Eamon, that is the heart of the issue. I know that Devin, Bill, myself, have debated the pros and cons of even considering midtechs, and I talked with both actually, about the possible cons to doing them. We all have our worries, and reasons for wanting to do them. For me, it is a way to get a top quality product, that I am willing to back with my name on each and every one, available faster, and in higher quantities, to more people then ever possible from my own "custom shop", at a much better price point.
What does all that really mean? By hand only, I buy a sheet of steel, layout a bunch of profiles one at a time, cut them out, clean the profile, HT, grind, finish, handle, brand etc. As a mid-tech, I can get the cut, HT'ed, partially ground faster and way cheaper than I could ever hope to do it. I might be able to cut out 6 in an hour, another hour to profile, then HT two or three at a time, where industry can cut out 50 in 20 mins, HT and rough grind in a small percentage of the time I would take, and be more consistant! Then I finish, handle, clean up and inspect/test. A customer buys a custom from me. He gets the best I can give him. Same customer buys a "Professional Series" mid-tech knife, He is still getting the same steel, the same HT, with the tedious time consuming tasks done by industry, at a lesser price, just not one of a kind, and not all done by hand. As far as performance goes, you will not be able to tell them apart. For someone who wants a one of a kind by "MAKER" he will still go custom. For someone who would like a "MAKERS" knife, but has a hard time justifying cost, he now has an option.
Look at is like buying a print from an artist. You buy the origional, you pay the price. You buy a numbered print, you still get to enjoy the art, but it costs much less.
My thoughts...