Are these really custom knives?

Can I throw something else in the mix? What about "sole authorship"??? My personal definition of a "custom knife" is simply "made by the guy whose name is on the blade"...in my view, it's ok to use CNC or laser cut IF the maker does it himself (e.g. programs the CNC)...although I still prefer the bandsaw..

the bottom line is that if I order a knife made by Maker X, then I want a knife made COMPLETELY by Maker X, not partially by his friend, half-cousin, illegitimate brother, dog, or assistant!


RL
 
Bruce,

Actually, Chris started selling his knives as customs in South Africa, and kept them in that category upon moving to the US.

Chris continued to tout his knives as handmade until at the urging of the US Knifemakers Guild he come out and explain just how his knives were being made.

Seems when he showed up to the Guild Show with a "BOX" full of knives and "Team" Reeve it raised more than a few eye brows.

Chris is a smart guy, so Im sure he understood what would come of his actions.

As such it has been out in the open for several years know that Chris has limited if any day to day contact with the manufacturing of the knives.

Winning "Best Manufactured Knife of the Year" at the 2000 Blade Show for the Sebenza pretty much sealed the deal as to which category CRK knives goes into.

Tough to say it's not a factory knife when it wins this award.

Bruce, not a single seller of "Custom" knives put CRK in the category of factory knives. Chris Reeve did that all by himself.

Should there be another category of knives? Possibly. Perhaps Mid-Tech will become the word that finds it's way into the knife lexicon that describes a knife somewhere between factory and custom. It only helps the cause when makers like Onion and Simonich start using the term!

However, for now it is either a factory or a "custom" (MARKETING BRAND NAME IN USE)knife.
Bruce, strangely enough it's never the custom knife collectors/buyers that have difficulty defining what is and what is not a factory knife.

Those questions always come from the factory side of the house. Almost makes you think the factory knives are trying to get credit for something they are not.
 
Almost makes you think the factory knives are trying to get credit for something they are not.
Click to expand...

It sounds more to me like the custom guys are afraid of the competition. Those "factory" makers are getting very good.
It's not enough that the guild excludes production knives. Now it sounds like some members want to exclude other Guild Members for not using the right production technique. Another 10 years of this and the guild will be completely irrelevant.

n2s
 
Man, this is alot to absorb! Would I be right in assuming that a Custom Knife is the same as a Prototype (1st of it's kind) Knife and if this prototype is well received and is mass produced (with no changes), it is considered a Production or Manufactured Knife. If any of these Manufactured Knives are supplied with different handle material, type of steel, etc., they would be considered Customized Manufactured Knives?
Thank you all for a very interesting thread - greatly enjoyed by a short time knifenut!
 
I will throw my own statement into this mix. My feeling is that a maker use any methods he feels is appropriate, provided he is HONEST about what he does.

I am probably one of the full time makers who can use the term "sole authorship".

I own and use a CNC, and I do all my own designing and NC programming IN HOUSE. I'm kind of proud of that-I spent a lot of time and money learning the art. I use it promarily for folder parts, fixed blade profiling and bevel roughing. Gives me the accuracy I need, eliminates mistakes and delays that can come with out-sourcing, and provides me manufacturing flexibility-I never lose control of the design or the manufacturing. And if I do my job correctly, it provides the accuracy I demand.

I still do all my grinding, be it roughing or finishing, handle contouring, etc.

And, I do my own heat treating and cryogenic processing and have the testing equipment and Engineering Degree to back this up. I wouldn't trust this part of Knifemaking to anyone else. It's too enjoyable!

All screws that go into my folders are length modified by me.
I modify a precision bearing for my folders-same for the pivot.
Gee, I don't modify the carbide detent ball I use in my folders. Sorry...... <G>

Tyler, my oldest son, has started helping me with stock cut-off operations, and, next I will teach him to use my surface grinder for stock clean-up prior to profile grinding. He's a good helper!

Matt, my younger son, currently serves as my "Aesthetics Coordinator", offering me either a thumbs-up/big smile or the "so-so" sign if my work does not meet his strict critera for style. I try for the thumbs-up, for obvious reasons!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jim and Aileen at Tactical Tools make all the sheaths for my non-Japanese fixed blade sheaths (Vanguard knives, etc.) and I make the Kydex ones for the Japanese knives because they get leather covered and moleskin lined. The CF/Mahogany sheaths are made completely in-house.

Do what you like, do it the way you like.... Just be honest about it!

Stay Sharp,

RJ Martin
 
There are only so many ways you can make a knife. The old saying that there is nothing new under the sun or something like that. Any way, I was working on designing a knife last night and it looked like a lot of the other ones I have made. I give a certificate with my knives to the buyers and in some cases, the knife was made "especially for ______". That is to me a custom knife. It is a hand made knife because I made it, it is a sole authorship knife because I am the only one that works on knives with my stamp. My understanding of "custom" is that it was made especially for some one that wanted it different than what was offered. I don't forge up a pile of blades waiting to be customized or have a bunch of knife blanks cut by whatever method ready to grind, heat treat, and handle.
If I were a full time knife maker, the main objective of my business would be to make a living for me and my family. The means of doing that would dictate if I had the money to have "50" of the "skinner" cut out since they have been selling real good. If I had decided that was the way I was going to have to do business, then that is the way that I can make a living. I forge and I like it. It is not the fastest way to make a knife. It is not the cheapest way to make a knife. That is because I have a "day job" and do not depend on my knife making skills.
I know that this isn't an answer to the "custom" made question, but it is a reason that some do it one way and some do it another. If a knife maker has to stop and make the "one of a kind", then that is his option.
A custom made cabinet for a new home; the choices are the type of wood, design, length, highth, wrap around, etc. The custom cabinet is just a customized version of a cabinet. They cost more because they don't get to cut up as large a quantity of parts at a time for them.
What it all boils down to is that if the customer will talk to the maker, company, mid-tech, or whoever is responsible for getting the knives sold, then they will know what they are getting.
Just a thought, if I had Case make me 5000 stockmans with my logo on the handle and using Bois D' Arc wood for handle material, all according to my specifications, would they all be customs? Just because they are all alike, they would not be "one-of-a Kind", but according to the diffinition of "custom" they would fit, or would they???
 
So I am getting the idea that the concensus here is that it really doesn't matter how the knife is made as long as the maker is honest about the way the knife is manufactured. That about sums up my feelings about this as well. The only thing that I would add is that in my opinion the knifemaker should be up-front without having to be asked. Many prespective customers would be uncomfortable asking a maker how his/her knives are produced. Whether rightly or wrongly, they might feel that the maker would be insulted by this. I think any literature that a maker has should make mention of how his/her knives are produced, as should their web sites.
 
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