Custom made knives

Hvactech

Hvactech

It's only the tip
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Aug 22, 2021
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Good evening y'all! I have a question that Ive always wondered. I have always collected mid tech's and production knives. I've been thinking about buying some custom made ones lately. So when the manufacturers say custom, what exactly does that mean? Is it all made by hand with no CNC or machines? Or it's still made by CNC or whatever but just assembled by hand? Fill me in fellow forum members! Thanks for your knowledge and help!
 
Danke42 said:
I think it's pretty well a different definition every time.

List the Makers/Brands you're interested in and you'll get more detailed info.
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Honestly a lot of different ones I was just wondering in general is all but thank you 🙂
 
Custom- Primarily made and assembled by carbon based lifeforms, small batch, buyer configurable.

Mid Tech- Some parts made in house, some parts outsourced, assembled by carbon based lifeforms.

Production- Made and assembled with mucho automation, qaulity checked by robots, lopsided uneven butter knife sharpened by carbon based lifeforms.
 
It could be anything from a production Benchmade where they let you select a few options to fully handmade to the customer's specifications. And for a few unscrupulous figures in the industry, "custom built by hand in the USA" is actually "machined by a Chinese company that actually knows what they're doing."

I've decided to stick to production for folding knives and go custom for straight razors; the distinction is much more clearly delineated there.
 
I don't consider CNC titanium frame locks, where the maker numbers them 1 - 50 or whatever, custom. I own quite a few customs. They are one of a kind and while a maker may create slipjoints in a certain pattern, each is generally different in terms of covers, blade steel, etc.

Oh, I own quite a few William Henry's and while their quality equals many customs, they are made in multiples (like 50, 250, 500 each) so they are not IMO customs.
 
It's an eternal question- What constitutes a "custom" knife?

I remember seeing that question asked when I first joined Bladeforums 20-something years ago, I've seen it asked several times over the years, and I imagine people will still be asking it 20 years from now.

Ask 50 different people and you'll likely get 50 different answers. It mostly comes down to subjective opinion. There is no single definition of "custom" that is universally accepted by everyone.

When a word like "custom" is used as often as it is, it tends to lose any meaning, and then the meaning becomes whatever people want it to be.

My advice, don't get hung up on labels like "custom". Just buy what you like. A good knife is a good knife whatever it's called :) .
 
I take "custom" to be
made in a shop by a maker. He can outsource the heat treat, but he needs to do the machining or forging fabrication steps.
Customized Production knives are not "custom knives".
 
My interpretation of "Custom" is it's made by the person putting their name on the knife and is the one that solely made it ~ An example would be an original ~ Tom Mayo TNT I am pretty certain was made entirely by him as I ordered it back in the day. Wish I still had it :(
 
It's slowly turning into a marketing word with a polluted definition. It use to mean, I believe, hand made. Could also mean a special request knife with "custom" specifications
 
'Custom-Noun': an Oxymoron.

'Custom' is literally about an individual maker of a knife and not about knife buyers, collectors or users.

Related: 'Custom Car'.

'Custom' simply refers to what we're inherently subject to indiscriminately.
 
I would consider anything you commission from the maker built to your specs to be custom. I have a LG Sicario that was someone's custom, but to me it is just a beautiful knife. I do have a Farid on order that I consider a custom, it will only be 1 of 8 in the world, and I have started negotiating with Farid to make mine a little different than the rest of the run.
 
I consider my R&H Knives Tasca 2 a custom. I picked the blade material (Odin's Eye Damasteel) and the handle material (green marbled CF). Machined and assembled by the maker. It does use some CNC, but its done by the maker.

If you can't custom order it, or if it's not made in very small batches, it's a midtech.
 
As a Maker of sorts......?

I consider a "custom knife" to be made to what You want.
As the Maker I may still use my patterns, but maybe you want the handle modified to Your special needs? Maybe you want the exact same model I make, but thinner, or thicker than what I would normally do.
Maybe you want different materials?

That's CUSTOM.

In my opinion, it's not custom if I make something how I wanted it....then list it on the Exchange.....

Handmade, in my opinion is no cnc, no lasers, no waterjet, no robots, no need for CAD, Etc. Etc.


Then there is even more obsure..... Free hand grinding, & Free hand sharpening.

Imported vs Local?

And of course there is Forging vs stock removal......

Names, Brands? Made by the Actual Maker instead of farmed out, an apprentice or button pusher??? Good Luck.


It's all pretty convoluted 😂😂😂😂😂😂
 
mitchnola said:
Custom to me would be its one of a kind or made specifically for or customized by the buyer. It also means way to expensive for me and time to back away very slowly! 😉
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Would you consider a run of just 10 of the same model built by the same person a Custom ? I have a knife that is, and do kinda question it myself sometimes, is it a real Custom, I believe I have the only lefty out of the bunch ~ Just looking for input myself 🤘
 
ClickBoom said:
Would you consider a run of just 10 of the same model built by the same person a Custom ? I have a knife that is, and do kinda question it myself sometimes, is it a real Custom, I believe I have the only lefty out of the bunch ~ Just looking for input myself 🤘
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Small batch production
*nothing wrong with That!
 
ClickBoom said:
Would you consider a run of just 10 of the same model built by the same person a Custom ? I have a knife that is, and do kinda question it myself sometimes, is it a real Custom, I believe I have the only lefty out of the bunch ~ Just looking for input myself 🤘
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Personally in my own opinion I wouldn’t think that would be a custom. However, I have no involvement in the custom knife world so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.

And something to consider, if handmade then the claim can be made that they all would be slightly different by the handmade process therefore being custom.

I will say that if that type of small batch production was considered custom in the custom world then I would roll with it
 
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