How much do you think this knife is worth?

[Knifemaker96]

So I finally finished my first knife and I was wondering how much could I charge?

Blade is 5160 steel

handle is redheart hardwood coated with tung oil

13 inchs long from tip to end of handle

maybe about a month of labor or more was put into it. only because I didnt know what i was doing.


http://s1262.photobucket.com/user/Cl...642ca.jpg.html

[Ray Rogers]

How to put a price on our knives is a very important subject for new knife makers and it has been discussed many times over the years. The bottom line is: put a price on it and if it sells too quickly raise the price on the next one. If it sells too slowly or not at all, lower the price. The market will always decide what your knife is worth.

Now, all that being the case, the real problem is that you have no track record (no reputation). By your own admission you didn't know what you were doing. So, how can a potential buyer be sure that you did a good heat treatment on your blade? Without a good HT, you don't have a knife. Sure, it's shiny but does it work? What testing have you done to be sure this knife is worth anything at all? You need to be prepared for these types of questions from potential buyers. If you can't answer those questions with confidence don't expect anyone to buy with confidence.

Generally speaking, a first knife isn't worth anything at all - its for practice. Take it out and test it hard to see where it needs improvement (I'd bet you won't like that handle very much if you really work that knife). I know you don't want to hear that, nobody ever does. It seemed like too much work to make it to just go out and tear it up but that's what you need to do. After you have built and destroyed 5 or 6 of them you will probably have something worth selling. Even more important, you'll know why it might be worth selling and you'll have some idea of its worth ...

[Knifemaker96]

Well I did test it. The edge holds it's sharpness and when bent it returns to its form it doesn't stay bent or crack. On my next knife I will put it through more intense testing and see what happens. As for the handle it's not really what I wanted, so I will be practicing on that. Thank you for the tips!

[jmccustomknives]

I asked that question once, and got raked over the coals. The answer, as much as you can. As far as design goes, there are some problems. If you use it a lot you'll find them and correct. I would suggest you make and use for a year or two before trying to sell. That way you work out the kinks and don't get embarrassed by little errors that inexperience can cause.
If that is your first, it looks better than mine!

[Knifemaker96]

Thank you! Yes this is my first knife. It was a lot of trail and error. The problems I found with it was that it's to thick. It holds on edge really well though and it doesn't want to break. I gave this one to a friend and I will see what she thinks of it. Right now I'm working on a boot knife. Nice thing is that every thing I need is at my finger tips! My father and I work construction so we have a good variety of tools.

[Bob Hatfield]

As to the handle of the knife. You left it looking and in the shape of a 2"X 4" piece of lumber. Very uncomfortable in the hand. You can use 1 inch wide sandpaper rolls and with a shoe shine style of sanding will round off the sharp edges of the handle and be far more comfortable fitting the hand.

[DanCom]

If you are not full time/professional like most of us, I'd suggest forget about labor and start by recouping your costs. My first seller sold with sheath for $100. That was the cost of the steel, freight, consumables, some electricity, some leather, supplies etc. If charged $1 per hour for labor it would have doubled the price of the knife.

My customer had no problem with supporting my hobby. I even provided a certificate of authenticity at no extra charge. (There are little touches that hardly cost anything.) Now I have several of his friends asking about knifes.

My $0.02

Merry Christmas!

Dan

[miketheknife]

Here is what I did, not saying what I have done is correct just that it has worked for me. The first knife I made I tried to destroy it and I succeded in that! I made corrections as needed and really worked on my heat treat. I then made a bunch of knives and gave them to friends and family and let them try and tear them apart. Always be willing to take advice and tweek things as needed. That was over a year ago and I can finally say I know how my knives will work. I have now sold a grand total of 4 knives and that has been in the last month. So far everyone has good things to say about them. As to price take others advice on that, it works. If you are in this to make a living I wish you well. All I am after is to make this hobby (addiction) of mine pay for itself.

