Using Expensive Custom Knives

I'm so pleased to hear that many of you actually use your custom knives. While some knives are obviously works of art to be treasured, makers really enjoy hearing stories of how their knives are used in everyday use and even some not so everyday situations.
When I started in the business, I considered the knife to be a tool and still do feel that way. It's what the knives are made for.
Keep on Cutting !! best to all, BOB
 
I am with Bob and Steve on this one. I have only made a couple of knives that I have suggested to the buyers that they not use hard- they both had hot-blued carbon damascus blades, and the finish could be affected by acid or abrasion. Short of that, cut away!
 
Gotta go with Phillip and Tom on this one. SR is just way to collectable to ever take the chance of loosing it on a hunt. As to Mr Mayo's comment, I consider some of his pieces to be to nice to use as well. I get a laugh when some guys say "use mine every day". Open letters and cut the odd bit of cardboard! ;)
 
I don't have that many custom knives, and when I get one, I like to talk with the maker. Even if I am ordering soemthing in damascus, I like to say that this knife is gonna have to work for a living. I won't use a damascus/ivory folder as a prybar, but it oughta be able to do something more than open cardboard boxes. Every maker that I have spoken with seems to be happy with that idea. Of course, I choose the makers whose knives most fit what I want. I don't know how well one of those beautiful $3000 and up blued damascus/gold art folders would hold up, but that's not really my problem.

Every knife that I have received under these circumstances has peformed exactly as the maker described (or better). Now, some of them do require a little babying-- 52100 steels, non stainless damascus, etc. But what the hell, carrying a custom knife is worth a few oilstains on the cargo pants.
 
shaldag said:
Every knife that I have received under these circumstances has peformed exactly as the maker described (or better). Now, some of them do require a little babying-- 52100 steels, non stainless damascus, etc. But what the hell, carrying a custom knife is worth a few oilstains on the cargo pants.
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Just remember that not long ago, everything we used in the field needed a little babying. Now we have SS rifles, pistols and even shotguns, certainly most knives commonly used are stainless, taking in to account the factory knives available to all hunters and used by most. That wasn't that big of deal,in fact it was just part of the program: Spend a day hunting, spend a while in the evening checkin got see if teh blde got cleaned after use and some time spent with the cleaning rag and oil - heck, I'll bet as you read this you are remembering that unique, not unpleasant, aroma of burnt powder and 3-in-1® or Hoppe's® gun oil. An enjoyable recollection, to me, at least. It's really not a problem to clean up/maintain our equipment, is it? Perhaps even an enjoyable part of owning and using nice tools that are deserving of good care! Yes, I'd say it's well worth it.
 
My pleasure is to carry and use my knives, I just come to order a fixed to Bob Loveless but I wanted to get something short and thick easy to carry and use.I care if I scatch it but it's made for that, I hate static collection.I love to cut a juicy steack in a restaurant with a beautifull folder.Forgive me If i repeat but my pleasure is to touch and use not only to look.About my knives I have one regret cause one day I bought a gorgeous folder K.Embretsen, blued absolutly unusable......
 
Whiel there are knives that dont seem to be inteneded for use, Its just me in that I cant not use a knife. If I like the knife enough to own it, it will get use. Doesnt matter if its a $50 Case knife, or a $600 limited edition custom. I have used them all, Mayos, Terzuolas, Carsons, Elishewitz, Ralph and so on. And as I use them I appreciate the skill of the maker all the more.
 
I think a phrase I like to use in my home repair business applies here also. When somebody wants something done that seems odd or a bit "off", maybe painted a weird color or whatever, I remind myself: Thems thats payin' does the sayin'.....

Its all about stress. If you are going to stress over using it don't. If you're going to strss over not using it, do.
I have only two custom knives. One is a Morseth left to me by an Uncle circa 1970. It has had a LOT of use and frankly, shows it. No "damage"or anything, just heavy blade patina, stag is yellowed, sheath heavily scratched. Like I said its had a lot of use. My other is a Tichbourne Bowie. Gets some use, but not a lot because the Morseth and a mushrat pattern pocket knife can handle most all my needs. However, on Super Bowl sunday we're cooking up a 150# pig. I think that Bowie will be just the ticket for carving on that hog!
 
