The man who made the knife

LYFSFUN

LYFSFUN

Joined
Apr 12, 2000
Messages
363
I have been wondering about this for awhile. How much do you look at the maker? Will you buy a knife made by a maker who thinks he is better than the rest of us? What about a maker who is known to take folks money and then loose thier phone number for a few months or years. Lately the man behind the knife has become very important to me. No matter how cool a knife is,if the person making it is a jerk I don't want any knife made by them. Am I wrong about this? Should it not matter what kind of person they are? This is the main reasons I have decided to only collect a few makers. Most of them I know or at least met a few times. I guess I am getting old and cranky but the man behind the knife means a great deal to me. Any feedback about this is welcome.
 
As a custom maker i think that the way u treat your customers is one of the most importain things you can do. in if i treat you like crap and do not listen to your wants and needs then i have not fulfilled my end of the deal. and you should not come back to me as maker no mater what. now i kmow there will be guys out there in this world that think i am nuts and that i am slitting my own throat. but that is how i would want to be treated if i were the guy putting out the money for a handmade knife.
 
I recently got a knife from a complete a*hole and his dememanor affected the way I even looked at the knife (ie I noticed the poor finish, ridiculously over built liners, off-centre blade etc rather than the nice grind)...I sold it immediately amidst a feeding frenzy and the thing subsequently sold for twice that price on ebay but I didn't give a rat's, I was just glad to be rid of it.:mad:
So yeah, the guy making the knife does reflect in the knife itself and my days of buying from (censored) are over :)
 
I think the way a maker carries himself is very important.I don't really have a chance to meet many makers living where I do .I have made a point reading the posts of the guys I have bought from when it's possible.I also try to call and talk to each one on the phone just to get a feel for them.I have sent some emails out at times asking questions about knives or having other ones cleaned up and not got replies,more than likely if they don't have the time for me I won't be buying any knives from them.I collect because I really enjoy the knives but I also enjoy interacting with the people just as much.There are so many good makers who are a pleasure to deal with,why waste my time and money on the ones who are not.
 
Meet Your Maker
I won't buy a knife that doesn't come with a good feeling and preferably a face2face with said maker. I'll support the good folks with my hard-earned and hope the jerks get hungry.
I just took delivery of a very fine Springbok I ordered after meeting Dave Broadwell in March.
 
I was spoiled by the folks I met in the beginning from that I have always looked at the maker first and then the knives. I have yet to buy work from someone I did not know and respect as a person and a maker. It narrows my choices a bit (even though I will never be able to own work from everyone I know and respect), but I have never been unhappy with a purchase.

It may sound silly, but through those friendships the knives are more than just things to me. Most things do not hold much importance to me.

JW I bet you are thrilled with that knife too! I have only met David once, but have gotten to know him a little via TKCL. Once I get some of my orders out of the way I hope he will put me in line for something dagger-like.

(added later)
oops I just remembered. I ordered a knife from Gene Osborn and I have never met him in person.
 
I've never met the maker you're talking about. I've been fortunate to meet all the makers that I own a knife from, (with the exception of Mike L6 Cooper) not only was it great meeting them, but several I consider to be friends. My problem is I just don't make enough to buy knives from all the makers I truly like and respect, but I don't think Bill Gates makes that much either. From the first knife show I went to, when I didn't know nothing or nobody I got to meet and talk to some of the nicest people in the world, knife makers. I got the chance to go to my first Blade Show this year and had the best weekend of my life. I got to meet some of the makers that never make it to the NYC shows. Of course now I've got to know a lot of these makers through BFC and Chat, so it ended up feeling like a family reunion. I'm not a high-end buyer with a ton of money to throw around, and some of these makers know I couldn't afford even their least expensive knife, but I've never been treated like some poor relation.

I guess my point is why would you ever bother with someone who rubs you the wrong way? There are so many good makers out there who just happen to be great folks as well. Heck you couldn't go wrong if you just stuck with the makers that participate right here on BFC.
 
I couldnt agree with you more...In fact, I think you are a very handsome and likeable fellow!! :)
 
Hey Tom when will you have TNT's again?
How about the 15 pretty neat one there?:cool:
 
Although I have never run across a maker that I did not like, I do think the experience would sour me on the knife. I have talked, on the phone and via email, with quite a few people I have great respect for and have had nothing but good feelings.

