Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades Old vs. New Customs

I know a few of you will take this wrong , but I can't help noticing the outstanding quality of knives being produced by numerous young(er) knifemakers. This is true of the fixed blades, but it really visible in the quality of the folders that are now available from these younger generation makers. I am a vintage guy, I hunt almost exclusively with guns that are between 50 -100 years old. Having said that, the knives I am seeing that are being produced by these relative newcomers are just amazing, the style, workmanship and materials makes me wonder if we are in the middle of a special time for those who love custom made knives. What do you guys think?? (No I am not selling my knives made by those with gray hair) RP

Definitely in a special time.
There are many reasons.
Some...

The internet,a wealth of information,and communications.

Reading articles & info on these makers you speak of,alot will talk of them trying metods,etc. ,and then eventually,seeking out info from older ,more experienced makers.

Who was there for that older generation of makers ?

I see a downside ,it could be my frigged up view & really not an issue,but only in my head,and that is...The average custom knife buyer will turn his nose up at knives that may have one slight thing about them,not to thier liking.That same level of quality,in a particular knife 10 years give or take back in time,probably would fetch more dollars,back then!.Are the knife enthusiasts that are now in it,in the same time frame,too spoiled,too picky ?
I always say,its human beings,individual,that are making them. Who the heck is perfect ?

I get a custom knife,hold it in my hand,most times I say,dam,if I knew how to get one done like that I'd want more $$.

I really wonder,too,how many guys out there just do not realize what's to be had now a days in the custom knife world.

I agree with you, there are some guys making both fixed and folders these days that are unbelievable. Rick Menefee, Brett Dowell and David Winston (when he's in the right mood) all make incredible folders as well as fixed blades. The steels we have to work with today are some of the best ever.

Vince is right too, I never truly appreciated the quality until I tried to build one myself.

Today's workmanship on handmade folders and fixed blade knives is outstanding, as is the quality.

But, see a picture of a 25 year old Loveless or D.E. Henry or Sigman fixed blade or a Frank folder, and you will realize that master craftsmanship is not new.

Randalls do not have the following of the knifemakers of years gone by, but every time I see a Randall, I stop to admire it and, if possible, pick it up. There is just something about a Randall that draws me to them, even if there are 50 knives from different makers on the table. I realize that everyone is not as fascinated by Randalls as I am, but they are still a quality knife.

I guess you could say that quality and good taste does not ever go out of style.

like with so many other things and issues in today's world, the sheer volume of current offerings just overwhelms folks. I personally don't think the level of craftsmanship is as good today as in years past, but there is dang sure a lot of stuff out there.

I wonder how much technological advances have added. Sure we have better steels but also three axis grinders, water jets, CNC machine centers, computer aided design, plus I am betting the abrasives have also improved. I am glad custom knife making has remained popular.

Several of you are correct. The internet was a start. Social groups of knifemakers sharing information. Early 90s I know of some knifemakers felt it was a secret of how they did several techniques. Now knife makers openly invite people into their shops to show their methods and how to improve. Right Dale!
Even Dowell and Menfee going to visit Reese and Tony. Stopping at John Loyds along the way to visit there.
With our group in Oklahoma ,I say that I started making kives 5 years ago. The first 20 before that was just grinding steel. Techniques have improved. New machinery is in place. Materials are better and more readily available.
Loveless , Moran, Ericksons,Imel,Steve Johnson,Sawby, and many others lead the way.

in many ways the finest knives ever produced are coming down the pike at this time. we have to respect the early pioneers in the industry for jump starting a total new enthusium in one of man's oldest tools. new tools & machines plus leaps in metallalurgy have allowed present knife crafters to not only get closer tolerances, finer metals, & introductions of a multitude of different natural materials along with new synthetics has given birth to a totally new starburst of interest in the knife. i once read the technology level of a country was judged by the quality & variety of it's cutting tools. in addition to the simple knife this applies to cnc machines, grinding & sanding mechanisms, lazers & water jets. however the availibility & willingness to exchange techniques in many areas of knowledge is the most important reason that america leads the world in variety & superiority of the ancient tool --the knife.--cranky72 [we should'nt relegate the masters of the forge to a back seat in this "renaissance" of activity perfection.]

