Why do I have no desire to buy a custom/handmade knife??

[Comeuppance]

I don't usually dissect posts, but there were a lot of things here.

That's like saying why do you spend 50$ on a knife instead of 1$ for some flea market knife. There's different levels of quality and certain people pay for better quality which is why they will spend the money on customs.

I take issue with that assertion. The difference between a $1 flea market knife and a quality $50 knife is much more dramatic, as a $1 flea market knife will likely break and potentially injure you or someone else in the process. However, a $50 knife and a $500 knife are likely to both be well-built knives that will cut things adequately and without issue.

Quite frankly I love seeing the different designs that certain makers come up with. You say well productions have different designs etc...well to a certain degree yes but I dont see production knives creating a rolling detent (Jake Hoback), an entire subframe lock that acts as a built in overtravel stop and is entirely replacable (Todd Begg) or creating a completely unique lock thats never been done before integrated into the bolster while at the same time the bolster acts as the "flipper" (Stan Wilson non-flipper flipper).

After the second sentence, you're no longer talking about the same thing you were in the first sentence. You're suddenly talking about individual mechanical features as opposed to the overall design of the knife. Little touches like that are what make a knife a custom, but don't necessarily make them worthwhile unless you appreciate that specific feature. Aside from the rolling detent, all of those other features are just neat from an engineering standpoint without necessarily being functionally superior.

Talking to a maker and have a relationship is 1 thing having something they handcrafted just for you that reflects them as a person and where you can literally see the hours of hard work they put into is something you cant put a price tag on.

Clearly, one can. That price tag is the cost of the custom knife. That's the price of having that kind of interaction.


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I, personally, have no real dog in this fight. I don't carry customs, but I don't think less of people that do. Customs are something I have little to no interest in, and that is mostly because I view knives with about a 75% focus on utility. Am I going to use the knife? No? Then I won't buy it. Could I afford to lose, break, or replace the knife? No? Then I won't carry it.

Warranty service is worth considering as well. You might buy a custom knife, and then the maker might retire, fall ill, or any number of things. Spyderco, Benchmade, and Kershaw will be around for a very long time, and the warranty will stand. For someone who uses their knives, that is very important if one wants to get the most out of their purchase.

Again, if you feel like you can personally justify it - and you can afford it - then it's just a thing you want to do. However, if you don't feel any impulse to own a custom knife, even if you can afford one, there's nothing wrong with you. Production knives have their pros and cons just the same way that custom knives do. For some, including myself, the production knives win in comparison.

 

[Mack]

I like knives. Production knives and customs. As a hunter I want to carry the best tool I can afford to carry. My choices range from some wonderful old Schrade Waldens to customs by John Kiedaisch and Phillip Patton. Why carry a typical knife when you can carry something like this?

Or this?

Do I still carry and use factory made knives? Sure but I prefer my customs.

 

[sunandsteel]

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Warranty service is worth considering as well. You might buy a custom knife, and then the maker might retire, fall ill, or any number of things. Spyderco, Benchmade, and Kershaw will be around for a very long time, and the warranty will stand. For someone who uses their knives, that is very important if one wants to get the most out of their purchase.

This is a good point and I thought about this also, and it's one of the reasons why I would stay with production at this time. I enjoy looking at custom knives purchased by fellow forum members and others online but that's as far as I go.

 

[WRGreen]

Shouldn't this thread's title be something like "Give me reasons why its ok to not like customs" or "Don't like customs? Me too; let's compare reasons." The initial post apparently wasn't about an internal psychological/aesthetic/functional choice dilemma as it was a call for justification of an already held belief. A fun exercise might be to slip a brand name (pick one; Spyderco, Kershaw, CRK, Busse, etc., even Randall, Loveless,D'Holder etc..) into the "why don't I have a desire for..." phrase and see what happens. Semantic manipulation can be up there with rattlesnakes, old fireworks and redheads in the "fun but a lil' dangerous if mishandled" category.

 

[sirupatespecial]

This is a good point and I thought about this also, and it's one of the reasons why I would stay with production at this time. I enjoy looking at custom knives purchased by fellow forum members and others online but that's as far as I go.

I just don't understand how you can go on the knifemakers "for sale" forum here and have no desire for a handmade knife. Everytime I log on here the first place I go is the for sale area. And everyday I am amazed by what these guys are putting out. Some of the older, better known makers, yea, there knives are 300-500 for a hunter. Some very nice knives can be had for 100 bucks or less.

