Very expensive knives.

[crosslandkelly]

Don't take it personally, As you say, your opinion is just as valid in the universe as mine but because the topic is hard to prove either way, i'm happy to think you're wrong while at the same time understanding that I might also be wrong. It's not like i'm here seething at you

Fortunately, I can fix your serious doubt about unused sports bikes by asking you do a google image search for: Ducati on wall.

No, I don't take it personally, I posted an opinion, and expected opposing opinions.

This is so wrong.

Over the years, I have been beguiled by the looks of a number of knives. I have bought them, awaited their arrival with keen anticipation and then used them. More often than not, I have sold them on for annoyingly less than I paid for them. Why? Well, it varies: blade shape, handle size and shape, the 'feel' of it in the hand and when working with it - and a host of other little, personal niggles and opinions.

Although some were expensive, all of them were used and given, if you like, a fair trial. I always seem to come back to my preferred ones though for reasons I can't rightly explain but I reckon familiarity is in amongst them.

Have they been worth it? Yes. Although out of pocket on the deals, I have learned a lot about what I like and expect from a knife; the sadness - an understandable one, really - is that I have had to go through the process of buying them to try them before selling them on. The ones I come back to as my main users are ones I would never sell. I'm happy with them because they fit and are comfortable in my (much-operated-on) hand. For that, and that alone, I remain happy to have paid more than the price of a Mora for them.

You have made the case for custom made rather than off the shelf knives very nicely, but as you say, they are all users.
I keep looking back to British Reds knife, and thinking how it has a great well used look.

 

[Tony]

I've got a woodlore in a bag in the garage, I think it's there anyway, it's somewhere I bought it in 2000, it was the first 'good' knife I'd bought and it was £150, Rachel (of Woodlore) told me to get in quick because the tax man was forcing them to put the prices up to cover VAT, so I got my woodlore at an ok price.
I'd probably not buy another one, I know so much more about knives now, I've got quite a few, I've given away more than I now have. My favourite knife is probably the closest one at hand when I'm needing one, actually sitting here i can see 6 knives and the one I've grabbed the last month is a prototype by BogdanS, a lovely knife that he wants some feedback on.

I think that because I've got lots of knives it's easy to not worry about durability, I often use mora's, I've got a number of them and they're brill, I paid about £7 for them and I'm always telling people that they should start off with a cheap but good knife because they're about, then after some experience and knowledge is gained they can carry on or look out for a knife that they really enjoy having and using, it's such a personal thing. I like light knives, my wooden handled Mora that Leon1 gave to me years ago still gets regular use, it's light and does the job. I have had some plastic handled mora's break on me, sometimes my fault and others not really my fault, this leads me to think that if I needed a knife that had to last me a long time and i had to rely on then I'd change my preference to a heavier more robust knife, like my woodlore, or the Bushcraft UK/Spyderco knife, something that's strong, reliable, good quality etc, sure it costs more but it would be the knife I really had to rely on, the same if I could only have one knife, I'd want it to be a great knife that lasted me well.

It's very rare that I think a hand made knife is overpriced, there's a lot of work goes into a hand made knife so I don't begrudge any knife maker a good price for his work, I'm not saying i'd buy one because I've not got enough money but that doesn't mean to say it's not desirable.

I know i'm waffling....

To me knives are valued at whatever people will pay for them, some knives work for some people but not all, some people collect them (I've never seen the point of this for me personally but no problem with it) generally they're not over priced considering the work that goes into them (although there are lot of knives where you do wonder how they can be so much money) materials are getting more expensive etc etc.

Claims that one is better than the other are generally just marketing, saying that though my del stubbs spoon knife is way better than my woodlore for getting that spoon bowl sorted and my dell stubbs or mora carver is better at shaping the handle of a spoon, generally I trust my woodlore to be battened through wood more than I do my plastic handled mora, I love my little polecat off of BogdanS as it's small and easy to carry while being solid, or i've got a folder, cost is an issue when buying something but doens't cover what's the best thing to use or carry, or what we like the most on a person to person basis....

 

[GGTBod]

I wouldn't be one bit surprised if this guy is sitting there riding a Ducati in a motorbike video game (probably the exact model behind him on the wall)

 

[Tonyuk]

I wouldn't be one bit surprised if this guy is sitting there riding a Ducati in a motorbike video game (probably the exact model behind him on the wall)

I hope that's screwed in well....

 

[Tony]

part of me would like to think it's not, only a small part of me though

 

[Tuscor]

How can you berate those who claim an unused knife is great while also claiming that a knife you own which has yet to be handled will be your go-to knife?

Good point

 

[Swallow]

Something gets me about the whole thing not being made by Ray but having his name on it, if Ray himself made every blade from start to finish and was a master bladesmith and cutlerer i could almost understand the cost but he doesn't and it's not so i don't.

