Factory VS Custom Knife -which is better?!?-

[@darylbrenton4839]

Right at the end of the video, Sean states exactly what outdooranalyst8697 said below. Sean also said he chose the Esee because it was a great knife with the same steel, similar heat treatment, length, and weight, and therefore was a good comparison to his 'beater' knife. The full height convex grind does make Sean's knife better, but that is because it is hand made, as Sean can spend the extra time and effort to incorporate the convex grind and other design features to make a better functioning knife. That is why you pay more for his custom knife than an off the shelf mass produced one. Mass production requires cutting corners to facilitate faster and easier fabrication to bring up the bottom line. If you don't want those compromises, you have to pay the extra for the extra time it takes. I personally like Sean's designs, as they are intentional, functional and beautiful. I have pounded out a few knives and I know that designing and forging knives isn't as easy as it looks. It is the combination of many features which make a great knife. Take Sean's Accipiter knife. I can think of at least 5 things about its design that make it a great cutter, including distal tapered blade, differential heat treatment, convex edge, recurve profile, and a wide blade to make the edge able to be thinner. And 4 things that make it more effective as a tool: thick blade spine for strength, rounded choil edges for comfortable use, a versatile sheath, with positive knife retention. Try to do all that on factory machinery for $300. I also appreciate the gracious way you answer your critics, Sean. Some of us notice all of the little ways you try to excel.

[@MarsFireForge]

@@darylbrenton4839 Daryl I appreciate this greatly, thanks so much for this comment. I’m so glad and encouraged you value the knives AND especially that you “get it”. You see the design and function and the subtle details that make these knives work better than your average factory knife so thank you for doing such a masterful job explaining that, you nailed it! And also thanks for paying attention to the end there, you’re exactly right I was comparing beater knives rather than the technicalities about the knives, though I realize putting that at the end of the video it could be missed. One of those things where you want to say all the caveats and stuff, BUT you don’t want to start the video with a bunch of disclaimers, because it won’t grab interest, haha. Anyway, thanks so much for the comment here, it means a lot to me, and I’m so glad you see the value of these knives!

[@darylbrenton4839]

@@MarsFireForge I only wish that the exchange rate for the aussie dollar was more favourable, then I could buy a couple of your knives. Keep the faith.

[@MarsFireForge]

@@darylbrenton4839 well if you want send me an email [e-mail] and maybe we can work something out. I don’t have to do this for my bread and butter yet so I can be flexible with pricing.

[@darylbrenton4839]

@@MarsFireForge Hi Sean. I watched a Dutch Bushcraft Knives video recently, where a British Army knife was hammered, tip down, into a stump, and struck with a baseball knife. Have you ever tried this kind of test with one of your knives? If you have, or do, I'd be very interested to see the results. The British MOD knife in the DBK video was very soft and thick, and survived with a tweak at the very point. If your knife survives, that would really show the quality of your design choices. NOTE - Please don't do it with the Accipiter. I couldn't take the tension of watching such a beautiful knife being put to a possible destruction test. It would ruin my nerves for months.

[@MarsFireForge]

@@darylbrenton4839 Oh man. That’s intense! No I’ve only done the tip prying in wood, I suspect that test would largely depend on how deep the knife was hammered into the stump, along with the heat treated and thickness. I suspect that with my heavy duty knives either nothing would happen, or the softened spine would bend slightly and have to be bent back (but I also kind of doubt that because when I’ve had to bend them even a little to adjust for warping I need to put them in a vice and put tons of force into bending them with 3 drill bits functioning as pressure points.

[@darylbrenton4839]

Wow! People getting all hot under the collar about this video. The purpose of this video is to show the difference between a mass produced knife and a Mars Fire knife. Sean chose a similar knife to demonstrate the features of his design, and he chose a well known producer of quality knives to compare it to. Its not an unreasonable comparison, because the author is showing that they ARE apples and pears. There are different choices made in production, for different reasons. These are practical, hard wearing, using knives. Sean can make these quality control choices because he isn't restrained by the bottom line and shareholder expectations.

[@MarsFireForge]

@@darylbrenton4839 yeah that’s the exact thing, I’m glad you’ve got it! I’m saying this is an apple, this is a pear, I think the pear is better, here’s why.

