At knifemakersdatabase.com, we work hard to make sure that as a knife collector, you have all the resources you need right at your fingertips. We provide our visitors and customers with forums, real time chat rooms, up to date information regarding knife collecting, a database including links to over 400 of the best knife makers on the Internet and a place to buy fine custom knives at the most reasonable prices we can afford offer.
Here we bring you a selection of hand made knives, true works of functional art, at prices set by the knife maker who made the knife you're buying. We do not buy knives from knife makers and pump up the prices to make a profit, but work diligently with them to sell their knives to you at the most reasonable prices on the Internet.
As a knife collector myself, I know many knife makers and I know what they charge to make a certain knife. This is important. Some sites on the Internet will buy knives and tack on hundreds of dollars to them in order to make a quick dollar, using the fact that the consumer doesn't know any better to their advantage.
Our team at KMD would like to take this chance to assure you that this is a practice we avoid. As a knife collector for over 15 years, I strongly recommend that you use the database of knife makers we have constructed to learn exactly what certain makers are charging for certain knives. In the case of buying a new knife, those are the prices you should be paying. The fact that we offer you this resource alone is solid proof that we couldn't charge you more than a knife is actually worth. In a way, custom knives are like diamonds... You have to be very careful in regards to who you buy them from - especially if you know relatively little about them.
In the event that you are buying a custom knife that was made 10 years ago, the price will generally be higher. This is because of the investment value of knives. Custom knives in general appreciate in value at an average of 10 to 30 % a year, depending on the type of knife, its condition and quality, and most importantly, the demand on the knife maker to make that type of knife, if he even will. Let me give a quick example.
15 years ago, a woman bought two knives from knife maker, Jay Fisher. She purchased them from him at a knife show for a total of $350.00. 10 years later in 2001, the woman sold the pair of knives to me for $700.00. The knives were asthetically attractive and excelled in the realm we often hear about - fit & finish. But the fact that sealed the deal was in knowning who Jay Fisher was and of his reputation as a knife maker. Because of this, I felt very comfortable with the price and purchased the knives.
About a week ago, I had a conversation with Mr. Fisher about the knives I had bought , and out of curiosity, I asked him how much he would charge if I wanted the same two knives at the present moment. (similar in design that is - no two custom knives are really exactly the same). I was more than satisfied that he was asking $750.00 for one and $950.00 for the other. One knife was now worth more than the price I paid for both! So how is this? What happened between the time the woman bought them for $300.00 and their present value of $1600.00? I'll tell you.
At the time the woman had bought the two knives from Mr. Fisher at the knife show, it was relatively early off in his career as a full time knife maker. He could not possibly ask for $1600.00 for the pair because he was little known compared to the maker with 20 years at the grinder under his belt sitting at the table across from him.
Secondly, because of the fact described prior, demand for his work was not at the level it is today. And that is probabally the single biggest key in the whole scenario.
You see, the knives sold for $300.00 were just as beautiful, flawless, and perfect in design as they are today at their present value. So although these factors do have something to do with their value, they don't mean everything. If their is no demand for a knife makers work, then his knives will never be worth much more than what they sold for originally. This is what you must consider when you look at the knife you are about to buy. After determining it has a good fit, a good finish, its functionality and that it is pleasing to the eye overall, consider, "What will make people really want more knives from the man I'm about to buy this one from?"
There are several things to look at when considering this. First and foremost, you'll want to find out if the knife maker belongs to or is planning on becoming a part of some type of official organization such as the Knifemakers Guild (KMG) or the American Bladesmith Society (ABS), just to name a couple of the larger ones. Organizations such as these are a kind of guarentee in the makers craftsmanship. In the ABS, a knifemaker can take one of three positions (apprentice, journeyman smith or master smith) depending on his skill level which is determined through a series of tests. The tests performed to become a master smith are grueling (on the knife that is) and if you do a little research, you'll find that a master smith is easily able to charge much more for his work than a knife maker without this title. In turn, a master smiths work will go up in demand, one because the quality of his work will be apparent if he has indeed been able to excel to this level, and two, because the tiltle of master smith alone says alot about what that particular knife maker can do with a piece of steel.
These are not the only two organizations a knife maker may associate himself with. In fact there are many more. It is rare that a knife maker belong to no organization. In this case, you'll want to research a little further. If no one has ever heard of who you're talking about and that person is charging hundreds to thousands of dollars for a knife, then you should probabally invest your money elsewhere. You can easily find out what organizations a knife maker is associated with by paying a quick visit to their site (Try looking in our database). If they don't have one, you may search for their name on the guild sites themselves (also in our database) or email us and we'll do our best to help you.
Another thing to look for in a particular knife maker would be his level of involvement in the custom knife community. You may ask yourself, "Does he attend shows frequently? Does he work at promoting himself and his work? How long has he been a knife maker as compared to how well known he is?" These are just a few examples. The more favorable the answers you find in regards to these questions, the better. You may also want to find out other details such as whether the knife maker in question has one any awards or had been featured in any magazine articles. Again, the more, the better.
These are just a few of the many, many things to consider when buying a custom knife. At knifemakersdatabse.com, we feel it is our duty and our obligation to inform you of these important aspects in regards to the extraordinary hobby of custom knife collecting. Although there are other factors that can and should be considered when buying some of the more expensive pieces on the market today, following the few basic rules discussed above will ensure a solid investment value in the next knife you add to your collection.
