Moving on from production knives

[K.O.D.]

Not there (yet) but can totally understand the sentiment.

Not only the oversaturation aspect in general, coupled with the overly outsourced to China (by even iconic brands like Buck) to cut costs, as well as the "designed by" overpriced PRC-made mid-techs, but also the oversaturation of blatant clones and counterfeits becoming more and more rampant through Chinese bulk sites, and not only nothing being done to stop it, but such a large portion of complacent consumers actually ok with it, even supporting it, is becoming more and more disheartening....

For me there are still a few companies and models out there that I like and still want, whereas the full on customs, particularly in the folding market, rarely appeal to me as they often tend to be too fancy for my liking, too expensive, (I was so nervous handling "just" an $1800 custom William Henry at a store a couple years back, so I'm pretty sure that outside of winning the lottery, for my current blue collar middle class comfort zone, $1500 is a HARD cap, even though I've yet to top $1k), or many more are just too plain Jane for me to pony up that kind of cash just because it was hand made...

However I will say that the traditionals, and the fixed blade markets, those 2 are getting more and more likely that I will go full on customs sooner rather than later. Locking folders however, I've already slowed down some, but will more than likely stick in the midtech realm for quite a bit longer, and would more than likely start tracking down specific hard to find, discontinued models, before I jump to customs...

But that said, I get it.... Looking forward to reading about some of those customs from you in the future...

This came today, I am absolutely blown away. I'll make a post in everyone's latest acquisition thread with more photos. Lighting isn't great here in my dungeon.

Despite its beauty, I will use and carry it.

 

[Ratatoskr]

I'm at a point where buying a new knife is more about who I want to give my money to, rather than any need for a knife. These days it's well-made custom slipjoints that I'm after. Having said that, it's typically a leatherman and/or SAK that actually goes in my pocket.

 

[WValtakis]

While I've mostly moved on from current production stuff, there's still tons of interesting older production stuff to hunt down...it's a great time for it too, lots of people are digging way back in the safe for stuff to sell.

 

[RLB0414]

I haven’t seen a knife designed in the last 50 years, that I wanted. I like the old designs, welcome the new steels to a point, and appreciate the better heat treat we see now.

Agree with this. Give me a Buck 110, 112 or USA Schrade LB7 or 152UH and I will be almost as happy I would be if given a Dan Wesson Specialist in 10mm.
Some of the makers on here produce blades that I would love to have. Just different priorities at the moment. One day maybe

 

[Modernflame]

I have no real interest in custom knives, but I relate to the overall narrative arc. I'm exhausted by the endless parade of ball bearing flippers, along with the imports and the debates that come with them. M390 proliferated everywhere, as if nothing else will cut. I found what works for me and will probably only buy one or two knives per year from now on.

 

[K.O.D.]

One thing that happened too was that soooo many knives I liked were underwhelming when they came. I hate returning stuff. I've often been hesitant to buy more expensive knives online because of this, but last year at a knife show handling Olamic, Cheburkov, Hinderer, CRK, I started to get an idea of what to expect at that level. CRK was still underwhelming, while two Russian knives came home. I almost bought a Seamus custom too.

I still carry my Spydercos, etc. But I won't be adding any more to my stable.

While the damascus on yhe Davis is cool, I'd like to have one in CTS-XHP for better edge retention

 

[tiguy7]

My EDC’s are mostly heavily modified factory stuff.View attachment 2183841

 

[tony281sc2]

Nope, not at all! In fact, IMO, the selection is better now than ever. And it’s not like I have more income than in previous years (with the economy, if anything my budget is less lately). Just yesterday I had a hard time NOT buying a new TI Maverick, and today they are dropping MORE Hinderer Eklipse Wharncliffes, that I cannot afford (right now, so I’ll end up getting taxed on that when I can eventually afford it).
Also, I’m running out of knives Im willing to sell in order to keep up with the new knives coming out that I want to buy lol
oh yeah, a Quantum (a REAL one, not the Ursus), Would be pretty sick too.
So my problem is 100% with money, NOT a boring selection to choose from lol

 

[K.O.D.]

Nope, not at all! In fact, IMO, the selection is better now than ever. And it’s not like I have more income than in previous years (with the economy, if anything my budget is less lately). Just yesterday I had a hard time NOT buying a new TI Maverick, and today they are dropping MORE Hinderer Eklipse Wharncliffes, that I cannot afford (right now).
Also, I’m running out of knives Im willing to sell in order to keep up with the new knives coming out that I want to buy lol
oh yeah, a Quantum (a REAL one, not the Ursus), Would be pretty sick too.
So my problem is 100% with money, NOT a boring selection to choose from lol

I understand the money issues, I've reallocated my funds from 5-6knives per year to two or three, saving for the more expensive stuff.

 

[tony281sc2]

I understand the money issues, I've reallocated my funds from 5-6knives per year to two or three, saving for the more expensive stuff.

