What is the Grimsmo Norseman considered? Mid-Tech, Production, Custom?

[vanadium]

Superlatives used on present day items is a way to influence its place in history. Social media has made it so.

I guess social media is pretty old now.

 

[DocJD]

A knife that looks like it wants to be a spoon and costs WAY too much for my blood !

 

[TW-Knife]

The term mid-tech is BS. I prefer Hoback's term UHEP... Ultra High End Production.

This may be true these days, mid-tech being antiquated? 18-20 years ago mid-tech was around to distinguish between 'custom' being all made by hand by a maker and/or shop help and mid-tech with parts being produced on machinery. I seem to remember it coming about on discussions with Chris Reeve on his Sebenza's? So I am coming from what was a defined term 20 years ago.

If you design and make all of the knife components from raw materials (sans the bearings), wouldn't that be considered custom regardless if cnc is involved?

From the old school definition only if the parts were made by hand, by a maker, not a machine. Even if templates were used, you still made it by hand = custom.

I'm with Les George on this one. These terms are meaningless and should be abandoned. If makers want to convey something meaningful about their knives, they should make specific claims like "hand ground blade" or "produced start-to-finish in our 4-person workshop" or "forged by Bob's own hand over 6 months from a lump of vintage bulat" or what have you.

The "mid-tech" distinction is the least meaningful. I'll lump it in with "bespoke" and "artisanal" and other terms that mean I should be wearing a trucker cap ironically while paying double.

Could very well be the least meaningful these days? They were easier to quantify 20 years ago when I remember trying to figure it out. Just wondering what's changed these days. Mid-tech used to mean some parts were machine made to save time/effort (in shop or out sourced) but some parts of the knife were still hand made by the maker. It was used to distinguish a 'middle' ground of both options available to build/make a knife but considered outside of an actual 'custom' where a maker was involved in the whole process. Screws, bushings, washers, bearings etc. were not included in this process and definition. But I've never heard of a knife being "bespoke" or "artisanal" either. Funny though... art-is-anal.

 

[Charlie Mike]

So is fart

 

[Lapedog]

I believe Ken Onion coined the term midtech to
mean a very specific type of knife he produced. These days midtech means all sorts of things.

I agree that “small batch high end production” is a better term.

 

[coiledwire]

I guess social media is pretty old now.

Nice!

For sure superlatives were not created recently. The difference today is how many people outside of Michigan would know about this he-man knife by UMT.

 

[Mrgauth]

Never understood the term mid tech. What the hell does that even mean? Of all the knife tech out there, it’s the middle of that? Based on what? Price, components, manufacturing difficulty, or what?

So, you have a kitchen butter knife on one end and a Marfione on the other, does that mean a $1500 Knife is “mid” tech?

I agree that the term is BS and made up to sell knives to guys who think words make a knife cut better.

The other two terms make sense to. Mass produced and all the same vs one-off made to order per the individuals wants.

 

[lieferung]

Someone might have mentioned it but I think a custom piece is uniquely made, specifically there is no defined "pattern" or template that the maker is following. Take Todd Davison knives for example, each blade is unique and doesn't have an existing pattern with specific dimensions. I think CNC machining like that would be custom, but if you have parameters that you use for each knife then it's more of a midtech.

 

[Mo2]

Small batch production aka mid tech. Custom if it is customized to buyers spec (anno textures etc).

When he first started I'd have considered them customs. But def not anymore.

 

[rexbo]

I like to point to Michal Gavac As a good example for Custom vs Mid-tech (and to an extent production).....

Mike makes his own knives they way HE wants to make them... one day a Mako, one day a Tiger, one day a Spinner, etc... he mixes and matches different blade grinds, handle material, clip designs etc. Each are unique and reflect HIS custom work, BUT, he does not "customize" nor make "custom knives" as ordered by a "customer". Yet, the knives he produces are certainly custom knives.

Now, Mike also will often collaborate with others (CKF, FF, etc.) and allows his designs to be produced out of their shops/factories. Typically Mike (insert other makers name here) would be extensively involved with how the knives are made, verifying that the meet their own standards, etc.... these are what we would typically call "mid-techs"

Lastly, some custom knife makers/designers will just allow their name to be associated with a knife that is mass produced with essentially no involvement from their namesake maker/designer... this example would be "production"

So, using Mike as an example I would call the Grimsmo Norseman a "custom"... their design, their own labor, unique combinations, etc

 

[shinyedges]

If the customer didn't have it made to his specifications then it isn't a custom. Producing a knife pattern and selling it over and over is called production.

When I send an email with a drawing and have a knife made, that is custom.

Clicking add to cart and checking out isn't custom.

 

[rexbo]

I wonder if the custom knife makers realize that they don't make custom knives?

 

[ScooterG]

So a handmade, one-off knife should be labeled what with our common labeling standards?
A) Custom
B) Mid-tech
C) Production

 

[W. Anderson]

So a handmade, one-off knife should be labeled what with our common labeling standards?
A) Custom
B) Mid-tech
C) Production

Based on the general opinion I'm seeing a handmade, one-off knife may fit into a fourth category...

Possibly "Handmade, one-off"

Great. More terms..

 

[rexbo]

So a handmade, one-off knife should be labeled what with our common labeling standards?
A) Custom
B) Mid-tech
C) Production

I would have said: A)Custom, but I have since learned that in order to be "custom" it has to have a "customer" prior to it being created....

So... to answer your question I would say: D) None of the above

This thread makes my head hurt

 

[shinyedges]

So a handmade, one-off knife should be labeled what with our common labeling standards?
A) Custom
B) Mid-tech
C) Production

I'd go D) Handmade.

For me, custom is tailored to the customer.. otherwise it is either a production pattern or handmade pattern, both of which have no input from the customer.

That said, I'm not saying my view of the word custom should apply to everyone. But to me, how can you have a custom without a customer outlining what he or she wants?

If someone has a sign custom made for them I'd imagine it would say what they want.. otherwise they just buy a premade sign and it isn't custom then. So who is it custom for?

Good lord, the word custom is being used to many times lol

 

[Charlie Mike]

I'm a custom knifemaker. Ask anyone who owns my stuff.

 

[shinyedges]

If a knife maker designs and makes a knife from scratch, it's custom to him. The customer who purchases a premade knife without input isn't getting a custom knife to his specifications. He's getting a knife custom to someone else's specifications there for it isn't a custom knife to him. It's a handmade knife that's custom for someone else lol The maker.

If that makes sense. Lol

 

[shinyedges]

I'm a custom knifemaker. Ask anyone who owns my stuff.

Aye matey! What this man speaks is truth!

 

[W. Anderson]

I'm a custom knifemaker. Ask anyone who owns my stuff.

True this!