Low end customs - worth buying?

One way around this problem is to buy the knife at a show where you have a chance to handle the knife before you buy it. If the price and quality dont make your cut, leave the knife sitting on the table and your money in your pocket.

Another way is to buy from a dealer or maker who has a no questions asked money back policay. If the knife arives and you dont like it, send the damn thing back! I offer a 2 week no questions asked money back. No one has used it yet, but it's there.

There are many reasons why one knife costs more than another. Naturally using kit blades really cuts down on the costs and time involved!! As long as this is made really CLEAR to the buyer before the sale, OK, if not, then it's fraud.

I too would rather have a reliable, high quality factory knife than a crap, unreliable custom.
 
Hell yes they are. It is as simple as that. There are many, many makers putting out not just good, but exceptional work in the <$150 range. Some with fit & finish rivaling their counterparts selling for 3 to 4 times that amount. Just look at the work from GenO Denning, Wayne Hendrix and Gene Ingram. There are a ton more of them.

This year I made my first trip to Atlanta for the Blade Show. I always thought it would be cool to check out all the work by the big names first hand. It didn't disappoint. But the highlight of the trip was checking out the great knives available at bargain prices. Literally thousands of them. One J.S. had a table full of beautiful little stag handled, forged hunters. All sold out by the time I got there Saturday morning. :-( Did pick up a sweet little utility blade from him that was forged from a horseshoe. Price? $12!

So don't give up. Do your homework, ask questions and shop around. There are some fabulous bargains waiting to be discovered.
 
I can't argue with those who don't mind the irregularities and imperfections in low cost customs. However, what brought these things to my attention in the first place was while trying to sell or trade some of my knives. Recently I wanted to sell off some of my knives, mainly to get money to buy more knives. I found that knife dealers would quickly point out the imperfections in those low cost customs, and then offer a very low price or reject the knife outright. I have had better luck selling factory knives than the low cost customs.

If someone prefers hand made over factory despite a rougher finish, and has the tools and skills to clean up sharp edges and so forth, more power to them. My problem has been that when I go to sell a knife, I can't seem to find the kind of people who are replying to this post!
 
W.T. Beck: I think that the reason the low end customs wouldn't command a big price is because of the unknown status of the makers. A Loveless with oddly ground scales will fetch a high price! A lot of that is because Loveless is a well established and famous maker. For lowend customs to retain their value, they have to be as defect-free as possible. A knife with a bad finish, uneven grinds and oddly attached handle scales from me won't be as valuable on the market as the same knife from Hartsfeld. That is, until I take over the world and become famous :)

That why I said earlier that especially with newbie makers, a customer must ask a lot of questions and get pics if possible and make sure you know what you are getting. This is especially important if resale value is important to you.
 
I haven't bought a Dozier yet, but everything I have read about them is good.

Also, for those who have pointed out that knives from new makers are a good deal, none of mine are in that category. The ones I bought were from makers who have been around for awhile.
 
The other thing that should probably be said here is that if you get a custom and you are not entirely satisfied with it you should tell the maker. Most of these people will go a long way to make sure a customer is happy.

When I ordered my first custom from Bob Dozier he had some concerns about whether the grip I had requested would fit my hand properly. (It did!) He emphasized that if everything wasn't just right I should send it back and he'd make me another knife with appropriate adjustments. You can't go wrong with that kind of service.

--Bob Q
 
I've bought some really nice $200 or less custom knives. In fact, one is in my pocket right now. It's a carbon fiber damsteel flipper with small abalone and pearl inlays. Des Horn designed it and they are built by his pupil Brian Geyer. Smooth action, razor-sharp, and weighs less than an ounce. Many of the overseas makers produce some excellent blades in the low end price range of $150-$350, particularly the S. Africans. I've also seen ALOT of "inexpensive" custom knives that just plain aren't worth it. The bottom line is caveat emptor. I'd also mention Charles Marlowe as a good value, but his knives are a little pricier than the $200 range.

My rule of thumb is that if I haven't held the maker's work in my hands, I don't buy it unless there is an explicit return policy.
 
Yes - Dozier for an excellent price on an excellent knife. You won't regret getting one and will be looking for more, if anything.
 
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