In the previous thread "Should I be annoyed", I related a negative experience I had with a knifemaker. I've been thinking about it, have tried to look at it from another tact, and wondered what I should do, to ensure I have a better experience with, and get better results from, the next custom knife maker I try to deal with? Of course it's important to communicate well, be patient, and be flexable, but given problems like the most skilled makers, may not be taking new custom orders at all, have wait lists of two years or more, have a tendancy to make what they want to make, not what you want them to make, and can pretty much demand whatever the market will bear, wich is usually more than I can afford, where top makers like Mayo, Onion, or...(fill in any famous makers name here), are concerned. What specifically can be done to ensure that I'll really be satisfied with both my next custom knife, and the buyng experience?