Another word on Custom/Production

[Derek]

I couldn't decide what thread to put this under so I started a whole new thread

There has been some confusion as to just what the custom/production project is and what Ernies involvement will be.

The custom aspect of the knives is the fact that you can select a production knife model and pick and choose through a number of different options that suit your tastes.

Ernie will be ensuring that these knives are of the quality that is expected of a knife of their potential price range (an aluminum handled, damascus bladed Mach 1 will be in the $500 area).

While these will not be custom handground Emersons, there will from time to time, be a handground prototype available. These will be clearly marked and another unique collector/user opportunuity.

Take care,
Derek

 

[Fenris]

This is what I was afraid of. $500 is a lot to pay for a production knife even if you get to choose the options. There are just too many good custom makers out there. And for handground Emerson prototypes, the new Commander for $1299 is too much to pay for a knife that is only hand ground by Emerson. I remember buying a CQC7 prototype that had an Emerson ground blade and production handles selected by Emerson. The lockup was great and the cost was a far more reasonable $300.
Will these limited production hand ground pieces be unreasonably expensive, too?

Anyone get one of the Ti-commander, limited productions yet?

Jason

 

[jbravo]

I agree with Fenris. How do you justify that sort of cost for a knife that is not handmade? (If it is handmade, in the context of a production facility, who is doing the work?) The materials certainly do not cost twice the price. Should there be a surcharge - of course. But should the price exceed the cost of a fully custom Emerson - never. A brand new ESM1 costs $525, so why should any Commander, regardless of materials choices (assuming we exclude gold, platinum, etc.) cost more than the knife its design is based on?

And why would you call a knife with a handground blade and a factory handle a "prototype", particularly when ten of them are created? I owned a custom knife made by Ernie that was identical to a Raven, except that the handle was made out of non-textured, black G-10, two years before the EKC knife came out. THAT is what a prototype is, and it legitimately commands a premium as a consequence. Creating a hybred knife, part custom/part factory, has the same appearance of revenue building that the titanium Commander has. Neither method accrues much credit to its author.

EKC should concentrate on building the world's best factory knives, as measured by design, quality, and materials. Aftermarket customization, and handmade knives should remain the personal baliwick of custom knife makers. And never the twain shall meet. At least, that's my opinion.

 

[JimP]

I can see the reasoning behind making this transition (for Emerson), but agree totally that the price is ridiculous. All you are offering is theability to pick and choose options on a factory mass produced knife. The only people that are going to buy these knives are once again the collectors, arm chair Rambos and knife traders who will most likely never USE them.

I love the Emersons that I have, but cannot see spending that kind of money on a factory production knife. Who knows, maybe there will be a big demand, but I doubt it. Let's see --- handmade Terzuola, Lightfoot, etc. or custom/production knife?

I liked the direction Emerson took with the production knives, but have to laugh when I hear about people spending >$500 and up to $1200 for a knife. I see that as which do I buy, a new 45 or a folding knife? How many people who buy a $1200 titanium commander are actually going to use it?

 

[Derek]

I would guess that the majority of the knives ordered will not be much more, if any, than their standard production counterparts.

The beauty lies in the fact that you can get a non serrated, Chromium Nitride bladed Mach 1 with the cool green liners for about $235. You do not have to search the world over to find the knife that you want.

You also do not have to take a serrated Black-T Commander if you wanted a CN non-serrated one.

jbravo; When I referred to a prototype, I did not mean a handground blade of a standard configuration. There will be more models, bladeshapes and handle designs in the future. Ernie will work on these knives himself. These are the kind of "one off's" that will be available from time to time.

I hope this helps to clarify some things a bit. Keep the comments coming.

Derek