• The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
    Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
    Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.

  • Today marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11. I pray that this nation does not forget the loss of lives from this horrible event. Yesterday conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered, and I worry about what is to come. Please love one another and your family in these trying times - Spark

Who is Your personal favorite custom knife maker?

Mayo
DSCN0210.JPG
 
I have a few customs and some makers I would not recommend.

Big Chris is my favorite right now. I have six knives from him all different and a big variety of steels. Everyone of them are awesome. I have a thread started on his knife maker forum here that has some pics of the knives I have from him.

I'll continue to buy from him.
 
Last edited:
I will say Rick Menefee. We aren't close friends like some on the forum, nor do I have a long standing history of orders from Rick. I do like his style of knives and execution, I like that he is active here on the forum and clowns around a bit, seems like a hell of a nice guy. I've owned a couple fixed and a couple folders from him. I'm not his number one fan but I think about his knives a lot and am always looking at pictures of other people's knives by Rick. He's the total package.
 
Bob Terzuola made the nicest custom folding knives, Allen Elishewitz had the best production collaborations with BM - Stryker, Ares, Sentinel, Dark Star, Nimravus.
 
Actual custom knives? Are we talking about makers that take your idea and make something from the sketch through the finished product all himself? I haven't seen many makers listed that do actual custom work. I see a lot of small batch makers that make what they like, hoping that prospective buyers like them too.

Is there a difference? Sorry for not listing anyone as I haven't found an actual custom knife maker that goes through design implementation to a finished product. In the tattoo world there's a big difference between an artist that takes your raw idea, sketches it out, makes changes based on your opinion, and then inks your idea on you and a tattoo artist that inks the designs he likes on you and 50 other people and an artist that takes a more or less bulk prefabricated design and puts that on you and 500 other people.

If this post is objectionable please let me know and I'll remove it. I'm curious about who makes actual custom knives and don't see that many in a thread asking for that info specifically.
 
I make true custom knives.
 
bodog said:
Actual custom knives? Are we talking about makers that take your idea and make something from the sketch through the finished product all himself? I haven't seen many makers listed that do actual custom work. I see a lot of small batch makers that make what they like, hoping that prospective buyers like them too.

Is there a difference? Sorry for not listing anyone as I haven't found an actual custom knife maker that goes through design implementation to a finished product. In the tattoo world there's a big difference between an artist that takes your raw idea, sketches it out, makes changes based on your opinion, and then inks your idea on you and a tattoo artist that inks the designs he likes on you and 50 other people and an artist that takes a more or less bulk prefabricated design and puts that on you and 500 other people.

If this post is objectionable please let me know and I'll remove it. I'm curious about who makes actual custom knives and don't see that many in a thread asking for that info specifically.
Click to expand...

Hey Bodog, Phil Wilson and I communicated extensively as he made this knife to fit my needs for a specific type of fish cleaning. This was not a design he had currently made before. I don't guess he would be a "custom" maker by the definition you offer but I did get to experience having him make a custom knife for me. :) The model is called the "Punta Gringo" and as far as I know he is incorporating this model into his lineup so anyone can order this model now. Of course mine (again by your definition) will be the only "custom" Punta Gringo! hehe :p


Sorry, don't have a better pic right now.

 
Surfingringo said:
Hey Bodog, Phil Wilson and I communicated extensively as he made this knife to fit my needs for a specific type of fish cleaning. This was not a design he had currently made before. I don't guess he would be a "custom" maker by the definition you offer but I did get to experience having him make a custom knife for me. :) The model is called the "Punta Gringo" and as far as I know he is incorporating this model into his lineup so anyone can order this model now. Of course mine (again by your definition) will be the only "custom" Punta Gringo! hehe :p


Sorry, don't have a better pic right now.

Click to expand...

I'd think that qualifies if you two talked extensively beforehand and he made something specific that suited your exact needs. PW is not some Joe Schmo. I'm sure if you said you needed something and he couldn't provide it he'd tell you straight up and if you said you need something specific and he could do it then whatever final product he gave to you would surely suit whatever needs you mentioned.

I just wonder if something made beforehand that you (anyone) see and like and then buy qualifies as buying a custom knife. Who was it custom made for? That's what I'm curious about. Does Todd Begg make truly custom knives? Tim Britton? I don't know, but I see names like this and wonder if people confuse a custom maker with one who's not.

Then we get into the question of if someone makes the exact same design he sells all the time and puts a unique mosaic pin in the handle because you wanted it, does that make it a custom knife?

So many shades of gray. I'm just really curious as to what qualifies someone as a custom knife maker and if some of the makers mentioned are actually that. The OP mentioned Big Chris and Big Chris has said he doesn't take custom orders anymore, so he's not really a custom maker. His knives may be very high quality but if he's not a custom maker of his own accord, what is he? And is that what the OP was really talking about? The best independent, small batch, handmade knife maker? I can wrap my mind around that kind of question and it's a very valid one that I think people would probably like to see the answers to.
 
Last edited:
bodog said:
I'd think that qualifies if you two talked extensively beforehand and he made something specific that suited your exact needs. PW is not some Joe Schmo. I'm sure if you said you needed something and he couldn't provide it he'd tell you straight up and if you said you need something specific and he could do it then whatever final product he gave to you would surely suit whatever needs you mentioned.

I just wonder if something made beforehand that you (anyone) see and like and then buy qualifies as buying a custom knife. Who was it custom made for? That's what I'm curious about. Does Todd Begg make truly custom knives? Tim Britton? I don't know, but I see names like this and wonder if people confuse a custom maker with one who's not.

Then we get into the question of if someone makes the exact same design he sells all the time and puts a unique mosaic pin in the handle because you wanted it, does that make it a custom knife?

So many shades of gray. I'm just really curious as to what qualifies someone as a custom knife maker and if some of the makers mentioned are actually that. The OP mentioned Big Chris and Big Chris has said he doesn't take custom orders anymore, so he's not really a custom maker. His knives may be very high quality but if he's not a custom maker of his own accord, what is he? And is that what the OP was really talking about? The best independent, small batch, handmade knife maker? I can wrap my mind around that kind of question and it's a very valid one that I think people would probably like to see the answers to.
Click to expand...

I think that many simply use "custom" knife to refer to a handmade knife. Most makers will allow you to choose handle material, edge thickness or make other requests even if it is not a never before seen model. I think that is why folks refer to handmade knives as custom. It may not be technically correct but I think that is the most common nomenclature. It seems to be for most people anyway, since everyone else who read the op posted pictures of their handmade knives. Not saying you are wrong with your opinion, you simply appear to be in the minority.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top