This is the way I think of it.
For survival knives, you want them to perform above and beyond the normal scope of things therefore it is the quality of materials & construction as well as ergonomic & utilitarian design consideration that is of consequence.
If it works, great! If it happens to be a production piece then, it's even better, because the replacement cost is lower and availability is greater. If it is a custom piece and made in low qualities, you buy it because it does what you need. Don't spend less and buy something that doesn't do what you need to. It's dead weight and a waste of money. Sort of like that really good deal on a set of tools that they sell at Costco for about $20. Only when you open it up, you find that it is some horribly constructed chinese crap and you end up replacing each tool piecemeal thus rendering the original purchase redundant at best.
If that is the case, you might as well not buy it at all.
Custom vs Production is a matter of cost vs. quality (usually). Some production pieces will be just fine, and the pricetag will reflect it.
