Custom everyday carry knives...Would You?
- Thread starter wkelly
- Start date
Call me crazy but I have been carrying full custom pocket knives for decades. I daily have a knife in my pocket that costs several hundred to north of a thousand dollars in my pocket. To me its functional art and pocket jewelry that is also a useful tool. Over the decades I have made many lifelong friends that are as close or closer than some family in the knife making community.
I will warn you it can be a sickness...a slippery slope to go down.
A picture of what is in my pocket currently. A Patrick Doyle custom Jack Pine
I will warn you it can be a sickness...a slippery slope to go down.
A picture of what is in my pocket currently. A Patrick Doyle custom Jack Pine
Only if I could be sure not to lose it.
I've lost a couple of factory folders just walking in the woods. The Spyderco was probably on a pocket clip and the Victorinox.... I'm sure I put it in the bottom of a pocket. Perhaps not?
I've lost a couple of factory folders just walking in the woods. The Spyderco was probably on a pocket clip and the Victorinox.... I'm sure I put it in the bottom of a pocket. Perhaps not?
I'm of the opinion that a knife, like a gun, is a tool to be used rather than sitting in a box or on a shelf to be looked at. Obviously most "collectors" disagree, but I'm a user not a collector. While I have no problem carrying and using a tool like that (heck my carry pistol would cost around $1500 to replace, and it's with me every day, no reason why a knife should be any different), I also wouldn't buy a knife that I'd be afraid to carry and use. Where that line is, in $$$$ amount, will be different for me vs you or anyone else.
Just my 2 cents.
Just my 2 cents.
I used to carry higher end factory knives but have switched to Civivi or a Milwaukee folding razor knife for my daily. I’m a welder and there is zero reason to trash nice knives. Outside of work I typically carry spyderco, benchmade, zero tolerance. I have a william Henry that’s my church and date night knife.
I guess it depends on what you do daily. Office job sure carry a nice custom if your going to be breaking down pallets of stuff and using it rough buy and carry a beater
I guess it depends on what you do daily. Office job sure carry a nice custom if your going to be breaking down pallets of stuff and using it rough buy and carry a beater
I abuse my pocket knives too much,
My favorite I’ve had for a long time is an Emerson, I’ve had it for 12-15 years, it’s cut all sorts of critters and anything else I needed cut,
My edc now is a Spyderco with the Emerson style opener
If you want a custom knife and have the funds, enjoy it, it is something I don’t see the value in but many, many folks do
My favorite I’ve had for a long time is an Emerson, I’ve had it for 12-15 years, it’s cut all sorts of critters and anything else I needed cut,
My edc now is a Spyderco with the Emerson style opener
If you want a custom knife and have the funds, enjoy it, it is something I don’t see the value in but many, many folks do
I tried it, but like someone else said, it depends on what you do for a living. The issue for me becomes when you need to cut something that you know will damage the edge, what will you do? Will you cut it or will you go find something else? If it's going to be in your pocket, then I think you should accept that it will need to do all of the things that you occasionally do. I carry around decent utilitarian stuff now, but nothing crazy, spyderco, benchmade or zt and just know that I'm going to use them and they are going to suffer some for it. I'm not carrying a custom for that reason.
This. A knife is a tool and if you can truly afford a custom knife you can afford to replace it if it came to it.
I’ve carried lots of customs and used them hard, never lost one. If I had lost one, still wouldn’t make me go be a peasant and carry a cheap knife.
I am a carpenter, been daily carrying some sort of ZT for 10 years now. I have lost one and I attribute that to not having a deep carry pocket clip, which I now run on all my knives, and there being snow on the ground.
When I finally get around to ordering something nicer, I’ll run that as well. I have re-profiled blades multiple time and as far as I am concerned, it is a wear item. I’ll use it until it breaks, put it in a drawer and buy something new. But at least I got to enjoy using it daily, rather than struggling with something lesser.
When I finally get around to ordering something nicer, I’ll run that as well. I have re-profiled blades multiple time and as far as I am concerned, it is a wear item. I’ll use it until it breaks, put it in a drawer and buy something new. But at least I got to enjoy using it daily, rather than struggling with something lesser.
I have a habit of losing things , that keeps my EDC knife in my pocket and a few that are smaller but not cost effective to loose.
I carry the Emerson most everyday, if I want something smaller I carry the Chris Reeves Sebenza.
I keep the Jimmy Lile in my safe , the idea of losing it makes me nauseous.
I carry the Emerson most everyday, if I want something smaller I carry the Chris Reeves Sebenza.
