How do you see the custom knife universe currently?

Joined
Sep 28, 2003
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I stepped away from the custom collectors scene, and active participation in this forum, some years ago. The reasons are multifold, but my interest in knives has remained. This year for example I visited Gembloux, increased my knife collection, continued my interest in bushcraft ( I can shave with an axe) and have even acquired some build your own knife kits for the long nights. I still admire much of the artistry and see some incredible talent in Makers that have risen up over the last few years.

What I have not done is kept upto date with new and older Makers, followed the trends, neither am I cognizant of what is "hot, and what is not" ..... fashion if you will.

As the end of the year is always a time for reflection, it would be highly informative to hear the observations of collectors, old and new, who have stayed closer than I, as to how the custom knife universe has evolved and changed over the last 5 or 6 years.

Cheers

Stephen
 
from my perspective, this forum's slowed down a bit over the past year. With only so many hours in the day, and easy access to sharing photos of stuff, (and getting feedback) using the various social media platforms, it seems to me like this forum is taking a bit of a hit as people migrate to other places.

A good number of long time contributors here, particularly makers, are now concentrating their valuable intrawebz time on these other platforms and are finding good success there.

That being said, I see a good year ahead for C&H. And, in answer to your question, I don't know what the hell's going on but I'm sure someone out there does.
 
I've moved around a lot over the last five years or so. I've attended knife shows and hammer-ins in several different countries and established strong and lasting relationships with a number of makers and collectors from around the world. My internet presence has also shifted over the years. I rarely participate here on bladeforums anymore, I left facebook entirely, and now spend more time on instagram where I can follow makers, dealers, collectors and enthusiasts from every corner of the planet.

I'm not particularly interested in short-term collecting trends, as I don't buy knives as speculative investments, so I probably can't comment too meaningfully on that front, but I can say that the seeds that were planted on the internet in prior decades have recently begun to flower and bear fruit in very exciting ways. There's been a great internationalization and democratization of knifemaking knowledge that we probably couldn't have imagined even twenty years ago. Makers from Bangkok to St. Petersburg to Sao Paolo and everywhere in between have been able to learn new construction and design techniques from their peers who have shared so generously and enthusiastically on discussion forums, youtube and other social media - allowing every one of us with an internet connection to expand and refine our own skills and expressions in new and exciting ways. I've seen it firsthand on show tables from Milan to Gembloux; at hammer-ins from Ludwigsburg to Ostiches; and even here in my own workshop.

This great democratization has also improved market access for makers from remote or less developed economies. Talented makers from former Eastern-bloc countries can travel west and sell high quality knives for a third of the price of makers in higher cost-of-living nations with more stringent enforcement of tax laws. And while this aspect of progress benefits some makers and collectors, it also threatens and challenges others. How can a guy from Western Europe, who rents expensive shop space, pays 19% VAT tax on materials and supplies, and suffers high fuel and electricity costs, compete with a guy from the Ukraine who works out of an outbuilding on the family farm, uses recycled materials, and doesn't pay taxes? It's quite a disparity not easily addressed by current market forces.

Manufacturing technologies have also had an interesting impact, in that "mid-tech" is now something that can be done out of a small private facility with a limited number of employees. Indeed with CAD designing, CNC machining, water-jet cutting, and outsourcing of critical processes - including the manufacture of parts and components and the heat treatment and surface finishing of blades and handles - the very concept of "mid-tech" has become a fully encompassing grey area, but something that numerous "custom makers" now do with aplomb. For many full-time makers serving middle-market clients this has become a critical consideration for their business: volume and production efficiency are now the primary determining factors for their profitability. For collectors in these markets, the concept of custom-made has been largely reduced to a handle-material choice on one of several existing models, not unlike ordering a Randall knife back in the 1970s.

Where this all leads is very difficult to say. I think the high-end market will continue to reward the most talented, creative, and hard-working makers no matter where they may come from or how they make their knives, but the lower end of the market will likely see a crowding-out of many casual hobbyists and less accomplished makers by the new breed of makers from emerging markets, as well as those who most effectively employ the efficiency improving and volume boosting modern manufacturing technologies available today.

As for me, well I'll just keep doing my thing and enjoying this wonderful adventure through the art, science, and business of custom cutlery.

