Just wondering.

Keith Montgomery

Keith Montgomery

Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
29,205
What was it that got you folks interested in custom knives?

My interest started in the early 70's with the reading of the first Gun Digest Book of Knives. I fell in love with some of the knives I saw in that book and started contacting makers and getting information on the knives they made. In the 80's I started attending a few knife shows and that furthered my interest, because I got to meet and enjoy talking to some of the makers of the day. In the early 90's I kind of drifted away from knives in general. I kept the ones I had, but I lost interest in anything new. Then around 1999 I found this forum. I lurked for about a year, reading and checking out knives. My interest in attaining new knives grew quickly. After joining BladeForums in 2000 the only knives that I have purchased are custom knives. They are the only ones that interest me enough to spend my hard earned cash on them.

What has really brought me into the world of custom knives is the makers. I just find it far more interesting to own knives that come from the imagination, creativity and talent of these incredible people.

So what initially got me started in custom knives was the reading of a great book on knive, then getting to meet the makers at shows and really gaining respect for these people. What brought this sheep back into the fold was finding BladeForums. If it were not for finding this site over three years ago, I would be wealthier financially, but much poorer over all and if it were not for the makers being such great people I know that I would not have near the interest in custom knives that I do.

What about you?
 
When I was about 6 years old my grandmother gave me a small slip joint pocket knife that she bought at Big Rear Lake, a small mountain resort town. Within five minutes I cut my finger but I knew right then their was something about knives that I really liked. In Cub Scouts I got a Scout knife and a small fixed blade. My dad tought me how to safely handle and care for a knife. In the late 70's I started going to the knife shops at the local mall. Being left handed, I was pretty limited as to my one hand knife purchases. I bought a Gerber Paul Knife for the ungodly sum of $89 (sure wish I still had it). The there was Spyderco's and Benchmades and of course the obligitory Buck 110. I didn't (and still don't) like belt carry and the Buck, while a very good knife, was not practical for me to carry in my pocket. Tried as I might I couldn't carry it comfortably. There were other Gerbers and Benchmades. In the mid 80's, I found an A.G. Russell catalouge and promptly ordered his one hand knife. It fit nicely in my pocket and I was able to work it with my left hand. I gained a lot of knowledge and made a lot of purcahes fron A.G. The knife store would have a section for customs and I would occasionally wander to that section. Eventually I worked up the courage to ask about the customs. I was surprised at how willing they were to let me look at them. And talk about sticker shock! I couldn't imagine why anyone would pay $400 for a folding knife. But the beauty and the quality of the customs were undeniable. I am very grateful that I'm left handed when it comes to knives because I don't think that I could keep from buying those beauties. I saw an Elishewitz that I liked but it was a righty. Looked up his website on the internet and ordered a left hand striker. Sent in $100 a month and by the time the knife was done I had it paid for. Then I found bladeforums, CRK, Tom Mayo and Darrel Ralph and here I am with more knives than I will be able to use in many lifetimes and lovin every minute!
 
Same here. I read a knife digest and was hooked. Then I got lucky and found a nice Fred Carter knife for sale cheap in a gun shop. Even at the price, it took me a couple of months to pay for it. I still have it today. Then I took the initiative and built myself a 2x72 grinder and called Bob Loveless for advice. He communicated with me for several months. I still have his letters. I always found any knifemaker I spoke to or wrote to, to be very forthcoming and helpful in my efforts. Then I couldn't find the time anymore and recently went back to it.

Marcel
 
Okay, I'll be the first to admit that it was the movie, "First Blood" that opened my eyes to the world of custom knives in 1982 at the age of 21. Thanks to Jimmy Lile and Sylvester Stallone. I remember calling the Lile shop and inquiring about "the" knife and finding out the "Sly II" was $560. After retrieving the phone from the floor and a minor jaw re-alignment, I replied with a chuckle, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Lile, I thought you said $560." She said, "Well, plus shipping and handling." Three years later, I bought a Sly II, but eventually the hollow handle knife craze ran its course with me and I traded it off. Those are good memories.
 
I went into a knife store on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado in 1975. I was 14. The fella who ran the store showed me some great knives by a guy named Rick Genovese - a subhilt fighter. I took all my savings from summer jobs and with the blessing of my mother, went down to Colorado Springs where Rick had his shop. I ordered the same fighter with red liners and lignum vitae scales.

The next year, I designed a presentation dagger. Rick had never ground a dagger, and when he was done, he said he would never do another. Elephant ivory scales, nickel silver guard and skull crusher, nickel silver hilt with a frog and red felt interior. I got many ideas from Sid Latham's book.

I sold those two knife in 1985 at the New York Custom Knife Show right after I graduated from college and was dead broke. That is one of the worst decisions I ever made.
 
I had been a user of CRK, Benchmade, Spyderco, etc. Then last year I picked up a custom made bowie at Blade in Atlanta. Just couldn't believe someone could make a big ol' honkin' knife feel that light in my hand.

This year my goal was to find one to take home. Met "Big John" Fitch and ended up taking one of his bowies home with me. I'm hooked!
 
