Handmade vs custom made knives

For all of you that claim being "sick to death" of another thread where someone (usually a relatively new person) can't understand why the word "custom" is used the way it is by the guild and knife community, get used to it. When the guild chose to define "custom" the way they did, they set the knife community up to continually defend their use of the word. This thread is just another example of why a different set of words should have been used. Every time the word "custom" is used, it requires definition to all those who haven't been through the "education process." It's like trying to convince someone 2+2=3 plus a little!

I suggest those of you who don't like this subject coming up again to just not open the thread, because it will reappear. ...but i bet you can't do it, can ya?

And for the poster above who claimed Chris Reeve knives were all CNC'd. That isn't exactly true. All blades are ground by hand. Granted, not by Chris, but not by CNC either.

Bruce
 
Ange kind of hit the nail square last week. She commented that I only make knives for myself. I make the decisions, I may make it for me if I were left handed, or if I had a size 14 EEEE shoe (correlates to hand size) or if I was a female with a size 5 A shoe. When Keith ordered his knife we had a number of debates as to what the knfe was to be. I was lost until he said "Make one you like". He had a custom knife on the way, he made it easy! This may be the essence of 'custom', the individual contribution by the maker that blends with the dreams of the man who choses the knife for himself.

Is this topic over exposed? I think not for every time I read one, new thoughts come to surface. Thanks for again opening a subject that I still fine interesting and spend a lot of time thinking about.
 
Hi guys, I'm a fairly new knifemaker from Australia. Well said, Ed. By the way, love your knives. To me, beauty comes from thew way in which form applies itself to function. Ie.- how well it works, determines how good it looks.

Handmade, custom, its all too confusing. I get away from it by saying I make fine cutting tools. I make some custom designs, many my own adaptations of existing designs. I don't think there's any doubt that custom means the knife is designed for a particular users specifications. It may or may not involve a deviation from the original design the maker had in mind for that style of knife.

The bottom line is in being honest to the buyer / customer. It pays, I think to state unequivocally, if the knife was made according to his/her design, one of your own, ground by hand, CNC-ed, heat treatment done by you, sometimes even Sambar stag curly maple provided by x,y,z for the express purpose of building their knife, etc. Dishonesty has a habit of coming around and biting you on the butt, hard.

I support the use of certificates or literature that comes with each knife that states these things clearly, especially with knives that are built individually. Of course for the maker who is quite prolific, that may be difficult, but it does ensure that the individually crafted (notice, I didn't say hand-crafted) knife retains that portion of the maker's personality and there are no doubts as to the knife's evolution from steel and parts to complete knife and sheath.

The argument over definitons will continue. Those makers who work on one knife at a time, using hand-held working systems (knife or machine)using the minimal high-tech tools, will have the least amount of trouble arguing their case. Its not necessarily better or worse than the more technologically advanced methods. To each their own. Just be honest.

Cheers.
 
This thread has been on my mind all day! Another thought. I have been seeing a dentist for the past several months, trading knives for some crowns. He asked me what kind of work I wanted done? He is a great dentist, I put my faith in him. I told him to do what ever needed done, fix them like they were his teeth. I made no other decisions, except when he asked what kind of crowns I wanted I asked for gold. I figure if I am going to pay I want to see the work, gold does that. Are they custom crowns, in my mind absolutely!

What does this have to do with custom knives? I feel that the main issue is selecting the kind of knife maker you need. Tell him what the knife is for and let him make the decisions and you may be very well pleased. Try and make the decisions you should rely on him to make and it usually ends up in a wreck. The custom knife is a blend of the skill of the maker, and dreams of the client.
 
Perfectly put Ed. A custom knife doesn't have to have anything that I personally requested done to it. It just has to be made for me by the maker that I have chosen to do the work. I am a firm believer in letting the maker do what he/she does best. I have never been disappointed yet.

When I told Ed to make me a knife just like he would make it for himself, I knew that I would love the result. I was correct.
 
Good to see some makers in this topic. I have watched Mr. Fowlers video 10 times in the past week and it help clear up any dought that I may have had. After wathcing him make a beautiful custom made knife (Pronghorn) it help me realize that the custom part comes from the maker and not the buyer. I know the buyers opinions are important but it brings up an interesting question: do you pick a maker for what you want him/her to make or for the style of knife that maker creates? I'm new at custom made knives and I guess these are questions us newbeeees have.


Mr. Fowler I must say that owning one of your custom made knives is a dream and a goal in my life. Then I get to use it.:D :D :D

Kieth,thanks for posting your pronghorn in the gallery forum.

Thanks Dean
 
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