machine finish vs. hand finished

[LRB]

There are knives that are suited for machine finishes. A working knife needs very little hand sanding on the blade. A high end finish is wasted, especially carbon steel, and the price of your work is increased. If you have good designs, good fits, and fair priceing, you will sell. Your grip work needs to be near perfect. Folks look there first. There is a market for well made knives with a simple working knife finish. Not all buyers are looking for the high end blades. Collectors maybe, but users, not necessarily. At a show, it is good to have some of each in most cases, but that depends on your style of work. I make, or do my best to, 18th c., early 19th c. knives. That sort of makes me an outsider, because very few do this type of work. When I am at a show, I cannot see enough difference in workmanship, or style, to make any one maker stand from the crowd. They all look the same, only slightly different from one maker to the next, and most, not all, but most are high priced beyond the average persons wallet. It is almost a case of who has a knife I like, at a price I can afford. I'm rambling, but what I am trying to say is that there is a place for lower end knives, without sacrificeing real quality. I would define real quality as, good fits, good lines, and a good heat treat that you could never be embarassed by. As long as the grinds are good, the blade finish can be reduced without reducing the acual quality, and there are those that are acually looking for a good quality working knife, at an affordable price. Just my rambling thoughts. I started making knives in a time that there were less than a dozen big names in knifemaking, and today only a couple or so of these would stand a chance of competeing with the work I see today, but it has reached the point where most all look the same to an outsider. A collector may see the various differences, but not the average Joe.