It seems I always liked knives/swords, could never afford to buy one, saw a CAS Iberia "decorator" sword(read visible grind lines and easy to figure out construction methods) and thought "I could do that." Then I just had to get sone files, a vise... etc.
 
I guess I've always been fascinated with knives. Never had the money to become a true collector but owned several production knives over the years. I've always had fun workin with my hands...mostly piddlin with wood makin furniture and chip carving. There was always a desire in the back of my mind to try knife makin and in April of 01 I finally made the plunge and got into it. Never had this much fun makin furniture or carvin:D
 
Phil, I was amazed to see that you just started making knives a year ago. Your knives have gotten real good real fast.

I know a Brian Russell that lives in Toronto. He's one of the owners of Bryston, a great manufacturer of audio, video electronics.

Thanks guys for all the interesting stories. I love this kind of stuff.
 
I have always been interested in martial arts and swords and found Don Fogg's homepage while looking around for information. Up until that point I didn't know there were an active group of ctaftsmen who still made knives by hand.

I read everything on Don's homepage (pics and all) and sent off a whole load of emails to Don who was really patient with what must have been some of the dumbest questions he had ever heard :D I subscribed to Blade soon after and found Allen Elishewitz through one of his adverts in the magazine and ordered my first custom knife, a cocobolo handled Cortex.

Andrew Limsk
 
I have always carried a knife, and was starting to collect production stuff. One day a friend pointed me to a custom site and that was that I were ruint! I realized I couldn't afford the habit, realized to only way to even get close to 'em was to become a purveyor, and so I am doubly ruint ;-)
 
Have always been interested in knives from a very young age. First stop on a vacation when getting to a larger city was the Hardware/Sports store to look at baseball gloves and knives.

Have thrown knives from an early age also and belong to a variety of thrower lists/forums.

more info can be found at http://www.robbrownknives.com/
 
I have always liked knives, my parents are yuppies, they are very well off, and I don't think either one of them could use any tool properly. My dad doesnt hunt or fish, so I led a sheltered life as far as knives go. I had some friends who collected cheapo knives like frost cutlery and stuff. I had a friend who had all three rambo knives, and some cheap daggers that I thought were just awesome. When I moved out of my parents house, I had a buck 110 that i got from my granpa, and a sak of some sort. My dad also had the executive model sak but that was just because he thought mine was so cool, I dont think he has ever used it. Then I got bored one night after a martial arts class, and I started looking at some internet sights at weapons. I some how came across the knife center of the internet website, and I bought a cold steel voyager. I was hooked. I soon was buying at least 3 knives a month from them. Then I saw the sebenzas, and thought the wood inlay was the coolest thing I ever saw. I found blade forums, started drooling over all the awesome custom knives I saw, but couldn't afford, finally traded some of my production knives for a couple of customs, and I was hooked. I only own 8 or so custom knives from other makers, but I have decided that I need to make my own knives. I have just started to sell what I make. I have sold about 20 knives. I have given away 20 or so knives, and i have kept about 20 knives that I have made. Now I am making knives so that I can get money to buy other peoples knives.
Kyle Fuglesten
 
I've always carried a knife, but I didn't know there were any people that collected knives until I was flipping through the TV channels late one night and discovered the "Knife Collectors Show" on HSN.

(waits for the laughter to die down)

I didn't buy anything, but it did make me think, "There's people who collect knives?"....Hmmmmmm

Next I found there were knife magazines, I bought them all, Blade, KI, TK, and I just soaked it all in. Then I noticed there were catalogs you could order from the magazines. I think it was the AG Russell catalog that set the hook. Not long after that I saw an ad for a Knife Show in NYC, so I went. There were not only the knives I had seen pics of, but the makers whose names I had come to know. They let me handle their knives and were the nicest people I had ever met. Oh JOY!!!!

Then in 1999 I got my first computer and found this place soon after. I signed up to win a Free Knife...which never happened, but I found a lot of information and a great group of people. My goofing around with pics in PhotoShop instead of pissing people off actually made me some great friends.

The rest is history, but it will be on very rare occasions when I'll buy a knife from someone that I don't know personally.
 
Originally posted by KWM
What was it that got you folks interested in custom knives?
Click to expand...

I could not find my "ideal" knife among the production knives so I had it made by a custom knifemaker...

David
 
Hey, PhilL: I'll go you one better. I followed a similar route, but I won the free knife! It was a Darrel Ralph custom EDC. Got the knife, met the maker(a super nice guy) and I'm hooked.:cool: :cool:
 
my interest started due to my quest for a good fishing knife

my first custom was a melvin poole (sp?) ... i bought it beause it fit my hand so well and had a decent sheath (a rarity in a lot of factory blades) ... i did not even know it was a "custom" at first ... it was just a good knife.

then i discovered chris reeve ... from the crk website i discoverd kf and bf in july of 99 and then the bug bit... bought a matt lamey bowie off the forum and then i discovered mr mayo, mr blackwood, and mr simonich ....

still my primary interest is smaller blades to carry outdoors ... stellite and talonite are my favorite blade materials as they are easy to sharpen and dont rust.

i gravitate towards customs almost exclusively now as i appreciate the quality that goes into the better blades, like to choose materials and i'm a lefty .... the 20% minority the factories have pretty much forgotten.
 
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