Will you thrash your custom knife?

There is nothing sweeter to a makers ears than USER feed back!!!
Sadly many knives are just looked at & appreciated. Not my place to say what you do with it after we conclude the business end of the knife purchase. But the "its too pretty to use syndrome" makes me crazy. Especially in the hunting & skinning side of the craft,
My own hunt club members tried to say it with me standing there,
while they were cleaning my deer!.

"I gave them my own personal carry(one I cant sell due to a flaw)
thats what got the ball rolling, now I get theirs back before the season & after for a good cleaning & going over". Nothing could be better.
I am not crazy either, If I had a first run Bob Loveless droppoint
that is valued at most collectable firearm prices I wouldnt use that knife to cut paper , let alone see some field use. So I do understand the emotional side.
Please forgive the rant .....great topic!!
:D
 
The majority of my customs see use, or have that capacity. When you start having 20+ customs, it becomes less likely to be able to use them all.
I use customs on a daily basis that are $500+ and don't hesitate for a moment. Now, I may be a little psycho for letting juvenile delinquents in state's custody in a wilderness program use them for carving and campsite chores (perfectly allowable by the system and the program.)
I do have some that are sitting in a safe. These are knives that are no longer being made and can't be replaced. There are a few of those I would love to use, but I know I can't use all of my knives and have no desire to see those decrease in value and desireablity by beating on them.
I used to hate the idea of buying a knife to look at and keep mint. I would sell off a lot of customs I wasn't using. Now, I have found enjoyment in being able to have some nice unused knives to collect and fondle. It was like the movement from production to custom. It took time to get comfortable with, and I was able to get a lot of pleasure out of the switch. Does that mean I will stop buying customs to use? Not at all, but I think every collection has room for both.

JR
 
It pisses me off to find out any of my knives arent being used, HARD!!! Thats just me though...
What the hell are you buying a knife for if it doesnt work???
 
Hell yeah Trace, I want some of your knives someday! Actually, I want to buy almost every knife I see, if I had 10 million dollars I could have spent it all on the first day of the Blade Show. On the topic though, while I don't own any "customs" per se, I do have a small handmade fixed blade by Louis Vallet that is part of my EDC. I paid about $100 for this knife and it was worth every penny, I get a lot of enjoyment out of using it. I also have $150 handmade khukuris from Himalayan Imports that I have beat the snot out of. That's what they were made for and I have no interest in their value to anyone but me, because I'll never sell them. That said, if I could get an original Loveless or Lake, yeah, it would be a safe queen. I'm not financially ready for those kind of knives yet, and I doubt I ever will be. It won't stop me from enjoying my collection of users that become more special with every mark I put on them through use. The value of my collection is sentimental rather than monetary and I like it that way.
 
Bravo Roadrunner!!! Hell I am just happy to see people that REALLY use knives,appreciate what I make!Thanks bud....;)
 
If I get a knife, I use it. But I am smart enough to know the difference between use and abuse.
 
Yes I use my customs for what they are made to do, Cut!! I would even use a Loveless at least a little bit if I ever owned one. I would and do take good care of my stuff, Knives included. But I use it because that is why I own it. I never sell anything and if any of my collection departs me it is because I gave it away. I give away the bows I make but most of them are not given until thay have provided game for the dinner table. For me the best art is functional and the best functional art is being used.

A Loveless that has never seen blood seems sad to me. But everyone has their own oppinion on this matter and I respect other choices. My purpose of buying a knife is use so I stay away from knives that are too pretty or too delicate to use.

Good thread

Bob Urban
 
Considering the intended use of most of my knives, it's a good thing that I DON'T use them...for example, my Mad Dog Panther was not designed to cut tomatoes or open letters...it was designed as a pure fighter...since I don't get into (m)any knifefights, I haven't had occasion to use it! Again, the same applies to many others in my "arsenal"...I DO carry them though and that should "count" as use (again, considering the purpose).

RL
 
While there are some knives I wouldn't use, like my Morans or Scagels, Most of my other ones are there to enjoy. My EDC is a Hartsfield keychain knife that is a one of a kind. When I hike, I carry either my Fowler bowie or Sinyard Mountain Man bowie, and don't hesitate to chop with them. I also have a Hartsfield custom tai chi sword that I practice with (the other day I swung it too close to the cieling and took a chunk out of the cieling:)). Does it make the blades worth a bit less? Probably, but the pleasure I get out of using them is worth it.
 
Originally posted by Trace Rinaldi
It pisses me off to find out any of my knives arent being used, HARD!!! Thats just me though...
What the hell are you buying a knife for if it doesnt work???
Click to expand...

Well, you'll be glad to know that I use my Enigma all the time! In fact, I'm carrying it right now! :D
 
I must say that not every knife I've ever bought has seen any real use. It has nothing to do with cost or being "too pretty". If the knife doesn't do what I expected it to do, then it quickly falls from favor.

Paul
 
I carry and use a $700.00 folder that's decked out and with walrus Ivory the real stuff, Made for me by Lamont Commbs
carrying this one for about 2 years now every day.
I don't cross any battery posts and car starters
with it to see if it's alive or not but I will use this knife for most anything.
they are and should be made to use first and foremost that's the way
I make and the maker that made this one for me. and as it should be,

One year back along I made my hunting buddies all hunting knives to use, because of the knives
they were using
(not what you'd call up to snuff) they will not use the ones I made for them :mad:
one framed his, most the others put them up for safe keeping,
only one brought his hunting one day out of many we hunted and used his old one to field
dress a deer we got that day. they will use the knife I carry for hunting
but not the one's I made them to use.:mad:
at least when we cut the deer up they will use the knives I bring
to do the skinning and butchering jobs...
this is the field testing ground for us and to get input back,
and we do like any of it good or bad so
(at least I think most of us do anyway)
we can get to better our selves as makers.
hard to find collector knives are a different story and if for investment I can see not using them
just my 2 cent:)
 
There was a time, not too long ago, I thought that I would never use one of them nice custom knives. Then I recieved a Carson M4. Now I cann't think of not useing and carrying it every day. I am even getting a Herman FB one of these days and plan on also carrying and useing that one along with the 4 every day. For me good knives are just to hard not to use, no matter the price.
 
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