Opinions of makers who've made knives according to your needs and specs

bodog

bodog

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What are your favorite makers who took your needs, specifications, and/or design concepts into account prior to making a knife specifically tailored for you?

Sorry NJBillK for kind of derailing your thread by trying to get people to clarify the types of makers they were recommending. Trying to make it right by creating a thread without the clutter.

NJBillK said:
My three (fantastic) experiences have been with John of JK Knives and Milan Mozolic and Nighthaxan/Suwanee knife. Each one of them took what I had in mind and made it a reality.

Nighthaxan/Suwanee: I had "My" knife made. It fits my hand perfectly, and suits my needs from this knife directly. It may have taken a few weeks and drawings back and forth and one complete trashing of a knife that didn't come out right by Nighthaxan/Suwanee! How is that for dedication to a customers wants?!

JK Knives: I own 4 of John's creations, one was of my design and 3 were modifications of his standard models to sit my needs and preferences. I currently have Another one currently in the works by John and one more on paper that I pitched to him and that should be completed around Christmas.

Milan Mozolic: I saw a model of his that was exactly what I was looking for at the moment, but I needed it changed around a bit for my jobs demands. He took what I asked of him and made it a reality and threw a hamon on it for good measure. Regarding the Hamon, I simply asked if it was a possibility to go ahead and he surprised me with what I had received in the mail. It was what I had asked for, while being that much more at the same time.
Fantastic!
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What I think makes a Custom knife maker is someone who makes knives from scratch and is willing to take a customers preferences, wants and make them a reality. By taking the time to speak with a customer and find out what they are going to use the knife for and how they treat their tools to get the best lifespan and utility it of "Their" new knife.

To me, a Custom knife maker is only half of the equation and the Customer is the second half. When you take someone who makes quality knives and add to that the capacity to take an idea from a customers mind and bring it to life while keeping his/her own preferences secondary unless the customer wants the input.

There are Knife Makers and Custom Knife Makers, the only difference lies in the input from the customer on the design. Both Craftsmen are talented in their own right and neither should be looked at as greater than the other.
-I just prefer to have input on "My" knife.

Still looking forward
Big Chris, Backwoods Customs and Nathan the Machinist too.
Click to expand...
 
Mikkel Willumsen made me a Tuco folder and when it was finished, he was not pleased with it so he made me another. He said he wanted this folder, just-right. And, he made it exactly the way I wanted it made. Thank you, Mikkel
rolf
 
Honestly, I have have always been pretty content with the standard handmade knives rather than getting something made special for me. I find that my likes and dislikes are pretty typical. The only reason I would have a knife made special for me is to have custom filing or engraving done for the most part.
 
When I lived in Okinawa Japan they had some really restrictive knife laws. David Mosier made my wife and I a pair of smaller knives loosely based on another one of his designs. The top knife in the pic is the original knife of his that I had, the smaller two are the ones he made specifically for me. This, of course, was before he became hugely popular and stopped taking custom orders. :) Nice to work with though. The two smaller knives weren't ordered at the same time, which is why they look slightly different. I ordered mine, and once she saw it my wife decided she wanted one too.

 
Chase Axinn for fixed blades. He is one of those rare makers who does everything handmade, uses all sorts of steels and handle materials, and will make a knife exactly to a customer's specs.
 
Jack O'Neill and John Kiedaisch [JK Knives] have both made excellent custom knives to my specifications.
 
J.Oeser made me an XL Gunstock to my specs. He had drawn me up a Grandad Barlow pattern, until I changed my mind (something to do with my wife mocking the fact that I had a few grandad Barlows and that I should try a new pattern).

Size, blade shapes, long pull, handle materials, blade materials etc were all discussed.
 
Alan Davis and Walter Wells have both been great to work with. Great communication and attentive to my input. There is nothing like carrying a piece that you played a part in the creation of. I am sure I will have another from both of these gents eventually. Russ
 
Alan Davis made my dream folder, and I bought two of his creations he made before it, to test different principles of my knife design. When I saw them on the exchange I thought that might have been a reason, and I'm glad to have them, as all three are very different but have a common link!! A great man to deal with!!

Can't wait (but happily will) for Don Hanson to get to my name!!
 
Will Leavit
Rob Johnson
Jeff Mutz

All three were easy to work with, available to work with, overlooked me being anal about things and did impeccable work.
 
oh snap how I would love to own me an Oeser...trouble is it seems that the only way to get a Oeser any more is to try and win one thru an auction. So I keep trying and to no avail. I don't get the auction thing... if you ask me its cray cray...
 
John Lloyd - made exactly what I wanted , delivered it early and this knife impresses me every time I use it ( going on like 5 years now ).
 
I can't say enough about Charles (nighthaxen) Roddenberry of Suwannee River Knife and Jewelry, and his wife Jordan. I have over 20 pcs made by Charles and each time he listens to what I want, and makes what I want. Charles has a website and provides a workable phone number. When he can't answer, his wife Jordan can help with all matters and she is quite the Sheath maker. Sadly, a lot of folks think Charles makes Lime Cutters and bottle openers, but his Knife making skills are second to non and he supports the outlaw side of life and is very open minded to new ideals and never offers a fast "no", pure gentleman.

About a year ago, after buying several custom knives in the exchange from several of the same makers again and again, ( owning at least 3 of their offerings ), I requested one such Maker to duplicate a knife he had sold several times on the exchange and I had missed. I was quickly told that "HE" made what he wanted to, PERIOD. Well, I spend my money how and where I want to and I will no longer support any Maker who adopts that attitude. I made it clear that time was not an issue, and I was willing to wait as long as it took.

Mr. Drew on this forum, from Ashville NC also has unreal talent and goes the extra mile. IMO, he never charges enough and his work is spot on.

James Terrino has never designed a knife as such for me, but his style and craftsmanship, fit my likes as good as anyone making items for "over the exchange" type sales. I would own EVERY knife he makes, could I afford them. His quality is such that you will NEVER wear a blade out or damage it, regardless as to how hard you think you can use it. The two I have from James remain unstoppable and the comfort of using them is outstanding. James also included some extras with the knives after the sale and has always replied to comments or questions like a professional. Again the Sheaths he provides equal the standard set by the blades he sells.
 
I have used 2 of our forum members to build knives for me.
My first experience was with Robert Carter. He is a hell of a guy. I can not say enough good things about this member. He is one of BF's finest. His communication was over the top. He asked me questions and sent pics to help me create what I wanted. I was a newb and didn't know anything at the time.....he helped me tremendously!! This guy has MAD skills!!!!

My second experience was Garrison Knives (member gimmejr). I ordered 2 knives from this member after I had more knowledge of knives and could appreciate what I had. Great to deal with. Very quick turn around, and a real pleasure to deal with. One knife was a wedding gift and it is a BEAUTIFUL piece of work. Fit and finish is absolutely beautiful.
 
hmmm, he might not be amongst those premium knife makers with world wide reknown, but forum member lx_emergency / Alexander Noot comes to my mind. Why? because he is doing just that what the op wrote about in the entry post. be it a "lowly" file knife or a wootz hunter, he will listen to what the customer wants and try to serve that while at the same time offering his experience in the process.
 
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