Ask JT! the THK FAQ thread

Well, I don't have any original Strixes on hand, nor a BK24, but here's a pic of my current EDC alongside a Camillus-era BK11 and a brand-new SideKick...



That should give you a ballpark idea.

 

As always, thank you all very much for your support and interest! I truly love my job, and I certainly couldn't do it without you.

I just got a message from a person interested in getting their own Fugitive; his questions raise important points about how I'm doing business these days, and the best way for anyone to get the Terrio knife that best suits them.

First off, keep an eye right here on BladeForums and on my FaceBook page. Here's where I post the latest news and knives, first.

BladeForums has been very, very good to me. I came here years ago just looking to get back into the "hobby" of cleaning up and modifying production knives, and next thing you know... BLAMMO... I learned so much from the regulars, and especially the makers in ShopTalk, and got so excited about knifemaking, that I literally changed my life's path, quit my "job" and went full-time. I don't regret that for a second. I don't have time to even list all the amazing people I've met along the way.... it's really pretty dang remarkable, and I'm very grateful.

I will continue to offer one-offs and prototypes in the Exchange, just like any other knifemaker. Both providing classic stuff, and trying to be innovative, are important to me.

But what about the "signature" THK designs like the SideKick, Fugitive and Strix?

 

Again, I thank you all for encouraging my efforts to develop my own versions of several different classes of knives, from kitchen to combat. I'm deeply proud of every one of them... but they ain't done yet. Quality and design will continue to improve according to the best of my ability and research... that's what gets me out of bed in the morning. Because it's FUN to make knives that perform well!

So about the current, exciting state of affairs, and how I intend to address it... here's some questions from recent pm's, and my answers to them. Names have been redacted because, they're private messages.

The short answer is, a basic Fugitive like you're describing would run $300 with a basic leather sheath. That would include either CPM-3V, Elmax or CTS-XHP steel, regular stainless Corby bolts, either a sharpened or unground clip at your discretion, standard hand-satin or machine-satin "ScotchBrite" finish, and any G10 scales you prefer. And of course the tapered tang and FFG blade, which are both essential to making that knife balance and cut the way I want it to.

As for acidwash... that's not really going to do much for Elmax or CTS-XHP, but I could certainly stonewash either one if you just want to cut glare. 3V takes a real nice low-glare grey color when treated with acid. Either way, that wouldn't add any cost.

As for a time frame... it's just not gonna happen before the end of the year. :/

I'm pretty well booked right now (thank goodness!) and I hesitate to accept true custom orders, because they always tend to take longer than I think they will... and I don't like making clients wait. That's no fun for either of us.

 

(and folks, here's the most important part, from my point-of-view...)

I'm not currently accepting any more custom orders, and I'm definitely NOT interested in pre-orders, either. I perform better for you when I make what I want to make, and what I make best. I am a humble one-man operation with a wife who stitches my sheaths and helps me keep the books; I neither have nor want a staff to deal with all that mess of asking people for money before knives are made, and then scramble to keep up.

What I'm planning for THK signature models like the Fugitive, SideKick, my chef's knives, etc, is this: as time allows, I will be buying steel and grinding/HT'ing my blades, then letting folks like yourself know when the blades are ready. That way you can pick out handle options, sheath styles, etc. I think that's both fair and fun for my clients and supporters.


I think that "semi-custom" approach is less stressful for everyone, and still allows a person to have their Terrio HandMade Knife built very much the way they want it.


There will always be versions of my blades that I build and finish exactly the way I want them... whether or not anyone else wants to buy them is always a roll of the dice at best... and I really don't care if anyone else likes 'em or not. That's a big part of what keeps this business fun for me.

I got into this not to make money, but to make the finest knives I can, that I want to use and enjoy.