Buying knives on working man's wages

Agree with Coop too. I just have 1 user (pimped emerson -> $375 if I am not mistaken)... and wont buy more unless it's broken/lost.
 
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to add to all that has been written--
My fixed blade users (for the most part) do not exceed the $300 mark. TM
 
I've traded for quite a few to test out over the years and sold a bunch to working class folks. I'd say for fixed blade knives under 12 inches OAL $500 max., between 12 and 18 inches OAL $1,000 max., and up to 24 inches OAL $1,500 max.

Anyone have pics of good quality customs for $100?
 
Some truly excellent points above.

My personal limit is $250-300 for a folder that I'm willing to beat the heck out of. Above that and it'll be designated as "light use" only, if it gets used at all. I have only one "art" folder that will never be used and surprisingly it wasn't my most expensive purchase. Go figure.

Something that concerns me is that a $250 production folder will (generally) be one HECK of a knife. Fit, finish, features, materials, etc. will all be excellent. I don't know if a custom maker can possibly meet the same level of quality and features on a $250 custom folder without losing money. Could this be a barrier to entry for the "working man"?

Fixed blades I can't speak much about because for some reason I don't buy them anymore.
 
In light of the current state of the USA economy and the whole aftermarket in the toilet thing...

We should have a "100 Dollar Custom Knife Show and Contest".

Get Kevin, Steven and Les to run it... :)
 
Hi Tai,



Sounds like a great idea. I look forward to seeing your entries.

Hey! I'm in! I thought of it!

I got that whole $100 dollar quality custom knife thing all figured out with just my intuition and my BMG,... no paper, no pencil... LOL :D
 
Good question Bobby! :thumbup:

I'm kinda broke right now, so I would say this would be fairly realistic for a quite a few people:

Folder: $150

Fixed: $200
 
Anyone have pics of good quality customs for $100?
$100 and under is sort of slim pickings. GL Drew is still doing the batches of "$65 Knives" and the PSK from Gossman Knives is way under $100, for examples.

I've been getting the most satisfaction recently in the $130-$165 range:

willow2.jpg


MDLong.jpg


JimRehrer.jpg
 
i think it varies depending on what a person wants. for instance i use a custom Bagwell that is $1500 and i'm quite happy with it as there is nothing on the market i can get that compares to it imo:rolleyes:

realistically though i think the sebenza folders and busse combat set the going rate for upperend user knives.
 
I suppose its all a matter of timing.
I used to have a $600 Brend Model 2 and $700 Southern bowie by Mr. Fisk.
They got cleaned up and sold a couple of years ago for a little bit more than purchase price. :D

Currently I carry a Devastator by RJ Martin, a $575 folder according to his site.
BEST money I ever spent on a folder - bar none. I also have a few fixed blades in the $250-400 range that are "users". How about them $500 Lamey choppers :thumbup: :thumbup:

I guess I may different then some on this forum in that I make my living using "tools".
I work construction, well, actually own a garage door company.
I wear $250 boots by Red Wing or Danner, I have $2000 in hand tools (that I carry in a $500 custom leather tool pouch) by Snap-On, Mac and Sears. Most of these are 20 years old or better as they were bought when I was starting out. Power tools, both corded and cordless, by Dewalt, Bosch and others.

Point is you get what you pay for. Quality doesn't have to be expensive but it does come at a price. For me personally, its a HELL of a lot cheaper to buy the GOOD stuff the first time vs. buying it again to replace something inferior.

That's my 2 cents, Bobby. Don't know if I really answered your question or not but obviously everyone has different "value" and "price" points.

I can almost bet Mr. Herron thought people were crazy to pay $800-1000 for a stag hunter in the aftermarket but it happened. I'd love a couple of those myself...
 
So, I would like to hear from full time makers dealers and collectors.
Is Coop right?
Is the collector market larger than the user market?
Do you only buy a couple of user knives like Coop and the rest of them are collectibles?
Are you less interested in user knives and more interested in collector type knives?

Going to a knife show , and seeing the exceptional knives offered for sale , it would be interesting to know how many are actually going to be users. Two distinct markets , collector vs user , and with price points to match ( although each person has their own price points ). Would someone buy a Loveless and make it a user ? If this person makes $300,000 a year , perhaps they would. But I wonder how many who had to save up for years to afford it would make it a user ?

