Commercial vs hand made.

[BigMonster]

What appeals more to you?
I used to crave the newest, most expensive kit with the best specs on the market. I had feelings for this one dreamed out item until something 10 grams lighter came out.
But alot have changed during the Moot in my mind. Seeing how Dave the blacksmith is puting a piece of his soul in to each hand crafted item, watching a friend making whoopie slings for me while I sharpened his blades. Listening guys laugh (and cry) abut bows they were making for 3 days changed my view a little bit.
Especially now when I'm in to hammocks and pretty much all suppliers are "cottage companies" and everything is hand made. Even now as I type Matt from UKHammocks is probably sewing a hammock for me. I know that some things can only be achieved by a mashine, but a factory will never have a quality controll better than a skilled eye checking every stitch...

The reason for this post is Noah, youngest brother of my girlfrien who probably is going to join me for this years Moot. So we were looking through his kit (he is a cadet) and he is all about: expensive, from US, tactical, cool vs my: you don't need that, that's too heavy, for this money you can have...

Am I getting old? I start to understand why in classified section old hand made knife will dissapear instantly compared to an expensive gizmo.

 

[mountainm]

Given the choice, money no object, handmade every time, a craftsman imbues his or her soul into a unique item, something which a mass manufacturing process cannot match.

 

[Mesquite]

Given the choice, money no object, handmade every time, a craftsman imbues his or her soul into a unique item, something which a mass manufacturing process cannot match.

That just about sums it up for me as well

 

[luckylee]

I have only just got in from doing customers orders from the workshop, to Make sure they are ready was the same yesterday and the day before, a one man band trying his hardest to make the best products he can for His customers, hand stitching a 72 inch belt by hand hand tooling it, and them applying the finishes by hand, then hand rubbing his knife by hand, at 10 at night no big company is going to do that for you, also you might pay that bit extra but I will bet my last penny that handmade item will outlast any commercial item 10 fold.

 

[Clouston98]

Handmade every single time! Have lots of factory made things, but most of kit I take now is hand made stuff .

 

[British Red]

I love things made by craftsmen. I really love things made by "amateur" craftsmen who don't care how much time went into a thing. The quality they produce is jaw dropping ...and we are amongst dozens of them here.

 

[demographic]

Depends a lot on what it is, some tools are made far more efficiently by CNC milling machines. Humans can manage it but the costs end up being prohibitive.
Plus with many things the repeatability quality during the manufacturing process is better with machines.

Then there's other items where hand made is better.

I would say that most people who regularly use tools in their working life realise that commercial, machine made can be very good indeed.

 

[Dave Budd]

I would hope that the preference of this whole forum will be for handmade It fits with the ethos of bushcraft much better than high tech and commercial.

That said of course, there will always be that space inside each of us for the gizmo or gadget but I bet it is normally just to enable us to get away from commercialism. Such as edged tools, with the latest must have steel; people will want it because of the steel but it is going to get them using it to make things and cut things for themselves.

Also, I have never had the money to buy the latest whizz bang gear, which is how I started out making stuff. Now I would prefer to have handmade because it is nicer and better for everyone than an equivalent made in a soulless factory at a fraction of the price.

 

[Monikieman]

Part of me says it's an inbuilt thing. The way you look at life, the small things that you value.

Part of me says it's the arty farty side coming out. I have several self made items and they all bring back different memories when I use them. they mean more to me than other people.

Sometimes though, I do think it's part of getting older.

 

[mountainm]

On a similar note old tools have a fascination for me. They wear there owners like a badge through dents, dings, wear and tear, rust and paint. It sounds daft but when you pick up an old tool it has a sense of purpose which a new one lacks.

 

[ammo]

I tend to go with my feelings, as opposed to my thoughts. I know this sounds daft, but when i hold a hand crafted item, i often get a feel of the makers magic. The spirit and effort they put in.
For me if i feel someone has done their best, as opposed to going through the motions and banging them out. I'm sold.
Hand made. Every time.

