I think what Bruce is saying regarding the good quality factory knife trust issue (long inhale) is that there are alot of one off custom knives that are not "tried and true". This refers to the design as well as the methods used to make them (I will refrain from saying "manufacturing" process
). One could say that many of these custom knives are in the begining of the development stage. It's like buying a car the first year it comes out (or better yet, the prototype before it is even put on the market). It's not going to be tested (for lack of a better word) as much as the model will be several years down the road.
I'm not naive enough to think that the manufacturer/maker won't cut some corners down the road but, overall the knife will almost definitely (how's that for an oxymoron
) be better than the first one.
With all due respect to every custom knife maker, and I say that sincerely, alot of custom knives that I've seen are not good quality/strong/reliable knives. In fact, alot are poor quality. The simple fact that many claim/state "no two are alike" even though they are the same "model" should be some sort of clue (yes, I know Randall also says that). This is just my opinion. Granted, I could say the same thing about the quality of factory knives but, my point (and I think Bruce's point also) is that when you buy a good quality factory knife, you know what to expect. When you buy a one off custom, it's much more dificult. You could easily buy a knife that will break on you. This is especially true if you don't know knives or knifemakers that well and, don't want to or "can't" put the time in researching it. If you want to be more sure and buy from a maker with a well established reputation (and has probably become a manufacturer by this point), you will pay out the a$$ for it and may have to wait for a year or longer.
Oh yeah, I'll give in on the "custom" knifeforum issue regarding certain knifemakers/manufacturers. At least Les agrees that there are alot of knives that people (including all of us) think are custom that are not. I don't think it is as clear cut as alot of people think, due in part to those "perpetrating a fraud". JP, you say limit the forum "to those who take a significant part in making each knife that leaves their shop". My point is that "significant part" can mean alot of things (exactly where are you going to draw the line) ... But, like I said you win.
I don't own any of Chris Reeve's knives but, I think his (or should I say his brand) are the best quality knives there are. I know that quality is a subjective assessment but, what I'm refering to are things like grind symetry, tolerances, strength, etc. not fancy knives using things like exotic natural materials.
Also, I do own a Randall. The purchase was made fairly recently and I at no time thought or expected that it would actually be made by one of the Randall family members (although, after reading Bruce's post, maybe the little guy banged out the blade
). I bought a Model 1. One of the reasons was that when I asked the advise of a friend to help decide which model to buy, he said, "Get the Model 1! Are you kidding me? That thing has been around forever; you know the've got the bugs worked out of it. It's been through wars for ------'s sake!" So to the question, do I consider Randalls to be custom knives (you're going to hate me for saying this but) I will say no. And I have never considered them "custom." In actuality, I think most of the knives that people refer to as custom knives aren't.
Bernie
P.S. I also want to say thanks to everyone (including myself
). I'm glad we could keep this discussion civil.
[This message has been edited by Bernie (edited 16 January 1999).]
