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Comment by James Cole on July 28, 2015 at 16:05

Tom,  Alexander covered every area except one.  The knives are all the same pattern.  That makes blanking and rough handle preparation a whole lot easier.  It is also very likely that the blades are machine ground. Jim

Comment by Alexander Noot on July 28, 2015 at 3:35

Tom I completely agree with everything you've said. But keep in mind, these are production blades. Which means that they're probably water jetted/laser cut/bandsaw cut to profile. Which takes only seconds per blade. The steel cost (1095 is cheap) is negligable as is the heat treat when you do it in large batches.

Drilling holes for handles can be automated quite cheaply at any big machinepark and can be done very quickly.

Most time consuming is the grind (assuming that they do that by hand) and making the scales.

Sheathmaking also takes a LOT less time when you have all your leather machincut and stitched on a machine.

Seriously....with all those resources...I bet I could make a bunch of knives and spend less than 1 hour on each of them.

You'd have to do it in large batches though to spread out the cost of using expensive machinery but when done in that way I bet the actual cost per knife is <$30 in machines and material leaving a nice margin to make a profit.

If I were to make knives like this with a sheath it would cost me around 4-7 hours (very rough estimate) a piece. Depending on how many  I'd have to make in a batch and depending on whether I'd have to include sheaths. Which means I'd make roughly $10 an hour........which is...ok. I guess....but not great like you said.

Advantage on what I'd make would probably be in: A nicer blade finish...(I can do a nice hand-satin finish in that time) a slightly better heat treat (I don't have to worry about 500 blades going wrong in one heat treat cycle so I can take more risk in my heat treat) and a thinner grind (Same argument as the heat treat.)

Comment by Tom Peterson on July 27, 2015 at 16:09

I see...Well you are right, Greg did a great job!!! Looks like they will be great users, EDC's or collector's. But at that price you might as well use the heck out of it and save the wear and tear on your more expensive pieces. I want one now! But my knife making list still has a bunch of stuff on it - kydex sheath making setup and some stencils for my etching machine. Plus I've got about 30 knife blanks that need to go to heat treat if I can ever get them finalized! I'll have to tell Santa about these/add them to my Christmas list!

Comment by Jan Carter on July 27, 2015 at 15:52

They are stock removals Tom, made right here in the USA.  The firesteel is an add on (still under 100).  Greg went about this knife in a way to keep the cost low. He found his own woods, had them stabilized, cut the scales to size himself and shipped out to the maker. He truly wanted these knives to hit at under 100 and be quality.  He did well !!

Comment by Tom Peterson on July 27, 2015 at 15:45

Aint that the truth! I hope (as a maker speaking) that the firesteel doesn't come with it too?! Unless these knives are made in Asia somewhere I don't see how they can come close to making a profit off of them, but they seem to be a great deal for buyers! Their economy must be in mass production. I just can't figure out how they do it though. It would take me an hour or three to make the sheath and at least 4-6 hours to make the knife at a minimum. My grinds wouldn't be anywhere near as good as theirs though. Throw in etching the blades, sharpening them, stamping the leather sheaths, etc....Are these knives hand forged or done by stock removal? Whatever the case they are excellent buys!!! I'll get off my soapbox now! Hahaha!

Comment by Jan Carter on July 27, 2015 at 15:29

Tom,

Boy do I understand that!!  It just kills Donnie when I start wanting to buy a fixed blade LOL!  I have waited for these to come out because of the uniqueness of them and because of the costs.  You just cannot beat it.

Comment by Tom Peterson on July 27, 2015 at 14:57

Jan,

It kills me (as an aspiring knife maker myself) that some folks can put out a quality product and do so at such a low price point! I love it as a collector/consumer but not as a knife maker however. These folks are practically giving the knives away once you consider the material costs and the labor involved to make and assemble all of it. I'll never make a profit as a knife maker! lol!!! Guess that I'll have to learn how to speed up my production and streamline my models to tailor them to mass production if I want to compete or be content making knives for a different user group - or I'll just keep making knives just as a hobby - one that with which I occasionally make a sale to at least break even or make a slight profit. Better keep my day job I guess!!!

Comment by Jan Carter on July 27, 2015 at 14:38

I have been waiting for these to hit the market!

The story is here http://www.trestlepineknives.com/ and at less that 90.00 they are now available here http://shop.tsaknives.com/Trestle-Pine-Knives_c252.htm

Comment by Clint Thompson on July 20, 2015 at 9:11

I like your choice Alexander.  I have a fix blade which is very much like yours but made by Jantz Supply of Davis, OK.  Keep us posted on the outcome of your testing.  Thanks for the photo and post.

Comment by Jan Carter on July 20, 2015 at 8:27

Excellent Alexander, can't wait to hear about it!  Have some fun and be safe

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