Recommendation? Popular knife styles now

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Jul 18, 2018
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Hello, I am a relatively new knifemaker, both new to the craft and new to marketing blades. I do stock removal knifemaking. I am looking to find what styles of knives are the most popular right now. I live in a community that highly encourages hunting and fishing. I am planning to make a couple of knives and sell them via social media and my local farmers market. Ultimately, I guess I am asking for a recommendation from any higher experienced bladesmith as to what blades are currently selling for a fair price?
Please if you have a recommendation post a picture being either a sketch of, a blank of, or a finished product of the recommendation.
 
You need to stay away from talk about selling knives unless you have a Knifemakers membership level.

It is fine to discuss current knife preferences.

I would say that the latest craze is high quality kitchen knives. Japanese style kitchen knives are also popular.
The drop point hunter is a classic, and when well made is popular.
Big knives seem to be fading in popularity.
 
Ask 10 different makers, get 10 different answers.

Make what You want to make.

Maybe even eleven.....


I agree with kuraki, I think its market driven. Don't sell chef knives to hunters and hunters to chefs. Make what you like and sell em to folks that will find em useful. If you have personal knowledge and street cred in that deal it helps. A lot.
 
That's true. No cowboys would buy a cowboy knife from me. My only hat got burned in a campfire at Country Jam. But back country campers and hunters do.
 
Sounds like you are a young knife maker in need of some guidance. Most knife makers have lots of knives and designs that they want to try.

Design is one of the harder aspects of knife making to learn. Lots of new guys copy Bob Loveless with good success. The dropped hunter is a good place to start.

Find an established knife maker in your area and see if he will help. Fill out your profile and a member here will probably help you.

Hoss
 
Oh. Yes. If that's the case please copy something, get good at it, get a good understanding of why it's popular, then apply that to new designs. You're not going to break any new ground in a market that's been maturing for longer than written word. I have a work history of design and manufacturing and my original designs were just stupid, until I did the above. I mean they really sucked.
 
Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I believe the common consensus is make what I want to make and know your audience.
 
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Exactly. I don't expect most to even know whats going on here (Hoss probably does cause its mostly a NV, kinda deal anymore):

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And no its not castration. But I do make a knife perfect for the job. Cause thats my deal.
 
Asking everyone else what knives you should make is a good way to make knives that nobody wants.
While the advice is rough and tough and leaves a bit of a bitter taste in your mouth, it is well appreciated. Going to consider all of the above tips and guidance in the knives I make from here on out.
Thank you all for your input.
 
When I first started, I just tried a couple designs that were simple and useful knives like a drop point hunter and paring knife. I definitely agree to use designs that are proven already because I made some that just weren’t very useful after I got them finished. After I made several for family/friends and got better, I started getting asked to make some and let their requests dictate what I made. Most were small everyday/cowboy knives or hunters. Now I’m to the point where I make several EDC, hunters, cutters, etc that are popular in each batch and then throw in a few new blades that I want to try out. So by just learning and getting established led to figuring out what is popular for my area.
 
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