Are they better than a good production? Maybe. Do they have more character and soul than a production? Most definitely. So, just go and browse awhile, get familier with the makers that sell regularly. And break down and buy one. Or two or three. You won't regret it.

 

[sodak]

Absolutely, to say that customs outperform production knives every time is absurd.

The best performing knife that ive owned is a custom, but ive had ones that couldn't cut much of anything and had a price tag north of $500.

Same here. Thanks, we're on the same page.

 

[sunandsteel]

I just don't understand how you can go on the knifemakers "for sale" forum here and have no desire for a handmade knife.

Easy. When you have mouths to feed and bills to pay, along with trying to save money for the future, it's all about priorities.

 

[WRGreen]

I can't afford and will not buy many things I desire, but it doesn't make me desire them less.

 

[sirupatespecial]

Easy. When you have mouths to feed and bills to pay, along with trying to save money for the future, it's all about priorities.

Oh. I see. Afraid you're gonna get hooked, huh?

That can be a real problem. I wonder if there is a 12 step program for knife addicts?

 

[J. Doyle]

I'm a bit late to this party. Stumbled on this thread by accident. I have no issues with viewpoints on either side of this discussion.

One comment was made something to the effect of "factory brands are able to test their knives prior to full on production. How do you know you're getting a quality, one of a kind knife from a custom maker?"

I'd like to address this. Most decent custom makers I know, myself included, put their blades through pretty rigorous testing before the knife is all finished out. Maybe before the handle is put on or a knife that can be disassembled during building allows a knife to be tested, taken down to refinish everything, and then put back together.

This testing could include but is not limited to making hundreds of cuts through sisal rope and cardboard (both are quite abrasive and can actually micro chip blades if the heat treat is off), chopping hard wood and seasoned woods to test for chipping or rolling and even chopping on deer antler, flexing the edge over a brass rod with no damage at all. Or in some cases even cutting through brass rod or steel all-thread with very little to no damage whatsoever. I've seen it many times with my own eyes. I know for a fact (from first hand experience) some VERY highly rated factory brands have failed some of these tests miserably.

A good custom maker is able to custom tailor the heat treat and temper AND the edge geometry for each and every knife based on its intended use. NO factory brand offers that.

I guess my point is, whichever side of the discussion you're on, don't make the mistake of thinking custom makers can't or don't test their blades.

 

[Rick Marchand]

I had never owned a custom blade ... even after I began making my own. It wasn't until I became more proficient at heat treat and vigorously tested my own blades that I realized the "potential" value of handmade knives. There are craftsmen who make fabulous knives ... and there are makers who don't.

 

[sodak]

I'm a bit late to this party. Stumbled on this thread by accident. I have no issues with viewpoints on either side of this discussion.

One comment was made something to the effect of "factory brands are able to test their knives prior to full on production. How do you know you're getting a quality, one of a kind knife from a custom maker?"

I'd like to address this. Most decent custom makers I know, myself included, put their blades through pretty rigorous testing before the knife is all finished out. Maybe before the handle is put on or a knife that can be disassembled during building allows a knife to be tested, taken down to refinish everything, and then put back together.

This testing could include but is not limited to making hundreds of cuts through sisal rope and cardboard (both are quite abrasive and can actually micro chip blades if the heat treat is off), chopping hard wood and seasoned woods to test for chipping or rolling and even chopping on deer antler, flexing the edge over a brass rod with no damage at all. Or in some cases even cutting through brass rod or steel all-thread with very little to no damage whatsoever. I've seen it many times with my own eyes. I know for a fact (from first hand experience) some VERY highly rated factory brands have failed some of these tests miserably.

A good custom maker is able to custom tailor the heat treat and temper AND the edge geometry for each and every knife based on its intended use. NO factory brand offers that.

I guess my point is, whichever side of the discussion you're on, don't make the mistake of thinking custom makers can't or don't test their blades.

Excellent points.

 

[300Six]

I'm late to the party too! For EDC I like to have a functional item that is affordable and readily replaceable in case of loss, breakage and even short term misplacement. Hence my 50 year long relationship with SAKs.
However when it comes to fishing, hunting and camping it is a signature piece to have something that perfectly suits. I did custom-order (4X the price) an otherwise standard-production stainless belt knife so as to ensure that I had the same design but with a Swedish carbon steel blade and specific scales.