Recently I posted, saying that I needed a folding fillet knife for a friend that was getting married, it was for his best man. I received little response. As a last resort, I decided to contact a friend of my father that makes excellent knives, only to find that he is recovering from carpal tunnel surgery and had an order for 15 knives for another person. He told me he was booked up until late fall and I explained that I needed the knife by early September, so I would look elsewhere.

I ordered a knife for myself and sent some sketches and pictures to him by mail. I told him to take his time, I was not in a hurry for my knife and thanks for considering the fillet knife. Two weeks ago I called to see what he thought of the info I sent and we chatted, he asked about the fillet knife, I said I thought we was booked up. He told me he might be able to make the knife in time for the wedding, I said, "Great!" He told me that he had never made a knife like I was looking for, but he had some ideas.

(sorry for the long story!)

Today, two weeks later, he calls and says, "I have the knife almost done, but I want you to look at it before the heat treat." He wants to discuss RC, flex, blade taper (tang to tip) etc.

I do not think it was the family connection that made him jump this knife ahead of others, it was the challenge of a new knife and the fact that he just plain LIKES TO MAKE KNIVES! Needlees to say, we are becoming friends and though he lives quite close, I would make a much longer trip to see him and visit.

I hope that everyone finds such a gem. :)


Steve-O
 
Sitting here and smiling Steve. Glad things worked out on the filet knife!

Maybe we should change the name of this thread to the Maker that made the knife. There are some female makers that are doing some fantastic work.
 
Good topic, Ed. When buying custom knives not only do I take into consideration how well the knife is made, materials used, etc., but also my rapport with the maker. If a maker makes great knives but is a total a$$hole, you can bet I will strike his knife off my want list. Fortunately, we do have a <i>lot</i> of great makers out there who are equally great folks, and I don't have to worry about this too much. A good number of the makers I have met so far, I am proud to say, have become good friends of mine...but that's not to say that some "bad apples" are out there as I have come across a few at the Blade Show over the years. Same thing goes with custom purveyors. I've had one purveyor snap at me when I politely asked to see a Terzuola he had in his display case, saying something that "don't touch it unless you are serious about buying it" :mad: You can bet I never visited his tables at subsequent shows....
 
Audra L. Draper :cool: is a maker I will be keeping a eye on. Met her in Atlanta and was impresed with her work and her as a person. I looked the other day and could not find any web sites for U.S. lady knife makers. I did find a site for a "ladymaker" in France I belive. She was quite a artist. Sorry I don't remember her name. How yall like my new word ( Ladymaker ;) )? Thanks for the replys.
 
This is of great importance to me. I used to buy an occasional knife just because the maker was famous and I thought that the knife would go up in value. But now, I only buy stuff that I like and from makers that are not known to be a**holes.
 
A positive rapport with the maker always IMHO adds something special to the feeling of owning one of his knives.

I have been lucky enough to form some very positive relationships with several makers and it has always been a pleasure to know and associate with them.

During the Blade Show in June I met for the first time several new and established makers (thanks to friends like GusK.) and the feeling of friendship and positive rapport has made it a given that one day I hope to own one of their pieces. (Especially one of Sava's, thanks again Gus)

It is just not worth the effort to deal with negative people. There are to many nice people in this business/hobby (however you participate)to worry about the ones that a too ate up with their own self-importance.
 
When I look at a piece of art, listen to music or examine a knife I come across I don’t generally consider the character of the person who created it an important factor in whether I like it or not.

The difference lies in that we have a close connection to the making of our custom knives. Finding someone you are comfortable working with would be important if you were looking to commission a work of art or a piece of music as well.
 
Nothing's more shocking than to pay-in-full, in advance, for a knife, have a great rapport with the maker while it's being made and then have it delivered not as ordered and flawed. Then be totally shined on by said maker when you let him know it wasn't as ordered and flawed. Only happened once and never will again.
 
on the other hand I am a knife maker. I try hard to be acomidating. But if I know that someone is an abolute _______ jerk. I set the prices high enough that if he dosn't turn them down, It's worth my while to do business with him.(her, I'm not trying to be gender specific)

also, I have several pieces to do at the moment, the one I am working on is for a friend, and very Interisting to me.(a replica of a 12th cen. dirk. 16 in overall with reliquary ring forged on the end of the tang. interisting hot work) I gave him a good price too.

ya gata treat good customers right.;)
 
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