TAH said:
Here's my dilemma: I own a S.R. Johnson hunter that has a 4" semi-skinner blade, soldered guard, stag handle, and thong hole. To add to a sure grip, it even has hand-filed checkering on top and bottom for positive thumb and finger placement. Overall and not surprisingly, the knife is extremely comfortable in the hand.

Obviously, Steve built and designed this knife with features and the intention of it being used. There's nothing fancy about it. No engraving, no inlay, no fragile handle material, etc. It's a solid, no nonsense hunting knife that's just asking to be put to work. BUT, no matter how hard I try, I can't bring myself to using it. It's just too beautiful.

So, my question is, does anyone actually use a very expensive custom knife for hunting or other outdoor activities? Am I being absolutely stupid for wanting to use this masterpiece as an all-round, field grade knife?

Thanks for your thoughts,

Tom
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yes, YES USE THEM

THEY CAN ALWAYS BE RE-POLISHED

IF YOU ONLY OWN ONE HERRON, SR JOHNSON, LOVELESS MAYBE NOT !

BUT WHEN YOU OWN 5-6 THEN IF YOU DON'T SOME OF THEM, THEN YOU ARE
MISSING "THE POINT", ( PUN INTENDED ).

I USE FOUR HERRONS - #7 RAISE PT HUNTER, A SHUTE KNIFE, # 12 FIGHTER FOR ELK , AND A SPRINGFIELD LARGE FOLDER IN MY POCKET

ENJOY YOUR TOYS !

DUNCAN R.
 
Use them. After the first scratch it doesn't matter anyway. It just gives them character(istics). Just clean after every use.
 
I use my Trace Rinaldi Enigma and my Mike Draper Sabra and they are a pleasure to use!

Other than that, what I collect stays nice.
 
Part of why we buy is the eye appeal and the feel. I don't ever recall reviewing on a table a knife and surmising something specific to cut. No, I buy most of my knives because they look great and enjoy the maker's personality. So my solution from here on out will be to get TWO of each knife. One will stand for the record of how great it looked when I got it; the other will be used and sharpended to beat the band.
 
My appreciation and enjoyment of knives is increased whenever I use them. I don't own a knife that I wouldn't use, with the exception of blued blades (and I'm going to think about that).

I don't think of myself as a knife-collector so much as a knife-user and a knife-just-haven't-had-the-right-excuse-to-use-it-yet(er).

If I owned a Ferrari, I'd drive it. If I were married to Jennifer Connelly, I'd ... be very polite.
 
There are a lot of knives that are not really intended to be used, ever see a top of the line Jerry Corbit? Sure, you could use it, and it would work just fine, but the idea of using it is silly, it's a piece of art, not a tool you picked up at Home Depot.

Other knives blur the lines though, like a Fisk Sendero, a very capable knife, and not really an "Art" knife, and yet, I do see art in it's design, materials and execution, if I were loaded and could afford to buy 2 of everything, I think I'd use a $1500-$2,000 Sendero, but, since I can only have one, I'm not about to use it.

It comes down to, do you collect and appreciate knives primarily as a form of art, or do you see them as tools and little or nothing more.

There is no correct answer and the answer obviously depends on the collector's perceptions.

I have used a few customs, including a TnT, lately, it's a small $150 chisel ground Sean Kendrick tanto with a carbon fiber handle, it is cheap, but works very well, and is clearly oriented towards utility, so, I think for now, I'll let it do my required cutting, suffer the damage and scratches, and not just yet break out the blued, engraved, jewel encrusted Corbits. :)
 
I'm with Tom and the rest of the group who would question your sanity if you really use a piece like that. There is nothing wrong with carrying and using custom knives, but let's not get carried away. Mostly, I carry and use either high-end production knives (CRK and Wm. Henry) or something from Aaron Frederick and leave my nicer toys at home, on display or in a case. I think many would question my sanity if I started ripping through cardboard or gutting and skinning a deer with an engraved Osborne or Warenski! :eek:
 
As far as I am concerned it is up to the person that owns the knife what they do with it. Personally, I will never use my high end knives, but I don't see that there is anything wrong with others doing so.