I keep the Jimmy Lile in my safe , the idea of losing it makes me nauseous.
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For dudes that don't really use it a lot, they can carry some nice custom and it's fine. For those of us who wear some type if work boot, it's not a great idea. I carry a cheap Kershaw assisted knife (that I love and have 5 more to be replacements when I lose or ruin it) that's small enough to be a pocket knife but has a big enough blade to open some things and cut rope if needed. Most EDC that I see are too big for me to be an EDC anyway honestly.
Oh never fear a knife is a tool and mine get used and abused, when beat up too bad I send them back to the maker for a spa treatment. I also believe in using my gear for what ever is needed at the time. Need to cut something then cut it, if it dulls the edge sharpen it, FFS its no different than your rifle, if you use it it will require maintenance. All part of ownership.
Been carrying this for a hot minute. It’s not tactical, and doesn’t lock, but it cuts shit.
I make my own knives out of stock from Alpha Knife Supply and NJ Steel Baron, then send them out for heat treatment. I wouldn't consider myself an expert on all things knives, but I've got the basics down....
With custom knives, you're paying for the craftsman's time. The quality of expensive custom knives is no better (and often worse) than off the rack knives that are considerably cheaper. Custom knife makers usually work with good quality, but simple tool steels like 1095, 52100, D2, A2, 01 etc. They're easy to grind and heat treat without big $$$ equipment. I actually like these steels better than the exotic stuff, but that's not the point.
Companies like Spyderco work with virtually every type of steel imaginable, from the simple steels above all the way through super exotic stuff like maxamet. They've invested crazy money into ultra precise heat treating equipment and recipes for their steel. Small custom outfits just can't compete.
If you're buying a knife to use on a daily basis, I'd go with something off the shelf.
If you want an heirloom to pass on to your boys, go custom.
With custom knives, you're paying for the craftsman's time. The quality of expensive custom knives is no better (and often worse) than off the rack knives that are considerably cheaper. Custom knife makers usually work with good quality, but simple tool steels like 1095, 52100, D2, A2, 01 etc. They're easy to grind and heat treat without big $$$ equipment. I actually like these steels better than the exotic stuff, but that's not the point.
Companies like Spyderco work with virtually every type of steel imaginable, from the simple steels above all the way through super exotic stuff like maxamet. They've invested crazy money into ultra precise heat treating equipment and recipes for their steel. Small custom outfits just can't compete.
If you're buying a knife to use on a daily basis, I'd go with something off the shelf.
If you want an heirloom to pass on to your boys, go custom.
I carried a zero tolerance 350 for years. Last year my ladies got me a leatherman wave+ for christmas. I didn't like it at first, but after I ordered the pocket clip accessory......BINGO.
The ZT was great for quick deployment, use, and putaway when opening boxes or cutting shit quick. However, after I got over the loss of quick knife blade access and realized the practicality of a "multi-tool"......there is no going back.
Ern
The ZT was great for quick deployment, use, and putaway when opening boxes or cutting shit quick. However, after I got over the loss of quick knife blade access and realized the practicality of a "multi-tool"......there is no going back.
Ern
Man I grew up before "tactical" knives were a thing, slippies are still my all time favorite and will always carry one. I remember as a young man when the Buck 110 came out and everyone thought it was the be all end all.
Something else I suggest anyone considering looking to buy a custom knife do is look closely at the makers transparency in how they are made. For me buying a custom is more about supporting a friend or artist in his endeavors. Custom to me means the maker does the vast majority of the work... not having a job shop do the work and then assembling the components... thats a turnkey job and not a hand made custom.
I love my slip joints. Sit nicely in the bottom of the pocket, nothing to snag, and cuts things. Sure, it’s not great for knife fighting but if I’m going somewhere where I think a knife fight is possible, then I bring a gun.
André x 2 Van Heerden and Thorburn, nice work. Lots of very good South African makers
I have lost to many pocket knives to be carrying $1000+ knife. I get sad enough losing a PM2
A little smaller than I usually use, but I'd carry that. Nice blade, Elmax is good stuff.
When I go for something higher end or make a custom blade, I do it mostly to get higher quality steel. While some higher end makers only work with simple steels as someone pointed out above, plenty of others do work with high end steels. Personally I won't pay more than "cheap knife" prices if I'm not getting good steel. Anyone here can get a decent "cheap" pocket knife in D2 for $20-$30 that'll hold an edge pretty well, so anything much above the $100 range better have a better steel (and heat treat) than that or I'm not interested.
