How many knife purchases a year...

Keith Montgomery

Keith Montgomery

Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
29,205
...do you make? While I was wondering how many knives a knifemaker would have to sell to make a good full time living from it, I started wondering how much the collective purchasing of the members of this forum added up to what was needed to keep the custom knife industry afloat? I know, a drop in the bucket.

I only purchase two to three knives a year. In the future I am thinking of only purchasing one knife each year, but making it a much higher end knife. Every couple of years I will probably purchase a user knife on top of this, but I am really considering going upscale in the knives I collect.
 
well I have been progressing and its been 5 handmades this year, and one is in the works for the spring from longrifle. I will probably be buying 5 or more handmades this year, I want another from Darrel Ralph, there's some others that I want to look into. I havent broke the 1000 dollar mark yet, all my handmades have been less than that, my most expensive being my DR at around 675. But soon, maybe this year, and when I get Cisco Certified in the spring I will probably be able to afford more expensive toys:D .
 
I add 8 to 12 handmade hunters each year. AS some of you know only Mastersmiths the last five years. But I have a lot of fun with my collection. L.B.
 
By preference, it would probably be four or five a year. However, for 2005 the total was only two: my wife bought me one knife at Blade Show (my birthday present) and a knife I ordered at Blade 2004 is finally on its way to me. To be fair, I also purchased four factory knives I found interesting (e.g., the ZDP-189 Calypso Jr.) which collectively added up to enough to have purchased one low-end custom, instead.
 
I'm newly registered here, but have been surfing this forum for quite some years (tremendous helpful information, needless to say), ever since I started my custom collection.
I figure 3~4 is my number, mostly in $500~$1000 range. But on the other hand I feel what Keith wanted to do: probably less number but in higher end in the coming years.
 
My current purchases are all in the under $2000.00 range. In the future I plan to look at some that will come in around $3000.00. It's not hard to get to that range when you are looking at knives from Larry Fuegen, J.D. Smith and Jerry Fisk. A few years ago I would have laughed at the thought of me paying over $500.00 for any knife. It is amazing how much knives get into your blood.

This thread is actually a bit of research on my part. It has been stated many times that the people that take part on knife forums account for an infinitesimal percentage of the custom knives sold. I'm just wondering how small a percentage. If enough people answer my question, I will at least get some kind of an idea. I will of course have to do some extrapolating.
 
Well, I was on a buying rampage until I got my first real high end knife. At nearly $3,000 I'm down to two a year (both were not 3k). I'm not sure what my next couple will be.

Next on the list is the box for the 3k knife, ordered back in Febuary, should be ready soon.
 
The first custom knife I bought a few years ago was 800 usd and at that moment I decided to go upscale. Since then I'm buying in the 1500 - 3000 usd range. Because of that I "only" buy 1 or 2 knives a year. I have to feed the family too you know.:D :D

Marcel
 
I really like working directly with the makers. It's really hard to tie those guys down to an exact delivery date, so knives/year is diifcult for me to calculate.

Since the Blade show (isn't that where the year starts and ends?), I have ordered knives from 7 custom makers. I hope to collect them all by the next Blade show--but who knows?

Of course I can't delay my gratification that long, so I buy a few from knife dealers as well, and pay close attention to the F/S customs threads. Since the Blade show, I have purchased 4 customs, and taken delivery on one ordered sometime before.

And then there is Blade. Let's say 5 or so customs of various types...So I guess if all goes well, we are talking about 20 knives/year.

Needless to say, that will probably taper off soon. But meanwhile I think that I am doing my best for the custom knife business.
 
I bought 12 custom knives this year and sold/traded four of them.

Knives on order: four

Coop
 
I average 2-3 a month.

Last year and this year was an exception as I had a goal to reach. I picked up around 30 of a certain maker. ;)
 
I am on the lower end of the scale buying maybe one or two knives a year. At this point it is really just a money issue as I have just finished school, and am starting a new job in my chosen field. With student loans and other bills due each month I don't have much to spend on new toys.

Hopefully in a few years that will change though.
 
I bought 33 custom knives this year including 4 to be delivered Tuesday by my beloved FedEx person.

All were straight knives but one a RJ Martin folder.

Gave away 11 to family/friends/acquaintances in the military - THANK YOU guys for a job well done!!!

Price range from $300 for a hunter to $2500+ for a Fisk bowie.

Have approx. 12 on order at this time.

Purchased my first custom way back in '88 - a "Sly II" by Jimmy Lile. Still following some of the first advice I received - "Buy what you like"

Tastes have changed over the years but I still got the "bug"

Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year to all!!!
 
Enough to make my wife beat her head against the wall.

