productions, what's the point? (fixed blades in particular)

[Shotgun]

You could easily flip this thread around and ask what's the point of customs. I recently bought a custom that was 255 bucks. It is functionally the same as a 15 dollar mora. Price will always be a part of it. At least until quality customs are about 20 bucks.

 

[bpeezer]

I prefer machine made over hand made. That's what I like about high end productions and/or midtechs. Even many custom folders are done at least partially on CNC equipment. The Bradford Guardian series looks pretty dang good, if I could get one designed to my specs that would probably be perfect. Do you offer machine ground blades with CNC handles (maybe carbon fiber or titanium)? I'd love a custom fixed blade done this way, but I've never seen one. Let me know if you make one for the right price and I'll get on your list

 

[GronK]

With productions you know what you're getting. With affordable customs you may get something superior or you may get junk. My personal experience would be a locally made custom that looked fine in "ATS-34" steel until I cut an orange and it turned black. I don't want to sound unappreciative but when a man can sell a hand made knife for $100 he isn't putting much time or expensive materials in it.

 

[AmosPaul]

... but why on earth buy a production fixed blade when every town has a handful of local craftsmen who make quality knives and will sale them at close to materials cost to be able to keep doing it?

Is this really true? I would love to be able to buy from these guys if they exist.

 

[The Jer]

its sorta true i just looked in the exchange makers fixed blade section. most are very reasonable prices and by the looks of them most are very well made.
i agree that some production models are great looking and at a great price. but apparently some knife makes are willing to sell some custom stuff around the 200-300 mark. thats only twice the amount of a nice production model. well depending on the model. as much as i say id like to go custom. i would find it hard to hard use a fixed blade custom when i can treat my production buck like my camping cutting female dog. WOOF. but this thread has definitely opened my eyes to the likelyhood that i may get a custom fixed blade in the not so distant future.

 

[Jhansenak47]

To be honest I am picky. Many customs and production knives don't appeal to me. My last few purchases were a mix of customs and production knives that had been carefully selected. The spyderco southfork, spartan harsey II and fallkniven idun have been excellent knives right there with my customs made by Bona. A lot of high end production fixed blades are made just as good or better than quite a few customs. Some custom makers have impeccable work, others need more practice. Don't put them on a pedestal.

 

[Czechmate]

This thread seems to be headed downhill/anti-custom makers considering everybody here is supposed to be a knife enthusiast...

FWIW, I may never buy a production fixed again; I enjoy the exclusivity of owning 1 of 1 items and having something built to your own specifications is a joy to own and use.

There's great deals to be had right here on the Maker's exchange so I don't understand what people are griping about with regards to price. It's like anything in life; if you want it, you'll make it a priority and save up to get it.

 

[vilePossum]

Seriously, I would love to buy only custom fixed. But here in Germany you will not find any decent quality fixed for under 200€ and we are talking necker/mini size.
So yes, if I'd want for example a bushcraft blade of decent quality I'd have to go with a production model. Sorry.
Also we don't have makers in every other town. It's not to say that we don't have good knife makers, we do have them, but the either make semi production runs or outrageously expensive full customs.
I'd also love to buy from the many great makers in the states, but lack of direct contact, taxes etc. don't make it that attractive.

 

[craytab]

This thread seems to be headed downhill/anti-custom makers considering everybody here is supposed to be a knife enthusiast...

Yes, but look at how this thread started. A custom maker chastising us "supposed" knife nuts about why we would EVER buy a non custom knife and told us price and warranty was not a valid argument. Cuz people on the interwebs love to be told their choices are wrong and how to argue. These situations usually end well....

 

[BenchCo Spydermade]

This thread seems to be headed downhill/anti-custom makers considering everybody here is supposed to be a knife enthusiast...

FWIW, I may never buy a production fixed again; I enjoy the exclusivity of owning 1 of 1 items and having something built to your own specifications is a joy to own and use.

