Newt Livesay: custom or small shop?

Just to confuse this a little more for Atomic Zero, you said:
"In closing, I didn't mean to step on any toes or start an argument. The skill it takes to forge a blade is unfathomable me. I think your products are perfect for me, regardless of how they are produced. It's funny you should describe yourself as an un-PC SOB. I guess birds of a feather really do flock together It would be a pleasure to see your shop in person one of these days. Maybe I could even finally learn a thing or two about how make them myself. I'll work for free and keep my mouth shut"

Newt's benchmade blades and the Striders you were looking at are not forged. They are what is called stock removal. The shape is given by grinding down a piece of stock metal. Forging involves, among other things, a forge. Heat and a hammer do a lot of the shaping of the blade. Like I said. just wanted to add to the confusion.

:D
 
That should be standing proof what a big, fat idiot I am about the knife-making process. Other than the differences in the description, I know nothing about either method. I think I'll sift through the shop talk forum sooner rather than later.

Does anyone know the waiting period for Newt, if any? Also, does he make left-handed sheaths?
 
$12.50 per hour:eek: , thats about $9 more than I am averaging now. Will you pay for relocation:D.
 
Nobody puts out more knife for the money than Newt, IMO. His designs are top notch, his handles fit your hand, and his kydex sheaths are as good as anybody's and better than most.

Oh, and did I mention that he is a master at heat-treating 1095. Folks who think 1095 won't perform should try one of Newt's blades.
 
I've been accumulating Newt's knives for a couple of years. Just recently I've been fortunate enough to acquire some of his knives that I would truly call "custom". The man is a master craftsman. (Newt, I need to send you some pictures). Knives with brass, stag, ebony, all kinds of neat materials. These pieces are all dated in the early nineties, and are works of art that are truly functional. But the cutlery he is producing currently is the best buy on the market today. A carryover from his custom making days. Some of it is simply ingenious, not to mention a hell of a good buy. All I know is that you couldn't do better. By the way, Newt, be careful on the shining path in Peru. Bill
 
Atomic Zero- Newt does indeed make left-handed sheaths. you just need to specify when ordering. How long the wait is depends largely on what you're waiting for.
 
I don't, however, think that how a knife is made should be used to define its quality.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%, particularly if you define quality in terms of the knife's performance actually cutting, chopping, taking and holding an edge, etc. It is quite possible that there are factory knives that excede the quality of some small shops, and there are small shops that excede the quality of some customs. Anything is possible given today's steels and fabrication technologies. Chances are the small shop will have the best of both worlds: enough capital to afford some state of the art equipment, while remaining small enough to pay attention to each knife.

I agree with others here that Newt's knives deliver near the best bang for the buck there is in the knife industry these days.
 
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