Custom Knife $250 - $300 Graduation Gift

TimAckerman

TimAckerman

Joined
Mar 5, 2005
Messages
60
Hi All

Well my parents are having a REALLY hard time trying to find a graduation gift for my brother. He is amazingly hard to shop for, but he is also the kind of guy who loves things like Knives, Flashlights, etc...

I suggested a knife, and my parents liked the idea. They want something that is going to last him a very long time, and are limited to this budget, no going over $300 as that is the absolute most they can spend. They intend to have it engraved with something, and they think it would be nice if it was somewhat unique.

So my question stands, what are some good custom knives around this price range?

Thanks for any help
 
Really.

We all want to help you, every one of us at the Custom section of Bladeforums, but, the question is too general.

Fixed blade or folder?

Slipjoint or Locking blade?

Is he more of a rustic woodsman, or is he a city boy?

If you answer these questions, and give us as much information as possible, we can help you pick something that your brother would really like. It is hard to find a good custom these days in this range, but not THAT hard. I can think of 20 makers off the top of my head that make stuff in that range.

The other question is when do you need it? Some makers have a long lead time.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I think a Folder would be best

Locking Blade would be a good idea

I would say that is not a rustic woodsman, but not exactly a city boy. He is defently more of a country guy then a city guy, so something along those lines is a good idea.

He is going into the trades most likely next year out of high school, so this knife might or might not be an EDC, probably not as it will be a gift, but it should be able to take some abuse. He also is very much into Carpentry, and so wood would be nice and probably something he would like. He LOVES snakewood, so if it is possible to inlay that, it would be cool, but not essential.

He is 17 going on 18 in the fall, and loves collecting. This could and hopefully would be the start of a knife collection. He has always wanted to start, but never took the time to find a nice knife to start with.

I realize it is good to find a good custom in that price range, and i have been looking, but i thought you guys on here would have a better idea where to look, and some good "unknown" knife makers that we might look up.

Graduation is in around 4 months, so it would be best to have it around there, but a little while after 4 months is also acceptable.

Hope this helps.

Thanks again
 
Ray Cover Sr., or alternatively... Ray Cover Sr.

And... there are a few around at the various knife dealers right now. You can pick them up between $250 and $325. Stuff like these. And... they are really good knives. Its hard (actually I would say impossible) to find anything in them that would make you twitch.

Rod

rcoverx3-600.jpg
 
Those look nice, i will look around to see if i can find more of his knives

Thanks, keep the suggestions coming! :-)
 
What do you guys think of a Ray Rogers folder as a present for TimAckerman's brother? I've never held one in my hand but his designs look very solid and folders start around $250 I believe.
 
If that is too low a price range for a Custom knife, then i would also love suggestions on nice production knives in that price range.

I know that for production knives, that price range will open up lots of doors!
 
I do believe that a slipjoint is the ticket. Either one of the Cover gentlemen would have you "covered", or as CPirtle pointed out, Gary Crowder is an excellent buy. If you want it engraved, it can be done on the bolsters, or the best thing, would be an escutcheon plate, inlaid into the wood.

Ray Cover's web address is: rcoverengraving.com

Gary Crowder's info is: Gary Crowder: H C 61, Box 364, Sallisaw, Ok. 74955, 918-775-5730 Email: garysue@cwis.net

This would be a great place to start.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Mike Obenauf has three models that are $300.00. You can't go wrong with one of his knives.

Pictured below is a mini model 2 with a 2 3/4" blade.

MOB6612.jpg
 
Keith that knife looks great, and i have herd good things about Mike Obenauf, that could be a serious consideration. Thanks

I also found a knife by Rick Hinderer the "Spark" it is $300 and again i have herd good things about Rick, anyone have any opinion on the "Spark"???

