Question about buying from new knifemaker

toaster burn

toaster burn

Joined
Apr 9, 2007
Messages
352
Would you take a chance on this knife?

I was browsing a local craft store with my wife yesterday, and I noticed a display of custom made knives. I found one of them very attractive: great blade profile with denim micarta handles. It was also very sharp (nice distal taper), fit my hand well, and the asking price was $130 which is lower than a lot of the custom knives I see on the forum. I've been wanting an edc fixed blade with some character, so I tracked down the bladesmith and asked a few questions and this is what I found out:

-the knife was made via stock removal
-the knife maker is relatively new to knife making
-it's 01 steel
-no real testing has been done for edge retention or hardness

So how much of a risk would buying this knife be? I'm worried about the edge mostly, can't think of any way to test it before buying it though...
 
Looks good. And according to you, it feels good in the hand. Cannot go wrong with a classic drop point. Character along the spine. Reasonable price considering you are purchasing retail and not directly from the maker. I would probably drop the buck thirty and support the shop and the maker. If the blade fails unexpectedly, you can offer constructive use feedback. His product is improved, you get an opportunity to call out custom features in the future...
 
If no testing has been done, how does he feel comfortable selling a knife. He has no idea how it will perform...

I have made knives for myself and family out of 1084. The first few I made I have beaten into the ground and all, but my very first, of my test blades have been beaten to the point of failure.
I know what will cause my knives to:
- Conical chip out from concrete, brass, or batonning frozen pine knots or too thin of a cross section at the shoulders.
- Rolling from cutting overly abrasive materials (fiberglass laden duct work or straps, et al).
- Micro chipping from chopping contact with intentionally soiled lumber and old dirty 4x4s...

If he doesn't know what his knives can take,
- How would you know what to expect, performance wise?
- How would you know if he was going to stand by his product and not just say, "Oh, that was abuse and I can't cover that."?
- Does he have a reputation to stand by, or just a friend of his saying he does good work?

Sorry to be a bit of a downer, but I am wary when someone wants my money and can't back up his goods with definitive statements as to what I am buying and why I should buy it.
 
You could get back in touch with him and ask more questions... specifically along the lines Bill has suggested. Has he made a knife that he's used? How did it perform? Does he offer a guarantee?

Every knife maker starts out at the beginning, so supporting the good ones (notice, I said "the good ones") is a good thing to do. Since he's new at this, I would think that he'd be willing to answer more questions to help get his reputation established. If he seems defensive or reluctant to answer, I'd walk away. Otherwise, if I liked the knife and his answers, I'd be willing to pay the price to get one.
 
Make another call and ask more questions. Get a feel for the guy. Is he serious about knife making, or is this a one time kinda hobby thing??
Definitely dig a bit deeper into the warranty he offers. I like the fact he was honest about the process he used. He could've been like so many others we've seen and charge $500 for a 'custom' forged, one of a kind, unobtainium......you get the picture.
$130 might be worth it to take a shot on the knife if you love it. I think it looks pretty good and if I was in your shoes, I would probably pick it up!
Let us know what you decide!
Joe
 
I did ask a few more questions and just got a response:

He doesn't carry fixed blades, so he hasn't carried his own knives, but he does use some in the kitchen and said the blade edge would be more likely to roll than chip (so I guess that means the steel isn't particularly hard?), but he hasnt noticed any rolling before.

He also said that if the knife was ever damaged that he would fix or replace it.
 
Is he local? Ask to come over and use one of his knives to evaluate edge retention and heat treat? It could either be an inconvenience or interesting.

There's just no way of telling from here.
 
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