Very expensive knives.

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mountainm

Bushcrafter through and through
Jan 12, 2011
9,990
12
Selby
www.mikemountain.co.uk
Can't rightfully stamp your name on a blade, if you haven't done all the work yourself imo. :)
I disagree there. If you've designed, spec'ed and tested a blade which you then get manufactured by someone else then it's also relevant.

Like a fashion designer wouldn't hand make all the clothes with their label on.
 

HillBill

Bushcrafter through and through
Oct 1, 2008
8,141
88
W. Yorkshire
Having a name on a blade is one thing... Ray Mears for example, but he didn't make the knife... the makers name should always be on there..... if its handmade by a maker then his/her name should be on the blade, if its mass produced or not fully handmade, the companies name should be on the blade.
 
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mountainm

Bushcrafter through and through
Jan 12, 2011
9,990
12
Selby
www.mikemountain.co.uk
This is all getting a bit ludicrous...How far should we go back to find out who made what...The Big Bang for the Iron Content.?
It should be the designers name. If a custom knife maker is commissioned to make knives for the designer to sell on then it's up to him or her to negotiate a credit. But ultimately the credit for a product will (and should) always go to the designer unless their is only one maker on the planet who can manufacture the item.
 

vestlenning

Settler
Feb 12, 2015
717
76
Western Norway
People paying a lot of money for knives is absolutely fine by me, but the same people thinking/telling me that my reasonably priced knifes is crap is not!
 
Having a name on a blade is one thing... Ray Mears for example, but he didn't make the knife... the makers name should always be on there..... if its handmade by a maker then his/her name should be on the blade, if its mass produced or not fully handmade, the companies name should be on the blade.

In general I agree, but there have been remarkable exceptions in the past.
Many goods sold by the Hudson Bay Company just had the HBC logo. Many goods sold by hardware store chains (long ago) just had their stamp. Norlund axes sold for a high price despite the fact that Norlund was a sporting goods company and their axes were all made by Mann Tool. The thing was that having the stamp of these companies meant something. They guaranteed that they sold only the best, and if you had bought something which didn't work, then they would make things good and cover the shipping which could be considerable in the Canadian North.

Now famous companies attach their logo to stuff made to the lowest production cost in third world countries. Marble's, Schrade, Cold Steel, etc., expecting that if people now see a famous logo then they focus on that and wouldn't know what a quality tool should be. Now I have a lot of blades made in far away places, from my CCK cleavers to my exotic stuff made by hand in primitive conditions, but they're stamped with something I trust. I value the stamp on my Moras because I've never seen a bad one so far. I even have some unstamped Moras which were sold as such by Lee Valley. They have shown all the attributes of the regular Mora which I'd expect as in the past I haven't expected anything but the truth off Lee Valley. Way back I got and wrote about a Normark stamped knife which I assumed at the time to be a re-branded Mora since it was identical to a Mora line. I got dragged over coals for that and rightfully so! You either know what a thing is or you don't.

So if I bought an expensive anything then I'd want to know that whoever made it or warranted it stood by it, and were proud to put their name on it. I wouldn't just look for a stamp or name, I'd want to know the value of that stamp or name.
 

Swallow

Native
May 27, 2011
1,545
4
London
It should be the designers name. If a custom knife maker is commissioned to make knives for the designer to sell on then it's up to him or her to negotiate a credit. But ultimately the credit for a product will (and should) always go to the designer unless their is only one maker on the planet who can manufacture the item.

You seldom see that outside fashion.
 

plastic-ninja

Full Member
Jan 11, 2011
2,238
263
cumbria
I'm fortunate enough to own one of Ray Mears' WS Woodies as well as the original Alan Wood version.I bought the WS one on this forum and have used it outdoors for various tasks.It performs well, fits my (big) hands well and takes an edge easily too.I bought the Alan Wood RM Woodlore second hand too with a view to selling the WS .
I think that the fact that the second knife was made by Alan Wood was a much bigger factor than the fact that it had Ray's name etched on it.It works just as well as the WS but does feel a bit better in the hand and is a little easier to sharpen.I have used it lots for camping/carving/food prep and general bushy stuff.I like it.I like it a lot.I like the fact that Alan Wood made it but I have to give credit to RM for the design as well.
I don't think I paid too much for either of them and it gives me pleasure to use them both.I have way too many knives : some handmade and expensive and some factory produced.The only ones I consider to be a waste of my hard-earned cash have been the odd cheapie bought as a camp knife on holiday which bust on day 2 and a couple of folders which gave in when I forgot they weren't fixed blades and twisted them.
I do have a Mora, but I prefer to use others and will only use the Mora if I may risk losing it, e.g. on a boat or in the snow.I don't own any knives I've never used and usually can't wait to get out and try a new knife.I am going to have to move a few of them on soon though as I need space for a new axe!!
Cheers, Simon
 

bushwacker bob

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 22, 2003
3,824
17
STRANGEUS PLACEUS
As O.P is a carpenter perhaps he would say whether he uses Rolson chisels from the pound shop or if he has a set of Marples? It is a similar question. I carry an expensive pen knife and use it as I would a cheap one because I get pleasure from using it which exceeds the simple function of cutting that I could do with a stanley knife.
 

crosslandkelly

Full Member
Jun 9, 2009
26,334
2,280
67
North West London
You are correct Colin, a good knife is as good as the person using it, not the maker.


Hi Bob, sorry for the delay in replying, and thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule, to reply to this onerous, much debated subject. Indeed I do have a few Rolson chisels, I find them very good for opening tins of paint and removing old putty from frames, but if I want to cut mortices and tenons or set in hinges, fit locks or pare down a dovetail, then I will use my Marples, Stanley and Bahco chisels. Much better steel that holds an edge, is the reason for my using them to earn a living.
Glad that you get so much pleasure from using your penknife, I too, carry a penknife, as I find a stanley knife cumbersome in my pocket.
All the best
Colin.
 

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