# The Volume of Custom (Kitchen) Knifemakers



## Dave Martell (Nov 5, 2017)

Over the years I've watched carefully the changes, and growth, to the higher end kitchen knife market in the US. 

The Foodie movement took off in the US. Home cooks were looking for better knives and the pro cooks started to feed the movement, literally.

The first major change I can recall was Messermeister (LOL), then Japanese (factory) knives like Global, Shun , & Misono, etc began to show up. Then some Japanese (village) blacksmiths like Watanabe, Takeda, & Carter (not exactly Japanese but he was living there for almost 20 yrs) came to the US market. 

A few brave souls used the internet to locate unknown makers and send off postal money orders (to Japan) in the hopes of getting a knife. Lots of new Japanese makers were found during this time and the never ending quest to find the next great one was always afoot. 

Vendors came in droves, and still continue to show up, all of the time. We have so many choices for high end kitchen knives today that it flat out amazes me compared to just 15 yrs ago.


Yesterday I stumbled upon a vendor who, among many other offerings, sells a whole slew of custom kitchen knives that come from makers all over the world. I knew of a few of the makers but what shocked me was to see over forty...(*YES....40!!*) custom makers that I never heard of. I would've been surprised to have found 5.... but 40?!? 

So it would appear to this guy that the movement is still chugging away and that there's not going to be a shortage of new knives to try anytime soon. :wink:


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## Lazarus (Nov 5, 2017)

It's a really impressive spread of blacksmiths out there, I personally jumped from global and MAC directly into a Bill Burke and that started my spiral into madness.


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## Chef Doom (Nov 6, 2017)

I appreciate the early adopters and initial money wasted to feed the spirit of exploration. I was very close to wasting money on a Global gyoto once upon a time.


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## Salty dog (Nov 6, 2017)

I've noticed the same. When I came back to this forum after a long absence I was amazed with the number of makers (foreign and domestic) I never heard of. I also noticed the number of relatively new members contributing heavily to the forums. (Not that there is anything wrong with either.) As a result I'd be very reluctant to purchase a knife from an unfamiliar maker that is currently in vogue unless it's recommended by a user who has solid credibility. My problem is that unless you have several years of contributing to this forum I don't know who's opinion to trust.


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## Noodle Soup (Nov 6, 2017)

The original owner of Messermeister was my wholesaler for F. Dick back when I was in the meat cutting knife business. He dropped F. Dick and started his own Messermeister line about the time I gave up on door to door butcher shops sales. He was a good guy now passed on.


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## RDalman (Nov 6, 2017)

Salty dog said:


> I've noticed the same. When I came back to this forum after a long absence I was amazed with the number of makers (foreign and domestic) I never heard of. I also noticed the number of relatively new members contributing heavily to the forums. (Not that there is anything wrong with either.) As a result I'd be very reluctant to purchase a knife from an unfamiliar maker that is currently in vogue unless it's recommended by a user who has solid credibility. My problem is that unless you have several years of contributing to this forum I don't know who's opinion to trust.



This is good advice folks should follow. "what's what" is not easy over the internet. Might be worth checking in advance how the seller handles a return if the wares are not to expectation.


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## Customfan (Nov 6, 2017)

Dave Martell said:


> Over the years I've watched carefully the changes, and growth, to the higher end kitchen knife market in the US.
> 
> The Foodie movement took off in the US. Home cooks were looking for better knives and the pro cooks started to feed the movement, literally.
> 
> ...



I was wondering the same thing.....

To Dave's point. I believe variety and competition generate more options and overall improvement of the knowledge base. IMHO, the real question is if demand will keep up with the increase in supply of all these new makers... I hope it does... a nut can only have so many pointies and even then most of us wind up doing some kind of thinning of the herd every now and then.

To Salty's point, buy from the seasoned maker and buy the suggestion of the experienced user.... still at some point, i'm willing to take a chance, maybe i'm the early adopter buy you can find some real gems that way!


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## Gogindantes (Nov 6, 2017)

Real gems for good prices I believe. 
Jonas


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## ashy2classy (Nov 7, 2017)

Dave - are you talking about http://homebutcher.com?