To reuse your car analogy if Enzo Ferrari was having cars made by Nissan and allowing them to stick a Ferrari badge on at the end for a share of the profits on each one sold ........ or an artist analogy, if say Picasso was coming along and signing paintings painted by other artists, like i mentioned above i don't understand

I think if i spent £600+ on a knife my expectations would be too high, i'd be sitting there waiting for it to make feather sticks for me on command and pop out of it's sheath into my palm as i reached for it like Robocop's gun and hone and resheath itself after use.

Unless we are calling into question Alan Woods abilities as a Bladesmith......

I think a better anaology in this case is a Schumacher edition Koenisegg (deosn't exist that I know of), or a BB King edition Gibson 335.

No-one would bat an eyelid at either of those.

 

[mountainm]

Unless we are calling into question Alan Woods abilities as a Bladesmith......

I think a better anaology in this case is a Schumacher edition Koenisegg (deosn't exist that I know of), or a BB King edition Gibson 335.

No-one would bat an eyelid at either of those.

My understanding is that Ray designed the blade. Unfortunately in this case the craftsman is simply the manufacturer. Dyson doesn't make all the vacuum cleaners, I'm guessing he doesn't even design them anymore... but he gets the credit. Just as many artists (particularly sculpters) will plan and design a work, but get someone else to build/cast/assemble it.

 

[GGTBod]

No question regarding Alan Woods skills, so it's an Alan Woods knife branded by RM it still wasn't made by Ray, no different to my analogy of an artist painting something and then a famous artist putting their name on it to sell

 

[mountainm]

No question regarding Alan Woods skills, so it's an Alan Woods knife branded by RM it still wasn't made by Ray, no different to my analogy of an artist painting something and then a famous artist putting their name on it to sell

No - Ray designed the knife and asked Alan to manufacture it. It's an Architect/builder relationship.

 

[GGTBod]

I understand that completely, so if say someone famous like Russell Crowe asked Mark Hill to make him a knife with specifications on how that knife should look does that then make that knife a Russell Crowe knife?

 

[mountainm]

I understand that completely, so if say someone famous like Russell Crowe asked Mark Hill to make him a knife with specifications on how that knife should look does that then make that knife a Russell Crowe knife?

If it's Russel Crowe's design and no matter who Russel Crowe went to the knife would turn out the same, then yes.

 

[Corso]

Something gets me about the whole thing not being made by Ray but having his name on it, if Ray himself made every blade from start to finish and was a master bladesmith and cutlerer i could almost understand the cost but he doesn't and it's not so i don't.

To reuse your car analogy if Enzo Ferrari was having cars made by Nissan and allowing them to stick a Ferrari badge on at the end for a share of the profits on each one sold ........ or an artist analogy, if say Picasso was coming along and signing paintings painted by other artists, like i mentioned above i don't understand

I think if i spent £600+ on a knife my expectations would be too high, i'd be sitting there waiting for it to make feather sticks for me on command and pop out of it's sheath into my palm as i reached for it like Robocop's gun and hone and resheath itself after use.

Enzo Ferrari doesn't make his cars infact he only has a 10% stake in the company up until 2014 90% was owned by Fiat

RM was involved in the design of the knife

 

[GGTBod]

Then the point is made even better, if Enzo was putting Ferrari badges on Nissans and selling them as Ferraris it would be all the more of a marketting con

 

[mountainm]

Then the point is made even better, if Enzo was putting Ferrari badges on Nissans and selling them as Ferraris it would be all the more of a marketting con

Volkswagen/Seat/Skoda

 

[Corso]

nope he's putting them on fiats

I don't own a £500 knife - I don't want one, but nor do I comment on somone else doing so, its entierly up to them, they can state its the most fantastic knife ever, polish it, put it in a case and only handle it with silk gloves on - it harms noone lease of all me.

Is it about time someone starts a what is bushcraft thread...

 

[redneck]

The issue I have with a lot of hand made knives these days is that they're not hand made! The blanks are laser cut, the heat treat is sub contracted and all the maker does is grind on an edge and stick a handle on. It's one of the reasons I sold my custom collection and now thoroughly enjoy using my morass rather than panic after getting a micro chip on a £400 'hand made' knife.

 

[Swallow]

My understanding is that Ray designed the blade. Unfortunately in this case the craftsman is simply the manufacturer. Dyson doesn't make all the vacuum cleaners, I'm guessing he doesn't even design them anymore... but he gets the credit. Just as many artists (particularly sculpters) will plan and design a work, but get someone else to build/cast/assemble it.

My understanding is that Ray "designed" the Blade after John Fenna told him what a knife should look like, having reviewed his wilkinson sword survival knife.

 

[Swallow]

Anybody reading this on £400.00 + phone or computer?

 

[redneck]

Anybody reading this on £400.00 + phone or computer?

Nope £80 Samsung, the mora of phones!