I went to a big gun show yesterday. I'm accustomed to seeing some custom knife makers scattered throughout the show, and at this show they had an area for custom knifemakers and at least 20 were there. But I also saw about 3 sellers that looked suspiciously like they were selling imported damascus. One guy had a lot of knives, fairly similar, all at very low prices. He said they were handmade but he didn't say by who. There was another seller that had about 30' length of tables just covered with damascus knives. That many knives would take a single maker a lifetime to make. I didn't stop and talk to this person.
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epidemic of cheap imported damascus?
- Thread starter bdmicarta
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Pakistan
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If something is too good (and/or cheap) to be true, its usually is.
These cheap POS blades put of Pakistan are legion.
I dont give a hoot about the occasional post from a forum member posting about how he is in awe of his cheapo Pakistani knife and how well it works.
Dont be tempted to buy.
Run away, dont walk.
These cheap POS blades put of Pakistan are legion.
I dont give a hoot about the occasional post from a forum member posting about how he is in awe of his cheapo Pakistani knife and how well it works.
Dont be tempted to buy.
Run away, dont walk.
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- Jun 28, 2007
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- 3,215
The good news is, they ARE handmade.
The bad news is that doesn't mean they're any good.
I've had a bit of contact with some of these makers.
Usually they're not single makers at all. But a group of makers in (Indeed) Pakistan.
Their work ranges from awful to just plain "eh" when it comes to fit, finish and practicality.
For the price that they fetch in general....they're usually not bad. But if you want a NICE damascus knife...you know...one with a GOOD rather than a "Meh" heat treat, that's well ground, and nicely finished you shouldn't go with their stuff.
You want a beater that just happens to be damascus...have fun with em. They're cheap, easily sharpened and...(some of them) kind of pretty.
But high quality they're not.
The guys that sell them out of Pakistan constantly mess up when it comes to materials used, correct filling of orders and make a LOT of promises they can't keep.
Personally I don't deal with em anymore with one or two exceptions because I know I can trust those and I can buy nice materials off them for a decent price. I won't buy steel off them however. Just handle materials.
For most people , knife is just a tool. It has a blade? Has ! It has a handle? Has ! Cut well ? Yes! Then it s good knife. Fit and finish ....they do not look or cares what wood or plastic is on handle
Ask someone from which steel he wants knive ............ And I bet I know the answer ................... from good steel
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For most people , knife is just a tool. It has a blade? Has ! It has a handle? Has ! Cut well ? Yes! Then it s good knife. Fit and finish ....they do not look or cares what wood or plastic is on handle
Here is the thing though. Like I said I've had some experience with the work of some of these people:
Pieces of the handle falling out.
Flaws in the damascus, bad welds
uncertainty what steels were used in the damascus
Terribly uncomfortable handles
Don't cut well because of thick edges. (I reground one for a customer once....after that it wasn't a terrible knife anymore, not a great one, just not terrible anymore.)
And if they want "good steel" then these knives are not for them.
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For most people , knife is just a tool. It has a blade? Has ! It has a handle? Has ! Cut well ? Yes! Then it s good knife. Fit and finish ....they do not look or cares what wood or plastic is on handle
problem with this statement is the audience... everybody on this forum cares about steel, handles, heat treat as well as fit and finish. the people you're talking about aren't on BF and mostly don't care about quality in anything or they wouldn't buy junk... most people on here know what good steel is by the designation given to it and avoid mystery steels unless they are from a couple reputable makers (ya got me Jerry... just picked up an active duty). that being the case i couldn't care less if someone buys it, and won't give them my opinion of their painted turd unless they ask, but the problem with flooding the market with junk is it devalues everything else by its very existence. i have had to explain on more than one occasion why my damascus knife costs xxxx when the person could buy a damascus knife from Axxxzon for $40 ...are you serious? well, because of junk and junk marketing these questions have become a reality in our world now.
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I've seen knives like these locally at gun shows. The guy even had the balls to tell me they were made here in Wisconsin. You look at their business card and they are an importing company, not really hard to connect the dots. Nobody I know is going to make a 10" blade Damascus bowie and sell it for $75.
At this same show there was an area for the custom makers, maybe 20 of them there. There were a lot of nice knives but the prices looked a bit high compared to what I see in the knifemaker area here. And the quality from a few of the makers looked suspect too. So the tables full of cheap junk knives laid out to look like good custom knives make the real custom makers look bad for charging so much more, and if a person buys one and finds out it is junk, then to that buyer it may reflect badly on any knife that is labeled as custom.
Lots of people don't discriminate when they buy, and because they paid more than $10 they think it should be good. They don't realize that they paid $80 for a $5 knife. And when it falls apart they won't understand that it is because they paid too much for cheap junk instead of paying more to buy the real deal.
Personally I don't like to see them at the show.
Lots of people don't discriminate when they buy, and because they paid more than $10 they think it should be good. They don't realize that they paid $80 for a $5 knife. And when it falls apart they won't understand that it is because they paid too much for cheap junk instead of paying more to buy the real deal.
Personally I don't like to see them at the show.