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## zitangy (Nov 7, 2017)

The move is still on the upswing.....

a) delivery time for some makers is 3 months, well known Master Craftsman.. wait time is 6 to 12 months

b) I see shortcuts being taken.... laser and also diamond diamond bit computer controlled engraving being used on hand-made knives. Personally i am against this for high end knives. Still prefer the engraving by hand from a craftsman. Some of them are beautifully executed.... not that I can read them anyway.... Pissed when my specially ordered crab knife specially made for me was laser engraved... No Joy..

c) Even the new young makers and factory knives .. has a 2-3 ,months lead time for delivery

d) and I suspect that China market has not taken off yet..

f) Makers from remote areas are being sought after...

g) demand is ahead of supply basically

h) Cross selling and buying from different areas by wholesalers for OEM .. Sakai, Echizen, Seki ,Tosa etc

g) What is interesting is that some of the big names do not make the knives anymore .. OEM the blades maybe.. still a little value add by either fixing handles, sharpening (rarely) and putting into the box with their brandname.

The lead time will only get worse as the small workshops are really not scaleable... Aging population and also not many young ones are drawn to traditional crafts.

So happy hunting and choose wisely whatever yr criteria may be and of course have fun whilst you are at it... Z


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## icanhaschzbrgr (Nov 7, 2017)

From the top of my head I can remember being an early adopter for Robin Dalman, Ian Haburn, Mert Tansu, Bladowski, Cooltoolme. Then I had experimental blade from Den Prendergast, the first "extra heavy" gyuto from Cris Anderson, and some stuff from local makers that are unknown to forum members.

That being said I think it's a lot of fun to be an early adopter and support new makers (or support making experimental stuff from old makers). In return you got some interesting experience and unique knives at a very good price. 

Or you could spend an eternity waiting for that perfect Shige just to learn that Shigs are overrated  

I tend to waste a lot of time in the recommended section of IG daily. TONS of new makers from all over the world there.


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## SuperSharp (Nov 7, 2017)

icanhaschzbrgr said:


> I think it's a lot of fun to be an early adopter and support new makers (or support making experimental stuff from old makers). In return you got some interesting experience and unique knives at a very good price.
> 
> Or you could spend an eternity waiting for that perfect Shige just to learn that Shigs are overrated



Double yes. For the money spent on a Shig these days, custom performance easily abounds.


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## KimBronnum (Nov 7, 2017)

If Shiges are overrated or not is a subjective matter. 
I think I see things differently from you, SuperS: If Im going to spend as much as a Shige cost these days, Id buy a knife made with 50+ years of experience behind it over a knife from someone with a fraction of the experience in the field. It is supposed to look nice but it is also a tool. Some custom knives are good tools as well but some arent. I like the way a Shige works as a tool and some dont. It is subjective. 
- Kim


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## MontezumaBoy (Nov 7, 2017)

KimBronnum said:


> If Shiges are overrated or not is a subjective matter.
> I think I see things differently from you, SuperS: If Im going to spend as much as a Shige cost these days, Id buy a knife made with 50+ years of experience behind it over a knife from someone with a fraction of the experience in the field. It is supposed to look nice but it is also a tool. Some custom knives are good tools as well but some arent. I like the way a Shige works as a tool and some dont. It is subjective.
> - Kim



Well said Kim! A lot of knives under the belt combined with respect in their field definitely brings a level of "guarantee" with it.



icanhaschzbrgr said:


> From the top of my head I can remember being an early adopter for Robin Dalman, Ian Haburn, Mert Tansu, Bladowski, Cooltoolme. Then I had experimental blade from Den Prendergast, the first "extra heavy" gyuto from Cris Anderson, and some stuff from local makers that are unknown to forum members.
> 
> That being said I think it's a lot of fun to be an early adopter and support new makers (or support making experimental stuff from old makers). In return you got some interesting experience and unique knives at a very good price.



+1 here as well and I would add that being able to chat with and get to know these 'newer' folks adds an element of 'support local' even though they may be very far from local. Just nice having the chance to kinda help the new guy/gal ... my $0.02


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## scott.livesey (Nov 11, 2017)

here are some very high end blades. http://www.jayfisher.com/Chef's_Knives_Culinary_Kitchen_Cutlery.htm some don't look very practical, but all are borderline works of art.


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## Noodle Soup (Nov 11, 2017)

High end is about all they have going for them.


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## Salty dog (Nov 11, 2017)

I thoroughly enjoyed his essay on kitchen knives.