For me , I don't collect in the sense of selling later to make a profit , I may collect knives from makers whom I respect and are friends , however those are all users , regardless of what it is or what it's value might be to someone else. To me they while not replaceable , they are priceless in their value to me when I use them.

This is a great thread Bobby. The knives I make , I try to keep them affordable to the avg worker , so that they will be used. If I recall the most expensive knife I have sold to date was $180 , and that was CPM154 , Paul Bos HT , and had a leather sheath.
I keep the materials simple , no stag , presentation grade woods , no ivory , no damascus. My concentration is first making a knife that works , adding nothing that is not needed and making a knife that feels comfortable to use.

I buy each knife with the intent to use , if for some reason I can't bring myself to use it , it gets sold , I just don't get the enjoyment from merely owning something. For me , the enjoyment comes in using it. I don't buy as many knives as I used to , mainly as I am very happy with the ones I use now , and they still give me great pleasure to use.

I will only buy a new user for one of 3 reasons:

*A user is worn out or a newer model appeals more ( replacement )
*Knife speaks to me and doesnt duplicate something I already have.
*Knife is made by a friend.
 
I think Bob Dozier has this niche nailed. Most of his knives can be had for around $250and I am a big fan of his designs being task specific and extremely well thought out. A Graham Bros razel is similarly priced too and if any knife is designed for a working man it's the razel. So I guess, $200-$300 for the "perfect" knife is a steal.
 
In light of the current state of the USA economy and the whole aftermarket in the toilet thing...

We should have a "100 Dollar Custom Knife Show and Contest".

The great thing about custom knives is, there were custom makers out there making great $100 users before the ship sank. One just needs to look around. They are still there.

I admired a $70 4-inch hunter on the exchange a couple of years ago. I contacted the maker, Billy Watson of Alabama, requested a similar style hunter with around a 5-inch blade due to my large hands. Ask if I could send him some sassafras to use on it, and this came back several weeks later.

Watsonsassafrashunter.jpg


I paid him the cost of stabilizing the wood (I included some extra wood) and when this nice fixed blade returned, the blade was closer to 6-inches with file work on the spine. My total cost, $100.00, sheath included.

The beauty of custom knives is there is no limit on what can be made, low or high cost. There is also no limit on what price range of custom gets used. It is all relative to the owner. But, this thread had found some pretty accurate parameters, it seems.

- Joe
 
I will go about $150 (with shipping) for a fixed user. There seem to be a number of up and coming knife makers selling in that range particularly in the bushcraft area. Sometimes it is a bit a risky on FF with new makers. But that is part of the fun - a bit of risk involved, sometimes a really great payoff too!
 
canineforge; The beauty of custom knives is there is no limit on what can be made, low or high cost. There is also no limit on what price range of custom gets used. It is all relative to the owner. But, this thread had found some pretty accurate parameters, it seems.

Well said, Joe!
 
Great thread Bobby!!! :thumbup:


I think the answers you're getting are pretty high because of where the question was asked.

Go ask the guys I worked with, or people I went to school with, and the answer would be $10-20.

The people I'm in school with now, think that I'm lying with all this crazy, nonsensical, "custom" knife talk I spew out.

Hopefully once I get caught up on my orders, I plan on offering a very simple hunter/utility in O1 with wood or micarta scales. I'd like to take all that time I spent learning heat-treating techniques, and get some knives into peoples' hands that will actually USE them. We'll see. :)

Thanks for starting this thread Bobby :) :cool:
 
Coop is dead on as far as my purchasing is concerned. Ninety five percent of what I spend on knives goes towards those I collect.
 
Coop is dead on as far as my purchasing is concerned. Ninety five percent of what I spend on knives goes towards those I collect.

I think Coop's opinion covers my purchases also. I have had some of the same users for decades and I have less need to use them other than kitchen knives.

I picked up a MT mini socom some years back and it is exceptionally sharp and holds an edge well. I think it cost $100.

A lot of people I know, that don't collect knives, think it is absurd to spend even a couple hundred dollars on a knife! Those same folks will go out to a bar and drop $100 -200 in an evening however:D...go figure!

Peter
 
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