But the bike would look so rustic . I will admit I've seen a couple that looked ok. I'd be curious about the grinds on a few. But they definitely seem way more about marketing than sound performance.FWIW I don't think a bicycle frame builder equivalent of Chelsea Miller knives would have survived for long.
I've discovered a few western makers (not from OPs list) that i am thrilled with their work, but at the end i still yern for good ole japanese made knives. my unicorn is actually obtainable without a waitlist and/or stupid high prices and is made by a master.
Are you kidding? With the right advertisement she could sell even more bike frames than knives. It's all in the presentation.FWIW I don't think a bicycle frame builder equivalent of Chelsea Miller knives would have survived for long.
I have walked through many home kitchens and trust me, people don't really care where their knives come from.Looking at it the other way round is more helpful, if shiro kamo or shigeki Tanaka can offer hand made full size blades for ~$100 you can be sure that there's not a lot of working hours in them
I'm sure there are western makers who would be able to do similar, but
1. There is not a big market for western made blades with terrible f&f.
2. Most western makers became knife makers due to a passion for cool knives not as merely a job.
Also you can get a xerxes Primus for the same price as a Suisin Inox Honyaki.
There simply aren't any western makers who specialize in producing decent to good cutting knives in high numbers for as cheap as possible.
I understand where you are coming from. All people would have to say is "I'm American and I deserve more for my efforts because I have bills to pay."I wish I could, but the most part of the time spent is on the coarsest grit, you're right about inefficient/slow. But what (i think many of us westerners) do is doing our absolutely best. Setting the "tolerances" so tight means every blade takes alot more time to dial in, in comparison with slamming in one bevel at a angle. I wouldnt be surprised the japanese take 5-10 min to grind a iron clad blade. When I make one clad the initial grinding is fast, but when it comes to the point I start reaching really thin on the edge and the geometry say 20 mm up, along with taper, that's where they start to go bendy with almost every pass... You get the picture. With monosteel the process of finish grinding is just slower because everything is very very hard steel.. If I have put in say 6 hours on a knife, I kindof feel it deserves a half or hour worth of finishing work. And then at the end of the week, if I got three knives done, they need to cover the income needed for running the business a week. Overhead/reality is also there. Don't know if this helps to understand, at the end of the day it is supply/demand.
Besides Carter* and Kramer*, there aren’t many ‘makers’ doing large batch knives at commodity level (*not to say they are selling at commodity prices*), and as such own the market and demand the prices. Were someone good to come along and produce good to great knives at a more affordable price to disrupt their market, prices would surely be scrutinized if a large enough dent was made. Of course this would also mean you’d see the same range of knives, from amazing to terrible.
What is it?
Generally on this forum, and in the community in particular, it seems to me that western makers inspired by japanese knives seem to fetch a lot higher prices per knife than most of the established japanese smiths charge (excepting the shig/kato craze). Why is that? Do knives by makers such as Halcyon Forge, Comet, Dalman, Hazenberg and so on (generally) outperform mid-priced japanese makers such as Tanaka, Kurosaki, the Gesshin lines Wakui and so on? Or is the price setting more of a supply/demand kind of thing which make these western makers more desirable for western knife knuts and collectors?
Please discuss!
I wouldnt be surprised the japanese take 5-10 min to grind a iron clad blade. When I make one clad the initial grinding is fast, but when it comes to the point I start reaching really thin on the edge and the geometry say 20 mm up, along with taper, that's where they start to go bendy with almost every pass... You get the picture. With monosteel the process of finish grinding is just slower because everything is very very hard steel.. If I have put in say 6 hours on a knife,
Here’s your answer. Time and quantity.
Now a master craftsman can work fast but that’s 10-15+ years of experience. For you to assume it takes 5 minutes to grind a blade obviously shows western makers have no idea of the Japanese grinding process, and assume forging is the only craft involved. There are at least 10-15 steps involved in grinding most blades. It all depends on the level of the blade and how it needs to be finished. Keep in mind I know more of the double bevel process and not of the single bevel.
It also has to do with Japanese culture. They tend to focus on one craft and only do that craft until they hopefully can one day master it. Talk to any old craftsman and they’ll say the moment you think you’ve mastered it and have no more questions is the day you should retire.
This is why in Japan it’s done in clustering. A forger forgers. A sharpener sharpens. A handle maker makes handles. Each one of those is a craft in itself. For one to try and master all those crafts would take you 15-20 years.
Again, I’m more knowledgeable in the grinding process of double bevel blades. Going back to time... The tools used, mostly belt grinders, by western makers are vastly slower than those by Japanese grinders, huge water wheels. I would say a master grinder with an apprentice can at least fully grind 500 mid to high level knives a month.
Spending 6 hours on ONE knife is where you’re costs come from. Labor time and quantity of blades.
mizuno white#2 honyaki custom length.What is it?
Is true over here in sweden too. Just safety standards would stop me from getting anyone else involved.
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