There's great deals to be had right here on the Maker's exchange so I don't understand what people are griping about with regards to price. It's like anything in life; if you want it, you'll make it a priority and save up to get it.

There is nothing wrong with customs. There is something wrong with how this thread seeks through the op to be anti-production. It was asked in a polarizing, bias suggestive manner, not to spur genuine discussion, so it was never uphill to begin with.

 

[MI-FZ6]

I went production because I wasn't sure what I wanted out of a fixed blade. Now that I have a better understanding of what I like and what's useful to me I could justify a custom.

 

[Ankerson]

There are a lot of good knives out there, both Customs and Production in various price points to suit a wide range of people.

So it's one of those Six to One, 1/2 Dozen to another things in the end.

 

[TravisH]

Consistency, predictability, availability, replaceability. And "every town has a handful of local craftsmen" with virtually no reputation to speak of and could be utter flakes as far as I know. And I know you say to ignore price, but when a $20 Mora or $50 Kershaw or $90 Becker will handle every conceivable need I will have for a knife, what's the reason for me to invest 2 to 10 times as much for a custom? When I use a fixed blade, chances are I'm doing something a bit rough-and-tumble and I'm not overly concerned with the aesthetics of my blade. And no matter how willing you are to make something right, how willing are you to work with me if, instead of damaging my knife, I lose it in the woods somewhere or drop it over the side of the boat?

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

That about sums it up very nicely.

The factory production knife is king when it comes to a real world using knife that can be used and even beat on, and can be replaced at the next Dick's you come to. Add in the fact the most peole really don't care about the knife, it's just a tool to the end result like field dressing that deer on opening day. Millions of sportsmen use an off the shelf Buck knife to do what they need to do, and it works fine. It has a generations old reputation for working just fine. Their daddy's used a Buck knife, so it's a known quality. So the question really comes down to it; why bother to spend the money on a custom knife is the factory production Buck knife works so well? The Buck knie is a good example of a knife with a generations old rep for good service. I bought one in 1969 and it gave me 30 years of great service from field dressing deer to cleaning a mess of trout, to camp chores. When it was worn down to a steel toothpick, my better half bought me a new one in 2000. I still use it for fishing and camping, and it works. What kind of custom can I get for the 40 dollars a new Buck 102 woodsman will run me?

And the Buck knife is just one example. Factor in how many Benchmade's, Spyderco's and other well known and respected brands have given the owners such great service, and you have to ask yourself why spend the money on a custom?

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[atavist]

Is this really true? I would love to be able to buy from these guys if they exist.

yup, put an add on craigslists in your area... i met several of my good knifemaker friends this way.

 

[atavist]

There is nothing wrong with customs. There is something wrong with how this thread seeks through the op to be anti-production. It was asked in a polarizing, bias suggestive manner, not to spur genuine discussion, so it was never uphill to begin with.

I appreciate your perspective but actually I just asked the question from my own perspective because I never got why people like mid-techs till the other thread went up... and now I have a better understanding of why guys like productions... Personally I have had a few low end productions, and I was always disappointed... and buying a high end production doesn't compute for me if you can get a custom for a similar price.

I definitely get the "known variable" argument.... as a metallurgy nut I take for granted that not all makers are and that HT may be questionable... and I always thought "life of the smith" was the best warranty possible... but a good point was made about my own mortality vs the longevity of a company....

for my part this has been an educational thread.... that is after all why we are all here I believe.

 

[ichor]

There's great deals to be had right here on the Maker's exchange so I don't understand what people are griping about with regards to price. It's like anything in life; if you want it, you'll make it a priority and save up to get it.

Heh...please let me know if you want to repeat this, if you're ever on S.S. living on under 900 per month. Us poor people like nice knives too, and I recently bought a couple Tops knives (used/like new) for $125 and $40. No hotshit, exotic, overpriced steel, just good ol' dependable, well treated 1095, nearly flawless fit and finish, and well beyond my needs. YMMV...Shrug

 

[BenchCo Spydermade]

I appreciate your perspective but actually I just asked the question from my own perspective because I never got why people like mid-techs till the other thread went up... and now I have a better understanding of why guys like productions... Personally I have had a few low end productions, and I was always disappointed... and buying a high end production doesn't compute for me if you can get a custom for a similar price.