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## Chicagohawkie (Nov 11, 2017)

KimBronnum said:


> If Shiges are overrated or not is a subjective matter.
> I think I see things differently from you, SuperS: If Im going to spend as much as a Shige cost these days, Id buy a knife made with 50+ years of experience behind it over a knife from someone with a fraction of the experience in the field. It is supposed to look nice but it is also a tool. Some custom knives are good tools as well but some arent. I like the way a Shige works as a tool and some dont. It is subjective.
> - Kim



Boom, someone gets it!


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## SuperSharp (Nov 11, 2017)

KimBronnum said:


> If Shiges are overrated or not is a subjective matter.
> I think I see things differently from you, SuperS: If Im going to spend as much as a Shige cost these days, Id buy a knife made with 50+ years of experience behind it over a knife from someone with a fraction of the experience in the field. It is supposed to look nice but it is also a tool. Some custom knives are good tools as well but some arent. I like the way a Shige works as a tool and some dont. It is subjective.
> - Kim



Not that Shigs are overrated at all, maybe just overvalued in my opinion (for my non-professional use). They are an amazing example of craftsmanship with little competition in many aspects. At $400, I can overlook a couple personal irritations. If they check all your boxes, great! However, when you get to the $800-$1200 realm, there are plenty of options; many are custom that you can have adjusted to check as many boxes as possible. That's all. Honestly if a specific knife did check all my boxes, I'd probably miss it in the continual knife fever to always try something new or hold one more beautiful.


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## gic (Nov 12, 2017)

Also, I don't buy Fischer's dissing of carbon steels and, for example, AEB-L. In, for example, Devin's hands AEB-L is an amazing steel for knives. My 52100 carbon knives are amazing with the right heat treat. Blue and white steels in the right hands are great as etc etc. In sum I felt that while he has very strong opinions on many knife related issues, he didn't bring a lot of facts to the table and so he didn't convince me


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## Salty dog (Nov 12, 2017)

Salty dog said:


> I thoroughly enjoyed his essay on kitchen knives.



I'm hoping this came across as sarcastic.


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## FoRdLaz (Nov 12, 2017)

scott.livesey said:


> here are some very high end blades. http://www.jayfisher.com/Chef's_Knives_Culinary_Kitchen_Cutlery.htm some don't look very practical, but all are borderline works of art.



Those are the biggest pieces of crap Ive seen in a long time. Never mind all the **** he writes about like carbon steel is cheap and soft and dulls quickly and easy to work bla bla bla....


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## RDalman (Nov 12, 2017)

Yea... Good read.:doublethumbsup:


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## scott.livesey (Nov 12, 2017)

gic said:


> Also, I don't buy Fischer's dissing of carbon steels and, for example, AEB-L. In, for example, Devin's hands AEB-L is an amazing steel for knives. My 52100 carbon knives are amazing with the right heat treat. Blue and white steels in the right hands are great as etc etc. In sum I felt that while he has very strong opinions on many knife related issues, he didn't bring a lot of facts to the table and so he didn't convince me



I agree that a lot of what he writes may not be the whole story. he writes a lot to justify mirror polishing and hollow ground edges, but he never says they are just two of ways to make a good knife. to say that AEB-L won't make a good blade because it was developed for razor blades does not make sense. I posted the link because the knives were nice to look at, not necessarily the best or most practical.


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## Interapid101 (Nov 12, 2017)

scott.livesey said:


> here are some very high end blades. http://www.jayfisher.com/Chef's_Knives_Culinary_Kitchen_Cutlery.htm some don't look very practical, but all are borderline works of art.



:eyebrow: Looks like an engraver learned how to code html and created an entire website to explore narcissism and possibly other mental illnesses hes struggling with.

On the bright side, his rehandled eBay knives are allegedly being used for counterterrorism operations. I feel safer already.


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## Paraffin (Nov 12, 2017)

I don't know enough about steel to comment on that aspect of Fisher's work, but as a retired graphic designer, I think his knife designs range from kind-of-interesting to downright tacky. Like the knife equivalent of a jewel-encrusted, fur-lined pink Cadillac. Something Elvis would buy in his Vegas period, if he was still around.

I'm not immune to pure decoration in a knife, like pattern weld Damascus, or fancy hardwood wa handles (both, in my most recent knife purchase). So I should be careful about throwing stones. Even so, I think there's a limit; beyond which you're in the realm of pure bling and room decoration. With knives like these, the metallurgy doesn't really matter, does it?


