Does it matter to you how your knives are made?

Keith Montgomery

Keith Montgomery

Joined
May 9, 2000
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Is it important to you how your knives are made? What I mean is, do you care if your knives are production or custom and does it matter if your custom knives are handmade or can CAD/CNC be involved?

For me, this is something that has changed as my tastes and level of knife education has changed. At first, the only knives that I purchased were well made production knives. Even then I could not tolerate low quality. Then I got interested in custom knives and this became the only way I wanted my knives to be made. After a while I made the decision that to me, to be called a custom knife it had to also be a handmade knife. No computer controlled machines could be involved. I no longer feel this way about computer assisted custom knives. As far as I am concerned a computer is just another machine that helps the maker to produce his/her final product.

Then I got interested in forged knives and now the only knives that I collect have to be made in this manner. Why? Probably for no good reason other than that is the way I want it to be. There is just something about the history of bashing steel to make knives that leaves me feeling that this is the way I would make knives if I made knives myself.

What I posted above only applies to the knives I collect. The knives that I use can be made in any way as long as they are very well made knives. I dislike mediocrity in knives and hate junk, but I don't care if my users are production, custom handmade or custom that were made with the assistance of a computer. As long as they are well made and will work well for their intended purpose, that is all that matters to me.

What about the rest of you? Does it matter to you how your knives are made?
 
I think it depends mainly on your approach. There seems to be two camps and they place different value on:

1) emotional, process matters, sentimental, romance, looks, reputation.

2) Quality, technology, usefulness, process doesn't matter.

The whole custom/production/midtech argument is a manifestation of the different approaches. It sounds like you went from type 1 to type 2.

I'm pretty squarely in type 2. Some people are type 1 and can't stand type 2 knives.
 
I'd love to say that it doesn't matter to me, as my wallet only affords certain kinds of knives, but I'd love to have a hand-forged knife. There is something very special about a hammered knife. I'm sure that people could debate all day long about the functional superiority, or lack of superiority of hand-forged blades, but the mystique is still there.

From a purely functional perspective, as I use all of my knives, I couldn’t care less. As long as the knife does what I want it to, it could be hand made by one maker, two makers, by a computer, or by a team of elves in some foreign factory. As long as I get what I need. The again, it may be my choice of knives that determines this. I don’t ever really use large knives, so the stresses endured by my knives are much different than what others may go through.
 
For most knives my primary concern is the quality of the finished product. If you can do that with an all-robotic process that would be fine. There are some knives that I collect for their historical background. These may be differentiated by process (a hand made prototype may be more interesting than a production model, and yet be of lower quality). In some rare instances I may have developed a special interest in a custom maker and want a sample of his work. I want that sample made by techniques that represent his craft rather than methods that I particularly like. I like variety and I'm interested in comparing performance achieved by different methods and materials.
 
Users...doesn't matter how they were made. They must meet my requirements for quality tho.

Collected knives must meet several criteria. Fit and finish must be top notch. Good steel heat treated properly. Tho no knife (factory or custom) is perfect my collectors must meet a higher bar than my users.

What is most important about all my knives is the maker/factory must be upfront on what they use in materials and what tools/techniques they use. Is they blade heat treated by someone else, is the blade water jet cut, is it a sole authorship knife? All these questions and more go into the decision.
 
Does not matter never has, but I want to know the truth.
 
I consider myself a collector but I only collect knives that I can use. If I am afraid to prepare food, carve or slice with it on an everyday basis, I won't buy it. I have gotten alot of negative comments on why I would spend $115 on a Carbonfiber Spyderco Police and turn around and use it everyday. I say why pay outrageous $ unless it will be used. I rotate every knife into my pocket depending om my mood. (Except large knives which are reserved for around the house, woods, or camp) It's all preference. If I could afford a handmade knife, I'd get one but you can be sure that I would use it like the rest.;)
 
Well, assuming that the quality is there, and so long as slave labor was not involved in production ;), no, I really don't care how my knives are made.
 
As long as the knife is well made, I really don't care how it was made well.
I do have a particularly soft spot for my hand forged knife. I need more of them.
Dave
 
To me the proof is with the blade in hand. Then next comes price. Whether it's hand made, production made, forged, etc. is not so important as the design, the feel, the steel, heat treatment and the fit and finish.

