KM Antler Customs

[tahunua001]

hello all,
pretty sure this might be against the rules, but I'm spreading the word about a local business that's just getting up and running. as the title says, it's called KM Antler Customs and primarily makes custom hunting knives and firestarter kits. the guy that runs the place is a little kookie, but he makes a good product. if I had the dollars I would likely add some of his stuff to my pack, but alas I do not. still, if you would like you know more here's a link.

couple pictures of some of the thing's he's made. (sorry about the gigantic size)

[Art Eatman]

Interesting.

[Scorch]

He uses a lot of epoxy. And a bit more polishing of the metal wouldn't hurt. And mating surfaces up close. And he uses a lot of epoxy.

[buck460XVR]

And a bit more polishing of the metal wouldn't hurt.

If one looks at the picture of the second knife, the roughness of the brass bolster and the top of the blade and the fit of the handle to that same bolster, looks more like something a kid made in shop class than a "custom" knife.

[tahunua001]

I don't know, when I point out the tool marks on H&Ks from HD pics the fanboys come out of the woodwork to tell me that you can't see them in person and that the camera makes them look worse than they are. who's to know? I'm neither trying to defend or malign the fellow, I'm just thinking that with the pictures being about 2 to 3 times the actual size of the finished products, perhaps the extra heavy epoxy and scuff marks are not as noticeable in person or perhaps he has since gone back and done some fine polishing.

either way, not my work, I don't have nearly enough patience for this kind of stuff. I would say however that I don't buy knives for display, I buy them as tools, a couple scuffs are to be expected. considering the first link I clicked on from a google search for custom knives lead to knives priced anywhere from $800 to $2400, and some of them having plastic or paracord handles and showing just as much tool marks, I think that the $250+ this guy is asking is more than fair considering the price and the time it must take for this kindof work.

[sabian45]

Hey guys, my name is Kennen, and I am the guy you have been talking about. First of all calling my kooky is a misrepresentation of who I am, however I know who said that, and I will forgive him for that comment. As far as the pictures posted, and the comments about how I make knives, those are some of the first knives I ever made. At the beginning of my knife making career I did use too much epoxy, and I learned that lesson long ago. Of course now I use only the amount necessary, and let the pins do the rest. Its all about preparation of surfaces really. I have come a long ways since these pictures were taken. I have made dozens more knives, and have very happy customers in california, Idaho, Montana, Washington and many other states. There are testimonials on the website that proves this. I could get many more if I felt the need. My work now speaks for itself, and I am learning daily. No doubt I will never be as good as some knife makers, but I'm getting better. As for the pics, although these are some of my early knives and my work is getting much better you could put any knife even from the stores and in high definition you would see tooling marks. In my personal opinion I have never tried to make the "perfect" knife. If I like the results, and so does the customer, then anything considered not perfect is just added character that shows it was a hand made item, and alot of blood sweat and tears was put into making it. Anyone who has made custom knives day in and day out for a living, and that is what I now do, knows that each knife is not only very difficult to make, but is a labor of love. I also make fire starters, and custom lamps, and the lamps are one of the hardest things I have ever done. If you want to see more check out my website. kmantlercustoms.com. I appreciate all of your comments.