I am curious, what makes a one custom knife better than another, or a factory knife for that matter?
Is it a matter of style? craftsmanship? or do certain makers have the formula down for the proper temper, edge holding ability, ease of sharpening etc...
Lots of things!
Assuming proper heat treat and temper for the steel chosen being equal (which is a quality control issue, not a custom issue).
A custom knife can be a design you need out of a steel you cannot get any other way. It can be a specific design (shape and handle) you cannot get any other way. It can be a combination of a number features you cannot get any other way. And of course, lastly but far from least, it can be just a level of craftsmanship you cannot get any other way.
I recently took a proven design and asked a maker to build one for me out of superior material with some improved features and it turned out to be vastly superior to anything I had ever had in my hands for that work. I am about to have another done by the same maker on a different proven design with some tweaks and I can see the possibility of it being another highly successful experiment, or it may not, and I'm OK with that if it should turn out that way.
A lot of makers have a "line" of builds they produce. The have a blade design out of a given steel, handles out of specified materials and all well executed. These "custom" knives are very fine tools, and well worth the price. But... there may be a hundred others just like them in other people's hands. Some, have very distinctive "styles" in construction. With a tool that is quite personal like a knife style, materials, execution etc may be better for one user or the next. Better may be solely in the eye of the beholder.
