SELLING BLADES UNSHARPENED?

P

PENGUIN

Joined
Jun 25, 1999
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I have two questions for makers & purchasers of custom knives(I would like to have both Chris Reeve & Randall included for the sake of this discussion - don't want to get into that issue!):

1) Do you ever sell knives unsharpened or without a finished edge and why if you do?

2) If you purchased a custom knife from a maker or dealer and found the blade unsharpened what would you do?

The reason I ask is I recently purchased a hunter made by a well-known Master Smith and the blade was completely unsharpened. I really liked the knife and had no problems with it other than not being sharpened so I was in a quandry as to whether it escaped by accident or was intentionally left unsharpened so the purchaser could put his own edge on it. I thought this might be an interesting topic for discussion.

Bill
 
I do not make knive so I cannot answer the first question.

As a customer I like the new knife as sharp as possible. If I get knife which is not sharp enough and I intend to keep it - I will sharpen it. If I decide to sell it I leave it as is.

I have also heard/read (while in US) that knives in Europe are sold dull - so the owner can put on the edge he likes. I am from Europe and I have never heard of such a thing here.

David
 
I wouldnt buy an unsharpened knife. Im assuming the M.S. you purchased the knife from gave you a reason it wasnt sharpend? I really dont understand this, as to me sharpening the knife is "the finishing touch" and besides that it is probably the most satisfying part of making for me. It concludes alot of hard work.

Ive seen makers having "bare blades" for sale at shows, but they were finished to customer spec. and sharpened.

So my answer would be no to buying an unsharpened knife and as a maker no to selling one. Just dont make sense to me.

While we are on this topic, i was shocked at how many knives i handled at the Guild Show they were sharpened but still dull ;-)
 
I have heard of this, and usually the reasoning is that the customer will put on the edge they desire. I don't agree.

I might put racing tires on my car. I might put on snow tires. But I don't expect to be sold a car with no tires because of this. A good edge is the hallmark of the maker's pride, and I feel every knife should leave the shop as sharp as possible.

If I were sold a knife with no edge, I'd simply put on one it with a belt sander. No prob, I have a shop. But does everyone? The only way to put that initial bevel on properly is with power tools I don't expect my customers to have.

In short, I understand why this is done but I do not agree with it.

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-Corduroy
"Why else would a bear want a pocket?"

Little Bear Knives
Drew Gleason:
adg@student.umass.edu
 
With one exception, I always sell knives that are sharp. The one exception was when I finished a knife late one night before a show. I didn't have time to sharpen it, so I took it along just to show. One guy wanted it it so bad, and wanted to try out his Lansky so bad, he forced me to sell it to him. I knocked a little off the price and we both left happy.

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Matt Harildstad
Knifemaker
www.planet.eon.net/~matth
matth@planet.eon.net

 
I would never sell one of my knives unsharpend I like to test the edge for the main reason secondary I want to be able to tell and show the customer how sharp my knives are I had a guy tell me this weekend at the Mesquite gun show that he didn't sharpen his knives because he had a child get cut and his mother threatend to sue him because of it which is why I dont like to see unattended children at show's .
 
I would never sell one of my knives unsharpend I like to test the edge for the main reason secondary I want to be able to tell and show the customer how sharp my knives are I had a guy tell me this weekend at the Mesquite gun show that he didn't sharpen his knives because he had a child get cut and his mother threatend to sue him because of it which is why I dont like to see unattended children at show's .

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tbark
 
There is one style of knife i make that is always (quiet) unsharpened and has a completely blunt point. It is a knife i make for children at the age of 3 to 5 years old. They are made in the same way as my other knives, forged, heat treated and so on, so when the kids grow up and learn about handling them, i can sharpen the edge for whittling and, later yet, grind a point on it. Sort of creating new knife addicts.

All my other knives are convex ground and verrrry sharp.

Achim
 
Me and a very high end collector discussed this subject once. I make some very fancy decorated knives that, while they could be used, are meant for display. I asked him if he thought I should leave them dull, or go ahead and sharpen them. He said some people absolutely will not buy a high end knife that has been sharpened. Personally, I don't even consider it a knife until it's sharp, but I guess what it comes down to is, if the customer wants it sharp sharpen it, if not, don't. Thats another tough question. Do you always do as the customer asks? Also, does never sharpened mean absolutely never, or only by the maker? Take care! Michael

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
 
I've heard a few interesting conversations
lately with knifemakers about the possibility of knives being displayed at shows being unsharpened because of the frequency of people cutting themselves. I hope it doesn't come to that. A lot of people are putting signs on their tables warning that the knives are sharp. It will be interesting to see what happens after a few lawsuits. I hope we never see that day but ya never know.
It wouldn't be a problem for people like Reeves that can have unsharpened display knives but could be a real problem for custom knifemakers.
 
When it comes to high end collectibles that will be put in display cases, many collectors do not like them sharp, since they will cut the lining in the case.

I would never buy a user that is not sharp, though.

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
 
For me as a customer and collector, to buy a knife unsharpened would be the same as buying a gun without a trigger.
Even though the knife will probably never be used it is not complete till it is sharp.
 
In my Openion and as far as my knives are concerned They Will Be Sharp if the person that buy's it want's it dull I am sure he can find a rock or a file to dull it on ,Once at the Dallas Show I had a fellow that came by my table with his son and we were talking and I told the boy not to touch 2 times and his father told him to leave them alone and but he would not and cut himself his dad just told him well I guess next time you will listen to me
 
You might want to call up the fellow who made the knife and ask him if he just made a mistake and sent the knife out one step too soon...:-)

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www.wilkins-knives.com


 
I sure hope the knife industry doesn't get so polliticaly correct that we have to sell or buy knives that don't do what they were intended to do. I want knives that cut.

And we need to teach our children that "guns are always loaded" and "knives are always sharp" or treated as if they were.

John Yeackley
 
As for a course of action Kevin Wilkins has the right Idea. To answer your question ,I'll quote my hillbilly cousin. "If it ain't sharp it ain't a knife, it's a stick"

Take Care,
GaryB
 
I agree with Kevin the maker must have just missed that one. Don't see how but stranger things have happened.

Even a high end display knife should be sharp if it cuts the lining change up the display a bit.

Gary B, I sure like that quote, would like to use it a bit if you do not mind. What a hoot!
jf
 
Thanks all for the replies, enjoyed every one - I just wanted to make sure my reaction was reasonable - the knife in question somehow just slipped out a little too early - this in no way has changed my opinion of the maker & I definately will be getting something of his at a later date. Gary, I like that quote! Jerry, since you are in here, I love that pretty little hunter of yours & it DEFINATELY could never be called "a stick" - man! that is real sharp! I think in about 3 years though I will find out what sharp really is.

Thanks Again!
Bill
 
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