Different Perspectives on Knife Quality

Col Defender

Col Defender

Joined
Nov 11, 2011
Messages
1,398
I continue to be surprised occasionally by this phenomenon. I am my own worst critic, by far. I try very hard for every knife I make to be as good as I can possibly get it. And I think my knives are pretty good but surely not perfect. Perfection eludes me as I close in on knife 100 (100 that I count, that is) and probably always will. A recent example - I delivered four completed knives to a repeat customer a few days ago and one of them had a couple of minor irregularities on the ricasso which I could not fix without creating other issues. I even considered, briefly, making the knife over from scratch but did not. My customers were not merely pleased with their knives but ecstatic. I have yet to finish a knife that my customers were not delighted with even if I could find an issue somewhere on the blade or handle.

I'll keep trying and do what I can to make each knife better than the last.

Too much rambling, I know. Any perspectives on this? Similar experiences?

Thanks.
 
Col, I will just speak for myself. I have made and sold over 400 knives and I still examine each one and almost always find something that I think I could have improved in some small way. We see things that our customers likely will not even consider. The only thing that I can suggest is that we consider these things when making each new knife. I suppose if we wanted near perfection we could make the same knife over and over until it is just what we want but the wood will almost always be different anyway. I guess we should just have fun and use the maximum skill we have acquired on each knife . Larry
 
I have never made, nor even seen what I would consider a "perfect" knife.

I've seen a few that were very close, but none I would consider "perfect".

As the maker of the knife, you will notice things that 99% of the population will ignore.

"I'll keep trying and do what I can to make each knife better than the last."

I think your statement is the best game plan.
 
Even crotchety old Ed Henry, a guy who many say made the cleanest English style bowie knives ever, continued to try to up his game. As humans, we can never achieve perfection, but as artists, we can be arrogant enough to keep trying. :D
 
It's funny now looking back, and I am still pretty green, at my first knife show just over a year ago. I went looking at all the tables, and there were only one or two sellers that had knives I could see flaws in, and those were pretty grossly apparent. The rest looked perfect to me.
Now, well, I see with different eyes, especially in the knife styles I am making.
My friend at work was what I considered a fairly literate knife enthusiast (he got me into the craft by way of a Walter S video).
What I know now that he doesn't is significant and again, I am pretty green as a maker.

I can sympathize on being our own worst critic. I am the harshest when it comes to my own work.
I'd be worse but I don't know enough yet. ;)
 
Totally agree, Colonel. I won't release a knife that I see a flaw in. Perfection...we may never attain it, but should strive for it.
 
Depends on your definition of perfection. It is in the eye of the beholder. That one glaring blemish on the ricasso to you eyes may be the favorite part of the knife to the customer. I gave a knife to a customer recently with a deep hammer mark on the otherwise polished blade. It was his favorite knife because of that. It reminded him that the knife was hand made, and made by me, a good friend of his. That is not to say sloppy work will ever be admired, and as the maker I was hesitant to let a knife with that blemish represent me, but people are generally amazed at what us knifemakers can do with our hands, and its important to not forget that our hands are hands, not machines.
 
Make a piece that is high quality, beautiful and useful for YOURSELF. Someone else is bound to like it, too!

My style/look is raw and rustic... folks either love it or hate it. As much as they are "rough" I spend a lot of time getting them "just right", by my own standards.
 
samuraistuart said:
Totally agree, Colonel. I won't release a knife that I see a flaw in. Perfection...we may never attain it, but should strive for it.
Click to expand...

This says it all .
I'm not making yet and I try to post less till I have something to "show". You know a thread about posting without showing ;).

But I unfortunately do have experience buying crappy knives
And I have to say I would not let my name go to someone else without at least calling it what it is , be it good or ok .

Cause buying a blade where the grind is so angled it looks like the guy had no regard for "center" is not conducive to repeat customers .

I wouldn't give the makers stuff another look after that.

Nobody is perfect even my shiv from cpk came with a accidental belt Mark on the blade (I can overlook this but it did stick out )
I didn't complain as I'm sure someone would have scooped it up and not cared.
 
If you can't see an imperfection in your knife, you're not looking closely enough. There is an asymmetry in an edge bevel, an inconstancy in the finish somewhere or a gap, scratch or blemish somewhere. It is there, I promise you. Whether it's a "flaw" or not is something you have to decide.

I suggest making knives as perfect as you can when you start out, because it probably won't really be that perfect but that's how you improve. As you get better your ability to see flaws improves. I look at knives I made 10 years ago and cringe, but I was proud of them at the time.

The flip side to this is your critical focus can really be highly magnified during the build process and there are numerous minor flaws that you're aware of. But, when you sit it down and look at it again fresh they've disappeared or aren't noticeable.

At some point you have to get into your groove and know what your standards are, and that's different for every maker. Be consistent and conform to your standards and you'll be okay.

Every knifemaker is at least a little insecure in their work. The good ones anyways. But go to a show and look at other maker's work and you might feel better about your own.
 
I recently listened to a podcast (Louis Howl) about artists and creativity. The take away was that the most accomplished ones admitted they were insecure about there work. It's there insecurity that made them stand out and strive to get better.
 
Facebook just shared a memory with me this morning of my first Freelancer model from a year ago. This knife was ordered by a serious Terzuola collector and was his first knife from me. When he got the knife, he contacted me and said overall, he really liked the knife but there were a few things he thought needed a little work. I had put a lot of effort into that knife and I was perturbed to say the least. I had him send the knife back to me and when I looked at it, he was absolutely right. These were pretty minor flaws but they were noticeable to a seasoned collector. I fixed them all and returned the knife to him. He was very happy with it and has ordered several other knives since. This did more for my critical eye than any other feedback I've ever received.

Being hyper critical of your work improves your skill as a maker. As you identify and fix flaws, you learn to slow down and work toward preventing those flaws in the first place. Every chance I get, I put my knives in the hands of better makers than myself and say, "Pick it apart". With customers and collectors, it's a little bit different conversation. Certainly there are many who can discuss the technical side but, I get more out of their thoughts on size, lines, action and material selection. It all goes towards creating a better knife.

Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top