There's a lot of people I want to reply to. So sorry for the massive post.
It's very difficult think in croatian and wrote on english because in croatian one word is one sense not like english one word can be multi sense or few words mean something...example.....misao --idea,mind,notion,sense,thought
I apologize LX if I insult you, my bad sorry
I'm sorry for reacting so harshly. I was kind of hoping it would be a language/culture thing. I overreacted somewhat and I'm sorry about that. Thank you for caring enough about this that you were willing to mention some things.
I still would like to know about tapered tangs, rounded spines and corby bolts. And why you said they were a bad thing. I'm just curious. Or was that a joke/sarcasm that translated poorly into english?
I believe that the translation garbled what was a positive intention. If you open your mind, this quote can be seen as a good intention: "I appreciate your passion regarding of knife making only your progress is not gone far perhaps because you dont have a friend who will give you constructive criticism. Forgive my frankness is not my intention to harm your efforts but perhaps it is time to hear that view ..... maybe something change because I believe that every wants to move forward in its work."
You say you do not mind criticism, but you give your e-mail, thus you do not want public comments. That's OK.
You say that he brings upon points that are not pertinent, however you agree with him that the stock is too thick and your plunge is less than perfect.
Why not just forgive the man for providing criticism that was not wanted.
Garson is a first language English speaker who has a mini-career as a cutlery critic and has been published. Any comparison to him is unfair.
I like constructive critisism really. And listing all the things that you don't like about it and saying nothing else , not even why, doesn't really feel constructive to me. But really...personal interaction is my favourite kind. Best of all is in person....with phone/e-mail/personal message coming right after that. I don't even mind it if you tell me something is no good....but at least tell me why you think it's no good.
The language barrier made it very difficult for Infamous Blades to communicate exactly what he meant. I really tried interpreting it from the standpoint of language and such....but I really couldn't find anything positive/constructive about the knife itself.
Someone telling you your work is terrible/worthless/waste of steel and then telling you that you're passionate about it doesn't really help either. That's like someone saying: "You're ugly as hell, and you look like crap, you smell like a dumpster and even your face is messed up, but hey! your shoes are nice."
As for forgiving him, already done. In fact I just apologised to him in public.
And I think anyone can give constructive feedback...it just means saying a little more than "I don't like it". Saying that is feedback....sure...but if they don't know WHAT or WHY you don't like it they can't or won't improve.
Hey my brothers,
1. No need for everyone to get bent out of shape, to me it seems more than a little about a language issue. We all mostly speak English on BFC, but for many more than we think about, it isn't a first language. Maybe a LITTLE more understanding, and a little less sensitivity is in order.
Agreed, and sorry about the flareup.
2. When I first started critiquing, the INTENT was often one of producing amusement at the cost of making a mockery of the work....that isn't cool. Humor has it's place, but flat out mocking a maker you DON'T personally know, haven't met f2f.....not cool. I did it, and am not proud of it.
We were all young once.....seems that I'm a little young now. Guess I have a hotter head than I thought.
3. Having some experience in the downside of un-self-edited "critique", I very much try to get to the point where it is a teaching moment and that the maker is open to it. Some BFC makers are openly accepting and interested in what feedback good and bad is offered, not only from myself, but from equally experienced and eloquent collectors like Jon Brand, Peter Gill, Win Heger, Joe Paranee, Roger Pinnock and Rich Slaughter...and the list goes on. Makers that have openly reached out to me over the years include Bing, John Doyle, David Lisch, and Ryan Weeks...the list goes on. Other makers like personal and quick conversations offline....Ben Seward is one good example....Rick Menefee is another.....
Then....there are makers who want NO feedback, because they are pretty danged sensitive....that isn't a great quality to have as a knifemaker. Knifemaking itself is hard enough, and trying to reinvent the wheel....it doesn't make sense.
