Future of Knifecraft

The custom knife " industry" is a victim of tis own success. A premium product is no longer premium if makers have to give their stuff away.
It is, in a way. I think the biggest problem that a lot of people have with it though is trying to get into the higher end production price range, where there is too much competition. They try to make knives that will compete price wise with, say a $250 Benchmade, and find they can’t make a decent profit. A lot of times from what I have seen anyway, the knives going to that crowd are “rushed” looking, since the maker is trying to make a lot of knives to make a living. CNC machines at the factories make some pretty darn good knives, and fast too. Heat treat at the factory is quite good, and most are offering premium steels. If people want to sell their stuff, they need to have something a lot different or “better” in some way. You can find a ton of handmade knives with sandblasted/tumbled/textured finishes to speed up the finishing, and G10 or some other composite handle. They are fundamentally the same as anything you can buy at a store, and similar in prices. People try to get into that market and that market is FLOODED with more of the same. Take that same knife, put some stag handles on it, a nice finish, and a leather sheath, and it’s a $500+ knife, and completely outside the production market, except for the likes of Randall. In a way, maybe it’s not so much is squeezing into their market, as it is they are climbing up into ours. Either way, I think makers need to distance themselves from that market in order to get established. I know doing just that has helped me immensely. Just a little more time on making it truly different from the ordinary makes a big difference.
 
It is, in a way. I think the biggest problem that a lot of people have with it though is trying to get into the higher end production price range, where there is too much competition. They try to make knives that will compete price wise with, say a $250 Benchmade, and find they can’t make a decent profit. A lot of times from what I have seen anyway, the knives going to that crowd are “rushed” looking, since the maker is trying to make a lot of knives to make a living. CNC machines at the factories make some pretty darn good knives, and fast too. Heat treat at the factory is quite good, and most are offering premium steels. If people want to sell their stuff, they need to have something a lot different or “better” in some way. You can find a ton of handmade knives with sandblasted/tumbled/textured finishes to speed up the finishing, and G10 or some other composite handle. They are fundamentally the same as anything you can buy at a store, and similar in prices. People try to get into that market and that market is FLOODED with more of the same. Take that same knife, put some stag handles on it, a nice finish, and a leather sheath, and it’s a $500+ knife, and completely outside the production market, except for the likes of Randall. In a way, maybe it’s not so much is squeezing into their market, as it is they are climbing up into ours. Either way, I think makers need to distance themselves from that market in order to get established. I know doing just that has helped me immensely. Just a little more time on making it truly different from the ordinary makes a big difference.
It's a $500 plus knife that 90% of knifemakers can't get anyone to pay $500 plus for. That $375 knife from 1992 which was the cheapest on the makers table, should sell for $750 today IF knife prices had kept up with basic inflation. Not happening.
 
Now the one way that you can succeed beyond your wildest dreams is to obtain fanboy followers. We have heard the term "Instagram knifemaker" but you havee that kind of thing even in the more traditional marketplace. Anyone remember what Turley knives were selling for on the bushcraft secondary market a few years back? How about Alan Wood knives before that? Thousands of dollars for relatively simple stock removal knives made from decidedly pedestrian materials. I remember one Brit saying that he could grind 20 bushlore style O1 blades and have them ready to go in one reasonable work day. I don't want to even get into the mindset behind the hardcore supporters of products like Strider or Survive! knives. LOL
 
I would love to be a full time knifemaker but I would hate to rely on knifemaking (well, knife selling) to feed my family...
 
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