Is engraving a good investment?

jkf96a

Well-Known Member
Simple question... is engraving a good investment?

Say a 7 1/2" hunter, 416 bolsters, sambar stag. Out of my shop, it's maybe a $250-275 knife. If I were to have it engraved (at a cost of about $200), would I be able to make my money back plus a little? I'd like to have a good looking engraved knife out there with my name on it, but not bad enough to lose money on the deal.

Any comment on the going prices for a well made knife with good fit/finish and engraving from a basically unknown maker?
 
Hi Jason,
I say if the knife is as perfect as You can make and the engraver is good I'd say you can expect to at least get your investment plus your knife price. I've tried my hand at engraving a couple times and almost had to give the knife away so its all about high quality of both parties. Engraving cant fix a poorly made knife. This said, I've seen your knives and they're great, I say try it, You'll like it.
 
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I've had it both ways. Sometimes I made it up, others I broke even. I never really lost anything because if it.
 
In 20 years I have had maybe 30 knives engraved by different engravers. Depending on the knife fit and finish and the quality of the engraving, if the two match up well in quality then making a little on it should be no problem. I have on more occasions let the engraver decide what would look best on the knife and it has never failed me. A couple of times I decided what I wanted engraved and the results were never as good as asking him to to what he thought would be the best for it.
Good luck and I hope you try it and then decide for yourself.
 
engraving narrows your customer base, but those that like engraving are willing to spend the money on it. dosen't hurt to have a few of them on the table.
 
Thanks for all the input. Between the comments here and on bladeforums, I've decided to leave this knife as it is. It's just too nice as is, and not shaped just right for engraving. On the other hand, #200 is coming in the next few months, and will be designed with engraving in mind :)
 
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