Special ordering something from HI

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Varrus

Joined
Feb 14, 2014
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Is it possible to special order a knife through HI? I've purchased a few kukri's through the store and dotd and have my eye on a model that isn't commonly produced. I've seen some folks here designing knives and having them made, sort of customized, and then buying them, but I don't know if I can possibly preorder/prepay for one and not have to worry about it going on dotd and missing it. I miss out on dotd a lot, I work too much to be able to lurk all the time. :p
 
Of course you can as Umi said. Be prepared for a possible long wait. With the ever changing conditions both in labor and shop conditions, current orders and stock orders it might be a while. It could also be very soon, just no way to say for sure.
I sometimes don't think even Auntie knows or can completely control it.

Often times if your custom order is something she thinks might interest others she'll have several made but yours will be yours for sure.

On the little bowies it was a trial deal but she thought it had merit and would be well received. Boy was it. She had 18 of the first generation made and I think they were gone in a week.

So one never knows for sure.

Auntie is the one that knows the most and she's super easy to deal with.
 
Varrus said:
Is it possible to special order a knife through HI? I've purchased a few kukri's through the store and dotd and have my eye on a model that isn't commonly produced. I've seen some folks here designing knives and having them made, sort of customized, and then buying them, but I don't know if I can possibly preorder/prepay for one and not have to worry about it going on dotd and missing it. I miss out on dotd a lot, I work too much to be able to lurk all the time. :p
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If you just want an existing model "that isn't commonly produced," that should be relatively easy. Let Yangdu know what you want, and be prepared to wait. I don't know if she would ask for advance payment. However, you won't necessarily get a DOTD price, since those low prices are usually based on cosmetic blemishes, or overstock. Also, when the knife does turn up it might not be the exact length or weight that you asked for, since the kamis work the steel by hand. It's best to specify a range of lengths/weights rather than exact numbers.

If you want an existing model with modifications, be very specific about the mods. Not just in words, but with drawings and dimensions.

If you literally want to design your own knife, be even more specific. Some people have sent Yangdu full-scale models of what they want, in wood, cardboard or other materials. You have to discuss it with her before finalizing a design, because some features are hard to do with the traditional tools and methods that the kamis use.

One no-no is modern artificial handle materials such as micarta or G10. As far as I know, the kamis do not work with those materials.
 
I've drawn knives and sent the pictures to Auntie with descriptions and specs. Took a bit over 6 months but the blades came out phenomenally and I couldn't be more pleased.

Can't say it's always the case, but I didn't have to pay beforehand. Having said that, I was pretty much ready for a random email saying my knives were done and a nice pricetag to go with it. The random email came, but the prices were amazing. I expected "custom" pricing, but the knives were all priced pretty much as "usual," though obviously not dotd prices.

I'm sure she would have held onto them for a bit if I couldn't pay immediately, but I have seen dotd posts of custom work that the person couldn't pay for for one reason or another. But as Bawanna said, if you order something, it's yours, and if Auntie has multiples made she often will pick the best or closest to your specs for you, or offer you the choice to pick whichever you like.

And as far as materials go, to the best of my understanding, they will work with pretty much anything if you're willing/able to get it to them. That's something to ask Yangdu about though.
 
Thanks for the speedy replies guys, all that info is pretty reassuring, I have sent an email in about getting one of the 15" chitlangi bowies, I was mostly a bit vague on how special ordering something went at HI, just had seen some people having done so in the past. Waiting a while for a custom ordered knife sure doesn't bother me, I totally understand how small shops must work. Now I just have to wait for a few weeks or so. I couldn't see any way to improve that bowie, its a gorgeous knife and I'm really pumped about getting my hands on one to add to my HI collection.
 
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