.
Guys, I really appreciate all the responses! Apparently my google-fu was not strong enough when I was searching, as I did not come up with any of the information that you all have provided.
and to answer the question of what I personally consider a reasonable price to be is in the 30-50 dollar range
thanks again!
and to answer the question of what I personally consider a reasonable price to be is in the 30-50 dollar range
thanks again!
afishhunter
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I bought a throwing knife from them decades ago, I think it was in that range, maybe a little less.
Met the requirements for the buckskinner events I went to for size and weight.
Met the requirements for the buckskinner events I went to for size and weight.
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I didn't link any non-bladeforums supporters. This company is discussed all over these forums without being censored, as are many many others. I think you are misinterpreting the rules a bit.
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Good luck with that. Last time I pointed out the discrepancies between the rules as they are written versus how they are enforced, I was accused of "lawyering up" and slammed with infractions.
Bobby, if "link" in fact does mean "mention," I kindly request that the wording of the rules be changed to make this clear. Thanks!
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Bobby Branton
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As far as censoring, this is a private site and the owners can do as they please.
If I do not try to enforce the rules, then the super moderators will. I re edited the post and if you want to put the names and companies back in, feel free to do so.
I was told that you can mention non Bladeforum supporters as long as it is not obvious that you are schilling for them. Just do not link to non Bladeforum supporters that may take business away from paid Blade forum supporters. Sorry for the confusion. My apologies. Carry on.
If I do not try to enforce the rules, then the super moderators will. I re edited the post and if you want to put the names and companies back in, feel free to do so.
I was told that you can mention non Bladeforum supporters as long as it is not obvious that you are schilling for them. Just do not link to non Bladeforum supporters that may take business away from paid Blade forum supporters. Sorry for the confusion. My apologies. Carry on.
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kaotikross
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Good luck with that. Last time I pointed out the discrepancies between the rules as they are written versus how they are enforced, I was accused of "lawyering up" and slammed with infractions.
LMAO. Really? I'm not doubting it, I've read thousands of posts on BF and seen what you're talking about. I'd like to offer my services as the FIRST "BF Member Semi-Legal-but-not-really-representative". I'm no lawyer, but for a small fee (payable in knives, of course) I offer to argue with the mods. I don't promise success, in fact, I'll probably fail, but child support cost a lot of $$ and I need more knives. Now when someone needs to "lawyer up" here on BF, they can just contact me. Of course, I'll need a retainer, and the fees will probably add up. With me, you get all of the downside of regular legal representation, with the bare minimum (if any) amount of benefits. If this doesn't work, i'm gonna try televangelism, so call now.
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It's all good. Thanks.
Bobby Branton
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Thanks guys, lets get back on topic. I'll take the beating 
, It was all my fault.
, It was all my fault.