Mike

[SVanderkolff]

Quite frankly I would give it away to someone who will not only appreciate it but will also use it and give you feedback.FRom your posting I would guess you don't need the $50 to $100 that this would bring to put food on the table so don't worry so much about selling right away. If you are making a good knife word will get around and folks will start asking for a knife. Once they ask then you can charge.
Steve

[WinDancer]

I gave away my first 10 or 11 knves, all to hunters that I knew, with the understanding that they give me good honest feedback on how they felt about the knives after using them hard. I also told them if they break it I will make another for free.
My only goal was making the best knife I could.
A neighbor who used my knife through 2 deer and an elk came by the shop and asked how much for one for his dad. We set a price, I made a knife and his dad was very pleased. A short while later he called and his son had a birthday coming up.....
Almost every time we spoke he carried on about the warranty- if it breaks I will fix or replace it. That seemed to give buyers a better feeling about my knives and I still offer the same warranty.
Get a good product that you can warranty for your lifetime. Get feedback from your users.
Then you can decide to sell them or not. but the quality must come first.
Dave

[Hurley]

I have only been making knives about a year and I'm still not trying to sell any yet. Mostly because I am sort of anal retentive and refuse to put my name one something that I am not sure about guaranteeing. So I profile, grind a little, put holes in it for the handle, heat treat it, grind more sand it to about 500 grit and sometimes do a handle, then I test it to breakage and start the process over.

The reason I do this is because each time I make a blade I learn something and/or try something different. Do I get tired of doing it? Yes, very much, but as I said I refuse to brand it without it being the absolute best I can make it! After all, if I was going to invest 300-500 dollars in a knife, that's what I would want.

I suppose in the end, the knife maker has to feel comfortable in his asking price for the knife no matter what it is. So ask yourself, what you would be willing to pay for it if you were a buyer? All beginning knife makers feel that our product is worth it's weight in gold simply because of the time vested in it, myself included.

But when reality sets back in, I realize that the blade isn't worth it yet. The only thing that keeps me going is that I know that knowing one day it will be. Until then I'll keep honing my skills until the day I'll feel comfortable etching my name in the steel.

[jank]

I'd keep it; and later after honing your skills you'll see how far you progressed. Just my 2 cents.

[Ed Tipton]

Knifemaker96...You're asking the wrong question. We all have an idea as to what that knife is worth, and you would not like any of our numbers. We can see from the picture that you have spent many hours making the knife, but the sad truth is...NOBODY CARES. As to the value of the knife the answer is...What is it worth to you. You are the only person who can appreciate the time and effort that went into making it.
Your biggest problem in selling it is that you have no name recognition. People don't know you, they've never heard of you, they have no way of knowing whether you know what you're doing or not.
Almost all knifemakers start off by giving their hard earned efforts away in the hopes that someone will jump up and order a knife that you've made. That's about the only way your efforts will ever take wing and fly. Along the way, you will gain enough experience that your knives will actually be worth an asking price, but unless you have exceptional talent it's doubtful that your hobby will ever pay for itself. For the vast majority of us, the payoff comes in the form of knowledge and experience gained, and in knowing that we have acquired skills that have given us pride and confidence...but little money.
I know that this is not the answer you were hoping to get, but it is my best effort in giving you an honest answer.

[jmccustomknives]

Originally Posted by Ed Tipton

Almost all knifemakers start off by giving their hard earned efforts away in the hopes that someone will jump up and order a knife that you've made. That's about the only way your efforts will ever take wing and fly. Along the way, you will gain enough experience that your knives will actually be worth an asking price, but unless you have exceptional talent it's doubtful that your hobby will ever pay for itself. For the vast majority of us, the payoff comes in the form of knowledge and experience gained, and in knowing that we have acquired skills that have given us pride and confidence...but little money.
I know that this is not the answer you were hoping to get, but it is my best effort in giving you an honest answer.

That's how I got started. First I gave them as gifts to friends and family. From there it progressed to trading for antlers and metal (saw blades and such). Then people started wanting to buy them Like he said, for most of us we are lucky to break even. It takes years to develop a reputation. But when you get really good, the quality will shine through and the people who appreciate your labors will be happy to pay you for them.
Merry Christmas!

[Crex]

Guess the not so obvious question would be ..... Did you sell your final exam in the last class you completed?