[@darylbrenton4839]

@@MarsFireForge I watched this again, its better than I remembered. You could start out saying that you will be comparing apples and pears if you do another comparison video. Also, is that thick piece of foam rubber you used to sharpen your beater knife the one you use to put the initial convex grind on your knives?

[@MarsFireForge]

@@darylbrenton4839 yeah if I do another I might say something up front like that. Yes that piece of foam rubber is what I use to refine my convex edge after I put it on with the belt sander. I have a video I’m making of an entire knife build so you will see it briefly then!

[@darylbrenton4839]

@@MarsFireForge Great, I'm looking forward to that.

[@nikildhumal9384]

DBK knife V|S your knife compare please 🙏

[@MarsFireForge]

@@nikildhumal9384 thanks for the comment! Could you send a link for me to check out that knife?

[@Theoutdooranalyst]

Don’t miss the details. You are using a custom full height Convex vs a factory full flat v edge. The difference in performance, is grind and knife angle, not that it’s hand forged. I like your work but don’t mislead people to buying custom and not let them know why it performed better. Larrin Thomas PHD and pretty much the leader in the steel market will always say the angle and grind are much more important than steel and heat treatment for performance. Both knives are not apples to apples. Keep up the good work, but don’t let people buy the wrong knife from lack of the why it did better….

[@MarsFireForge]

@@Theoutdooranalyst very true critique! I do mention that detail briefly at the very end and say something like, I’m not comparing grinds or HT I’m comparing the knives as a whole. That info, however, probably would have been better up front in the intro instead , so thank you for that helpful pointer. Glad you enjoyed and I appreciate your comment and engaging with the channel! Also Larrin is the man! He and outdoors55 have the best info, outdoors specifically with edge geometry.

[@RamonMarais-k2k]

I am realy tired of dumb qeustions. How well is which made? What is your budget? Lastly as you say how are which heat treated?

[@MarsFireForge]

@@RamonMarais-k2k yes all these things make huge difference in determining your knife choice. It’s not always as easy as comparing steel to steel or edge geometry to geometry. What do I want the knife to do? Now what design/ heat treat/ steal best fits that purpose. And of course, as you said, budget is a huge factor too. Thanks for watching!

[@ShanShan-y7r]

wow😍

[@MarsFireForge]

@@ShanShan-y7r glad you enjoyed the review! Breaking through the bricks is a bit dramatic, but knives have been called upon to do more extreme things in the field!

[@user-ww4od4jl1f]

*Everything is wrong. You can't compare apples with pears. Besides, a knife is not a cutter. A hard blade is also brittle. It depends on the hardening. And a factory knife has to withstand a lot. Normal people don't use a knife to cut nails. That's a cheap comparison.*

[@MarsFireForge]

@@user-ww4od4jl1f X, thanks for chiming in on the video and for your critical evaluation. I think we have some points of disagreement or perhaps misunderstanding but I’m glad you feel passionately about knife performance as I do!

[@user-ww4od4jl1f]

@@MarsFireForge *This is what we do. In my long life I have come to the conclusion that there is no perfect steel. Each has its weak point. Generally, every knife made of any steel is good, as long as it is properly sharpened and sharp. A knife manufacturer has different requirements, an amateur who has just made a knife has different ones. The most important thing is to use each tool properly and in accordance with its intended use. Life is not "Forged in Fire"; a knife is neither a screwdriver nor a stone cutter. Every item must be looked after. Then it will serve for a long time and reliably.*

[@MarsFireForge]

@@user-ww4od4jl1f I’ve come to many of the same conclusions, but not all. What I’ve seen is that people use knives for all sorts of crazy stuff wether or not you intend it, so, when it comes to a “beater” knife I want it to be able to pry, scrape, bash through concrete, be used as a screwdriver, etc since that’s simply the reality of how they’re used. But certainly some knives can be made with a less varied set of uses in mind like a paring knife or skinning knife. Nonetheless, when it comes to the sort of person who is interested in a knife of this sort, this is also the kind of demonstration they appreciate. Thanks for your input!

[@user-ww4od4jl1f]

@@MarsFireForge *No need to thank me. My opinion is: "the world consists of at least 95% complete idiots". It seems that a brand is needed: "idiot-proof". Whatever. Anyone who uses an item in a manner other than its intended use loses the warranty. That's how it was, is and will be.*