Prices for my custom handmade knives

Thank you for being here. I'm honored that you are considering purchasing a fine handmade custom knife. I thank you for your interest.

Pricing handmade custom knives is not a simple thing. I take into account over 65 individual features and characteristics of each knife order to work up your quote. There are the basic features like material type, pattern and size, finish type, embellishment, and accessories like sheath, stand, or display case that figure into each quote. There are also nuances like filework styles and amount, swage length and finish, mounting methods, and sheath inlay type and size to consider. With many of my custom knives, these seemingly small features add up to create a unique and valuable work of art, tool, or function, and are considerations in the final quote. I don't typically detail these nuances for each order, because most clients leave those details up to me as an artist and craftsman. They do figure into the price calculation, along with dozens of other particulars and specifics.

Each knife price is quoted on an individual basis, considering all those factors. Typically, a client gives me a pattern style or idea, often based on one of my original works seen on this very website. Then, he offers his ideas about handle material, size changes, hybridization of blade and handle patterns, and sheath ideas, and then requests a quote. I calculate the quote and delivery time, and let him know.

In addition to the individual features and design of the knife, my knife prices are also based on:

• True Custom Work: I work with individual clients and patrons to make them the knives they want. I have over 390 designs in my pattern inventory, and new ones are continuously created. I invite my client's input and create their dream knife and work of art, within the scope of my own artistic and creative style.
• Craftsmanship: I make some of the finest knives available in the world today, and will gauge my work against any other maker's for comparison. The photographs can not always demonstrate the intricacies of these creations on this site, but you can understand most of their finely crafted details from the photos and text. Plentiful testimonials and pages on this site should give you a very clear representation of my techniques, my practice, and the quality of my work, and this is why I have such a long waiting list and queue of orders and clients.
• Sole Authorship Knives: There are very few knife makers in the world who do everything in their trade and craft, and I am proud to be one who does. I do not farm out any part of my work and effort, and create every part of your knife, accessory, embellishment, and artistic interpretation in my studio. I am responsible for every element and component of your knife experience, as well as the business side of the relationship. My clients and patrons can be assured that one complete and coherent individual theme and skill level accompanies their investment, with structural integrity, harmony, balance, and beauty. It is my signature that goes on every knife, and if only my maker's mark is on the blade, all of the work is done by me alone.
• Collaborative Knives: Some of the knives I make are collaboratives with new makers who are family members and artists in residence here in Enchanted Spirits Studio. The investment of time and education in the studio reflects my commitment to my clients and patrons, as well as to the art and tradecraft of making edged art and tools. The knives we make together have both are maker's marks on the blade, and are as well-made as if my hands alone have made them.
• Reputation: You can see on this website the wide range of knives made for clients that span from avid hunters to the most elite of professional military forces that have ordered, purchased, and depended on my knives. From collectors of fine art to museums, my record and reputation is well-established; it's also demonstrated in print, in book and magazine articles, and on other websites and the internet.
• Experience: I have decades of experience in making high quality custom and handmade knives and you can see thousands of large and detailed photos on this very site illustrating that work, along with hundreds of pages of individual knife details, specifications, descriptions, and types. I have dozens of pages of valid, sensible, and specific knife facts and information so you can make an informed decision about my knife concepts, ideas, and experience. This is my service to my tradecraft and art, and to my patrons and clients.
• Artistic Significance: The artistic direction, interpretation, and construction of all of my knives is extremely important to me, and should be to you, too. I consider every knife an individual work of art and creation. Beyond a simple blade and handle, every line, finished surface, choice of material, embellished cut, sheath, stand, or fitting is carefully created. Shapes, angles, and components are all blended into a complete and individual theme. Each piece I create is unique and important to my client and patron, as well as to me and my career.
• Demand: Demand is high and this is my career, not some passing interest or hobby. You can see my client's order list and queue on my Where's my knife, Jay? page. If your name is on this list, you are in very good company. New orders are continuous, and there are only a limited amount of knives a maker can produce. Since a great deal of time is invested in every piece, a maker's work is truly limited by his time on earth.
• Value: All of my knives appreciate unless they are physically damaged. Even the knives that are used are valuable as heirlooms and personal cherished family treasures signifying personal events, campaigns, battles, and conflicts as well as remembrances of significant experiences. Where factory knives and cheap knives depreciate from the instant you open the box, finely crafted pieces by well-known makers increase in value over the years. If taken care of, your Jay Fisher knife will be worth more as time goes on, not less, and be something that you will be proud and honored to pass along and share in your family tree.