My knives are expensive compared to what you would buy in the hardware store. No one is denying that. I want to explain why the knives I make are expensive, and why they may be worth that expense to you.
Why are my knives expensive for me to make:
This has really two answers. The first is that it is expensive for me to make knives. You have to understand how much work I put into these knives. I timed myself a long time ago and it took 7 hands on hours to make a basic belt knife without a sheath. This is just hands on work time, it doesn't count the time I spend researching the craft of knifemaking, the time I spend sourcing materials, the time I spend maintaining this website, Facebook, and customer relations, the time spent making a sheath, documenting and taking pictures of the completed knife, and finally delivering the knife to the customer, after which I have to keep the books. Now all that makes it sound like this is a really hard job, and I have to say that I enjoy making knives, it is a hobby, so it isn't as bad as it sounds, although it does take a ton of time.
Along with the amount of time and, eventually I will be able to say expertise, that goes into making these knives is all the other costs that go into production. These include material for the knives (steel, wood, pins, epoxy, leather, etc.), machinery wear and tear and new machine purchases, and consumables (tape, nitrile gloves, stainless foil, drill bits, sandpaper sheets, grinding belts are a huge expense, leather thread, etc.)
And answer two to the question would be that I try to price my knives at what they are worth. I believe my knives are worth the money people pay for them which is one of the reasons they are priced the way they are.
Someone will pay $500 dollars for a phone that they drop and break in one year. Or someone will buy a knife for $500 dollars that they use throughout their life and hand down to their grandchild. Which was the wiser use of the money? I believe that the Bible says Christians should steward the resources God has given them wisely, and that that doesn't always mean buying the cheapest and that doesn't usually mean buying the most expensive. If you are able to afford one of my knives, you are able to afford giving money to our brothers and sisters around the world who do not have enough, and I would encourage you to find a worthy cause and to do so. Remember, anything you own is not yours, it is the Lord's.
Why are my knives worth your money:
We went into this a little bit above, but to expound on that, my knives are built to be worth good money. I like what the late M.S. Wayne Goddard said about how knives should be. Knives should "look good, feel good, work good" and I'd add to that, last good. I try to make my knives to accomplish all of these things. I know a lot of people look at custom knives as art, and they can be purely art, I myself have made some knives that will just be looked at (though I made them to be used). But custom knives are also the best performing knives in the world, and the production knife industry often progresses and moves in the wake of the custom knife industry. Although handmade knives in general are expensive, my knives, although made in my shop by me (very well made, I believe, and always improving), are priced similarly to some production knives such as Benchmade. Benchmade makes a good knife, but I would argue that I can make a better one, (at least fixed blade, they've got some pretty high tech folders). Anyway, my knives may be worth your money if you appreciate a good knife, want a knife with your Grandpa's wood, want something beyond the run of the mill, or, if you specifically tell me this is what you have in mind, want a knife that will outperform any other knife you own.
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