What IS a custom knife?

Find me a reference to any authoritative source that states differently.
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http://www.thefreedictionary.com/custom

Depends , you using it as a noun or an adjective ??

n.
1. A practice followed by people of a particular group or region.
2. A habitual practice of a person: my custom of reading a little before sleep. See Synonyms at habit.
3. Law A common tradition or usage so long established that it has the force or validity of law.
4.
a. Habitual patronage, as of a store.
b. Habitual customers; patrons.
5. customs
a. Duties or taxes imposed on imported and, less commonly, exported goods.
b. (used with a sing. verb) The governmental agency authorized to collect these duties.
c. (used with a sing. verb) The procedure for inspecting goods and baggage entering a country.
6. Tribute, service, or rent paid by a feudal tenant to a lord.
adj.
1. Made to order.
2. Specializing in the making or selling of made-to-order goods: a custom tailor.

as a noun.... # 1 fits with knife makers does it not ?

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/custom

Main Entry: 1cus·tom
Pronunciation: \ˈkəs-təm\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English custume, from Anglo-French, from Latin consuetudin-, consuetudo, from consuescere to accustom, from com- + suescere to accustom; akin to suus one's own — more at suicide
Date: 13th century

1 a : a usage or practice common to many or to a particular place or class or habitual with an individual b : long-established practice considered as unwritten law c : repeated practice d : the whole body of usages, practices, or conventions that regulate social life
2 plural a : duties, tolls, or imposts imposed by the sovereign law of a country on imports or exports b usually singular in construction : the agency, establishment, or procedure for collecting such customs
3 a : business patronage b : usu. habitual patrons : customers
synonyms see habit


Main Entry: 2custom
Function: adjective
Date: 1830

1 : made or performed according to personal order
2 : specializing in custom work or operation <a custom tailor>
 
Did I not say *adjective*?

Are we not talking about custom *knives*?

Even in your own bullisht response, "made to order" is the only plausible definition for "custom knife".
 
tsiloics said:
Did I not say *adjective*?

Are we not talking about custom *knives*?

Even in your own bullisht response, "made to order" is the only plausible definition for "custom knife".
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please... That was a direct copy and paste from the links I posted , not that you bothered to read , but if you can't take the discussion without childlike comments , please don't reply. :thumbdn:

When I hear the words custom knife , I don't view the word CUSTOM as an adjective , I view Custom Knife as a noun , an object . one thing. Others may view Custom as an adjective. Neither is wrong , neither is wrong , it's all perception. While some may consider a Buck 110 from the Buck Custom Shop as a Custom Knife , I feel differently , and view it as a modified production knife. Again , neither is wrong , it's all in the context that it is used.

Look at the huge market of 1911's out there. Plenty of gunsmiths calling them Customs , yet of the parts that make up a 1911 , how many gunsmiths actually make any of the parts ? Very few. Majority buy the frames/slides , bll , triggers , sears and even sights. Some make their own hammers , maybe grip safety , pins , backstrap , yet the finished 1911's are considered custom.

Same ? Different ?
 
just a thought,
"custom" is taken to mean something which is or has been customised.
it may or may not be "hand crafted", "rebuilt" or designed solely in full or inpart by an individual.
"custom knife" is something uniquely built or re-built according to a customer's specification or more likely these days a non-standard product (as in "pimping") of a standard line.
so the lines have been blured when one frequently uses or misuses the word "custom knife".
for the sake of argument, the responsibility of what constitues a genuine "custom knife" should rest with the guild for knifemakers.
 
To me, custom means crafted to one's individual specifications. Handmade means ground by hand. It's that simple.
 
Custom and hand made are different, there are no two ways about it.

If I walk into a custom tailor shop, and I have, it's far different than going to a store with suits that are pre-made.

The tailor will go through your options, what fabric, what pattern, what kind of silk or cotton etc. often times asking the tailor is best, at least for the type of cloth.

The tailor will measure you, will ask you a few more questions and pin your jacket and pants (trousers for you Brits).

later you either pick up the suit of the tailor send it to you.

This is custom, no one debates that ready made fabric is used or that it has any bearing on how well the suit fits or feels, it's all about the tailors skill.

Same thing for knives, sure there are patterns, but what it comes down to is picking a blade style you want, blade length blade width, steel used, what HRC, handle material, locking mechanism etc. etc.

