Need help looking for an old thread

mykulmorris

mykulmorris

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Jul 8, 2007
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A few months back I read some great replies of what to say when an idiot asks a maker why he "charges so much" for a custom knife... (( I can buy a great knife like yours for only $19.95 at that shop in the mall))... Anyone remember where that was? I tried to search it and came up empty (maybe I didn't look in the right place)...
What do you guys say??? I've heard a couple doozies at the local shows, and was looking for the perfect comeback. "You get what you pay for" doesn't count here...
-Michael
 
I can't help you with the search but here's what I tell them. If you want a knife made out of junk, that won't hold an edge, and will fall apart after only a small amount of use go buy the $20 buck piece of junk. If you want a quality hand made knife made with top-notch materials that is guaranteed for as long as I can work in my shop then buy one from me. I say this as politely as possible, smile, and answer any other questions they have, and tell them to have a nice day. It don't usually work but that's what I tell them. Merry Christmas!
 
If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand.

OK, that's a bit on the snotty side... but not far from the truth. It's easy to point out flaws, shoddy materials and outright wrongness in cheap knives, but I find that generally only leads to hurt feelings.

I do like to point out that high-end knives are capable of earning their keep and outliving the original owner and serving their heirs long after they're gone. Guys who shot their first deer with Grandpa's old 30-30 understand this concept; kids who watch too much TV generally don't.
 
You are talking about the same person who buys china wrenches and says he can’t understand why I buy Snap-on. I think they feel better in the hand, will last longer and do a better job. Same thing with hand made knives. I tell them “Most people find some satisfaction from owning a one of a kind knife that others either can't or won't afford".
Jess
 
Steel. It's all about the steel. Knowing what kind of steel is in the blade, and how it's been heat treated, makes a world of difference in a knife. "Sure, a $10 fillet knife will fillet the first fish, maybe the fifth, but to get to the twentieth without having to resharpen you need to have better steel."
 
It's all true, but I really like that last. We need to support our own crafts and industry.

I'll tell them that there is indeed a place for the $20 import folding knife. It's great for scraping battery terminals clean, taking out screws, cleaning your fingernails, maybe even cutting up an apple. These are all uses for a knife for which you have no respect. Another tool (i.e., a battery terminal cleaner) will often do a much better job. And for any job for which you might need a real knife, quality will serve you much better.

I'd also point out that a good knife should be a lifetime investment, even for a frequent user. If you are a person that depends on having a sharp edge at hand, a handmade knife will be a justifiable expense. It doesn't have to be damascus or fileworked all over and engraved to be a great handmade knife. There are many kinds of custom knife buyer, as well as many levels of custom knives. There's a knife for almost any person or budget.

Then I'd rant a little about disposable society and manufacturing being farmed out overseas by "American" corporations that have no loyalty to the country, only to their shareholders and ultimately to the lining of their own pockets.

Most hapless inquirers will have glazed over and hastily made an excuse about why they have to move along.
 
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