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## milkbaby (Nov 12, 2017)

I'm still eagerly awaiting the publication of both his knifemaking book and his fiction novel series. :groucho:

I'm a fan of his in that he is seriously fanatical. And there actually is a lot of interesting information that he provides on his website. Like anything online, you need to investigate a number of sources to come to your own conclusions. I emailed him to thank him for some of the info on his site and he was very nice in his reply. I'm pretty sure he's a bit jaded dealing with the crazies online in addition to difficult customers.

Edited to add: I don't agree with his philosophy with respect to culinary knives, but that's cool, we don't always have to agree even if you're wrong. :biggrin:


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## jessf (Nov 12, 2017)

"Welcome to the largest, most comprehensive page about the best fine handmade and custom chef's, kitchen, and culinary knives on the internet!"

you are fake news. 

He certainly knows how to sell the sizzle but it's enough to make me a vegan.


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## Marek07 (Nov 12, 2017)

Salty dog said:


> I thoroughly enjoyed his essay on kitchen knives.





Salty dog said:


> I'm hoping this came across as sarcastic.


Alas, no! Glad you pointed this out - it went right over my head. :O
I even spent some time trying to find the "essay" you referenced.
:bashhead:


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## Lazarus (Nov 13, 2017)

Reading his site made my brain bleed.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Nov 13, 2017)

@milkbaby he's not writing anything on cooking. That could give a clue. And maybe he is known as a good address for boning knives and western debas?


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## scott.livesey (Nov 13, 2017)

anybody have any links to other American or European custom/small scale producers that make a good blade? some small companies that make interesting stuff would be New West Knifeworks http://www.newwestknifeworks.com/ Warther Cutlery https://warthercutlery.com/product-category/knives/ and Calton Cutlery http://www.caltoncutlery.com/ anybody used any of these blades?


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## Dan P. (Nov 14, 2017)

scott.livesey said:


> anybody have any links to other American or European custom/small scale producers that make a good blade? some small companies that make interesting stuff would be New West Knifeworks http://www.newwestknifeworks.com/ Warther Cutlery https://warthercutlery.com/product-category/knives/ and Calton Cutlery http://www.caltoncutlery.com/ anybody used any of these blades?



The last link seems to be a guy actually making knives himself.
The first two, I think perhaps they are just selling knives rather than producing them??


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## Dikristo (Nov 14, 2017)

Dan P. said:


> The last link seems to be a guy actually making knives himself.
> The first two, I think perhaps they are just selling knives rather than producing them??



+1


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## Noodle Soup (Nov 14, 2017)

Warther used to make their own knives. I first met them at the Knifemakers Guild show in Florida a number of years ago and have a couple of their blades around here someplace. I think I remember the head Warther passing a few years ago so things may have changed after that.


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## milkbaby (Nov 14, 2017)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> @milkbaby he's not writing anything on cooking. That could give a clue. And maybe he is known as a good address for boning knives and western debas?



That is immaterial when you consider this:








:viking:


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## milkbaby (Nov 14, 2017)

scott.livesey said:


> anybody have any links to other American or European custom/small scale producers that make a good blade? some small companies that make interesting stuff would be New West Knifeworks http://www.newwestknifeworks.com/ Warther Cutlery https://warthercutlery.com/product-category/knives/ and Calton Cutlery http://www.caltoncutlery.com/ anybody used any of these blades?



If you're asking about folks in "mini production", I have no idea of the quality but Doghouse Forge is cranking them out. Excluding their custom and damascus items it kind of looks like they get their stuff waterjet cut as the only production "shortcut".

As mentioned, Calton seems to be just the one maker.

Murray Carter pumps out a lot of knives and even more when you include the Muteki apprentice/journeyman associate knives.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Nov 14, 2017)

@milkbaby there you have it - that slicer has big knuckle clearance issues, and the spine could use some rounding.


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## milkbaby (Nov 14, 2017)

:lol2:


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## Drosophil (Nov 15, 2017)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> @milkbaby there you have it - that slicer has big knuckle clearance issues, and the spine could use some rounding.



And seems to really wedge in dragon meat. Pass.


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## tsuriru (Nov 15, 2017)

:nicethread:


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## scott.livesey (Nov 15, 2017)

back to the idea of the thread, does anyone here own a hand made blade from an American maker? if so, who made it and do you like the knife. it is very expensive to obtain any Japanese cutlery steel here in US, but we do have a large selection of high carbon, stainless, and powder steels to choose from


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## Gogindantes (Nov 16, 2017)

I believe there are quite a few here, I own a Carter Gyuto and Petty, a Bunka from Kayne, a Ktip from Halycon and a pairing from Nora.