There are simple custom suits and there are simple custom knives, a custom suit from England may be more expensive than one made in Singapore, so price isn't even a factor, the factor is the buyers input on design, which must be total and complete in order for something to be considered fully custom.

Pardon my long post.
 
Well, glad everyone has an opinion. Here's another. :D.

I must say, I'm a proud American, but the Brits have us beat. Custom is a silly, useless word. The British use the word "Bespoke", which means, essentially, that the customer "spoke" to the maker and was made to the buyer's wishes. There still is debate even among these tailors (see the wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bespoke#Bespoke_versus_Made-to-Measure). Of course, with clothes, they are for more personal than knives, but on the other hand, I might view the problem being that most knife buyers are not discriminating enough to ask for a handle 1/8th of an inch shorter, for the finger indentations to be formed after a cast of their hand, etc.

Just realized I am starting to steal Skimo's, so leaving it short until other people weigh in.
 
Obviously, this is a matter of some controversy. To me a custom knife is one made to the customer's specification. I have a true custom here. Even the blade profile was specified and the knife is a one-off product. Hand made is a knife that is forged and/or ground by hand, one at a time. For me most custom knives are actually hand made knives because the maker provides specific models with specific options. However, the industry term is still custom knife, regardless of what I think. Then when the knife making becomes automated along with some significant hand work I would call the knife limited production. Chris Reeve knives would be like that. Finally, production knives are mass produced, assembly-line fashion.

Those are my definitions and, obviously, others have other definitions.

Better to be concerned with the quality of the knife rather than whether it was custom, hand made, limited production, production or whatever. There are wonderful and terrible examples of each available.
 
There is a lot of gray area with technology. I look at it this way. I use a milling machine but it is a manual milling machine. I guide it by hand and therefore my skill determines the outcome. Now if I hooked a computer up to it to control it, I would have to program it but the MACHINE will have made the part. That's my opinion anyway.
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That's my point. In my experience it's arguably harder to use CNC as you have to know how to use a manual first, and then learn another new skill. Most manual guys have trouble thinking multiple tools and only one set up. A machine is a machine, is a tool; it does nothing without the skill set behind it. I can't see this a make or break issue, any more than arguing over stock removal vs. hand forging. It's more the who than the how.
 
It's not custom if you don't dig that iron out of the ground and smelt it yourself.
 
If possessing it makes you feel superior to most other knife owners, it might be custom.:D
 
I think technology has muddled this issue. When I think custom I think made by hand which means no CNC, but given todays tech and I like CNC stuff I think the lines just get kinda fuzzy. Just using CNC as one example not trying to say this is the main issue.
 
Main Entry: cus·tom&#8211;built
Pronunciation: \&#712;k&#601;s-t&#601;m-&#712;bilt\
Function: adjective
Date: 1925
: built to individual specifications <a custom&#8211;built house>

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/custom

Main Entry: 2custom
Function: adjective
Date: 1830
1 : made or performed according to personal order
2 : specializing in custom work or operation <a custom tailor>

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/custom

I guess one can put any spin on the term one wants; but, according to the dictionary a custom knife is simply a knife built to an individual's specifications or according to personal order.

What does it matter if a knife maker gathers the parts of a knife and puts it together by hand or if a knifemaker uses a machine to assemble the parts?
 
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John T Wylie Jr said:
please... That was a direct copy and paste from the links I posted , not that you bothered to read , but if you can't take the discussion without childlike comments , please don't reply. :thumbdn:

When I hear the words custom knife , I don't view the word CUSTOM as an adjective , I view Custom Knife as a noun , an object . one thing. Others may view Custom as an adjective. Neither is wrong , neither is wrong , it's all perception. While some may consider a Buck 110 from the Buck Custom Shop as a Custom Knife , I feel differently , and view it as a modified production knife. Again , neither is wrong , it's all in the context that it is used.

Look at the huge market of 1911's out there. Plenty of gunsmiths calling them Customs , yet of the parts that make up a 1911 , how many gunsmiths actually make any of the parts ? Very few. Majority buy the frames/slides , bll , triggers , sears and even sights. Some make their own hammers , maybe grip safety , pins , backstrap , yet the finished 1911's are considered custom.

Same ? Different ?
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, John. I was out of line.
 
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