Who Makes Decent Copies?

S

Saddle Tramp

Joined
Jun 5, 2008
Messages
2
I don't know if this is the right place to ask, but I like quality knives and don't have a lot of money to spend on them.
I have seen a lot of cheap chinese and other asian copies of knives that I like (hunters and folders), but is there anyone that makes good reproductions of some of the custom-style knives and uses quality materials at a reasonable price?
I bought something that looked good and looked like something I had seen in Blade magazine at some cutlery place and when it was delivered it was a piece of crap cheap steel that wouldn't hold an edge. It's frustrating.
Can anyone help?
 
*By buying forgeries you are essentially selling your soul. :(

But I will give you the benefit of the doubt;

Spyderco, Cold steel (Some models), Ranger knives, Ka-Bar ect. are all affordable and decent quality.

I am not sure what "Custom style" means, could you elaborate?
 
Kershaw,CRKT,Buck...all these companies make production versions of custom knives(with the makers input)....there are more...but this might be what you are seeking,as said before though,this is the custom and handmade forum,check in the manufacturers forums
 
I've bought many handmade knives that were priced at $100 or less. They weren't copies of anyone's more expensive work, just good designs, executed beautifully at very affordable prices. You have to be realistic though, don't expect a Damascus Bowie with Stag handle, that looks like a Custom for $50. I have however bought Stag handle production Bowies, for about $50. I think they are good knives, at a great price. But, nobody is going to mistake them for customs.

Another way is if you find a name knife maker, whose work you like, but can't afford. Find out if he has any apprentices or students, that might be more in your budget.

But, as was mentioned before, you have to know what your budget is. Do your homework, make your purchases slowly. Remember it's not a race, you're just looking for a quality knife at a good price. If you bought just one quality knife per year it wouldn't be too long before you'd have a collection to be proud of. That's how I built my collection.
 
forcedestrike said:
Whoa.

Normally I would go on a rant but instead I will just sit back and get some popcorn. :)
Click to expand...

...a BIG bag, please! ;)

(but...let's give the OP the benefit of the doubt for now, folks. I can read a few things in the post that could suggest hope, with guidance from here. We'll see.)
 
The message I got from the OP's post was that he wanted a good copy of some custom knives .

A lot of knife makers copy the style of the woodlore type of bushcraft knife but its not a direct copy.

Knife makers are inspired by various knives however I have yet to see a reputable knife maker make a direct copy of a knife. :/

Maybe I got the wrong impression and in that case I apologize, however it seems that a direct copy- not a custom, was what he was after. :)

David1967 said:
Why forgeries? How many people (knifemakers) copy Loveless knives for example...

David
Click to expand...
 
why dont you get with a maker and design your own knife that will suit your needs instead of getting a knife copied. it might turn out to be better than what you are wanting.
 
1. High quality and good materials.

2. Cheap.

Pick one. You're effectively asking for a copy of a BMW made with the quality and care of a BMW for the price of a civic.
 
tom mayo said:
Buy some play dough and make it yourself!:D
Click to expand...

That's the route I went. :thumbup:

DFProto.jpg
 
Kinko's- The best price in town.
Plus they will enlarge some models if your not content with the overall size.
Best thing is you will never have to sharpen
 
First, I'm new here. I said I wasn't sure if I was in the right place and I'm not sure if I'm asking for the right thing
For now, I don't want to spend more than $150.00. I have seen some customs that were $2000 and up. I have seen some knives that a maker isn’t going to make again, or I keep hearing about years long waiting lists. I went to a knife show in Denver last year, asking about simple knives for use. All the makers that were there only wanted to make fancy knives, seemed to only want to use ivory and fancy fittings for an art piece to sit in a case. They didn’t leave me feeling that they cared about the regular joe off the street that didn’t want to spend thousands. One maker actually spent more than a minute with me, didn’t really seem to be interested in making the knife I wanted, but said that he could make it in 3 years. No offense, but I was left with the feeling that these guys thought that they were better than the unwashed masses and struck me as rather uppity. One day I will be able to buy a custom knife that I will help design, but there is NO way I would ever want to give business to someone who can’t give me the time of day. There was a good idea from above, and it was to see if there are apprentices to makers that I like--- maybe THEY will want my money.
What I'm wondering is if there is anyone or any company that takes that type of quality design and makes a similar knife, but uses quality materials and doesn’t have to be fancy. Good knife steel, not cheap stainless that won’t hold an edge. Attractive handles, not having to be exotic wood or ivory, but not cheap plastic or oak either. Guards and fittings that don’t have to be hand wrought. Good fit and finish, not just thrown together, but not having to be exact either. There has to be something between cheap crap and outrageous price.
I guess my thinking is that there ought to be a way to produce knives of some quality that don’t have to be completely handmade and intricate, and someone’s GOT to be making them and not just cheap knock offs. I don’t have anything against custom makers, and I’m not at all trying to say anything bad against them. I just figured that as the experts, the people that know the custom knives, and especially the makers, would know who is doing decent work on these type of knives. I’m guessing that they can’t be mass produced on an assembly line.