Years ago, I met Mel Pardue, and his method for making a liner lock folder showed great thought and mechanical acumen. To this day, I have never seen a custom maker produce a BETTER liner lock....and I HAVE seen a tremendous amount that were worse, in some cases.....some of the knives have been a truly epic failure. I've never seen or heard of Mel deny a maker access to information....he's a giver for sure...and fwiw, his blade-to-handle ratio is extremely good....so why aren't more makers asking him questions?.....it's often because of:
a. Being stubborn
b. Being ignorant
c. Being prideful
These qualities are not particularly good in a human being, let alone a self-employed small business owner.
Maybe a couple points to consider.
Good point. One of my personal feedback givers is my wife....who's extremely details oriented and sometimes sees flaws that I haven't seen yet. I've gotten into the habit of giving everything I finish to her first to see if I missed something.
If I were making linerlocks I'd be giving mr. Pardue a call now.
4. (Garsson)"has a mini-career as a cutlery critic and has been published. Any comparison to him is unfair."....Guys, I have 30+years involved in the cutlery industry....but I started out like all of you.....having a strong interest in custom/hand made knives. ANY person who has some experience in the cutlery industry and an honest position that they back up with reason is fairly "compared" to me.
The knife in question has got to be looked at from a very specific perspective. This is a knife that LXE CLEARLY made for himself.....it should be forgiven any perceived or obvious trespass because from the onset, he wanted to LEARN. Just the polishing alone is major, because setting a realistic price for all of that extra effort would be difficult....I say it is a great study piece, it looks well made and I would like to handle it. Particularly love the white micarta, thong tube, red liners and tapered tang!
Aren't they Loveless bolts?
Corby bolts are where you have solid ends.....the threading goes from one side to the other and is meant to be invisible....simply grind down the ends until you have completed and flush everything up. Loveless bolts are two floating ends with basically a piece of all thread in the center....the threads will always show to some degree. I like both types....the Loveless bolts seem best suited to a Loveless style knife.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
You're right, this is kind of a study piece.
I believe that anyone CAN give valuable feedback. And if the feedback won't be valuable....then maybe you shouldn't give it. But that's just me. Offcourse not everyone feels the same way. And I learned today that I should maybe not hold others to the standard that I hold myself to where that is concerned.
If you like I'll send the knife over in a few weeks so that you can hold it once or twice. I'll send a list of (to me known) flaws along with it and you can give me any feedback you like after that and send the knife back once you're done with it.
About the bolts.....well...they started as corby bolts....maybe now that I ground off the solid ends they're Loveless bolts? I'm not sure where to draw the line on that one. I'll just stick to what they were before I started shaping the knife. Personally I prefer the ground down look over the solid end look in most cases.
Personally, I like this little knife for what it's meant to be; a small and convenient multi-purpose EDC. Of course it's not perfect, but how many knives are?
The most expensive knives aren't even and I expect this piece is far-far from the most expensive.
Glad that's it's not written as I don't subscribe to it.
If one posts up a knife and is willing to accept praise they should be willing to accept negative opinions as well, or simply don't post. That being said, critique should always be offered in a constructive and courteous manner. Personally, I'm going to give my honest opinion on a knife, however if I state something I don't like I'm also going to state something I do like as well.
There's been very few knives where I can't find something I like. If there's nothing, then it's not worth my time to comment.
Yes, my name in the market place, as well as the quality of work that I deliver currently would make this piece cost much much less from what a lot of collectors here would call "high end".
Thank you for your comment though.
I dig the knife highly. Two of my favorite things are tapered tangs, but especially rounded spines. Honestly I'd prefer rounded spines on every knife I buy or make aside from bushcraft knives.
Language barrier? Thick or thin skin? Rude is rude. Screw that man, that's a good looking piece. Congrats.
Thanks a lot man. This was my first time doing a rounded spine. And only my fourth tapered tang or so. I learned a few things during the making of this one that made it possible to improve on my other tapered tang knives that are still lying around without scales.