"I once read the technology level of a country was judged by the quality & variety of it's cutting tools." Seems like a fair test to me. Might I suggest a secondary test that has to do with designing an internal combustion engine that doesn't leak oil?

I think the quality of both material and workmanship from the current crop of makers is close to what the artists of 40-50 years ago were putting out.

One place I would question the quality of both workmanship and material is in factory, mass produced knives. It seems that the objective of producing commercial knives is how to make them faster and cheaper, and not how to make them better.

I picked up a new Buck and would call it mass produced yet it is a quality tool with good fit and function along with good steel. It has always been the objective to build commercial products less expensive - given the relationship between price and demand. I disagree with making them cheaper which infers poorer quality. Anyone ever involved with high production knows quality proplems rapidly eat into profits. But many attempts to produce products less expensive have lead to quality problems. Robert, I suspect we are in agreement here, I am just splitting hairs and not picking a fight.

Not looking for a fight. Actually, I never have, although I got caught up in a few.

Just my opinion based on about 40 years of making, sharpening, repairing other peoples knives, sharpening and testing factory knives, and in my opinion, very important, picking the minds of professional heat treaters, heat treaters who does (and did) work for Loveless, Steve Johnson, George Herron, Wayne Goddard and many more.

And also from reading other posts from other readers on this forum about having to return expensive knives to the factory, knives made from supposidly high quality steel, but would not sharpen, nor hold an edge.

batches of steel can sometimes be mislabeled or even differ in trace elements. usually a decent custom maker will catch this if he notices rockwell variances after heattreating. certainly just looking at a bar of alloy wo'nt make this apparent. rockwell machines are also going to need recalibration ; usually twice a year. all machinery eventually has bearing & gear wear so custom as well as factories have an unending spec checks. most of this occurs in high production facilities at a more rapid pace. sorta like replacing hoses & belts in your vehicles.when i was working at honeywell & anaconda; test personal would regularly get samples of thermo castings or electrical conductors to assure items were staying in specifications.in general i believe modern production conducted in a concientious facility is at least superior to products made on ancient equipment With less accurate testing & measuring equipment. whatever your opinion the learned & ethical custom maker can usually but not always best the mass produced products but of course at a higher price. the old cases , schrades, & others can seldom match the close fitting & smoother actions of chinese & japanese output. much of this is attributed to labor costs but also the fact that most foriegn plants are working with newer machines. please do'nt let this get into a political joust . simply take 20 old knives & compare them with 20 new [especially chinese] knives & the facts are easily apparent. just as an aside i do'nt own any chinese products but i'm fortunate to be able to buy mostly great eastern.---cranky72

When I made the comment about faster and cheaper, but not necessarily better, I also had a product in mind other than knives.

What I had in mind was automobiles made by both GM and Ford, and maybe others, during the 70s.

I owned some GM products during this period, and I haven't owned one since.

Yes, the mass produced knives work smooth, and maybe trouble free, because of newer, more precision machinery. I would't be surprised if a Chinese company could make a watch selling for $10.00 that was as precision made, or more so, than a Rolex.

But comparing these products with knives made by Frank, Perdue, Lyle, Herron and other top folder makers of that era, it is still amazing that they could achieve this level of fit and finish from using files and grinders, and hand operated milling machines and lathes.

I talked to a person named McMillon (sp?), who made gun barrels back in the 70s. Many world record scores were shot using his barrels. I asked him why his barrels were more accurate than other maker's barrels. I don't remember his exact words, but as I understand it, he said that precision fit and finish and workmanship and attention to detail was the reason. Many people can make a gun barrel, but how many take the time and effort to do the most precision work possible?



This is an old liner lock I made several years ago, 10 or 15, and I have carried it daily since. I know it looks like crap, and might bring $5.00 at a knife show, but it is as smooth operating now as it was when I made it. The parts move freely, but it locks up so tight that I cannot feel any movement, even after opening and closing it daily for many years.

The blade is 154CM, heat treated by one of the best known blade heat theaters in the U.S. So, although it might look like junk, it is not.