 

[British Red]

I would say that most people who regularly use tools in their working life realise that commercial, machine made can be very good indeed.

You make a good point - as keen as I am on craftsmen, I am glad that many things are made consistently and cheaply - I own a tap and die set - but I am happy buying factory made nuts and bolts!

 

[Barn Owl]

Hand made or self made, so many tools or their sheaths etc..such quality just can't be seen (ok, we all know what we mean) on the street/internet.
To qualify, there's a lot of crap out there that the unsuspecting will be lured into.

 

[rg598]

Quality is quality whether something is hand made or factory made. Each process can produce great tools and some inferior ones. My main concern is quality and price. I have some custom made gear that is of great quality and some commercial gear which is high quality. It makes no difference to me.

I can appreciate the spirit or soyl of a thing, but it doesn't make it easier to carry or more efficient to use. As such I try to avoid such considerations.

Also, it is very easy to fall into the trap of commercializing custom handmade gear. After spending $400 on a fifth custom made knife, it becomes somewhat hard to see what commercialism we are talking about.

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[Toddy]

Ah....you do know that machine made was first made in emulation of the best of handmade

Ross is right too though, quality does matter, but quality is subjective, and tools become familiar companions if we use them long enough. It gets so that even when a newer variety, a shinier shiny thing, so to speak, becomes available, we hang onto our old ones in preference.

I'm incredibly fortunate and have some beautiful kit made for me by friends and Makers here
Hand made wins hands down every time
It has another side to it too though; the memories of the people who made them for me,are very clear and a quiet pleasure every time I use one of those things that were made for me.

Some youngsters seem to take time to get over their 'shiny-itis', right enough, some of us finds that it still flares every so often

atb,
M

 

[rg598]

"Shiny-iris" is one thing; the need for your gear to perform is another. Of course it is different for different situations. If messing around in the woods behind the house, then it doesn't really matter. Just about anything will do. In that situation we are free to prioritize sentimentality over performance.

However, when you are heading up Rainer or Denali, it makes a huge difference whether you tent weighs 3lb or 10lb. When doing a two week trip and carrying all of your food, it really matters whether your tent packs down to 1L or 7L. When you are spending several nights out in -30C, it matters a lot if your sleeping bag is properly rated, and when the winds get to 60mph it matters a lot if your tent can handle that load. Similarly, when carrying out 100lb of boned-out deer, whether the frame on your pack can handle such loads is crucial.

My point is that in some situations gear doesn't matter much and we can select it however we like. In other situations, when we are pushing the boundaries of our w oodsmanship, performance is much more important than other considerations.

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[Swallow]

Whatever gets the job done.

Clutter has been defined as anything you don't use or love. So the least cluttery item would be one you use AND love.

It's important not to let life slip by and descend into being a queue of jobs with no love in them. So that should part of the "spec" of the job and therefore part of the "spec" of the tools.

 

[Corfe]

Handmade wins every time. I'll gladly carry the extra weight if necessary. You cannot compare factory-produced with handmade, and if something goes wrong with the item, you have come-back with a human being rather than a faceless company.

 

[smojo]

I love hand crafted stuff but also some manufactured things too. For me handmade is about creativity and putting some soul into the item - a bit of you goes into it. It has much more value than a bought item in terms of satisfaction. But there are things that we just can't make as well as the manufactured item or the skills needed would take too long to learn. Example making a knife. Do you go and dig up some iron ore and smelt it down first? You could but why bother re-inventing the wheel. I love my Ipod too and I don't think anyone here could make one of those! Then again I make guitars out of cigar boxes and they are just as much fun. The Ipod will become obsolete in a few years but my guitars will keep on playing. It's a question of context I guess.

 

[spiritwalker]

bit of both for me too the few hand made things i have i cherish but as others have said quality is quality my SAK is 20 years old and used daily, i have yet to see a hand made leatherman type tool which i also use regularly and when you have a family cost is a big consideration. If i was wealthy id probabally choose nice quality hand made but alas some prices although i can see their justification are just out of my reach...