I am seeing some nice knives, and getting jealous of my brothers gift!! lol

I am gonna have to get my Sebenza soon!! lol :-)
 
You might want to take a look at Dave Dakcon's work. He's a knifemaker who posts here on the forum. I don't know his prices or availability but have always been impressed with the pictures of his folders, especially his choices of wood. Do a search for member Dakcon. The following link should lead you to his album of some past knives.

http://fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/pictures?userid={09F0592E-EAB6-4349-8C53-65378226375D}&AlbumId={6FBDE27C-8F0E-4BA1-9CF5-AACC7BE7EEC2}
 
You might want to check out the knifemakers forum for deals straight from the horse's mouth so to speak. There are often awesome deals there.
 
Finding a custom knife for under $300 shouldn't be a problem. The time frame you need it in could be more of a problem though. I have had to wait over a year for a knife from some makers who are very popular and backlogged.

Your best bet might be searching on the various dealer sites to find something that is ready to ship. If you do decide to work directly with a maker I would make up my mind ASAP and get the order in, and make it very clear when you need the finished knife in your hands.

Another maker to consider would be Dick Atkinson. I haven't handled one of his knives personally yet, but he is on my short list of knives I would like to check out. For a frame lock folder his prices are very reasonable, cheaper even than some production models. Another good point is that either he will usually have something in stock, or one of the dealers will have something from him. The potential downside, at least as I see it, is that his knives are on the plain side. Not that there is anything wrong with a plain old using knife, I just think you might be looking for a bit fancier as a gift.

You could also check around with makers here on the forums. If you check in the the makers section there is a forum where they sell custom knives. I have seen a few knives go for the price range you are looking at. Such as this , I think something like that would make a great gift. Or these from David Winston.
 
The customs mentioned would be sweet indeed. Of course you could always "settle" for a production knife and get a William Henry. I have seen some beautiful Snakewood handled knives from them. They are phasing out the linerlock models in favor of the button lock. Very nice knives.

While I don't personally think they can compare with the emotional aspect of a custom for a gift, they still might deserve a look. Knifeart.com has a great selection as do many other online dealers.
 
Thanks everyone for your helpful advise.

My parents are still looking, but this has given them a much better direction
 
Not really a custom, but maybe a wood-inlayed Sebenza would be the ticket? Great for engraving too.
 
A wood inlayed Sebenza would be amazing, but brand new that would run, even for a small, over $400. So that is a little out of their range.
 
They pop up at the Knife Exchange very frequently. Just go lookin' for a plain small Sebbie and then send it to a maker who's willing to put some snakewood on it as well as do the engraving. Maybe that would work out for you price-wise.
 
Well my parents decided to ask my brother what kind of knife he would like, and it turns out that he wants something COMPLETELY differnet then what my parents thought, so we are back to square one, well sort of!! lol

I started showing him some of his options, and he quite likes metal handles with unique and COLORFUL designs. i think something colorful on the handle is a key selling point for him. i showed him some Unique Sebenza designs, to get an idea of what he liked, and he quite liked amny of the colorful patterns, and since a Sebenza is unfortnately too expensive, i will have to start looking again for different knives!! lol

I was thinking of looking for a plain handled knife that he could get customized by someone, or finding a really good looking knife. So i would have to find someone to customize the knife handle or find a good design.

Again i would love to hear your new opinions. I am thinking he likes the more modern designs, and not wood.

Thanks again for your help
 
If you go for a knife with titanium scales they could be anodized a wide variety of colors and patterns. I have a Pat Nihiser folder that has a random sort of anodized titanium with gold and blue shades. I think that I picked it up here in the Sale forums for under $300. Basically any titanium scales can be anodized by a maker with the right equipment, but finding someone willing to do work on a knife they didn't make might be difficult.

If you have a prett good idea of what you want then you might try posting over in the Makers section asking about it. You might be able to find someone willing to make you up something. But again time will most likely be your biggest enemy, most makers have a backlog and it could take a few months to get a knife finished.

You might also want to check out the Camillus version of Darrel Ralph's Mad Maxx design. They come with a D2 blade and anodized titanium frame lock that is very nice.
 
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