Tactical Fanboy purchased a Po’gn knife from Bawidamann Blades at last weekend’s Blade Show. This is his impression.
Bawidamann was in full force at BLADE show, displaying both awesome pin-up art and awesome blades. Although I was practically drooling over the Randgridr they had on display (it’s a modern-day trench knife; what’s not to love?), I went with the cord wrapped Po’gn you see above. Made from “154 cm ground or chisel ground” steel, this knife features an overall length of 7.25″ with a blade length of 3 3/8″, and uses paracord as a handle material. It’s light-weight, concealable, and comes with its own Kydex sheath. Simply put, its one bad-ass blade.
Tags: Bawidamann Blades, Blade Show
I just can’t believe the prices these guys are wanting. I’ve been working with a custom knife maker and together we designed a great fighter, it’s a tank but it’s well balanced. This cost me less $100…if I wanted something relatively similar from Spartan Blades I’m looking at $350-450 range.
Aaron, this reaction is understandable before people understand the full process or the quality of materials involved.
The raw materials that I choose to work with can be 2 to 3 times as expensive as other high grade materials, sometimes MUCH more, and that is just the RAW cost. The knife “above” is in CPM S35VN “……if you read the mark”. This powdered steel is pretty pricey compared to other non powdered variants. I can get a 3 inch wide by 4 foot long bar of quarter inch 5160 for $30 bucks, but for that same piece of steel in CPM S35VN It’s going to be $335 ( just priced it on the steel mill’s website) That alone is over 10 times more expensive, just for the raw bar.
When it comes to water-jetting this model out, the cost frankly equates to time. This model was designed with 4 different channels to run cord through, along with the lightning/retention the in the blade, all of the grooves on the Profile (not seen because of cord) simply just take machine time. They then get precision ground to make sure that everything is straight….no one wants a bent knife, and steel sheets come BENT… 😉
….then they are professionally heat treated to maximize the properties of the steel.
This is all before I get my hands on each knife to Profile it, file it, grind it, and de-burr it.
To simply put it, I have more in my raw materials and processing costs that some makers actually charge for a finished knife.
I’m fairly sure that my price of $165 on this model, and $185 for the larger “Pogn L” is more than reasonable….especially with the materials and time involved. I went from a non powdered steel to a powdered steel, and KEPT MY PRICE THE SAME…..that alone should say something. I would also wager to say that “time-wise” I made less per hour than the maker that made your knife for around $100. I do not mean that in any sort of attacking way, I just know how much time I have in one of my knives.
Spartan Blades also puts out a Very high quality product IMO. Their designs are Very functional while still being aesthetically pleasing. They have a line of knives meant to be used, and will last. The PVD coating technology they are using is extraordinary. ( but it costs them to put it on) 😉
I appreciate your reading this, and maybe understanding why things cost a little more or less….It’s just the tip of the iceberg where this matter is concerned. Thanks Aaron, Thanks guys!
Thanks for the response. I was just so surprised at what I’m looking at when I see some of this, however as much as love a lot of these knives I look at my wallet and find myself wanting. However, I’m happy with the functional knives that I’ve gotten from the knife maker I’ve worked with. Your stuff look amazing.
No sweat brother, I totally get it… Sometimes I get the impression that people think I drive a Lamborghini around or something. 😉 There are knives from other makers, that I would love to own, but can’t afford.
It reminds me of when I was younger and I used to build houses, but I sure couldn’t afford one. such is life….
Actually, thanks for broaching the subject of price, as I’m sure other people could be thinking the same thing. Like,,,”Why is this knife so much more expensive than my $30 Walmart knife????” Well, again the answer is materials (usually a cheaper (in price) 440 stainless) and they make them by the thousands.
I made the choice to use the best materials available, and when something better comes out, like a new evolution of steel with excelling properties, I will also incorporate that into my knives. Guys from my usual customer base are in pretty rough areas of the world, and the very last thing I want to potentially hear of, is one of my knives failing on them when it’s needed. For that reason, I search out the steels/materials with the highest structural integrity, wear resistance toughness ect….
Using the “Best” or most “Advanced” materials puts me in a certain disadvantage in a mass market where pricing is concerned, it immediately starts me off in a higher base price range, so I have two choices…… I’ll have to make larger bulk material purchases to make more knives at one time to keep the same price, Or add the cost increase of the new steel to each unit, to reinvest in my next materials purchase.
In the end, it is worth it to me, because I absolutely believe in the advancements in materials I’m using, and knowing that I’m passing the best tools that I can on to our front line end users allows me to sleep at night. It is purely my personal choice.
Knives are completely subjective to each individual….like women, or cars. Some guys like luxury sedans, or SUV’s, and some like Ferrari’s. If you have found a maker that you are comfortable with, I absolutely commend that, and encourage you to foster that relationship. There have been some great designs that started off as customer specs.
Thanks man, I appreciate the comment!