Should Knife makers be able to have the final say on their knife quality?

G

Gunner

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Hey all I got in trouble in my earlier post so I'll reword it! Who agrees with me some knife makers have themselves seeing no ones blade equal or better than theirs! This really make me MAD! I wont name names but i feel that instead of all the knife makers sayin i am the best buy from me, they should get people to review their products and have their endoursement on the blade. After saying that i commend Busse, they had Ron Hood do a write up on their new battle mistress. He did a great job and did not give a biased review. I would also like to thank Jeff Randall, he does a great job with his reviews, and i thank him for being so helpful. So i hope no one closes this thread. Please give me your opinion. Thanks!!!
 
I, as a small time knife maker, think that the customer should get the final say in Whats quality and Whats not. As he will be the one buying it. As for makers that shoot thier mouths off about thier knives? Grow up. If your knives are so good than why are you the one braging about them and not your customers?

Sincerely,
Adam

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Self improvement is a hobby of mine :).

 
When it's all said and done,the ELU's (US)have the final say in the quality of a knife.A maker or company is nothing without consumers willing to trust their products.It really is simple as that.IMO of course!
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Later,

Bobby
 
I don't mean to criticize you Gunner, but I'm not clear as to what you point is. Don't you as the knife buyer decide about the quality of a maker's knife?

 
my point is that i am sick of a certain maker shootin off his mouth, sayin that he is the best and his knives are all you need!!! It makes me sick!
 
In the free market, the customer ultimately decides.

As for a maker who loudly asserts the quality of his own work -- well, if his claims aren't true, then he's going to end up with the proverbial egg on his face when the truth comes out.

One nice thing about the Internet is the speed and ease with which that sort of information circulates.

Chuck
 
Gunner, I guess you're still referring to "that company." Though I don't criticize them explicitly, I tend to agree with you and accept that their attitude makes me refrain from buying more knives from them. Their products are O.K., some are pretty good, but definitely not the only choice.

If one is confident in his/her products, service, or craftmanship, why the need to attack others?

I would like to refer to a particular knifemaker, Jerry Fisk. Some times ago we had in Bladeforums a very interesting discussion about Bowie knife. Jerry could explain very well and clear his experience and knowledge, while when he mentioned another maker like Bill Bagwell, he talked with high regards and respect. Never once that he referred to himself as the best. And that's the true quality of National Living Treasure!

Dew.

 
Boy, am I glad I read a few comments before I made this reply. Here I was thinking that maybe some one wanted a knife before it had been detailed out so they could get it a little cheaper. Maybe worse, wanted a product that was unatainable or beyond the makers capabilities. I firmly believe that a knife maker will have the final word on the finished product. His customer base will determine if he stays in business for very long. Word of mouth advertising is the best but not the fastest. Any one can go to a knife show and look around. If there is more than one table, there may be a difference of opinion on who is best. NUF Said. Ray Kirk
 
Not that I think that the unnamed makers knife are the best, but have you looked into the claims made to see if they are bull. I missed the first part of this post so I am not even sure whom you are referring to.

Drac noroc
 
Well, his name and his knives, or his Japanese contractor's knives as the case may be.

I have no time for totally overblown hype about knives myself, not from anybody. Excellent knives are being made by hundreds of makers in thousands of styles. But I won't let hype steer me away from a great knife either. Take the Busse for example. Seems like he is trying to take the lead in the bombastic knife advertising league, but I am going to buy a Basic anyway, cuz' I have to give INFI a try, provided they ever do become available for immediate delivery from a dealer somewhere.

My advice, Gunner, just look the other way and put it behind you. The hype is only as important as the listener makes it.

Harv
 
Gunner: I have to agree with raker here in that the maker is the one who puts as much quality into his knife as he can, but, the ultimate arbiter of that quality is the customer who decides with his money. A reputaion for craftsmanship and customer service is not granted from on high but earned over years of hard work. I don't know who, specifically, you are referring to in your post but I would surmise that whether that person were making knives or pushcarts, his hyperbole about the greatness of his product would be the same. I see that more as a character flaw of his personal insecurity, rather than a testament to his work. I have always believed that the quality of a person's products should speak for itself, be it ever so softly.
 
Am I missing something here? Isn't this just a plain and simple Advertising and Marketing play?

