Which knife companies are accepting knife design idea submissions?

R

Radioactive

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Apr 10, 2006
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Just wondering what knife companies are accepting ideas for new knife designs and ideas? I have a few and would like to submit some of them for consideration and review. Thanks for any help any of you guys can give me regarding this matter.
 
I dont know... my guess would be to call a company and ask, I honestly have no clue if knife companies even accept designs from just anybody.
 
Why not just make and sell it yourself? I doubt that a production company will be willing to pay you for your design.
 
I would recommend a partnership with a custom maker. You're less likely to get ripped off and you will have valuable experience on knife design and everything that goes to manufacturing and selling your products. One idea might be contracting someone to make your knives and you selling them? Just an idea...

Let's be honest here, I think most knife nuts have drawers full of sketches of their perfect blades. I certainly do :)
 
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I was wondering this question myself. Do you have to get a patent before you submit your idea to a company?

How much are patents anyway?
 
Patents won't protect you unless you take a violater to court. Will your patent be worth enough to go up against a major manufacturer? And if the design catches on, the Chinese will flood the market with ripoffs anyway.

If you do hook up with a good custom knifemaker, he will add a lot to your idea. It takes more than just a good-looking knife to get a manufacturer interested. It has to be adapted to the manufacturing process.

It is probably a good idea to make your idea known as of a certain time to establish precedence, if someone tries to say they came up with it themselves. But remember how many basic knife shapes there are, and realize -- people want those basic designs, and the rights are open for anyone to make them. It's how well they do it, and at what price, that makes them successful.
 
I would guess your best bet would be to make it yourself or to work with an established custom maker to produce them for you. Odds are if you submit it to one of the big companies (Kershaw, Sperderco, etc.) they'll just tell you to pound sand.

I used to work for a firearms and ammunition manufacturer. Any time anyone sent us they're "great" idea, all they got in return was a letter from the lawyers saying we hadn't looked at it, wern't interested, and to go away (very politely of course.)

Good luck, but don't expect instant success.
 
I think the manufacturers get together with designers for two reasons. The first would be the marketability of the design and the other would be the marketability of the designer. In other words, having a reputation as a designer might be as important as the knife designs. If your name is Elishewitz or Onion, your name carries weight not only with the manufacturer but with end users. That makes the designs themselves more interesting to the manufacturers. So you might work on building a name to go with your designs. Best of luck. Hope you can get something going.
 
any company is likely to look at your stuff, is't hard to make the money you may think it's worth. some companies will pay royalities without a patent most will not, if it's just a cool design is't not worth patenting anyway, but you would want to patent a new locking knife or something along that line. If your a custom maker and they give you credit it will boost your custom sells.
 
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