- Joined
- Oct 18, 2001
- Messages
- 20,978
Shop Hours:
I am Back In School now. I teach part time at a local community college. This helps keep me human....balances out the knuckle-dragging effects the shop has on me...LOL
Availability is as follows:
Mon: 8AM to 11:30AM
Tue: All day
Wed: 8AM to 11:30 AM
Thu: All day
Fri: All day
How to Order:
At this time, I am not taking custom orders. I am flattered by the requests, but unable to dedicate the time and expense to one-off custom knife orders.
Most, if not all, of my knives are made in a semi-production manner. I work in large batches (20 to 50 at a time) and maintain an orders list. To get on the list you need to pay a small deposit that covers materials. This deposit is refundable, should you need to cancel your order. If you want to sign up for a knife but don't want to pay a deposit, I always maintain and Interested List to whom extras go to first. (I always have extras....better safe than sorry).
I have the steel cut by waterjet from sheets or long bars. I grind the blades myself, drill the handle holes, prep for heat-treat, etc. On a few rare models, I will send the blades out to be ground by CNC.
I then ship them off for heat-treat. There's a $70 minimum charge whether I send 1 blade or 100. So, naturally, I have to wait until I have enough blanks put together to ship them for heat-treat.
After heat-treat, everything is done by me in my shop by my hand.
I get discount and price breaks by ordering in large quantities of the same materials. I pass those savings down to my customers.
Which is why I often hear (from customers and other knifemakers alike) = "You don't charge enough".
Frankly, knifemaking isn't about getting rich, it's about satisfaction. If I didn't like doing it, it wouldn't matter what I was paid. So, profits for me are great but I don't mark-up knives just because I can. I research what it's going to cost me to make a knife and set the price right there. If I can find a cheaper/faster/easier way to do something, then the price goes down.
Sometimes I get requests from customers about why I don't offer this other material, etc. I would gladly do it, except for two problems. 1 - it becomes a one-off order. 2 - I cannot get that material at a discount like I can the other stuff. So, in the end, the customer pays 50-100% more for a knife that is only slightly different than the one someone else got for much less....Not my style.
Best way to get a Koster Knife is to sign up for my Mailing List or watch my forum and keep track of the various "production runs" I am doing and jump in if the timing is right. You can also join an "Interested List" in case there are any cancellations or extras (I always have extras for *just in case*).
Deposits:
I do require deposits on every order. Why? because it is a sign of commitment from the customer that they are no longer a lookey-loo....and are ready to buy. It also helps me gauge the interest from actual buyers and not over- or under-shoot my numbers.
If you don't like the idea of a deposit, you can always join an "Interested List" on a specific knife and grab any extras or cancellations, etc. The amounts are usually very reasonable, from $25 to $95 max.
I have not yet reached the point of requiring a non-refundable deposit and hopefully that day never comes.
Occasionally I will make knives without requiring deposits, but generally do not open those up to requests for custom materials, etc.
Shipping/Mailing Address:
Daniel Koster
1711 Beverly Ct
Bentonville, AR
72712
contact number: 479-366-7794
email address = dan @ kosterknives . com
Payment Information:
(also see =======>> www.kosterknives.com/payments.htm)
PAYPAL = dan @ kosterknives . com (add 2% to split fee)
Checks and Money Orders can be sent to the Shipping address above.
At this time I DO NOT accept International Checks or Money Orders. I end up having to wait a month and pay a hefty fee ($25-40)
If you are an international customer, please pay via Paypal or have a check sent in US Dollars drafted from a US Bank.
Shipping Costs:
USA =
$10 for the first, $5 each additional
$15 for large knives - over 8.5" OAL
International =
$20 for USPS Flat Rate for small knives (Bushcraft or smaller),
$40 for larger knives (Nessmuk or larger, etc)
Canada = I will ONLY ship EXPRESS to Canada - too many lost packages!!!
$40 for USPS Express International
$5 each additional
Thanks!
