Making a tanto without a saya

PaulDiStefano

PaulDiStefano

Joined
Nov 14, 2016
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636
hey everyone, I wanted to make some tanto style knives without a saya. I thought it would help me make more product and cut down on half the time it takes to fit up the whole saya and lacquer etc..
I have seen a lot of pictures of tantos without a saya /sheath and was curious if you guys think they would sell. Let's assume I made a perfect tanto with wrap and wood and guard and nice fittings and I brought it to a knife show. Would people be turned off because there's no saya? Would people pass over it and not purchase it even though they lived it? Basically is it worth making and trying to sell? Would people be interested?
I have no real experience with selling knives without sheaths/sagas at knife shows yet and was hoping more experienced guys could chime in and give me their thoughts on the topic. Thanks guys
 
Personally I would not buy it. How do you think I will wear it? Wrapped in newspaper :)
 
I think if you provided a stand or something like that, to make it a "show piece" rather than a user, it might change someone's perception of it...
 
Personally I wouldn't buy a knife I can't carry, and I assume most others would be the same. The negative side of selling a knife with a stand and no sheath, is that it may be assumed that it's not a usable knife or not something someone would carry. I would be concerned with people looking at it the way we look at flea market fantasy knives sold with a stand and no sheath.
 
Grayzer86 said:
Personally I wouldn't buy a knife I can't carry, and I assume most others would be the same. The negative side of selling a knife with a stand and no sheath, is that it may be assumed that it's not a usable knife or not something someone would carry. I would be concerned with people looking at it the way we look at flea market fantasy knives sold with a stand and no sheath.
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That's a very good point and I definitely wouldn't want it to seem like it's unusable.
Do most people who buy 10-12 inch blade tantos plan on usIng them or do they just keep it like a piece of art?
I really have no idea about what people look for when buying a dressed up fancy knife. Are they usually to practice martial arts or just to admire?
Thanks guys all of your answers are really helping me zero in on what people like and would buy.
 
Let's assume the knife has a 10-12 inch blade and costs around 850-1000 with fancy engraving on the tsuba and fittings
 
PaulDiStefano said:
Let's assume the knife has a 10-12 inch blade and costs around 850-1000 with fancy engraving on the tsuba and fittings
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Most people will probably not use such a knife unless they are a practicing martial artists. There are obviously many people that would but I feel like most would probably make it either for display or a "safe queen."

That said most people spending that ammount on a knife are into knives and part of what appeals about a knife is that they COULD put it on and wear it if they wanted to.

On the other hand people buy knives without sheaths all the time and have aftermarket ones made. A savvy customer may have wanted his own sheath made anyway and be glad to buy the knife for abit cheaper without a sheath. I don't know much about aftermarket saya though.
 
Personally, I wouldn't buy any tanto or similarly sized blade I thought I would use at that price with no sheath, unless I was going to make my own or have one made for me. However, as a display piece or collectable I would have no problems with buying! I don't think having a stand for the blade diminishes the work at all.

Good luck with whatever you choose!
 
You need to have a Saya or sheath for any knives you sell, with the possible exception of chef's knives--on most of those I either have a Saya or a zippered case for the knife.

Good Luck
 
i think it would need one. i have made a few and they are not easy. a quicker less intensive way is to get three pieces of wood, 3/16" or slightly thicker than your blade stock, trace your blade shape on one piece, cut it out, make a sandwich with the other two pieces on the outside and glue, trim them to shape and round the edges. file the mouth to accept the habaki. a ferrule or simple metal band around the mouth will substitute for the horn mouth on a regular says.
 
Willie71 said:
If you are selling at that price point, how much extra material and work is the saya to ensure a sale? I would offer a stand, or a saya, or if the customer chooses for extra cash, both.
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The problem is I only get like 2-3 days a week to make knives and a full tanto with saya could probably take me a 3-4 weeks to make. I'm trying to stock up on as many high quality knives as possible for bladeshow next year and this one knife would eat up a lot of time. Also because I am a new maker I'm afraid people won't be interested in buying a knife from me that costs over 1k because they don't know who I am yet, even if they think it's an incredible and beautiful knife.
 
PaulDiStefano said:
The problem is I only get like 2-3 days a week to make knives and a full tanto with saya could probably take me a 3-4 weeks to make. I'm trying to stock up on as many high quality knives as possible for bladeshow next year and this one knife would eat up a lot of time. Also because I am a new maker I'm afraid people won't be interested in buying a knife from me that costs over 1k because they don't know who I am yet, even if they think it's an incredible and beautiful knife.
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If you're cramped for time then "Sub" out the Saya work. A person willing to spend $1000 would spend more for a complete set of blade and saya. Custom knife makers Sub out sheath work all the time AND it helps sell the knives.
 
Busto said:
If you're cramped for time then "Sub" out the Saya work. A person willing to spend $1000 would spend more for a complete set of blade and saya. Custom knife makers Sub out sheath work all the time AND it helps sell the knives.
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This is a good alternative. I have done similar for kydex sheaths in the past, the customer always gets a choice as to whether they want to have one made for them or not. Saves some working time on my end, and if they don't want a sheath from me because they have their own plans, then they save some money up front.
 
Busto said:
If you're cramped for time then "Sub" out the Saya work. A person willing to spend $1000 would spend more for a complete set of blade and saya. Custom knife makers Sub out sheath work all the time AND it helps sell the knives.
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I don't think that's something I would be interested in. Im not even crazy about when I see knifemakers let other people engrave their knives. I would want my knife to be all my work.
With standard sheaths however I would totally do this as I haven't gotten into leatherwork yet and frankly I'm not to eager to.
Thanks for your suggestion
 
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