“Better than the Custom” knives

Ron Wang said:
I vote for Rockstead!
The knives are gorgeous in terms of mirror finish blade, blade material(especially in YXR7 DLC model), and blade grind.
Some argued that the handle material is not that superb, however, their blade is second to none.
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The production Rockstead are better than the customs?
 
Mo2 said:
The production Rockstead are better than the customs?
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Hi Mo2,

Yes I think so. You can search "Rockstead Knowledge Thread" for more details.
Also, There are lots of gorgeous Rockstead pics on IG you can see.
 
The only production knife I would consider “equal to” it’s custom version is the Microtech Socom Elite (I own 6). I’ve actually compared a production to a custom side-by-side and besides exotic steel and different inserts I’d say they are virtually identical. And IMO I’d say the production version is a way better value but that’s subjective.
 
Halador said:
My first thought is the ZT 0392 lineup. Better steel, better action (arguably), and still had most of the personalization options for which Hinderer is famous.
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Gotta disagree here. I like my Hinderer eklipse way more than my 392grnblk. However that may be the fact that the black coating kind of takes away the beauty of the titanium. For some reason I am very tempted to carry my eklipse and feel zero desire to ever carry my 392.

I would argue CRKs are built better than thr majority of customs. Alot of times a custom knife has some little flaws that a production knife has dialed in.
 
Both are production and customs can be beautifully made. Volume of each produced seperates them. New Camaro vs 69 custom camaro. Fit and finish??? Could go either way. Depending on the builder. Something about a hand finished custom is just plain cool, as long as everyone doesn't have one just like yours,

Chevy sold 68k camaros in 2017
How many customs were built in 2017?

Buck has built over 15 million 110's since 1964
Buck custom shop 110, I have no idea but pretty good guess way less than a million.
Production 110 can be perfect, but have a custom 110 is special.

 
Mo2 said:
Zt 0562cf better than hinderer

Trevor Burger customs way better than the junk bokers based on them.

Kizer sheepdog knives are far better than the customs which are fairly bad.

Crkt crossbones is bad in comparison to the midtech or custom.
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Out of sheer personal taste I prefer my boker Exskelubur framelock to the real Burger customs because the boker is so thin.

Objectively the burger customs are better built though.
 
I prefer ProTech's versions of both Strider and Emerson.
 
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Mo2 said:
Zt 0562cf better than hinderer
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With the tri way pivot I now change my mind on this one. Plus you can choose two different blades geometry and the locks don't fail like zt's can.
 
The Hinderers aren't custom, anyway. But I agree, with the Tri-Way the Hinderers are lightyears beyond any ZT. Though "spine whacks" are not failures since they simulate no imaginable real use scenario.
 
My general feeling is if you buy a custom/handmade knife from a maker, it is likely to be a better knife than a similar one manufactured by a regular cutlery company. That said, I don't really have much experience judging as I seldom even consider things like a Hinderer or whatever and am perfectly happy with say the ZT design.

I think GEC slip joints push the margins strongly of similar custom knives and their attributes. One could say that GEC slip joints are semi-custom as they are mostly handmade knives except for the steel.

Added: Then one needs to consider what a "custom" knife is. Was it made especially for you? Or did the maker do 200 of the same basic pattern/knife? I tend to think of "handmade" versus custom knife in general.
 
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For me it is a price thing. I can enjoy sometimes 4 to 5 times as many knives as their custom counterparts. I have a few customs and in no way do any of their midtechs compare. The customs are more better every time IMHO. I buy a lot of midtechs due to the value factor.
 
RBid said:
This is a simple topic. I’m curious to hear which production knives you all consider to be equal to, or better than, the customs or mid-techs they’re based on.

This type of discussion is often subjective, so disagreement is OK. The goal here is fun discussion.

So, knife nuts, which production knives do you prefer over their more expensive counterparts, and why?
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OP, good thread. Maybe you can get ZT to make a version of the Norseman. :)

I wish I could contribute an example, but I have no knives in both production and custom. My most expensive knife is an Olamic 247, and Olamic positions themselves in a class by themselves by being able to produce so many options on demand, at about $400 - $700.
 
The only thing I can contribute is I have a Jasmine semi custom and a Kizer Gemini. There is something special about the way the Jasmine comes together that the Gemini just doesnt quite catch but really like both.
 
Sharperthansticks said:
OP, good thread. Maybe you can get ZT to make a version of the Norseman. :)

I wish I could contribute an example, but I have no knives in both production and custom. My most expensive knife is an Olamic 247, and Olamic positions themselves in a class by themselves by being able to produce so many options on demand, at about $400 - $700.
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Thank you! I’m the OP. Made a new account recently to match the name of my YouTube channel. I’d be incredibly curious to see what ZT would do with a Grimsmo collaboration. Blade mass is about right. They do actions well. Maybe we’d get a Grimsglow.

nwmetalbug said:
The only thing I can contribute is I have a Jasmine semi custom and a Kizer Gemini. There is something special about the way the Jasmine comes together that the Gemini just doesnt quite catch but really like both.
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I also have an SC Jasmine and a Gemini, and I agree. I used the Gemini example because I had heard a remark around the time that I posted this about the Gemini being “better in some ways” than a custom Jasmine. Best guess is that the commenter equated S35VN and a bad insert to upgrades over D2 or XHP with heat treated ti lock face.

My personal feelings are... frankly, I’m a huge Laconico fan. I’ve got hopes of adding a custom from him this year, around USN.
 
there are lots of cheap and good things , like buck 、 kabar 、okc、CS etc.
i like production knives , but i like production mods more.
may i say production knife mods is a kind of custom's ?
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Kinda comes down to what you consider better.

If better means cheaper for the same design and similar materials then you might have a leg to stand on. However, in my experience no production knife has come close to the custom version.

I'm speaking of true custom built knives, not a CRK that has a "custom" engraving w/ a damascus blade or a "custom" Protech that just uses different materials in the handle. That's more of a customized/limited production.

I've had mid-techs w/ great tolerances and close to custom quality, but I wouldn't say they were better than the custom.
 
i do not think the custom knives are btter in overall means.
may be custom is not a good word here , i mean i do not think the handmade are better.
 
Banter 247 said:
Thank you! I’m the OP. Made a new account recently to match the name of my YouTube channel. I’d be incredibly curious to see what ZT would do with a Grimsmo collaboration. Blade mass is about right. They do actions well. Maybe we’d get a Grimsglow.



I also have an SC Jasmine and a Gemini, and I agree. I used the Gemini example because I had heard a remark around the time that I posted this about the Gemini being “better in some ways” than a custom Jasmine. Best guess is that the commenter equated S35VN and a bad insert to upgrades over D2 or XHP with heat treated ti lock face.

My personal feelings are... frankly, I’m a huge Laconico fan. I’ve got hopes of adding a custom from him this year, around USN.
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I think the fully-contoured scales on the Gemini were seen as a significant upgrade over the slab scales on the original Jasmine.
 
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