Ordering a custom...

corwise

corwise

Joined
Nov 10, 2006
Messages
1,408
In the past six months I've tried four times to order a custom knife. Failed all four times from disinterest from the maker. Trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Should I just mail them a check and see if they pay attention then? Not going to put in names, but this has been my attempts/results:

1. Sent email found on custom maker web site. Responded saying he could make the custom. When I responded asking a few more clarifying questions, never responded again.

2. Emailed maker off of web site. No response.

3. Contacted maker on phone (this maker does production and custom) was told to contact the custom guy by email. No response after several emails.

4. Contacted maker on phone. Was told that his web site info was outdated and he only made knives for shows now, no more orders. This one wasn't as big of a deal as he we extremely polite and up front about it, but it would have been nice if he updated his web site (last date was 2005).


I'm not trying to whine, just trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong here.

Dave
 
Its a waiting game, just wait until one agrees to make your knife then tells you the turn around time is over 2yrs :D. They are normally very busy and back logged with orders
 
I expect you would have better luck with some of the makers who regularly post their knives on the For Sale By Maker section.

And you're likely to get better answers if one of the moderators can move this post to the Custom Knives forum section.

Good Luck!
 
There may be a lot of reasons for their failure to respond to you and I could speculate but it would be just that, speculation. They should have gotten back to you if they are advertising.

I see that you are in Choctaw. I'm over in Piedmont and there are a lot of great makers around here. If you haven't found something you like or can't find someone to build what you want let me know and I can get you in touch with some great guys around here.

Probably your best bet locally will be in Sept. There will be a knife show on south Meridian put on by the Knife Group Assoc. of Oklahoma. Check out theknifegroup.com. You can get information about the show and also a list of a lot of makers there as well.

Don't overlook the knives being made by makers on this forum as well. Keep an eye on the makers for sale section for some outstanding knives.

If you have any other questions feel free to e-mail me at sdsknifeworks@sbcglobal.net.

SDS
 
Are you looking to get a knife of your design made, or are you wanting a knife that is designed by the maker? Some makers don't like working from a customers design. Even if that is the case, the makers should not have just blown you off.

My experiences with custom knifemakers has been just the opposite of yours. Though I have run into a couple of makers that were terrible at communicating, I have had very positive dealings with the vast majority.
 
i would call the guy on the phone lotsa 'smiths dont do well with email.

i WOULD NOT just send him a check, never pay up front for a custom, never, a legit 'smith wont ask ya too anyway. a small % for special materials is ok, but never pay up front for a custom.

unless it was something i really wanted with features not avai;lable elsewhere if i had too much trouble getting ahold of someone i would just go someplace else, of course some 'smiths are really busy, with a very high demand for there stuff, they can be hard to get ahold of, ya just gotta keep trying, but imho thats not a problem with most 'smiths, just guys like onion, mayo, emerson, blackwood, snody/etc.
 
I feel that in 2008 if a professional is unwilling or unable to use his or her website and other offered lines of communication, then he or she is unwilling or unable to take my money.

I would say that unless a cloud will darken over your life, your dog will leave you and your wife will find another man if you are not able to get a knife from that particular maker, move on to another maker that is happy and cheerful to take your money in return for a well made knife, and does not make you jump through umpteen hoops and perform circus tricks to do so.

There are only a few people in any field that have earned the right to have customers fight for the right to purchase their products or services. Many others will pretend they have earned that right, and with those people I pretend I care.
 
If you want a custom made knife, as long as it's either a Buck 110 Folding Hunter or Alpha Hunter fixed blade, Buck's 'Custom Shop' will make you one with a choice of blades, bolsters, handles, sheaths, etc - and engrave it, even. Prices are a tad up from last year, but delivery spoils you - 2 to 8 weeks. And... they don't hit your card until it's shipped. Nice folks, too, up there in ID. The middle below is a BG-42 blade/Ni-Ag bolsters/orange Fiji wood scales, the bottom is teardrop Damascus/Ni-Ag bolsters/flaming Koa wood. The top one is a Cabela's 'Alaskan Guide' 110 with an Al-Ti-N coated S30V blade.

IMG_0269-1.jpg


Stainz
 
Don't know exactly what it is you have in mind, but I'd definitely give the smiths who post here in the "knifemakers for sale" section a look. Some of the pieces they have turned out (especially over the past few months) are nothing short of stunning; the ones I have dealt with are honorable craftsmen and gentlemen who have been very responsive and easy to work with. Have a blade on order with Landi Knives now, he keeps me updated regularly. Some of them do carry quite a backlog of work, but the good ones should (and likely will) be responsive and keep you updated. Check them out :thumbup:
 
bobofish said:
I feel that in 2008 if a professional is unwilling or unable to use his or her website and other offered lines of communication, then he or she is unwilling or unable to take my money.

