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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 11-02-2012, 11:29 AM
Cthulhu Cthulhu is offline
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Supplier Apprehension

As a guy who can only do kit blades at this time, I'm always looking for the cheapest blades possible while still maintaining quality.

So when I came across this site http://usaknifemaker.com/kit-knives-...anks-c-73.html I was heartened even though some of theose blades look a little fan boyish (Too much form, not enough function).

I'm also seeing their blades all over Ebay, and I'm even more dubious about ending up with a bunch of cheap, awful Paki/chinese POS blades.

So I'm asking, has anyone dealt wiht or bought any of these blades, and whats the verdict?
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  #2  
Old 11-02-2012, 01:12 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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I looked at the site you listed (not eBay though) and what I saw looked like very high quality blades. The steel is good and most are already heat treated. Some of the folder kits would be very challenging as they need holes drilled and the blades need to be heat treated but they are high quality materials. I believe that everything I saw was USA made, no Paki stuff there. I think that is Tracey Mikley's site and he has a very good reputation. Anyway, those blades look like they would be worth trying if you're a kit maker and like the designs ...


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  #3  
Old 11-02-2012, 01:33 PM
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Don Robinson Don Robinson is offline
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I agree with Ray. Tracy Mickley at USA Knifemakers is a stand up guy and a friend.
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  #4  
Old 11-02-2012, 02:45 PM
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NJStricker NJStricker is offline
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Yes, USAKnifemaker is Tracy Mickley's site.

He sells 2 types of "kit" knives.

The first type he has been selling a while, and are waterjet cut blanks, both fixed blade and folder designs. They are in high carbon and stainless steels, and need to be ground, heat treated, finished, and assembled.

He has recently started selling finished blades, ready for handles. These are identical (based on the pictures) to knives sold on Ebay by a knife supplier out of North or South Carolina (I forget which). Tracy has always been an approachable guy. If you have a question about his merchandise just shoot him an email and I am sure he will give you the details.
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Old 11-02-2012, 03:13 PM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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Too much form and not enough function is a little harsh but Tracey is only selling what people are willing to buy. You can even find blades at Jantz that are more for looks than work. I doubt that you see these blades all over Ebay. Once finished, they're kind of hard to tell from the junk from China or Pakistan, though not all the blades from China and Pakistan are junk. Tracey at USA Knife Makers Supply stands by his products and wouldn't risk his reputation in the knife making community by selling junk.

Doug


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  #6  
Old 11-02-2012, 10:40 PM
Matt Bufford Matt Bufford is offline
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Agreed about Tracy. Great guy to do business with.

I can't speak for any of the knife kits he sells though since I've never seen or handled any of them.

If blanks are what you are looking for, I'm sure we can work something out if you want to get some customs to finish up.


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Old 11-02-2012, 11:20 PM
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AUBE AUBE is offline
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I've never dealt with his kit knives but I've placed multiple orders for other products through usaknifemaker.com and have had nothing but good experiences.
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  #8  
Old 11-03-2012, 12:25 AM
Cthulhu Cthulhu is offline
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No offense is meant or implied to Mr. Mickley. The exact same stuff he's selling on the USA site popped up on Ebay, and I got suspicious when I see the knives selling on USA Knife selling for .99 cents on Ebay. There is SO much bad steel out there and my funds so limited, I'm probably overly dubious.

I like many of the designs and really want to get some, as cheaply as possible, but wanted to see what the old hands had to say first.

Link to the Ebay stuff for comparison: http://stores.ebay.com/PremiumKnifeSupply

Like I said, I'm overly cautious, I can't afford to get burned.

Thanks for the input.
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Old 11-03-2012, 09:21 AM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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I looked at the eBay link and cannot swear what you see there is the same as what Tracey is selling. The Ebay stuff comes from Doug Metzger, not Tracey, and as far as I can tell there is no relationship between them. Metzger says that some of his stuff is cheaper and from China or Pakistan but some of it is high quality and made in the USA from 440C. So, most likely anything you see for .99 isn't likely to be the highest quality. I'd say pass on the eBay blades unless you don't mind getting a Paki blade (good enough for practice, I suppose).

If money is tight, it's worth spending a few extra dollars to be sure you're getting something worth the money....


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Old 11-03-2012, 09:50 AM
Cthulhu Cthulhu is offline
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My thoughts exactly Ray.
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  #11  
Old 11-03-2012, 04:34 PM
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Anthony Chaney Anthony Chaney is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Rogers View Post
I looked at the eBay link and cannot swear what you see there is the same as what Tracey is selling. The Ebay stuff comes from Doug Metzger, not Tracey, and as far as I can tell there is no relationship between them. Metzger says that some of his stuff is cheaper and from China or Pakistan but some of it is high quality and made in the USA from 440C. So, most likely anything you see for .99 isn't likely to be the highest quality. I'd say pass on the eBay blades unless you don't mind getting a Paki blade (good enough for practice, I suppose).

If money is tight, it's worth spending a few extra dollars to be sure you're getting something worth the money....
+1

Something else I might add just from my experience. I've bought several of those eBay ones.

1. If it were me, I'd buy the ones without bolsters.

2. Some of the fixed blades are very small. I'm talking pocket knife sized.

3. I'd ask them to wrap up my knives separately, so they don't get all scraped up.

4. Some of the folders don't seem to bad, but some of them I wasn't happy with.

5. The wood I got was suppose to be professionally stabilized. I'm reasonably sure it's not.

6. I bought 9 knives, I'm happy with 2.

I'm boxing mine back up and returning. You have 14 days for returns. I'm out 20+ bucks for shipping. You do the math. I will add though, he has lots of happy customers. I was happy too on my first order. I think you can get some good buys, just be selective on what you choose.

Last edited by Anthony Chaney; 11-03-2012 at 05:34 PM.
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  #12  
Old 11-03-2012, 07:36 PM
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Most all of my knife supplies comes from usaknifemaker.com
Never once have I had a issue with anything he sells nor have I ever heard of anyone having any issue with the quality.

I have found that his prices are usually better than that of his competition on items of equal value-quality, but the main reason that I shop with usaknifemaker is the service is bar-none.

Highly recommend his site to everyone. cthulhu, give his kits a try, I think you will be very happy with the quality.

Brett
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  #13  
Old 11-13-2012, 11:51 AM
Cthulhu Cthulhu is offline
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I broke down an got one of the Ebay blades, the Otter skinner, because the price was ridiculous cheap. Appears to be a good blade, sharp enough to clear my fleece off my arm in one stroke. So I'm gonna give it a go. Working on the file work right now (I know, I know, I may be a file work junkie by now...) I'll post some pictures of the process and completed project when complete.
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