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## Dave Martell (May 5, 2018)

I'm returning to this thread to note that I'm still blown away by the constant influx of new kitchen knife makers I'm seeing out there in interweb land. They're coming at a truly astonishing rate, it's crazy! 

Have you folks been noticing this too?


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## valgard (May 5, 2018)

yep, many new makers. IG is full of them. Some more talented and invested than others but plenty anyway.


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## McMan (May 5, 2018)

Even Walmart's cashin' in... :dazed:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Custom-H...7488&wl11=online&wl12=954349574&wl13=&veh=sem


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## Dave Martell (May 5, 2018)

McMan said:


> Even Walmart's cashin' in... :dazed:
> 
> https://www.walmart.com/ip/Custom-H...7488&wl11=online&wl12=954349574&wl13=&veh=sem




:lol2:


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## Dave Martell (May 5, 2018)

valgard said:


> yep, many new makers. IG is full of them. Some more talented and invested than others but plenty anyway.




Yeah IG is full to the brim. I think I've ran across an unknown (to me) maker everyday for weeks now.


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## daveb (May 5, 2018)

Any you would recommend?:lolsign:


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## Dave Martell (May 5, 2018)

daveb said:


> Any you would recommend?:lolsign:




I'm seen some serious talent for sure. It's tough to tell from pictures alone though.


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## RRLOVER (May 5, 2018)

Dave Martell said:


> I'm returning to this thread to note that I'm still blown away by the constant influx of new kitchen knife makers I'm seeing out there in interweb land. They're coming at a truly astonishing rate, it's crazy!
> 
> Have you folks been noticing this too?



It has been Very interesting to watch the growth of all this.....


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## daveb (May 6, 2018)

Dave Martell said:


> I'm seen some serious talent for sure. It's tough to tell from pictures alone though.



You know I'm just yanking your chain?

Most I've seen getting into the kitchen knife market are doing so because that's one of few growth markets for knives and they're looking to get in on a piece of it.


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## Dave Martell (May 6, 2018)

RRLOVER said:


> It has been Very interesting to watch the growth of all this.....




I know, huh?


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## Dave Martell (May 6, 2018)

daveb said:


> You know I'm just yanking your chain?
> 
> Most I've seen getting into the kitchen knife market are doing so because that's one of few growth markets for knives and they're looking to get in on a piece of it.




Yeah of course I do. 

I think you're right about makers migrating into kitchen knives.


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## panda (May 6, 2018)

anybody can call themselves a custom maker. question is are any of them any good or are 39 of the 40 are junk? or all 40??


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## kevpenbanc (May 6, 2018)

Dave Martell said:


> I'm seen some serious talent for sure. It's tough to tell from pictures alone though.



There have been loads of knifemakers appearing in Aus over the last few years.
Luckily quite a few attend the Sydney knife show so we get a chance to 'check them out' fairly regularly.
It's quite impressive how quickly they get up to speed with really good quality knives.
There's a facebook page for aussie knifemakers which is very active, plus they have yearly get togethers with american ABS smiths as key 'speakers', Bill Burke was over here 2 years ago, he was also at the Sydney knife show that year.
You also get a fair bit of feedback about their work on IG.


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## RDalman (May 6, 2018)

Generally it's really good to see I think. As long as makers do their best to be honest. As a buyer some caution is advisable as usual.


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## Matus (May 6, 2018)

What should I add to this thread [emoji56]


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## Keith Sinclair (May 6, 2018)

There are persons writing books and making Kitchen knives that have never worked in a production kitchen. One of my favorite folders is a Ken Onion design. His kitchen knives are a joke with a lot of hype or as we say these days fake news.

Am hopelessly biased, pretty much only Japanese knives. Sure other countries have custom makers that turn out very nice blades. Don't pay much attention to the new makers only what I read here. Japanese you can get superb cutters 150.00-400.00 with quality steel and excellent geometry. You can get a stamped knife with good heat treatment for not too much coin. Step up the price some you can get hand forged, real chiseled kanji, quality stainless, carbon or carbon core made by dudes who know how to make a blade that works. 

These guys don't need hype. Usually the more hype the lesser the knife if you make a living in front of a cutting board.


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## Matus (May 6, 2018)

Keith you are spot on. I can not say why other amateurs have started making knives (most of those that have popped up recently are not full time makers), but to me it is simply a way to balance my sitting job. And when that urge arrived my main hobby was Japanese kitchen knives. But I am fully aware that however good my knives might become one day, I can never reach the price/value of manufactured Japanese kitchen knives. But I am having a lot of fun trying to learn more and improve my work. And making a few people happy by making them their knife makes it much more satisfying.