I definitely get the "known variable" argument.... as a metallurgy nut I take for granted that not all makers are and that HT may be questionable... and I always thought "life of the smith" was the best warranty possible... but a good point was made about my own mortality vs the longevity of a company....

for my part this has been an educational thread.... that is after all why we are all here I believe.

Well if I was less than cordial you have my apologies. I also do believe in supporting small business, knives or otherwise. My grail is a nice custom bowie, but Im no where close to attaining it any time soon so the "why ever buy production" kinda stung. We can get mighty passionate around here and people easily get their nipple in a twist over peoples opinions. Looks like it might've been me today! My bad.

 

[Rey HRH]

This post is inspired by Pat's previous post about mid techs....

As a knife maker I'm obviously biased... when you like a custom design and want a knife like it but can only afford a mid tech I get that.... but why production knives? ever?

And don't say price...
My custom blades are fairly priced (not meant as a self-promotion) and I know a handful of local craftsman who make knives just because they love making knives and practically give them away...

Granted with folders there is a certain level of machining involved to get a slick action (that's why I don't make them)... so not talking about high end folders here... but why on earth buy a production fixed blade when every town has a handful of local craftsmen who make quality knives and will sale them at close to materials cost to be able to keep doing it?

As a percentage of your total wardrobe, how much of the clothing that you wear custom-tailored for you or even semi-custom tailored? You have to take out a knife out of your pocket in order to use it and other people to see it. But, unless you walk around naked all day, you put your clothes on and you immediately are using it and other people are seeing it.

And don't say price either because you can get custom-tailored or semi-custom tailored for nearly the equivalent of high quality off-the-rack clothing.

 

[PURPLEDC]

This post is inspired by Pat's previous post about mid techs....

As a knife maker I'm obviously biased... when you like a custom design and want a knife like it but can only afford a mid tech I get that.... but why production knives? ever?

And don't say price...
My custom blades are fairly priced (not meant as a self-promotion) and I know a handful of local craftsman who make knives just because they love making knives and practically give them away...

Granted with folders there is a certain level of machining involved to get a slick action (that's why I don't make them)... so not talking about high end folders here... but why on earth buy a production fixed blade when every town has a handful of local craftsmen who make quality knives and will sale them at close to materials cost to be able to keep doing it?

Folders like you say are a whole different ball game. Still why buy production fixed blades? Well i would argue not all custom makers are created equal. And even if someones wares look decent it doesnt mean they are. And on the flip side of that some customs will look pretty rough around the edges yet may be good working knives. With production knives i know what i am getting and their is a big variety. Sure there are a bunch of guys making knives and selling hem cheap. But when a custom is really cheap i start wondering why. Especially if its really nicely made. There has also been a lot of guys coming out of the woodwork who graduated from the tim britton academy of not making anything and that makes me weary too. For me its a case of well known knifemakers being out of my price range and not enough info on the guys that arent well known. With production knives i know what i am getting.

 

[The cow]

Probably the nicest aspect of production knives is the availability of them, easier to replace, and warranty.
Think of Gerber. Break a BG knife, walk into any place with an outdoors section and theres one there.
ESEE, break it? there probably have stacks on stacks ready to replace it.
Also, you can get the knife RIGHT NOW

Now take small operations.
Most are made to order, so you're stuck for a couple weeks...or even several years.
Lose it, you can't simply replace it
Break it? Depends on the maker, chances are you won't get a new one right away

I love my small productions. Especially because they tend to be beautiful and highly functional. But I'm also going to baby it to some degree. I'm not going to take a winkler in my check in luggage. I'd do it to a ESEE though.