Cliff,
I was wondering when you would show up.
I can see your point, however you are wrong.
Not your fault, you just didn't have the facts.
It was not a little bit of tip, it was about 1 1/2" worth of blade. That was not inferior blade geometry, that was an inferior knife.
You are correct though that the Brend is far superior to any Randall ever made.
As to those who can build better knives. Where are they? Why aren't they making knives? I would love to see some of these superior makers work.
Cliff your right. One person doing one job, year after year would get pretty good at that one job. The trick to building a custom knife is not just being able to do one function. It is having a certain level of expertise in several areas.
Of course now at the major factories, it is no longer one person it is one machine, double grinding a blade every 5 seconds for instance. Surely, you don't mean this is better than the finish of a custom made knife (which ever definition you chose).
As for locks. Remember, if you are using the knife correctly, you don't need a lock. At least that is what I was taught when I was a Cub Scout.
Locks, much like knives from the factories are done primarly for marketing. I remeber several years ago Benchmade won an award with a lock that Mel Pardue developed. A safety actually. Im sure you will correct me if I am wrong, does every Benchmade come with that lock now? How about the Axis lock, the lock to end all locks. Another award winning lock. Does every Benchmade come with that lock? I don't mean to be picking on Benchmade, but they seem to be in the lock business as much as the blade business. How about the Rolling Lock?
Point is, Millions of liner lock folders have been made, MILLIONS. This is the standard in the custom knife world now. Do they occasionally close, yes. As does every other type of lock.
If you cut yourself with a folder because the lock failed, that generally means that you were doing something you should not have been doing with the knife. After all how can a blade close on your fingers if you are cutting away from yourself with constant pressure on the blade....like the Cub Scouts teach.
Please don't bring up the beat the spine of the blade on the table to see if the lock fails. Unless you can tell me when, using a folding knife that would be used in the real world.
Cliff, no one beats up a knife better than you. Ask Mad Dog.
However, locks that are as much a marketing strategy as they are a "superior" lock.
Anonmymous machinst who could (if they chose to make a better custom folder than many of the world class makers today).
Don't really prove anything, do they. All I know is what I have done and seen while working in extreme situations with different knives.
I will give you that factory knives have come a long way in the last 15 years. Due in large part to their collaborations with custom knife makers.
However, they are not superior in any way, shape or form. Cliff, Ill ask you the question I ask every person who tells me that factory knives are equal or better than custom knives.
You are hanging by your balls from a limb. In order to save your balls you have to cut a rope. You have a custom knife in one pocket and a factory knife in the other pocket. You don't know which maker made the custom knife and you don't know which factory produced the factory knife. You only have time to reach for one. Which pocket do you go to.
I know what my answer is.
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Les Robertson
www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com
Custom Knife Entrepreneur
