Blade Brothers Discovery 9pm

I can see your point mainly about the op. But most of the other people were just talking about the show not todd. I think most of us were just dissapointed in the way discovery did the show. And defending a guy and being a fanboy are two different things.oh and nobody said your opinion is less valid. But the difference is I'm not getting upset over someone opinion of a tv show.
 
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killgar said:
I keep seeing people say that the knives made by Todd Begg are so great and that's why they are worth thousands of dollars, but it looked to me like Mr. Begg's knives were being made, at least in part, by hired help.

This begs the question- How much hands-on work does a knifemaker actually have to put into a knife in order for it to be sold or advertised as a knife MADE BY that knifemaker? What percentage of a knife does knifemaker John Smith have to make himself in order for it to be worth the premium price of a John Smith custom-made knife? I always assumed that part of the high price of a custom knife was based on the knifemaker actually making the knife with his own skilled, experienced hands.

I don't spend thousands of dollars on custom knives, but I would imagine that part of the appeal of buying custom knives is the belief and image that those custom knives were made exclusively by the skilled hands of a master knifemaker.

I think Mr. Begg might have done himself a disservice with that tv show. I wonder how potential knife buyers will feel knowing that the custom knives being sold for thousands of dollars that they are considering buying were made by employees and not exclusively by the hands of Mr. Begg.
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Click on the semi-custom tab on his website. He has customs and semi-customs.
Several makers do this.
 
DrOpPoInT1110 said:
I'd venture to guess many of you haven't met the Begg crew in person. If you ever see them at a knife show, stop by their table. In person, Mark is MUCH less wacky than he is portrayed on the show. Can you really expect anything less from Discovery than making ANY show overly dramatic and scripted? It's the same reason they decided cover the ridiculous display pieces over the knives that Todd mostly produces- for views! (and from a general audience not just us knife guys) The Bodega, Glimpse and friction folder models are all very usable (and well designed) knives. Also, normal Bodegas start at $850- they're not all $4,000. The one on the show had an incredible amount of material cost put into it, not to mention labor. For example, the timascus inlays on the handles alone cost around $400 as raw material. The way I see it, it comes down to the product to judge the credibility of any knife maker. If you handle one of Todd's knives, you will know why he is a "legend". The attention to detail and level of craftsmanship is truly impressive. I can definitely see why many of you guys were turned off by the knives and content on the show but the fact is, again, that it wasn't a truly accurate representation of most of the Begg product line or how the crew actually is.
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There it is, right there. The thousands that have met him will know that, but the hundreds of millions that haven't? What are they going to think, especially the ones that believe what they see on TV is true?
 
I did not see the show, but I watched the trailers on the web....and I feel that I probably got a reasonable dose of what the show has to offer.


Regardless of my feelings or anyone here, the only people that need to be worried about how it is received by the public are:
1. The producers (that hope to make a buck from the show's success)
2. Mr. Begg (if he is worried what the outside world thinks of him...and at his level of success, I doubt he is concerned very much)

I doubt that anyone will watch the show and CHANGE their view regarding knives and people that like them...and honestly so what if the show reinforces any views held by these people (you do not HONESTLY think ANY TV show is going to convince them to like knives anyway, do you?)

OTOH, the show almost certainly will bring new mall ninjas to the knife world that previously were on the fence. Hate that all you like, but that segment $upport$ the industry just like we do. And before anyone jumps on the anti-mall-ninja concept, you better take a strong look at this Zombie apocalypse nonsense that is just as ridiculous (and I bet you like some of the companies that happen to be cashing in on it;)) Do not think for a second that ANY of this is limited to cheap knives!
 
yablanowitz said:
There it is, right there. The thousands that have met him will know that, but the hundreds of millions that haven't? What are they going to think, especially the ones that believe what they see on TV is true?
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That is definitely an issue but I doubt that Discovery would change their ways based on our input (the real knife community) alone. Maybe if Todd specifically asked the producers himself to make some changes, we might see a more accurate show. I think since its the first show of its kind, it will work to gain attention with the masses since the type of knives covered are what sort of "grab" viewers. A person who isn't really into knives isn't as likely to watch a show about a "normal" pocket knife than a massive chunk of wearable destruction. Personally, I'd LOVE (and much prefer) to see the more normal pieces being made and really see the nitty gritty that goes into every design but it won't attract as wide of an audience. Then again, I do think the overly dramatic aspects could be dialed down while still focusing on the more extravagant pieces.
 
The thing I took away most from the two pilot's is that it was probably a poor decision (although necessary from Discovery's perspective) to make his two older brother's seem like such bumbling idiots, when in reality they're not. If this is supposed to draw interest into his work, buying a Bodega now seems like a shot in the dark if they're the ones that are going to be handling it. Not everyone has the privileged perspective of someone who has spent time on Blade Forums, so I think this actually might turn new would-be buyers off.
 
I'm watching it again right now and like it more than the first time I saw it.
I was watching it the first time as a show about how knives where made instead of a reality show like all of the others.
Its acually pretty funny to me now that I'm watching it from a different perspective. I'm not a fan of reality shows, but I'll watch the ones about knives or guns.

And if any thinks this will hurt his business it won't.
People that were after his stuff will still want it, and alot that didn't have him on there radar will now. It won't hurt him a bit, and will only help. Just like it did with Red Jacket/Sons of Guns, Wild West Alaska, American Guns, Duck Dynasty, and any other show that has goods to sell.

He will get more orders this week than he ever has in his life.
 