It is true that there are many knives that are made as a piece of art and are not intended for use. Lloyd Hale is a prime example of a maker that has many of these works to his credit. However, these are knives that would not be chosen by people wanting something high end to use. Right now it can easily cost $2000.00 (I have seen them for over $5000.00) to purchase a Fowler Pronghorn. These knives are intended for use and do get used.
 
Way back in the 60's I made up a 25 improved Kraig caliber on a high wall action. Worked up some ultra delux wood and she really shined. I showed her to a friend and he said lets go shoot her. I said OK, we headed out to the range. I started to put her in a sheepskin case and he said NO, and silmply laid her bear naked in the steel bed of my pickup that was littered with gravel and parts. We drove and bounced 8 miles down a rough dirt road, then broke her in on some targets. The stock was scratched up as was the blueing.

His comment was that now I would not be afraid to use her and would get more enjoyment without having to worry about that first blemish. He was right, I carried that rifle for years, used her on everything from paraie dogs to elk. She was a joy, true partner in the hunt and on the trail. Today she is still as beautiful, but with character.

Years ago a client who had purchased several knives from me drove to the ranch to purchase another one. He was very vocal about his pappreciation of my knives. I noticed he was carrying another makers knife and asked him why? He said that my knives were too good to use, and were kept in a safe.

I told him they were made to use and had my present wife take the one I carried and dig a hole in our dirt road. She jabbed into rocks and dirt that was almost like concrete until she had about a 10 inch hole dug. I then had her dress the knife up on a stone to show him how simple it would be.

He was appaled. I told him that I wanted him to have a knife he would not be afraid to use and offered to sell him the knife he had ordered for half price if he allowed me to break it in. He asked how? I told him that I would simply tie the knife onto the hitch on my pickup and drive it up and down the ranch dirt raod draging behind until the twine wore out. I would then take out most of the dings, sharpen her up and he could have her.

He refused and left without a knife, more than a little angry. It was his choice, but I diid not want my another of my daughters to spend their lives in solitary confinement locked up in a safe. They are born, bred, designed and meant to be used.
Using a knife is like making love to your lady through trule sharing life you become intimate and truly get to know each other. If either refuses intimacy, the other suffers.
 
ED

THAT'S funny! I would have been all over that offer like white on rice! I didn't think you made knives to be locked away in the dark, but to be used.

Pissed the guy off did it? Hell, I would have supplied the twine. LOL

Rob
 
Ed Fowler said:
I told him they were made to use

He was appaled.
He refused and left without a knife, more than a little angry. It was his choice, but I diid not want my another of my daughters to spend their lives in solitary confinement locked up in a safe. They are born, bred, designed and meant to be used.
Using a knife is like making love to your lady through trule sharing life you become intimate and truly get to know each other. If either refuses intimacy, the other suffers.
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I have a simple statement to make Ed. ;)
Make me a knife and I'll use her, but I can't promise that she'll get exclusive use.

Seriously though, I'm totally behind what you say. See that lovely Jack Busfield folder that came back from Simon Lytton the other day, and that I posted here.... She's being used!

Sure, I'll look after it, and it won't be abused, but it will be used for anything that needs cutting.

Life's too short not to use your favourite knives!

Cheers
Rod
 
I think one point that's been touched on lightly but is very important is that "expensive" or "collectable" is very relative to the person who owns the knife.

If I wear $50 underwear, buy $1,000 shoes and wear a $10k diamond encrusted Rolex than using a $2500 knife would probably be no sweat.

You could follow that line of though all the way down to $50 production pieces.

Same would go for a collector who owns 20 - 30 Herron's or Busfield's, would he be concerned about using a $600 custom folder?

For the rest of us this is somewhat of a paradox.. we buy the best knives we can afford because of the desire to own the best we can afford, but then we're afraid to use them. We have this "vision" of skinning a mule with our $500 knife but when hunting day comes we strap on a Buck skinner....

I fall in to the side of the users. If I won't use it I won't buy it or keep it, I certainly can't take it with me when I die (if you know how please tell me!). As such most days I have a $200 - $550 knife on me somewhere, I guess that's my comfort zone for using a knife.

Ever eat a $50 steak dinner? The next day it comes out the other side and you have nothing to show for it. I can carry a $500 custom every day for 3 years and sell it for $200 in a heartbeat, that's a heck of a return on investment in my opinion.

:)
 
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