I wasn't sure if this thread was appropriate and might have even put it in the wrong place, but I consider Bob my friend and I want him to be successful. I want other custom kitchen knife makers to be successful and I want to be successful. The other day I had a customer who told me, after ordering a custom 10" Chef knife, that I was crazy for asking what I did and did not place the order. I know it's a lot of money, but this is what I do for a living, so when I find examples of $4000 handbags, $15,000 chairs, $1,000,000 cars and $1000 popsicle, it just makes me feel that I am right where I need to be. And a $233,972 bottle of wine... Yep, I'm good.
-M
p.s. you know, while I'm on a mini-rant here, I must say, of any small investment, a knife is really a good one. A bottle of wine gets drank (drunk?) most cars get junked, handbags get torn & worn, Popsicles get licked (by a hot woman - right?) but a knife can last a thousand years. Those $12,000+ Kramers will be in the family for generations. Kind of interesting to think about.