She does not understand why a knifemaker wants to buy another knifemaker's work. I'm not sure I understand.

This year I'm likely at the $2,000.00 mark.
Almost what I spent on guns.

Who knows....
 
Michael Starr said:
Purchased my first custom way back in '88 - a "Sly II" by Jimmy Lile. Still following some of the first advice I received - "Buy what you like"
Click to expand...

Jimmy was a hoot. A good Ole Boy.:confused:
 
Old thread, has it changed much for those posting?
myself, it goes in cycles, what I call the Steel virus surges
from time to time and has to be heeded, a new knife is sometimes necessary!

This year I've gotten 3 new knives so far, hopefully that will fix it for a while!
G2
 
Mine is the scariest answer of all - I dunno! It really fluctuates. If it is a year in which I manage to attend a major show, that will bump up the purchases. Basically, I have as many knives on order as I can manage without losing sleep, and try to spread out the delivery times so that thing sstay managable. I make very few impulse buys. There are still a lot of makers out there whose knives I would like to own, but there are only so many pennies in the piggy bank.

This month is about the craziest I have ever had in terms of overlapping incoming orders. By the end of Sept. I should have received Butler x2, Roberts x2, Bradshaw x2, Andrews x1 and Farr x1. That is way over the norm - in fact, I think my head may have just exploded. ;)

The knives also vary from high end to low. If it's the right knife, I find I can get just as much enjoyment out of a basic hunter as I can from a big damascus bowie. I can understand the desire to purchase fewer but more high end pieces, it's just not my approach. For one, it would all but eliminate working with newer, lesser known makers who just happen to be producing quality real quality work at very reasonable prices. That's something I definitely enjoy.

Roger
 
I go in spurts. I buy most of my knives on the aftermarket, from other collectors.

I have been disappointed by custom orders in the past and like to see (or better yet handle) what I buy before I commit. I probably average 6 knives a year. Rarely over $1K each. Average of probably $800 or so. I like being part of a network of educated consumers, also. For example, I have purchased many good knives from forumites over the years and have found some of my best pieces online either through trades or outright purchases.

Every so often I go into the safe to clean knives (the joys of carbon steel) and realize Wow, I have 8 Fisks, or 6 Andrews knives or 5 Knight knives and I contemplate selling them to fund a big, bodacious damascus piece, but then I realize I <really>like the variety that I get from having several forged knives from multiple makers (almost 20 different makers) rather than few Masterworks from a select few, but that is just how my collection has evolved.

I tell myself it will stop at 100 forged knives (main collection) but that is probably unrealistic. I don't even count the tactical folders and miscellaneous production stuff anymore and there are like 3 rubbermaids full of that....

My theme is "Modern Forged Bowie". As you would imagine, a lot of stuff fits that description. Like 50% of Les Robertson's (current) inventory!
 
I have purchased 17 custom knives so far this year(that I can remember, for sure). That is sort of above average. Average has been around 10, but I am running out of space to comfortably and intelligently store them, so I WILL be slowing down considerably.

Unlike Anthony, I tend to get most of my stuff from the makers themselves, I prefer the direct interaction, about 1/2 were ordered.

1. 2 from Matt Diskin at the ABS Reno Show.
2. 2 from Bill Burke, 1 at Reno, 1 later.
3. Burt Foster laminated fighter/utility, saw at Reno.
4. Dan Farr, Camp knife, stag handle, CPM1V blade.(Reno, sprinted to his table when show opened, first one there, got the pick of the litter!)
5. Bill Ruple two bladed trapper, ATS-34, stag scales, at OKCA Eugene.
6. 2 from Art Washburn, 1 at OKCA, 1 later. 1 white pearl, 1 blacklip.
7. Chef's knife from Ed Schempp, Desert Ironwood scales, laminated damascus blade.
8. Collaboration damascus art fighter from Tim Wright, Darryl Meier, and Brian Katz.
9. Kit Carson tanto bladed M-4.
10. Mike Obenauf RECURVE model 2.
11. Tom Mayo Dr. Death with special hole pattern.
12. Micheal Burch custom Bowie, which he showed in the step-by-step posting a few months back.
13. Harvey Dean "El Diablo", that I sold back to the guy I purchased it from, because he really loves that knife.
14. Allen Elishewitz Silver Fox button lock in Ironwood, THE knife pictured on his website to feature that pattern.

I've got BladeWest and the Huntington Beach show left, so I am not sure what the rest of the year is going to bring.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Nothing has really changed for me, other than the fact that I made an impulse purchase of a Loveless style chute knife from Bruce Bump. Next will be a spear point bowie from Russ Andrews, and that will be it for this year. Next year will be two or three knives.
 
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