That is definitely the smart thing to do, if I ever find the willpower, I would like to do the same. Get a few $400 pieces instead of twice as many $200 knives

 

[KVT]

WE is making the best knives now and has been for a while.

I love Titanium frame-locks. The simpler design, the better.

They are getting all my knife money.

So, opposite.

I do agree they are overpriced - ALL knives are overpriced.

 

[DMG]

Is TFK truly custom or just low production? When i think custom i think of David Mary or other makers of bespoke knives. Is a Carothers a custom?

 

[coolbreezy37]

Is TFK truly custom or just low production? When i think custom i think of David Mary or other makers of bespoke knives. Is a Carothers a custom?

Carothers is a more hand worked mid-tech. David Mary is mainly a made to order custom maker.

 

[Wasatch11253]

My EDC’s are mostly heavily modified factory stuff.View attachment 2183841

I'm in this boat as well, finding an existing design I like and then modding it the way I want it. Unfortunately lately over the last bit there hasn't been that much new stuff that seems interesting other than a sprint run or two from various manufacturers. Found that saving up for the more expensive items to fill the old collecting niche has been evident. Since I found this one and put it together it's been crickets on adding new knives to the fort here. Ti frame locks don't bother me much, it's just finding something interesting that seems challenging.

 

[nhobo]

I don’t understand why anyone would “collect” modern mass-produced anything. People who do that remind me of Imelda Marcos. 30 Spydercos? That’s not a collection, that’s a fanboy.

Looking at custom knives for sale by individual pretty much all I see are factory knives that someone has messed with. That's not a custom knife. A custom knife is a unique piece made by a craftsman. Many years ago I bought a sweet Mike Wilson folder there, now I’m hard pressed to find anything like that.

Out of production Japanese robot toys, vintage woodworking tools, handmade pottery and the like are all collectible, Beanie Babies and Franklin Mint are not.

 

[daveyc]

I started out with Buck/case, moved on to Benchmade then ZT, now am into CRK, Hinderer and Fallkniven. I guess now, below about $400 price range doesnt interest me too much. I am sure someday, knives under 1k will feel the same way. not there yet though.

 

[mak1277]

I don’t understand why anyone would “collect” modern mass-produced anything. People who do that remind me of Imelda Marcos. 30 Spydercos? That’s not a collection, that’s a fanboy.

Looking at custom knives for sale by individual pretty much all I see are factory knives that someone has messed with. That's not a custom knife. A custom knife is a unique piece made by a craftsman. Many years ago I bought a sweet Mike Wilson folder there, now I’m hard pressed to find anything like that.

Out of production Japanese robot toys, vintage woodworking tools, handmade pottery and the like are all collectible, Beanie Babies and Franklin Mint are not.

But if collecting spydies or beanie babies brings a person happiness, who could possibly care what they call it?

 

[Chronovore]

Is TFK truly custom or just low production? When i think custom i think of David Mary or other makers of bespoke knives. Is a Carothers a custom?

I'm not sure about the cut-offs on categories. David Mary is definitely full-custom and does great work at affordable prices.

TFK has set models and makes their blades in batches from a few different steels but I don't know the process. I chose the handle materials from what they had on hand for the knife in the picture I posted. It's definitely well-made.

 

[ScarFoot]

I don’t understand why anyone would “collect” modern mass-produced anything. People who do that remind me of Imelda Marcos. 30 Spydercos? That’s not a collection, that’s a fanboy.

Looking at custom knives for sale by individual pretty much all I see are factory knives that someone has messed with. That's not a custom knife. A custom knife is a unique piece made by a craftsman. Many years ago I bought a sweet Mike Wilson folder there, now I’m hard pressed to find anything like that.

Out of production Japanese robot toys, vintage woodworking tools, handmade pottery and the like are all collectible, Beanie Babies and Franklin Mint are not.

Collectibility is solely in the eye of the collector. Value is determined solely by the market. Some people just happen to collect things that either carry some value or might build some over time. Other people amass large quantities of items that carry value or might potentially increase in value but have no other true interest in the items themselves beyond investment. The case at my local knife shop is full of custom knives (fixed and folding) that no one wants. “Custom” doesn’t always equal valuable or collectbile.

 

[K.O.D.]

Collectibility is solely in the eye of the collector. Value is determined solely by the market. Some people just happen to collect things that either carry some value or might build some over time. Other people amass large quantities of items that carry value or might potentially increase in value but have no other true interest in the items themselves beyond investment. The case at my local knife shop is full of custom knives (fixed and folding) that no one wants. “Custom” doesn’t always equal valuable or collectbile.

Yeah, and many customs are "art" knives that were never designed for actual use, such as this fixed my mom gave me:



Almost no tang, I'm guessing the handle would break easily. She claimed it was made by a local person, but I'm not honestly sure. Nor do I care, it's now displayed in my office. I guess if some rando came into my office, I could use it as backup for my pistol.