It is, in a way. I think the biggest problem that a lot of people have with it though is trying to get into the higher end production price range, where there is too much competition. They try to make knives that will compete price wise with, say a $250 Benchmade, and find they can’t make a decent profit. A lot of times from what I have seen anyway, the knives going to that crowd are “rushed” looking, since the maker is trying to make a lot of knives to make a living. CNC machines at the factories make some pretty darn good knives, and fast too. Heat treat at the factory is quite good, and most are offering premium steels. If people want to sell their stuff, they need to have something a lot different or “better” in some way. You can find a ton of handmade knives with sandblasted/tumbled/textured finishes to speed up the finishing, and G10 or some other composite handle. They are fundamentally the same as anything you can buy at a store, and similar in prices. People try to get into that market and that market is FLOODED with more of the same. Take that same knife, put some stag handles on it, a nice finish, and a leather sheath, and it’s a $500+ knife, and completely outside the production market, except for the likes of Randall. In a way, maybe it’s not so much is squeezing into their market, as it is they are climbing up into ours. Either way, I think makers need to distance themselves from that market in order to get established. I know doing just that has helped me immensely. Just a little more time on making it truly different from the ordinary makes a big difference.
