Custom Knife Deposits Part 2
Deposits for Custom Knives: Yes, No, Maybe?
Deposits, why?
What about makers who ask for a deposit? Generally, there is no reason for a deposit; however, there are exceptions. Look at the 3 guidelines listed below to help you determine if the deposit is necessary. These are my 3 guidelines for knife maker deposits:
1) No Deposit: Many times you will be ordering a knife that is a standard model. This knife should not normally require any kind of deposit.
2) Partial Deposit: A deposit may be required if you are ordering a customized design or material upgrades to a standard model. These can come in the form of blade steel such as Damascus or San Mai. Bolster materials such as Damascus or Ti-mascus and frame materials such as Moku-Ti, Zirconium or Damascus as examples. You can expect to pay a deposit for additional materials such as precious gem stones or metals. Given the prices of fossil Ivory today, don’t be surprised if you are asked for a deposit to cover the cost of this.
3) Full Payment: You should never pay upfront the full amount with one exception. If you are requesting a design or materials the maker doesn’t feel they will be able to resell to someone else if you don’t buy it. If it hasn’t happened to you already, it is only a matter of time before you find yourself looking at a knife and thinking or even saying out loud, “What the heck was the maker thinking?” Occasionally a maker will push the design/material envelope on their own. More often than not though, there is a collector behind this creation.
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Robertson’s Custom Cutlery is your source for custom knives from today’s leading custom knife makers. We only feature the highest quality knives at value prices. Our custom fixed and folding knife selection includes tactical fixed and folding knives, presentation fixed and folding knives, bowies, hunters and skinners, and a large selection of forged blades. Les Robertson, author and owner of Robertson’s Custom Cutlery, is also a Field Editor for Blade Magazine and an instructor at Blade University. If you have questions about the content in this article or about any knife or maker on our website, you can contact Les directly at customknives@comcast.net or (706) 650-0252.