What makes FRN molds pricy?

It always surprises me how much Sal is prepared to disclose. It makes these forums far more interesting for us nosey buggers. Thanks:D
 
Gerber LST is still a great knife. It will beat the pants off 99% of Spydercos at one task - spreading peanut butter (no hole to get gunk in!) :D

Molds are essentially a custom product. Why do you pay 10x as much for a custom knife as you do for a mass-produced model? ($30 LST vs $300 Sebenza, $60 Delica vs $600 one-off folder) Because one person has to design it from scratch, make it from scratch, and fiddle with it until it's right. The high cost also covers mistakes and problems. Say 1 in 10 molds has a problem, and the company has to re-make it. They make 11 molds, but only sell 10, so each mold costs 10% extra to cover expenses.

I'm not an expert, but I'm guessing the high pressures improve quality, so plastic flows into every bit of the part and you don't end up with a big hole in the handle of your Endura. Higher pressure, better flow, more perfect parts at the end of the process. Also, higher pressure would let you move more plastic, and use a multi-mold to cast more parts at once.
 
You're also pushing fiberglass (30+%) mixed in with the nylon, which requires high pressure.

sal
 
Sal Glesser said:
I guess I should add that Blackie Collins designed the first production FRN knife with no liners. It was the Gerber LST.

sal
Click to expand...

Mr. Collins doesn't seem to get as much credit as his work would seem to warrant.

Just out of curiosity, how does the CNC'd micarts/G10 handles compare as to cost?
 
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