Price For Handmade High-End Fixed Blade Knife

It can get up there depending on factors, especially emotional factors. Cred, established or not, talent, popularity, materials used, artistic inclination, ego, what have you. Some of these makers are celebrities now and fans can and do go wild, for better or worse.

I've been doing this for a while now and I have a lot of these. Adjusted for inflation, you can get a killer handmade using state of the art materials and made by a skilled craftsman for $285-$350 these days. I'd say that's the average range. Less than that is kinda pushing it these days, but they're out there.

Don't confuse popularity with quality. There's overlap, but they're not the same. Plenty of infrequent garage guys on here that are making killer knives. Social media really propelled this craft, culture, and science over the past 15 years. A lot of guys took full advantage of it.
 
25 to 30 years ago I spent $1500 for a collaboration between Keith Kilby, M.S., and Zaza Revishvili. That was the most I ever paid for a fixed blade, and the most expensive knife I have ever gifted.
 
1911bphil said:
Horsewright Horsewright ? What say you, sir? Your knives look like high-end user hunting knives. I droll on my screen when I see them.
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Thank you sir for the kind words. I use to sell one of my Coyote models for $85 including the custom made leather sheath. My intention was to keep em relatively inexpensive for the working cowboy, but the wife says that ship sailed along time ago. I’d say my average now a days is bout $365 which includes the sheath. I think $750 was my top end. I like to think of my knives as still pointed at the working cowboy, rancher, horseman buckaroo, whatever but many certainly crossover into the hunting world too or just an EDC with maybe a lil flair.
 
Subjective of course, but when I think of “high-end” in the hunting knife category, that you mentioned, I immediately think of names like Loveless, S.R. Johnson, George Herron, John Young, D’Alton Holder, Jim Merritt, Rob Brown, Jimmy Lile, and a few others. Some of those knives will definitely set you back a few $$$ for sure. But I also think an individual could get an extremely nice custom hunter in the $500 range as well. I’m not sure if I could really pick up on all the nuances between a basic drop point hunter made by a legend selling for $5k and a $500 knife.
 
ByAnyMeansNecessary said:
Holy Cow, I left that out by design.

The ceiling that I'm asking about is inclusive of all the knives you just mentioned.

If you feel the need to pigeonhole it, let's go with hunting/outdoor knife.
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The most I have paid for a fixed blade from a master smith was $1500 and that was about 13 yrs ago. Same knife sells for much more now. It was absolutely gorgeous and fantastic, but I felt it was too nice to actually use as I planned at my remote cabin and cutting trails. I sold it. My favorite makers have most of what I like for under $500.
 
My most expensive was a Burt Foster I spent around 600 dollars on years ago. That same style knife from him today is going for 800-1100. I use most everything i own (nothing wrong with shelf queens of course) but it would be hard for me now to spend over 1000 on a knife. Sky is literally the limit.
 
ByAnyMeansNecessary said:
Don't you think you are being somewhat obtuse. 😁

What would you consider a ceiling, for you?
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My ceiling seems to get higher as the years go by. Ten years ago I would have never seen myself spending the amount of money on knives as I do today. Also, because I would not have been able to afford it. I would pay for a few certain knives the price of a basic secondhand car. Which also means that I have to drive a car like that, LOL. I would say for a once in a lifetime absolute grail knife (a Loveless for example) I would pay around 10k if my financial situation would allow it at the time of purchase. The most I have paid for a knife is 3k (worth every penny :D)
 
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