How many of you have never gone back?

WoodWorkGhost said:
Architect,

It wasn't a commercial break, it is a fact. Name one factory in the top ten that does not feature designs and/or innovations from custom knife makers.

My limited lack of knowledge with regards to factory knives is only exceeded by your lack of knowledge of custom knives and the custom knife market.

WWG
Click to expand...

I will acknowledge that my knowledge of both custom and production knives is lacking. However, I would like to ask WWW if he views the aforementioned busse or CRK as production knife companies? If so, then I would be curious as to his view on the following : the framelock, employed by many custom makers, was designed by CRK (production ??), the use of s30v was championed by CRK (albeit among others, but I have heard that Reeve played a large role in it's development), and the axis lock...(I have heard that it was designed by custom makers and Benchmade licensed it, but I have never seen it on a custom knife.) I don't know of anyone who would argue that the Axis is not associated with Benchmade. INFI steel, widely praised for its properties as a hard use steel, developed by Busse Combat( Production??) We could even go back to the Buck 110, which I feel redefined the pocket-knife world. Buck is a production company. (I know that reaches back past your 10 year limit :) )

The second part of my question is, aside form Onions assisted opening, what innovations have been developed from the custom community? I am not talking designs... I am talking innovations. Not meant to be argumentative, just seeking knowedge. Thanks in advance.
 
These two off the top of my head. I am sure that there are many more.

The Linerlock (Michael Walker)
The Axis Lock (William McHenry and Jason Williams)
 
Hi Joker,

Keith hit couple already.

The use of BG-42, 440V, 460V, 490V, S30V,Talonite, Stellite, Timascus.

The use of Titanium, Aircraft Aluminum and Carbon Fiber.

Anodizing of titanium

Carving of the titanium frames.

Texturing of blades.

Covert Auto Mechanisms (Butch Vallotton and Larry Chew)

Roller Bearings in lieu of washers

Flipper openers

Ambidextrous Thumb Stud openers.

Toggle Openers.

Frame Stabilizer (Rick Hinderer)

The Tanto blade design (Bob Lum)

Japanese Tacticals (Phil Hartsfied and RJ Martin)

Skeletonized Titanium frames.

Titanium bolsters

Engraving Titanium


The TACTICAL KNIFE MARKET

Participating directly in the Auto Cad and CNC processes to develop the current group of factory knives.

Remember, Jerry Busse and Chris Reeve were both custom knife makers before they started their factories.

Also, the frame lock that you are giving Chris Reeve credit for was developed when he was a custom knife maker (so you have to remove that one from you list of factory contributions.

Question for you joker, if you remove all the aforementioned things you can attribute to custom knives.

What advances would the factory knives have made in the last 15 years?

I see their two biggest contributions to be:

1) Figuring out how to produce knives in a very inexpensive way in Taiwan. Seriously, this has helped to keep the price down and improve the quality.

2) Being smart enough to utilize the R&D that the custom makers had developed.

WWG
 
WoodWorkGhost said:
Hi Joker,


Question for you joker, if you remove all the aforementioned things you can attribute to custom knives.

What advances would the factory knives have made in the last 15 years?

I see their two biggest contributions to be:

1) Figuring out how to produce knives in a very inexpensive way in Taiwan. Seriously, this has helped to keep the price down and improve the quality.

2) Being smart enough to utilize the R&D that the custom makers had developed.

WWG
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! I definitely didn't even think of many of those items. Well since I can't claim the framelock or INFI ( even though Busse didn't develop infi until after he started his production company.....I believe) for the production crowd, how about "hole" openings and pocket clips. I hope I am right in that Spyderco developed those two. (Not sure if it's in the last 15 years though.)

What about the use of injection molded plastics for handles? Just curious. Thanks for the insight though.
 
Hi Joker,

Jerry gets credit for Infi steel. You are correct he did that after he started his factory.

Yes, Spyderco gets credit for the "Hole" opener and pocket clip. Alot of the custom folder makers actually bought their clips from Sal.

Plastic injection molding, yep the factory guys get credit for that. I don't know of a custom maker that uses that.

As I wrote earlier, the individual who came up with the idea to capitalize on the Custom Makers R&D was brilliant. Speaking as someone with an MBA, I can't think of another idea in the last 15 years that changed the face of the factory knife as much as that idea did.

WWG
 
I buy a few Benchmade knives for carry purposes. Like the Benchmade Lum I just purchased. I mostly find myself carrying a Obenauf model 3 though and a Mayo TNT. So I do buy production knives but ones patterened after custom makers knives.
 
WoodWorkGhost said:
Hi Joker,

Jerry gets credit for Infi steel. You are correct he did that after he started his factory.

Yes, Spyderco gets credit for the "Hole" opener and pocket clip. Alot of the custom folder makers actually bought their clips from Sal.

Plastic injection molding, yep the factory guys get credit for that. I don't know of a custom maker that uses that.

As I wrote earlier, the individual who came up with the idea to capitalize on the Custom Makers R&D was brilliant. Speaking as someone with an MBA, I can't think of another idea in the last 15 years that changed the face of the factory knife as much as that idea did.

WWG
Click to expand...

I will go a bit further and say that capitalizing on the custom knife maker's work ,while it may not have actually SAVED the American cutlery industry, certainly made it relevant once again.
 
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