Drew Riley
Well-Known Member
I can identify with that question/feeling. One aspect that is ever present with custom knives, is the personal aspect that goes along with a "custom" knife. To a finer point, the name and reputation of the maker. While it is an intangible, in that you can't see, taste, touch, or smell it, it's the aspect that makes one knife of given materials/design more valuable than another similar knife from another maker.
This is why I feel it's of the utmost importance that when an individual begins to sell his/her knives, that ANYTHING that leaves the shop MUST be the absolute best it can be. As I often tell students, an individual can spend 20 years building a good reputation in the knife world, and IF one substandard piece is allowed to leave the shop, it can destroy that reputation.
I have seen many instances of this happen, throughout my career in knifemaking. I've seen makers who rose to prominence, only to then "rest on their laurels", sending out knives that were less than their best work, who then quickly faded out of the knife scene.
I can remember thinking when I got home after testing for, and achieving my Mastersmith rating..."I can take it easy now....I made it!"
That lasted about two days, then I realized that I had set a standard, not only for myself, but in the eyes of knife buyers, and that any knife that left my shop from that point on had to meet or exceed that standard of quality.
Another example: I once had an individual approach me at a major Knife Show. This was a fairly new maker, who's rich father has set him up a "knife shop" as a college graduation present....complete with all the latest CNC equipment.
He made hunters similar in design to mine, and I was selling mine at the time in the $400-$700 range....he was ticked off because he was asking the same for his, and nobody would buy them. There were two reasons he could not sell his knives for the same prices as I could....
1. He was an relatively unknown maker, who had not established any kind of reputation within the knife world.
2. Although his knives had great fit and finish, they looked "machine made", with none of the intrinsic value that "hands on time" and attention to those details imparts to a knife.
As far as I know, the individual is no longer a knifemaker. I can only surmise that his emphasis was on the money first, and not the overall quality/appeal of his knives to the buying public. He was not willing to invest the time or effort required to cultivate a name or reputation within the knife world. Philosophies on this aspect are as varied as knifemakers, but my philosophy is simple.... "I would rather explain price, than apologize for Quality".
Great response Ed... definitely a lot to think about.