Dan
I am Back In School now. I teach part time at a local community college. This helps keep me human....balances out the knuckle-dragging effects the shop has on me...LOL
Availability is as follows:
Mon: 8AM to 11:30AM
Tue: All day
Wed: 8AM to 11:30 AM
Thu: All day
Fri: All day
How to Order:
At this time, I am not taking custom orders. I am flattered by the requests, but unable to dedicate the time and expense to one-off custom knife orders.
Most, if not all, of my knives are made in a semi-production manner. I work in large batches (20 to 50 at a time) and maintain an orders list. To get on the list you need to pay a small deposit that covers materials. This deposit is refundable, should you need to cancel your order. If you want to sign up for a knife but don't want to pay a deposit, I always maintain and Interested List to whom extras go to first. (I always have extras....better safe than sorry).
I have the steel cut by waterjet from sheets or long bars. I grind the blades myself, drill the handle holes, prep for heat-treat, etc. On a few rare models, I will send the blades out to be ground by CNC.
I then ship them off for heat-treat. There's a $70 minimum charge whether I send 1 blade or 100. So, naturally, I have to wait until I have enough blanks put together to ship them for heat-treat.
After heat-treat, everything is done by me in my shop by my hand.
I get discount and price breaks by ordering in large quantities of the same materials. I pass those savings down to my customers.
Which is why I often hear (from customers and other knifemakers alike) = "You don't charge enough".
Frankly, knifemaking isn't about getting rich, it's about satisfaction. If I didn't like doing it, it wouldn't matter what I was paid. So, profits for me are great but I don't mark-up knives just because I can. I research what it's going to cost me to make a knife and set the price right there. If I can find a cheaper/faster/easier way to do something, then the price goes down.
Sometimes I get requests from customers about why I don't offer this other material, etc. I would gladly do it, except for two problems. 1 - it becomes a one-off order. 2 - I cannot get that material at a discount like I can the other stuff. So, in the end, the customer pays 50-100% more for a knife that is only slightly different than the one someone else got for much less....Not my style.
Best way to get a Koster Knife is to sign up for my Mailing List or watch my forum and keep track of the various "production runs" I am doing and jump in if the timing is right. You can also join an "Interested List" in case there are any cancellations or extras (I always have extras for *just in case*).
Deposits:
I do require deposits on every order. Why? because it is a sign of commitment from the customer that they are no longer a lookey-loo....and are ready to buy. It also helps me gauge the interest from actual buyers and not over- or under-shoot my numbers.
If you don't like the idea of a deposit, you can always join an "Interested List" on a specific knife and grab any extras or cancellations, etc. The amounts are usually very reasonable, from $25 to $95 max.
I have not yet reached the point of requiring a non-refundable deposit and hopefully that day never comes.
Occasionally I will make knives without requiring deposits, but generally do not open those up to requests for custom materials, etc.
Shipping/Mailing Address:
Daniel Koster
1711 Beverly Ct
Bentonville, AR
72712
contact number: 479-366-7794
email address = dan @ kosterknives . com
Payment Information:
(also see =======>> www.kosterknives.com/payments.htm)
PAYPAL = dan @ kosterknives . com (add 2% to split fee)
Checks and Money Orders can be sent to the Shipping address above.
At this time I DO NOT accept International Checks or Money Orders. I end up having to wait a month and pay a hefty fee ($25-40)
If you are an international customer, please pay via Paypal or have a check sent in US Dollars drafted from a US Bank.
Shipping Costs:
USA =
$10 for the first, $5 each additional
$15 for large knives - over 8.5" OAL
International =
$20 for USPS Flat Rate for small knives (Bushcraft or smaller),
$40 for larger knives (Nessmuk or larger, etc)
Canada = I will ONLY ship EXPRESS to Canada - too many lost packages!!!
$40 for USPS Express International
$5 each additional
Thanks!
Dan
Last edited: