A: That’s a really good question—and not an easy one to answer.
For me, the balance always tips in favour of uncompromising quality. I strive to build the best and coolest knife I possibly can, and only then do I consider what it should cost.
There are obvious upsides and downsides to that approach. The upside is that I get to make exactly the knives I want to make, using the materials, details and construction I believe in. The downside is that they end up outside many people’s budgets.
That has never been my goal, though. It’s also one of the reasons I enjoy my factory collaborations so much. They allow my designs to reach a much wider audience while my Shop Built and Custom knives remain exactly what I want them to be.
Quite frankly, I don’t do this because I want to build the biggest knife company or the most successful brand. I do it because I genuinely love designing and making knives. This business is far too demanding if money is your only motivation.
I won’t compromise on quality. I’d rather spend the extra time, use the better material, machine the additional detail, and build the knife exactly the way I believe it should be built.
That’s what gets me out of bed every morning, and why I still look forward to walking into the shop and the studio every single day.
For me, the balance always tips in favour of uncompromising quality. I strive to build the best and coolest knife I possibly can, and only then do I consider what it should cost.
There are obvious upsides and downsides to that approach. The upside is that I get to make exactly the knives I want to make, using the materials, details and construction I believe in. The downside is that they end up outside many people’s budgets.
That has never been my goal, though. It’s also one of the reasons I enjoy my factory collaborations so much. They allow my designs to reach a much wider audience while my Shop Built and Custom knives remain exactly what I want them to be.
Quite frankly, I don’t do this because I want to build the biggest knife company or the most successful brand. I do it because I genuinely love designing and making knives. This business is far too demanding if money is your only motivation.
I won’t compromise on quality. I’d rather spend the extra time, use the better material, machine the additional detail, and build the knife exactly the way I believe it should be built.
That’s what gets me out of bed every morning, and why I still look forward to walking into the shop and the studio every single day.
