OK, so I want to say that basically, the only "kit knives" out there are cheap made in China steel and then sold to resellers in the US, who raise the prices and make it out as their custom made knives. Sites like these:
https://www.premiumknifesupply.com/
http://woodworld-of-texas.myshopify.com/collections/knife-kits
http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/index.php
http://www.texasknife.com/vcom/index.php
and many others are just buying Chinese made knife blanks and kits. Even if they are custom ordering them, they are still not US made. The steel is mostly just 440C or the cheaper stainless steels and RC hardened to 55-60 RC - supposedly. You will find these guys and a bunch more less reputable all over the net and they are also on Ebay and Amazon, etc. They sell blades and folding kits to people like me, who: 1- have no money for a good blade and 2- are a dime a dozen wannabe knife makers. All we do is embellish a cheap knife with a nice set of scales and more, but the blades are still nothing but China made. If you look on ebay and really look, you will find guys selling these blades that have been dressed to the hilt, for hundreds of dollars and those $300 knives are still the $25 blanks from these sellers!. There's hardly any real knife makers out there, compared to the guys who are just prettying up these cheap blades.
Well? It really is the truth and I am not going to pass the BS. If you buy a knife from me, it would have to be one of these cheap knives, with a dressed up set of scales. That's all I can do and it's sort of the no fool like an old fool thing sometimes, LOL. Have to laugh at it, or get frustrated and mad.
I only found two guys US based, who make real Damascus:
http://stores.ebay.com/snakeriverknives?_rdc=1
http://stores.ebay.com/Two-Finger-Knife-LLC?_rdc=1
BUT, they only do straight blades, no folders.
None of the "Damascus Folding knife kits" out there is made of good Damascus. They are made in China or Pakistan and the steel is... well, you know... and the patterns look like hell. Well, they do...
Other than that, I have found a place to buy what I feel are very good blades, but they are Scandinavian blades. Mora and others, make laminated Stainless blades that really are very good, but the Scandinavian style is quite different then the US style and there are no folders.
Here's a site:
https://www.ragweedforge.com/BladeCatalog.html
Great place to get those blades.
What I am saying is, that I cannot make great knives, because I can only put a nice dress on a foreign body. I cannot make the body, so all I got to work with is what you see listed in the sites above.
If that is interesting, then fine, let me know, but do not expect anything more than a cheap folder with a high priced dress.
Only with the straight knives can I get good steel in either US made Damascus, or Scandinavian style Stainless blades.
I just wanted to FYI and be fully disclosed here. I do not want anyone to expect more than what they will get if they want a folder. The $70+ dollar folders on Premium Knife Supply, are basically $30 folders that they doubled the price on, like this one:
It's still a cheap knife and I am a lousy salesman, LOL, since I should be saying how good this knife is. It ain't. It's just ok by Chinese standards.
I'm done... Just a depressing day and it's been a long one...
Now that all that is said, I will still make one if someone wants one. Just PM me about it.
Justin