I would say that unless a cloud will darken over your life, your dog will leave you and your wife will find another man if you are not able to get a knife from that particular maker, move on to another maker that is happy and cheerful to take your money in return for a well made knife, and does not make you jump through umpteen hoops and perform circus tricks to do so.

There are only a few people in any field that have earned the right to have customers fight for the right to purchase their products or services. Many others will pretend they have earned that right, and with those people I pretend I care.
Click to expand...

+1, I'm at the point where I'd rather get one from a dealer and pay the markup just so I don't have to deal with the actual makers.
 
I'm about 50/50 with folks in the custom and semi/custom world. Some didn't bother to respond at all to email/phone, some responded quickly and concisely. As others have mentioned there is so much out there and available with todays browsing technology, shows, etc. there is no reason to give it a second though.

On the flip side, think about it from the makers viewpoint, they sell knives for x dollars. Lets say for 200 to 600 for many user customs (non art). This takes time, materials, etc. They also have to deal with a myriad of inquiries of 'how much' which takes time away from the production end of the business. Perhaps, even though we think what we want is valuable and desirable, we aren't necessarily the type of customer that type of make 'wants' for a variety of reasons, e.g. design is more time intensive, huge backlog already, little profit margin, one offs are less efficient than batches, etc.

This happens in all businesses. I had the same hassles with a 8k landscaping job. Most didn't think it was worth bothering.
 
I think it might be better to go to a show & talk to them face to face, & get them when they're not so rushed & busy. If there's a deposit you can pay it in cash.

The last knife I bought, I had dealt with the maker before & trusted him, so I paid him the entire amount upfront in cash, & he gave me about $100 discount in return. He still delivered in a reasonable time.
 
It all depends on what type of knife you are looking to have made for you. As SDS said we will have a free knife show September 20 and 21 at the Holiday Inn Airport 2101 S.Meridian in Okalhoma City. If you would like more information you can go to our website www.theknifegroup.com and check out our members in the area. It also shows who has already reserved tables and what you can expect to be there. We have a very diverse group of people and you should be able to see something that would satisfy you. If you need more information you can contact me through the website. Mike Miller
 
I agree with everyone saying if they don't want to bother answering me, then they don't get my money. :) It's simple capitalism, and I'm over it. I guess I was more curious if this was common or unique? I've found other ways to spend my money, including buying several off of this site (some very nice things too), and will continue to do so. Just wondering what the "standard" was out there.

Argel55 and SDS: Thanks for the info on the Oklahoma Knife Group Association. I'll definitely make your Sept show, assuming the military doesn't send me off again. :)
Dave
 
Last edited:
There is no real standard in any field of hand-crafted stuff. You get the entire range from extremely professional, extremely high quality makers through mostly professional, mostly high quality makers, down all the way to total buffoons and scammers who either don't know how to treat customers, and/or don't know how to make what they're selling properly.

As with most things in life, the majority is somewhere in the middle, and one thing about most handcrafters is that they tend largely to be very decent people who usually try to go out of their way to be decent, but sometimes fail for one reason or another. Oftentimes their failure is caused by the common confusion of hobby and livelyhood.

Having a website and not updating, maintaining or responding to inquiries made on it is almost always a red flag to me of trouble. Makers who are simply too busy because they rock should advertise as such. Blackwood is a fine example of this; on his website he has plenty of pic's, he makes awesome products, he's very highly respected, and is so backlogged that you'd be lucky to get one of his knives in 5 years at any price. On his website he clearly and concisely states "not taking orders at this time." That's fair and decent, and does not lead to confusion.

Most makers are not backlogged for five years, and they need more customers. Not responding to requests, not keeping books, and not paying taxes are all equal signs of unprofessionalism, and those people need to either learn how to run a business, hire someone to do so, or find another day job and enjoy their hobby.

My advice is to purchase from makers who do not beg for your business, but also do not make you provide your bloodtype and first born child in order to take the order. A professional maker should be eager for business, but not desperate. He or she should have a reasonable pricing structure, a reasonable and clear time frame of completion and delivery, and be willing to make reasonable accomodations to reasonable requests. It goes without saying that the he or she should be competent in his or her craft, and should offer valid and independent testimonials upon request, unless he or she is already well known and respected.

There are plenty of such people on this forum, plenty around on the internet, and plenty available to speak with at knife shows and the like. There's no reason to deal with buffoons, life is far too short.
 
OilMan said:
+1, I'm at the point where I'd rather get one from a dealer and pay the markup just so I don't have to deal with the actual makers.
Click to expand...

I guess it all depends on the experiences one has had. I feel just the opposite. I only purchase directly from makers, because I find it by far the most enjoyable to get a knife.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top