Anyway, that’s kind of what I was looking for. I get the feeling I’m asking something I’m not supposed to in this forum, so I’ll go look for where I should ask.
 
Saddle Tramp said:
First, I'm new here. I said I wasn't sure if I was in the right place and I'm not sure if I'm asking for the right thing
For now, I don't want to spend more than $150.00. I have seen some customs that were $2000 and up. I have seen some knives that a maker isn’t going to make again, or I keep hearing about years long waiting lists. I went to a knife show in Denver last year, asking about simple knives for use. There was a good idea from above, and it was to see if there are apprentices to makers that I like--- maybe THEY will want my money.

What I'm wondering is if there is anyone or any company that takes that type of quality design and makes a similar knife, but uses quality materials and doesn’t have to be fancy. Good knife steel, not cheap stainless that won’t hold an edge. Attractive handles, not having to be exotic wood or ivory, but not cheap plastic or oak either. Guards and fittings that don’t have to be hand wrought. Good fit and finish, not just thrown together, but not having to be exact either. There has to be something between cheap crap and outrageous price.
I guess my thinking is that there ought to be a way to produce knives of some quality that don’t have to be completely handmade and intricate, and someone’s GOT to be making them and not just cheap knock offs. I don’t have anything against custom makers, and I’m not at all trying to say anything bad against them. I just figured that as the experts, the people that know the custom knives, and especially the makers, would know who is doing decent work on these type of knives. I’m guessing that they can’t be mass produced on an assembly line.

Anyway, that’s kind of what I was looking for. I get the feeling I’m asking something I’m not supposed to in this forum, so I’ll go look for where I should ask.
Click to expand...

You are touching on a lot a sticky areas. Your wants don't necessarily jibe with the reality of today's economics.

First of all, a custom "anything" for a $150.00 is very low....the time to make a pattern and confirm everything with you could very easily take 5 hours....That yield, before anything is made, brings the maker $30.00/hour BEFORE taxes and overhead...so that is out...not going to happen.

No, that 5 hours is much better spent by the maker, creating something that they can sell...and if you are serious about getting a nice hand made knife, the recommendation will either be to a) save until you can get what you want, from a maker you like or b)lower your expectations.

It is one thing for someone to want something nice on a strict budget, it is another thing entirely to want a skilled knifemaker to make extremely low returns on their labor...that is entirely unfair.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
In that case I would suggest a Bark River knife.

Lots of options, great steel and superb finish. :)

http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/

Saddle Tramp said:
First, I'm new here. I said I wasn't sure if I was in the right place and I'm not sure if I'm asking for the right thing
For now, I don't want to spend more than $150.00. I have seen some customs that were $2000 and up. I have seen some knives that a maker isn’t going to make again, or I keep hearing about years long waiting lists. I went to a knife show in Denver last year, asking about simple knives for use. All the makers that were there only wanted to make fancy knives, seemed to only want to use ivory and fancy fittings for an art piece to sit in a case. They didn’t leave me feeling that they cared about the regular joe off the street that didn’t want to spend thousands. One maker actually spent more than a minute with me, didn’t really seem to be interested in making the knife I wanted, but said that he could make it in 3 years. No offense, but I was left with the feeling that these guys thought that they were better than the unwashed masses and struck me as rather uppity. One day I will be able to buy a custom knife that I will help design, but there is NO way I would ever want to give business to someone who can’t give me the time of day. There was a good idea from above, and it was to see if there are apprentices to makers that I like--- maybe THEY will want my money.
What I'm wondering is if there is anyone or any company that takes that type of quality design and makes a similar knife, but uses quality materials and doesn’t have to be fancy. Good knife steel, not cheap stainless that won’t hold an edge. Attractive handles, not having to be exotic wood or ivory, but not cheap plastic or oak either. Guards and fittings that don’t have to be hand wrought. Good fit and finish, not just thrown together, but not having to be exact either. There has to be something between cheap crap and outrageous price.
I guess my thinking is that there ought to be a way to produce knives of some quality that don’t have to be completely handmade and intricate, and someone’s GOT to be making them and not just cheap knock offs. I don’t have anything against custom makers, and I’m not at all trying to say anything bad against them. I just figured that as the experts, the people that know the custom knives, and especially the makers, would know who is doing decent work on these type of knives. I’m guessing that they can’t be mass produced on an assembly line.

Anyway, that’s kind of what I was looking for. I get the feeling I’m asking something I’m not supposed to in this forum, so I’ll go look for where I should ask.
Click to expand...
 
Copies - no ,

As you have found out, that is kinda a touchy subject here.

For good quality working knives which can be pretty.
with good availability and good pricing - my vote goes to



Bob Dozier
 
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