I don't agree with this idea some of you seem to have that if you work a trade or work with your hands that you have to trash your knives. That's not hard work, it's just carelessness IMO. If you need a tool to scrape weld spatter or something, it's easy enough to carry a tool for that and still have a good knife with a sharp edge. A multitool with a saw edge and some screwdrivers, or even a flat section of pry bar, etc.
This is basically where I’m at. I’ve had several knife models in my pocket I’ve loved, and have been both blessed and cursed to carry them so long that when I do lose them, Benchmade no longer makes it. I was older and wiser the last time I found a great blade, so I bought two; down to the last one now and I’ll have to search anew when I eventually misplace this one, or when TSA takes it on a day I can’t afford the 20 mins to go bury it in the airport flower bed (did this once, worked like a charm).
Long story/sentence short: it’s too easily lost for me to risk $1000 or more, and I want multiples. If that makes me a poor, then I expect I’m in good company.
There’s a big difference between carrying a $200 Benchmade and a $1,000 custom, at least in the income level needed to justify buying and replacing them. Seems like that line’s getting blurred here a bit.
Maybe we should all just carry Exacto knives because they’re cheap.
Maybe we should all just carry Exacto knives because they’re cheap.
I agree to a point, use the right tool for the job. But if I was to carry a high end custom that means I would have to carry a second knife/multi tool/scraper. I can carry a cheap beater and not worry about it.
Plus a lot of trades you are in and out of fall protection harnesses and working at heights. The breaking point for me to stop carrying a nice knife was when I had a higher end spyderco come out of my pocket while wearing a harness. I assume the harness lifted it out and it dropped some where, never could find it.
In all honestly I don’t miss the nicer knives at work, the cheap ones cut just as good and the cheaper steel is easier to sharpen at the end of the day, or just replace the razor. I don’t care how fancy or high end the steel is, if you’re cutting a lot it’s going to get dull in a day and the higher end steel is a chore to sharpen.
Perfect example, we get pallets that are banded, both types of banding are green but one is a thick plastic and the other is a coated steel. To my eyes they look the same until you try and cut them. Sure I could go get a pair of cutters or carry a pair with me but it’s easy enough to whip out the razor knife and try to cut it, if it’s steel I can flip my razor knife around and good as new.
I’ve done this a couple times also. Worked so far
The type of steel is only part of the equation. Geometry and heat treat are equally, if not more important. I have an older VG-10 folder from a major manufacturer that's way too soft. I also have a vg-10 gyuto that's exceptionally hard (for the steel) and works like a laser in the kitchen.
I have a few customs, all in simple carbon steels. Exotic powdered steels were an option, but with small custom makers consistency is often lacking and you can often end up paying a lot more for an inferior product.
To each his own.
I'm gonna agree with @vinniedelpino . It's how the steel is handled by the bladesmith which makes it superior.
Go and get a top winning NASCAR motor. Pull it apart, and reassemble it. Is it going to be as good ? You have the original parts, everything... It's HOW it's made which makes it special.
Go and get a top winning NASCAR motor. Pull it apart, and reassemble it. Is it going to be as good ? You have the original parts, everything... It's HOW it's made which makes it special.
D'oh...
Last time I flew I realized I had a ZDP-189 spyderco folder in my pocket while I was on the TSA line. I tried to give it to a young, chipper looking TSA employee and he got weird on me.
I wound up tossing it in the garbage.
I use mine so cheap crkt m16 for me
Multiple groundhogs with this one
Multiple groundhogs with this one
I must confess I'm becoming a knife whore. I love Case knives because they are made in America, hold value and come stupid sharp. I have several ZTs including 0100, 0460, 0470 and I love those also. I like the American made Kershaws but hate the Chicom ones. Also like the Boker Solingens. I bought 3 Cases today including 2 Texas Toothpicks and a Teardrop.
I forgot to mention I bought a custom Damascus by Art Winters last month. For the last 40 years I've carried a small American made Shrade Old Timer. Last several years as LEO I carried a large ZT automatic. Can't remember the model. I work in an office now so smaller is better which is why I love those small Case Texas toothpicks.
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Knives are like sunglasses for me. I break them, scratch them, lose them far too often to spend a lot of money on them.
The way I learned not to lose or break expensive gear is to develop a set of best practices. It started with my first pair of expensive sunglasses. Never ever put them down where someone might sit or stand.
With my EDC folder always return it to my pocket. Never set it down.
Whenever leaving and area, do the “10 step look-back”. 10 steps is just the name, basically always stop and scan the restaurant booth, animal kill sight, range shooting spot or any other area before leaving.