Happy New Year everyone. Here's to great things in 2018 and beyond!
 
I see the custom/handmade knife universe the same way I see the economic universe. Those at the tippy top will keep getting richer; everyone else will see their value driven down due to increased cut-throat competition. More specifically, knives by names such as Loerchner, Lake, Walker, Steinau, Esposito . . . and Bose and Emerson . . . and a few others . . . and top quality pieces from a few legendary former makers such as Loveless, Moran, Schmidt . . . will maintain and increase value. Undistinguished knives by miscellaneous JS makers and obscure or flavor-of-the-month purveyors of clunky and overbuilt gray turd tacticals . . . lotsa luck.

Another factor since you "left" a few years ago has been the success of the TV show "Forged in Fire" which has brought some minor fame or notoriety to smiths who have appeared on that show - and I am sure an increase in demand for their knives.

Finally, as intimated above, I think the real money is being made by folks who manage to come up with a hit "tactical-style" folder design, have it pimped out by certain "Internet tastemakers" via vehicles like Youtube, FB, etc,, and then put together a small team of employees and churn out these so-called "mid-techs" or "semi-customs" by the hundreds (or more) a year with some level of variation within a given model in terms of blade steel selection, grind, handle materials/colors, etc., to give an appearance of customization, and then sell those knives for hundreds and even thousands of dollars each. As someone who collected art for many years, I think of these knives as sort of being the equivalent of lithographs or silk screen prints in the art world. And to the extent that there is BS spread around in the knife collecting universe, it is way down in the minor leagues compared to what goes in the the art world. LOL.
 
Where this all leads is very difficult to say. I think the high-end market will continue to reward the most talented, creative, and hard-working makers no matter where they may come from or how they make their knives, but the lower end of the market will likely see a crowding-out of many casual hobbyists and less accomplished makers by the new breed of makers from emerging markets, as well as those who most effectively employ the efficiency improving and volume boosting modern manufacturing technologies available today.

The above generalization, IMHO, captures what has been and contiues to happen relative to the non-production knife market. It's partly generational amd perhaps driven principally by technology and the exponential growth of the quality of that technology. I think.
 
The observations regarding mid-tech / automation correlate with my impressions based on the offerings from an increasing number of on line retailers. Off the shelf knives with good design, well made and utilizing quality materials seem to have proliferated greatly in recent years. Pricing is reasonable also. At the same time the higher end custom work just seems to get better and better, but with shorter learning curves for the newer makers. Would you say this is a valid observation?
 
I see the custom/handmade knife universe the same way I see the economic universe. Those at the tippy top will keep getting richer; everyone else will see their value driven down due to increased cut-throat competition.

it would be a mistake to decouple our little corner of humanity from the bigger picture in conversations such as this, and Ken's point here is a salient one.
I found the latter ideas he presented equally cogent.

There seems to me to be a certain democratization occurring in the knife world, which exhibits a further blurring of the lines between 'custom' and 'production' knives- as equipment becomes more readily available, and as people continue to further pool their talents and expertise into small scale production companies. This may have the affect of hollowing out the bottom line of large cutlery corporations, as consumers make buying choices based on identification rather than being manipulated by marketing campaigns. I think this provides the buying public with more control over their choices, since these smaller outfits are quick on their feet and able to react to the fickle market.

I'm involved in one of these outfits, and can tell you that the market is ravenous for 'semi custom' knives. In part because of the perceived value flowing from design and quality, in part because of social affiliation and identity.

Forged in Fire, Blade Brothers etc., and the internet, I think, bolster that democratization. Among a more diverse and larger audience than the cutlery industry has up to this point been able to reach, these venues remove some of the mystery and controversy of knives, while exposing more people to them through a lens which creates a relatable human experience, free from marketing drivel.

I've felt, over the past few years, that custom knives are in something of a bubble. I still hold that view, and Ken summed it up pretty well in the text I quoted. But do not see apocalypse pursuant to its bursting. Rather, what I see happening is a renaissance, with a new generation of makers scrapping it out to, yet again, remake the industry in their own image. This has occurred innumerable times throughout the history of the development of edged tools, and we're all pretty fortunate to be a part of this reshuffle.

It'll be really interesting to see how 3D printing affects changes in knife making.
 
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