P.S. I hate hype and that is the last thing I want to hear about my knives too.


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## Dave Martell (May 6, 2018)

I've always understood the natural progression towards making kitchen knives coming from *using* them, collecting them, sharpening, tweaking the geometry and/or profile, then handle making, etc. What I see a lot lately is guys jumping in with zero prior interest/experience on any level and making damascus or san mai (kitchen) blades from day 1. Some of these folks are for sure bladesmiths who are stretching out into kitchen knives yet others are just a young guy in a shed trying something new. This is something new to me to see and has me wondering why?


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## Matus (May 6, 2018)

As the demand on higher end / custom kitchen knives is growing, so is the number of out makers who previously made outdoor or hunting knives. They basically have all the skills, but often little to no knowledge on grind (details of which do not matter all that much with a hunting knife) or profile. So they start to make full flat grind with a substantial sharpening bevel. Trying to point out that there are better ways to go about it usually ends with hurt egos. And lot of dissatisfied vegetables.


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## Timthebeaver (May 6, 2018)

Crap customs are not a new phenomenon. It's probably fair to say there are more of them now (comparatively) though. As the customer pool expands, it's also probably fair to assume cognitive/choice-supportive bias regarding customs (and other expensive knives) is more prevalent than it used to be.


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## Keith Sinclair (May 6, 2018)

There is something elemental about forging steel. Kind of like why we enjoy cooking outdoors over coals. Like to watch Forged in Fire see some of these guys home forges. I can see why more people who have the space want to get into forging. Not just knives it's in our DNA nails, spear heads, swords all kinds of military use through history. Also like Japanese knife making videos. 

I think perhaps in this ease of information media age it is natural that there are more, even if they are making wacky stuff that's not functional at least they are playing with steel.


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## milkbaby (May 6, 2018)

Matus said:


> As the demand on higher end / custom kitchen knives is growing, so is the number of out makers who previously made outdoor or hunting knives. They basically have all the skills, but often little to no knowledge on grind (details of which do not matter all that much with a hunting knife) or profile. So they start to make full flat grind with a substantial sharpening bevel.



I don't know about other parts of the world, but in the USA, I believe the number of people enjoying hunting and outdoor activities that were the traditional demographic for many custom knifemakers is shrinking. That means less people to sell a hunting or camp knife to, but almost everybody has at least one kitchen knife, so kitchen knives have been a way to supplement sales for a lot of American makers.

However, like you mentioned, even long time knifemakers will claim a full flat grind on thin stock is the best geometry for chef's knives. I think the reasoning is they believe a kitchen knife is more of a slicer than chopper? But that's just guessing on my part. And on top of that, leaving a thicker edge to avoid bacon edge style warping during heat treat is another "tradition". To be fair, that larger edge bevel with thickness behind the edge can work ok for most American home kitchens with most people rocking the blade through most veggies. It's the most common experience we have here in the US when it comes to chef's knives.




Dave Martell said:


> I've always understood the natural progression towards making kitchen knives coming from *using* them, collecting them, sharpening, tweaking the geometry and/or profile, then handle making, etc. What I see a lot lately is guys jumping in with zero prior interest/experience on any level and making damascus or san mai (kitchen) blades from day 1. Some of these folks are for sure bladesmiths who are stretching out into kitchen knives yet others are just a young guy in a shed trying something new. This is something new to me to see and has me wondering why?



The only reason that I got interested in knives was from being an enthusiastic home cook, though at one point in my life, I did work in a kitchen where 50% of our cutting prep was by deli slicer. :O I think most of the other forumites here have some sort of culinary background, whether that is working in a kitchen or cooking for fun.

Maybe making knives is rising in popularity because of a combination of factors. Forged in Fire television show has exposed a lot of people to knifemaking. Social media makes it easy to discover new things. Personally, it was seeing WIP posts from jessf on this forum that got me interested in making rather than collecting kitchen knives. That plus the amount of resources now online about the processes involved make it easy to start, although there is also a lot of not so good info out there too.

I think the kitchen knife thing goes back to what I was saying above, if you make kitchen knives, then your potential customer pool is basically anybody who wants to cut food. That could even be somebody who doesn't cook but cuts up fruits and veggies to eat.


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