After a while this simply becomes automatic and you’ll find your spent casing in your pocket despite thinking you left it behind after that awesome kill.
With the advent of air tags those are yet another way to idiot proof this. I removed the speaker magnet from one and attached it to my Kestrel 5700x lanyard. Just one more stop gap…..
With my EDC folder always return it to my pocket. Never set it down.
Whenever leaving and area, do the “10 step look-back”. 10 steps is just the name, basically always stop and scan the restaurant booth, animal kill sight, range shooting spot or any other area before leaving.
After a while this simply becomes automatic and you’ll find your spent casing in your pocket despite thinking you left it behind after that awesome kill.
With the advent of air tags those are yet another way to idiot proof this. I removed the speaker magnet from one and attached it to my Kestrel 5700x lanyard. Just one more stop gap…..
Obviously not practical for everything but if there is a piece of gear with size and value enough that you are afraid might get dropped or stolen….. Also nice if you want to track just where your dealership mechanic is driving your vehicle to.Air tag is a good idea. I'll need quite a few.
For anti-theft ones, I pull the speaker magnet or as is the case with the kestrel, the magnet interferes with the compass so I pulled it.
I throw one in my hunting pack. That way if I drop it on a stalk I can get right back to it and if someone grabs it I might have a chance at retrieving it. You can also hide them in a game bag you have to leave overnight. At least then you can track the bear that stole your meat….
I EDC a Mora Eldris as it is available in non-threatening colors and if it is taken from me or lost I am not out a lot of money.
-Stan
-Stan
Been in to knives for a very long time, it really depends on you and your use case/wants. With guns, going custom can gain you accuracy, reliability, and customization, while there are amazingly accurate factory rifles, even some expensive factory ones are inconsistently so. Many factory knives use better steel with great heat treating, have durable/reliable/strong lockups, handles etc, so the only thing that you really gain going custom is if you want something custom/unique or a design you can't find. Also much like custom gun makers, there are a lot of custom knife makers doing subpar work that's no better, and in some cases worse than factory knives when it comes to steel and heat treat. The blade steel and heat treatment for your use case can be more complicated than having an argument on a gun forum of what caliber to shoot and the best cleaning method at the same time. The blade steels that hold their edge the longest are the most brittle and easiest to damage and hardest to sharpen that damage out of. Edge geometry and heat treat matter a lot as well. Many times the heat treat and blade steel are chosen not for performance but for economy, softer steels and heat treats are faster to grind and you get more knives ground out per belt etc. Like many industries if the company thinks they can get away cheap without most customers knowing, they will cut corners.
With custom knives to me they are more like watches, a Rolex doesn't tell time more accurately or take more abuse than a G-shock, but it's a fashion statement, and it's something that can be handed down to your kids etc. However as far as the most accurate durable watch the G-shock wins. The other difference is most of us can tell right away if a gun is going to shoot well, however most knife enthusiasts can't tell you if a blade is really the steel it says it is, or if it's been heat treated to the stated range. It's much harder to judge performance.
It really depends on if you are more about form, or function, tons of production knives will get you 100% or more of the cutting performance of most custom knives, but they aren't a status symbol or an heirloom piece.
There's also the statement of use others have made, if I have a utility knife, or a $60 knife I'm going to be more willing to abuse it, than if it's a $1000 custom. If you're opening packages 90% of the time with your knife, no knife will ever do that as well as a simple box cutter. One has to remember at the end of the day a pocket knife was designed as a significant compromise for a larger, stronger, less complicated less likely to fail fixed blade so it could go in your pocket.
With custom knives to me they are more like watches, a Rolex doesn't tell time more accurately or take more abuse than a G-shock, but it's a fashion statement, and it's something that can be handed down to your kids etc. However as far as the most accurate durable watch the G-shock wins. The other difference is most of us can tell right away if a gun is going to shoot well, however most knife enthusiasts can't tell you if a blade is really the steel it says it is, or if it's been heat treated to the stated range. It's much harder to judge performance.
It really depends on if you are more about form, or function, tons of production knives will get you 100% or more of the cutting performance of most custom knives, but they aren't a status symbol or an heirloom piece.
There's also the statement of use others have made, if I have a utility knife, or a $60 knife I'm going to be more willing to abuse it, than if it's a $1000 custom. If you're opening packages 90% of the time with your knife, no knife will ever do that as well as a simple box cutter. One has to remember at the end of the day a pocket knife was designed as a significant compromise for a larger, stronger, less complicated less likely to fail fixed blade so it could go in your pocket.
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