How good are the knives made by Jay Fisher?

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TheBushWookie

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I want to find out how good are the knives from jayfisher.com. The man appears to have put alot of time and effort into his site so he can explain how good he is but that doesn't mean jack s%$& in my opinion sense anyone could buy a box of pretty chinese knives, make a great fake back story/history to yourself and your knives, then sell em for 200$ a piece. What I want to know is has anyone even owned a knife from the custom maker and if so how good is it? The main thing that makes this entire thing seem fishy is that despite his claims to be a knife maker of the highest class and that he makes top quality knives for so many people there doesn't appear to be any usable information on his knives or himself on the internet besides the info that is included on his website.
 
Honestly have no idea, but they LOOK very well built/finished/ground what have you, he even showed up here a few months ago iirc to defend his blades.
That said, I'll echo a member here that a lot of his designs look like great accessories for Liberace or hard to put a use to, and his website includes a lot of Q&A with himself.
Personally I'd buy the Becker or Ontario and put the other $1300 in my 401k.
 
Personally it's nothing personal but when it comes to a custom knife maker I can't really take their word on their products unless there are actual testimonies from people who have bought and used their knives, but I don't think I will find those sense his knives are so far out of the price range of normal peoples budgets that I think only collectors will buy them just so they can keep them in mint condition then sell them at a later date for a higher cost.
 
Bizarre website, he puts a lot of effort in to putting the whole world down.
Best knifemaker in the world, totally self taught. Seems unlikely.
They don't look like anything I would use.

Strange that not a single knife has turned up in Bernard Levine's forum.
 
Personally I would NEVER shell out anything close to the prices this man asks for, don't get me wrong the knives are gorgeous but for all we know it may simply be some guy pulling a "Perkins Knives" move with knives that are even crazier looking than M-Tech USA knives.
 
I found a video of who I believe to be Jay Fisher and if it is I think it's already getting suspicious because according to him he essentially has the most advanced machines in the world for blade forging but his shop looks more like an average forging shop than some sort of high tech blade lab that he's depicted it to be. Here's the video in question https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKEbFe0Kyrw
 
I guess it depends on what YOU mean by "good"? I've only seen photos of his knives, the fit and finish seem well done. The designs are not appealing to my personal taste but others enjoy the looks he creates. In terms of function, you could probably find a knife for any specific function that you needed, which was not as fancy but which performed as well or better for less money - but that can be said of many knifemakers.
 
By good I mean overall quality, anyone can get a chinese manufacturer to make an exotic knife then prep it up to look pretty but what I'm talking about is the basic qualities people look for in a knife how easy is it to sharpen, edge retention, and what metals are they made out of. I finally found another forum post with useful information and it turns out a simple combat fixed blade made out of 440 stainless was sold for a whopping 2300$.

EDIT- apparently it was also made by the apprentice smith so it would have costed more if it were made by the man himself, the prices are stupidly ridiculous.
 
Have handled a few of his knives and they are very impressive. A buddy swears by his. Excellent combat sheath of his own design too. I think once I got past the first scratch/scuff I would use the hell out his knives. Lots of good reviews of his knives on his website too. I'll say this he definitely lives the knife life. You could spend a day(24hrs.) on his website and still not take it all in. One day I will have one of my own
 
They are the real deal. Hand made, with a recognizable style, supports two families, has the integrity to include their employee in the film...give the men some respect. They have earned it. If you don't know their product don't throw stones just because you cannot afford it. IIRC he has posted on here.
 
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From what I know, his knives are excellent in terms of fit and finish, and they are quite expensive. If you search the forums, you will also see about 20 different threads on this subject.
 
What's with all the haters? :confused:

Jay makes excellent knives. He has a long list of clients and collectors who happily pay his prices. He makes lots of knives but very few are on the secondary market. This means his customers are happy with his knives.

Drop the sour grapes and applaud what Jay has done.

Chuck
 
BushWookie, your posts are very representative of the type person who reaches a conclusion after little if any meaningful research.

The very video you attached answers most of the questions you raised, if not all, but all that aside, Jay Fisher is in fact the real deal. He does in fact, have his knives in the hands of some of the most hard use operators currently in service.

Price is relative, and based on cost of production, design, uniqueness and QUALITY the knives are fairly priced and for the very large group of satisfied customers they seem reasonable.

You may never own a Jay Fisher knife and that would be your loss.

Disclaimer: I do not own and have never owned a Jay Fisher knife. I have handled them and inspected them closely. I have never made a sheath for a Jay Fisher knife and I have no financial or other interest in his company. I do recognize quality and talent when I see it.

Paul
 
I haven't been giving the man hate at all, all I've said is that when it involves custom knife makers I don't take any information coming from them seriously sense it could very well be a large fabricated lie to get people to buy knives from them for large prices and all they get is cheap chinese crap.
 
TheBushWookie said:
I haven't been giving the man hate at all, all I've said is that when it involves custom knife makers I don't take any information coming from them seriously sense it could very well be a large fabricated lie to get people to buy knives from them for large prices and all they get is cheap chinese crap.
Click to expand...

A large part of what custom knife collecting is based on is trust, if it's not there the maker usually doesn't stay in business long if at all. You could use that same analogy of yours on mechanics, doctors, dentists, restaurants, etc. Was that chicken, or was it really sewer rat?
 
Didn't we just have a multi-thread page on Jay Fisher and his knives? I believe Mr. Fisher himself even chimed into the discussion, until it became apparent that people were more interested is bashing him than constructively criticizing/discussing anything.

I think if somebody wants to credit/discredit a maker, they need to pony up the money and test one of the knives. You may not agree with his techniques or marketing approach, but it if works for him, so be it.

Unless he's actively trying to lie to people or rip people off, I don't see what the big deal is.
 
Although this is an international forum, and the Custom forum pats itself on the back regularly ("brass has no class") the tastes of the members can be very homogeneous, backward and traditional. One look at Fisher's knives and it is clear he does not belong here...that is a compliment :). Jfk110 is one of the few posters on this forum to have even held his knives, most critics base their comments on photos.
 
I you want a Fisher that it more "normal" in design, a very conventional trailing point skinner pattern by this maker is at auction now. 440C. The handle is fancier than the norm.



As for ior being a compliment to Fisher that "he does not belong here," that's a heck of a knock on "here" from someone who "support this site." Or perhaps something is intended beyond the plain meaning of the words.
 
Wow,his shop is awesome!He has every cool machine available for knifemaking.Seems like a great guy and family.Extremely talented.I don't understand all the negativity and suspicion either.He seems very open and honest.
 
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