What I have learned recently is that some "cutom" or "hand made" knives are mis-represented. Not all makers are clear as to whether their knives are made by them or in a small shop. Not all stamps are clear as to whether a knife is handmade or partially machine and handmade. If the maker is upfront about the construction, then I don't care, as long as I am not paying a handmade price for a partially machine made knife. However, not all makers are upfront. Some of their marketing and websites don't mention that they don't construct their knifes but that it's done in a small shop. I wouldn't even buy their knives with your money.

I won't list the poor examples, but I'll give some good ones. Muller Forge indicates their knives are made by a father and son team. They forge damascus with power hammers, and make all their own damsacus. The knife is forged to shape with minimal stock removal and heat treated by them. Their tang stam is Muller Forge in handscript, which a good indication of a handmade knive, but not by one person. Another example is Ruena knives. It is clear on their website and in their catalog that all their work is done by hand. However they have a small crew. This is fine with me.
 
Keith, I think I am echoing the sentiments of most who have posted above when I say I am mostly ambivalent how a knife is made, so long as the finished product is of the highest quality. That said, there are certain production methods which this procludes(e.g. stamping), however as technology advances, I'm sure that current methods will change and new methods will emerge.

At the same time, I think there will always be a certain romance and nostalgia for a hand-forged knife made using the simplest of tools. This affects me as well, but more in the sense that I would buy such a knife for its beauty as artistry, rather than for its sheer functionality. That notwithstanding, any knife worthy of that distinction that I have seen is still a consummate tool, as the best makers would never make a knife that wasn't functional
 
If it takes the requisite edge, then I will carry it. This is fortunate for me since most of the hand-forged knives that I would care to own fall well outside of my price range.

Yes, there is something about a hand-forged blade; There is just as much to be said about those beautifully functional blades that I can afford.
 
The only two things I look at when buy a knife are:

1) Quality- Does it function the way I want, is it a good value in relation to the price paid. I don't care if one or seventy pairs of hands helped make it.

2) How much enjoyment will I get out of ownership. 5, 10, 15 years down the road will I still enjoy the knife? If it's a slip-joint, will I still marvel at the fit? Will the knife still make me smile? You know little stuff like that.

It amazes me how wrapped up people get about the whole handmade debate.
 
I used to find it amazing also how wrapped up some get about a knife being handmade. Primarily because I've seen some really poor hand made knives. However, now I find it amazing how some people lie or misrepresent the construction of their knives or the knives they sell.
 
What Bastid and Colinz said.

I love a hand-forged knife and I own several. I own some custom hand made stock removal knives. I also own many more CNC'd type production knives. Some with a lot of hand finishing and some with very little. All do the job required. That is the bottom line.
 
When I am buying a knife I want to buy a "perfect" product. If CNC machines can help to achieve that and the price is OK then I do not mind. I do not even want to know. The result (and price) is what matters to me.

David

PS: I went from priduction knives to customs and now I am back into production because IMO I am getting much better value for the $$ spent.
 
Originally posted by bob bowie
The only two things I look at when buy a knife are:

1) Quality- Does it function the way I want, is it a good value in relation to the price paid. I don't care if one or seventy pairs of hands helped make it.

2) How much enjoyment will I get out of ownership. 5, 10, 15 years down the road will I still enjoy the knife? If it's a slip-joint, will I still marvel at the fit? Will the knife still make me smile? You know little stuff like that.

It amazes me how wrapped up people get about the whole handmade debate.
Click to expand...

Excellent points, Bob. When it comes to knives as tools, function and value are of primary importance.

It is very hard to know when you purchase a knife how it will hold up and what your thoughts on that knife will be 5, 10 or 15 years down the road. Chances are however, if you like the knife and it works well when you get it, and you bought quality, you will not be disappointed by this knife in the years to come.

Just a short time ago I was one of those people that got very wrapped up in how my knives were made. I have learned that a quality knife is a quality knife. My preference is still for custom knives, but some of my favorites are my Buck 110 and my Spydercos.

I have come to believe that if you focus to much on one part of the knife industry you become myopic and fail to see all the wonderful things that are happening in other areas.
 
I have two views.

My daily carry/user I don't care. I want the best fit and finish. This generally means using the more advanced technology available. This is also my primary area of interest in knives.

My secondary interest is in the the more classical approach to making knives. I love a well done forged bowie. While they can easily be used and in many cases can exceed some of the knives made with the lastest technology, they are still art to me. I like to look at them. I like to ocasionally handle them. I don't have them.
 
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