Turn on the TV, you'll see it in car commercials, dish detergent, asprin, shampoo. The list goes on. They're trying to sell PRODUCT.....there's no underlying conspiracy to take over the "Knife world" or anything.

For every person like you who flips out over it, there are others that might say "wow, I think I'll check one of those out.....". And thats what it's all aboout?......getting some attention.

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Clay G.
www.balisongxtreme.com


 
Since the first thread Gunner started was locked, now the discussion here remains vague. A few forumites don't know or are not sure whom he was talking about, esp when the term "makers" were used. The original thread refered to a well-known production brand name.

It is true that a catalog, like most advertisement, is designed to attract attention. New customers may buy a knife based on how many ropes it cut or how many people it could hang. I heard a couple of comments that as long as the product was fine, waranty O.K, the company not cheating, we didn't need to pay much attention to what they have to say. That's acceptable to a degree. Besides we know better that there is indeed not much in their hype. Nowadays a lockback is not the strongest folder on earth, and the "formidable" Sanmai steel is nothing but AUS8 sandwiched between 420 stainless.

Had it been in that locked thread, I would have commented something in more detail. There is more on this company's advertising program that turns a few of us away. Ex. the relentless attack on a magazine just because "my product is the best but why I never appear on the cover." Moreover, James Mattis himself, I believe, knows well what is normally said in their catalog is the direct opposite to the "karma cut" that he likes to advocate. This martial art stuff is kinda off-topic from knives so I don't want to elaborate. I stopped buying theirs completely after reading a column attacking Ed Fowler.
I had enough.

Yeah, right it's just a catalog after all. My fault may be that I got one of Bob Engnath's and might like it too much. Bob's catalog was not for free, but he literally told a reader honestly everything he knew. I guess if you have some talents and equipments you may not even need him anymore. That $5.00 was my all time best investment.

Dew.

 
Well, we might as well name names.

Lynn Thomson of Cold Steel is indeed loud and egotistical. No question. But that same "pit bull attitude" gives the company the "guts" to try a huge number of different projects.

Look at Benchmade's catalog: a whole pile of 3" to 4" folders, one fixed blade, and some limited production BaliSongs. Compare to Cold Steel's. Megafolders, swords, shovels, tactical folders, high-end limited-production GOOD repro Tantos, tons of fixed blades, the Safekeepers, rescue series folders, plus what can only be described as "weird $hit". Not all top hits, but much of value.

Now granted, that incredible variety is from outsourced production. But Spyderco does the same thing, and doesn't do anywhere near the variety.

To their credit, REKAT is pure internal-US-production like Benchmade and is doing a broader variety of goodies. But would they have done the Sifu unless people had already gotten the "megafolder bug" via the CSVG? I doubt it. Cold Steel proved the feasability of the concept, and for the lower price the VG is still a damn good defensive option.

Annoying or not, we're better off with Lynn and CS around...and I'd recommend some of their pieces for someone looking for reliable defense on a budget, such as the Scimitar, 5" and 6" class lockbacks.

Jim March
 
Jim,
Thank's you just saved me a bunch of typing. I couldn't agree more with your view's on Cold Steel. I alway's felt that CS fill's many of the void's with quality product's that most other's just don't offer.




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~Keith~
"War to the knife and knife to the hilt"

 
Alright. Mr.President rules.
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I still found it ironic though, that we keep on warning each other that an attack on a person or maker is not a good thing to do, but portray President Thompson's usual speech as a standard way of advertisement.

Dew.
 
I agree with Jim and Keith. CS makes quality knives for the money. I can't pay several hundred dollars for an everyday carry knife.
I just got CS's new catalog and I did not even read the articles I went straight to the knives. It is just advertisement

Drac noroc
 
Like most of you guys, I'm a consumer, too. But whether it's a camera, knife, car, TV or whatever I'm interested in, I have a good idea of what I'm after when I go shopping (and you do shop for knives), and how much I want to pay. If anyone attempts to BS me, I simply leave and take my business elsewhere. The consumer dictates how much any product is worth, not the manufacturer/seller. There are too many production companies around, and too many custom makers, to worry about one source. Simply put, don't get ulcers because you don't like someone's attitude. Buy elsewhere.
 
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