Hello!
Joe, I have been trying to spread the word on two local forums for quite some time, but the bias with the tactical guys was so strong that I don't bother any more. My - maybe too idealisic and unrealistic - thinking was to get them hooked by the impeccable workmanship and superb handling of a great maker using a "super steel" to make them wonder about those "other" knives he has to offer. Then to try one and to find out what's what themselves. This would mean more than one additional knife sold, a solid new base for the classic designs with classic steel, happy buyers and happy makers.
Regards,
Alex
I understand and commend you for trying
What I have seen in today's tactical market and I do not mean this in any way negative, it is just the truth is that most are clad in green or brown and have bags for bellies and hands that are pale and soft. They even get sore hands from working their flippers
so to stress that a folder needs a different steel than a hard use camp knife is a mute point. They are looking for a no maintenance steel that will never cut anything
But tastes are tastes and and when I am working with an artist that is trying to cultivate a customer base I urge them to not ignore what is in front of their faces
You must plant seeds so that you can reap the rewards in the future
If you only make blades for us salt and pepper haired guys soon your customer base will be dead and you will not have cultivated another group of customers
Look at the projects that Jason and I do
They have a hard performance and utilitarian theme
No natural materials or hand rubbed blades
Sure Jason can make ivory handled hand rubbed finished blades with the best of them but he is cultivating his market
His name is already established with the higher end ABS crowd but it is also growing rapidly among a whole new breed of consumer
As they get older there taste might swing to the familiar ABS style blades and that is awesome because he can do that in spades but if it does not they still will no for the best of the best in all out combat blades his name will still be at the top
He is servicing the whole market
Nick my friend Wheeler
is also a maker with his eye on the future
He puts out the high end pieces that appeal to the older clientele but he also does bad ass utilitarian pieces that attract a whole new and different market
I also work in the archery industry. Mostly in the so called trad market (recurves and longbows) I work with one of the largest Archery vendors n the world
We have seen the shift from ornate high end bows that are exhibiting yesteryears performance characteristics to the less fancy more performance driven side of the market
There is also the fancy high end performance market and we are covering that also
With the advent of the hunger game movies traditional archery interest is at an all time high and these new buyers have a whole different mind set on what they want for their dollar
In the trad world the days of the floppy hat plaid archery types are diminishing and the rise of the young ILF market is rising
Many knife makers and I will not use names are content to pander to an old collector base
They are older themselves and have their back log so they are content
About the time they are ready to throw in the towel so will there customer base
But you young makers that have families and need to keep things moving for the next 30 years need to be recruiting new customers pandering to the Patsy's so to speak
Just as a farmer plants seeds so must a knife maker and that does not IMHO mean waiting for people's tastes to mature or change when in fact they might not ever
).
My knifemaking is definitely moving more and more towards the art side. The way I see it, the more the tactical/performance oriented side takes over, the less people will be interested in functional “art” forcing art makers to move on to full blown exhibition only pieces, like a painter or sculptor for example. 
