Custom or Production - in the same model?

When a knife model is available in both custom and produciton versions, what do you pick?

  • Custom, or not at all

  • Production version, thanks

  • Both, of course (standard BF answer)

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TRfromMT

TRfromMT

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Jan 4, 2016
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If a model of knife out there catches your attention, and it happens to be available (for the sake of duscussion, both versions are available at the same time) in a production model and also the custom version, which do you go for. And why?

Just an example - the Spyderco Southard, or the same flipper from Brad. (Maybe a bad example because these are older/not easily available, but you get the idea).


I'll go first: I'd go for the production version. Possibly more consistent quality and finish (not better, just more consistent). Easier to deal with a return. More comfortable putting it to use.
 
If it were a model/design that I really, really enjoyed, I would probably try to seek out a custom from the maker themselves, though I'd purchase a production model first if I could. As an example, one of my first "this is pretty nice!" knives from a VERY long time ago, was the Kershaw Strobe. I really liked that little knife, and when I did some research and discovered that Matt Diskin actually had a custom version that that knife was based off of, the Volcan. At the time, I couldn't afford what those cost, but thankfully I eventually found one. Direct from the maker. I still have that strobe at home (somewhere), but that Volcan is just as amazing as I hoped it would be, and I carry it often.
 
I’d go full custom first if I could get it at table price. I’m pretty much the opposite of TR above in that I love custom makers inconsistencies. It lets me know that they really did it by hand, and it has a human touch that a sterilized mostly CNC custom knife just doesn’t have. Specifically, Emerson customs are all slightly different and I would really love to own more if I could.
 
I bought this Gayle Bradley flipper about 6 years ago and the Spyderco Advocate
about a year later. I prefer the Spyderco. Really depends on who the manufacturer is
and price of the collaboration. Customs are so damn high priced now I don't mind checking out the mid tech
versions. My Gerry McGinnis Pro Line Valve is a really nice knife. I'm a knife loving degenerate and
if I had more money I'd probably always go custom.

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There's not an automatic, all the time, answer.
It depends on who does the production version, who the custom maker is, whether one has features I prefer, etc.
 
If I really like the knife then it's always a super good super low production item or sold out. So no worries about going production.
 
TRfromMT said:
If a model of knife out there catches your attention, and it happens to be available (for the sake of duscussion, both versions are available at the same time) in a production model and also the custom version, which do you go for. And why?

Just an example - the Spyderco Southard, or the same flipper from Brad. (Maybe a bad example because these are older/not easily available, but you get the idea).


I'll go first: I'd go for the production version. Possibly more consistent quality and finish (not better, just more consistent). Easier to deal with a return. More comfortable putting it to use.
Click to expand...

I agree, generally. In the case of the Southard, I really like using the hole opener on it (flipper is fine, hole is more fun on this IMO) and thus a custom wouldn't work.

A lot of custom knives are full Ti, whereas the production versions might have partial or full scales over the frame. For example, the new Viper Storm Hinderer collab.

Often, the production version may have a better steel than the custom, or vice versa.

It also depends on the quality of construction. Example, a CRKT Brian Tighe is generally going to be an overpriced piece of junk, especially versus a custom or even semi-custom Brian Tighe knife. I've owned a Tighe custom, own a BT & friends OTF, and have handled the CRKT version. Leaps and bounds difference. In that case, custom or bust.

I guess it really boils down to who is making the production version, and at what level of quality/construction. On occasion, (gasp), the production version is better than the custom/mid-tech.
 
I’d buy the production model first, but totally depends what it is. I’ve never had a custom knife before and not sure if I ever will.
 
Depends on the maker, if he or she is someone I have great respect for and can afford to pay the asking price.

I may or may not buy a custom knife from a particular maker, and many reasons can be behind that...price, materials, availability, waiting time, etc.

One thing I won't do is buy a knife, custom or production, that represents the work of someone I don't respect. That's a non-starter.
 
That really heavily depends on the maker and the specific model in question. In some cases the production model is almost as good or even better than the custom. Also it's usually a fraction of the price, and you don't have to deal with the lead time or difficulty hunting down a custom - you can just get it from a retailer.

If it's available I'll usually get the production first, then if I really like it, try to get a custom. But in some cases I've ditched the custom to "downgrade" to production and been happier for it.

So in summation... I dunno, lol. It can go either way. The takeaway is production knives aren't necessarily worse than customs and should always be a consideration.
 
Voted custom but after thinking about it, I wouldn't do a custom if a production version was available.
I wouldn't purchase a GTC Airborne since the ZT 055 is around.

Yes, I am a knife snob.
 
With high-end knives I will usually go for the production or Mid-Tech version, and only go custom if I can't get pretty close to what I want in the Production/Mid-Tech version.

For example, I personally will NEVER buy a Shirogorov Custom Division 111, since its about 3-4x more than the Mid-Tech 111. I've handled one Custom Division 111 and frankly I don't see anything that makes me want to pay 3-4x more for essentially the same knife minus a flourish or two.
 
If a custom Shiro Neon showed up and I could buy it, I'd hate myself for buying it. Or, for not buying it.

I don't think that exists though, so I may be off the hook. :)
 
It depends.

Is the steel the same? Pricing for each is a factor. I'm not afraid to spend some money but I need to feel like I'm receiving a fair value.

All in all, I'd probably lean toward the custom unless something about the production version captured my attention.
 
Most of the time I prefer to buy the custom. They usually are far superior in quality. The production may however be a better all around value.
 
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