Ken44 said:
I'm watching it again right now and like it more than the first time I saw it.
I was watching it the first time as a show about how knives where made instead of a reality show like all of the others.
Its acually pretty funny to me now that I'm watching it from a different perspective. I'm not a fan of reality shows, but I'll watch the ones about knives or guns.

And if any thinks this will hurt his business it won't.
People that were after his stuff will still want it, and alot that didn't have him on there radar will now. It won't hurt him a bit, and will only help. Just like it did with Red Jacket/Sons of Guns, Wild West Alaska, American Guns, Duck Dynasty, and any other show that has goods to sell.

He will get more orders this week than he ever has in his life.
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Totally agree. His website servers actually crashed several times since the airing and he sold out of t-shirts within a day of receiving a fresh order. The only downside to the show in regard to his products is that they will probably be going for more on the secondary once demand really peaks. I'm glad I already have my glimpse 5.0 on order.
 
Haters gunna hate.

Simple as that.

Honestly I loved the show, my wife loved it too and she has no interest in knives but respects their craftsmanship.

If you wana sit back and hate on the show more power to ya but honestly I think its going to do so much for the knife community.
 
First of all it's an entertainment show, NOT a show to teach you how to make knives. You want that, go pay for classes. Second of all, if you check out beggknives.com you will see what kind of work he really does. He has only been making custom knives until now where he is trying to expand his business creating semi-custom knives. And ALL American made mind you! He has all kinds of folding knives (which he is most known for) and fixed blades. He is an true artist and craftsman. He is very capable of creating fantasy knives in which he truly is commissioned to do sometimes by wealthy avid knife collectors. If you watch the show with the perspective of being entertained then you might get a kick out of it while getting to catch some glimpses of how some of the processes are done.
Lighten up, you judge without knowing the truth. Discovery would have done the same thing with anyone else. Hey, it's show business:p
 
There are a few of you that need reminding: Discuss the topic and not the other posters
 
Jen, if a person is going to appear on TV, he or she will be judged. That is reality. Since this is your first post, I'm guessing you know Todd. None of this is personal, people are only expressing their opinions of the show. FYI, we tussle over everything on this forum. No harm nor ill-will is intended.

Jenbrena said:
First of all it's an entertainment show, NOT a show to teach you how to make knives. You want that, go pay for classes. Second of all, if you check out beggknives.com you will see what kind of work he really does. He has only been making custom knives until now where he is trying to expand his business creating semi-custom knives. And ALL American made mind you! He has all kinds of folding knives (which he is most known for) and fixed blades. He is an true artist and craftsman. He is very capable of creating fantasy knives in which he truly is commissioned to do sometimes by wealthy avid knife collectors. If you watch the show with the perspective of being entertained then you might get a kick out of it while getting to catch some glimpses of how some of the processes are done.
Lighten up, you judge without knowing the truth. Discovery would have done the same thing with anyone else. Hey, it's show business:p
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Watched five minutes and got bored. I was kinda hoping it would be more of a documentary type show.
 
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I enjoyed it. Much better than the voice or Grand Prix :)

I wish he spent more time talking about his folders than the dodgy customs he makes. They are just over the top...

His folders are sweet..
 
Those who speak in the fashion that you do are just compensating for their own lack of skills, ability, and imagination.

Haters are just going to hate. People at the top of their game are well aware of that by now.

P.S. Feel free to post any knives you have made.
 
I agree completely. I love the heated debate, I think it is very entertaining and I think it helps drive the interest. As they say, all press is good press.
Anything that stirs up such emotions in people has got to be doing something right. I just had to say something to clear up any ignorance.
 
Jenbrena said:
Those who speak in the fashion that you do are just compensating for their own lack of skills, ability, and imagination.

Haters are just going to hate. People at the top of their game are well aware of that by now.

P.S. Feel free to post any knives you have made.
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If you are referring to my post, whatever mate. I like the show and the knife makers. I see more beauty in a folder with damascus and beautiful colours than an over the top design with IMO little to no practical value. I can see the craftsmanship and art in it... but I don't like them.

I'm allowed to have an opinion about his designs and my impression of them. I'll let you have yours as well but would appreciate if you would continue to post in a more respectful manner.
 
Jen, you have to hit Reply with Quote so we know who you are responding to. BTW, welcome to the forum. I hope you stick around. There is another thread on Todd's Glimpse (a pictorial of it being made) that got very positive comments. You can search on Todd Begg to find it.
 
Ok so I have been thinking about all of the negative posts as my day has gone on.

I have known Todd for about 10 years now and I consider him to be a very close friend. I talk to him almost every day and let me put a few things on the table that I would like the Naysayers to think about.

Todd's website can handle up to 400,000 users at one time viewing his site. Yes FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE at once. When the show aired @10pm EST it crashed 6 times due to maxing out on what the server could handle. Yes think about that again.... that means in less then half an hour over 400,000 people tired to view his site. That means 400k or more new people looking at custom knives, searching the web for custom knives, and buying custom knives. Todd's website took in over a MILLION hits before the show aired on the west cost.

Sit back and think about what this means for the entire knife world. Think about how many new buyers there will be and how this will effect the value of your knives that you make, collect, or sell. New buyers hitting the market.

Sure we would love to all see a documentary how to make knives but this is Discovery Channel they want a touch of drama going on. Knowing Todd as well as I do I am sure he hated that part of it. But you gotta do what you gotta do to make the director of the show happy. If someone were to do a show about the process of making a knife it could only be done once or there would be no viewers other than the small community that is us the knife collectors and makers. And I am sorry to say that is not what TV companies want. They want long term revenue.

Try to look at the big picture to what this will mean for everyone in the knife community.
 
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