SMKW’s New Custom Shop – A Look Inside
By H. Clay Aalders

Knife customization is nothing new, but the range of embellishments used to be rather limited. Hand engraving is not truly a “lost art,” though it has largely been relegated to the realm of presentation pieces and full objets d’art. Computer controlled laser engraving has been around for several years, and has made customization affordable and opened a virtually limitless universe of selectable graphic options.
It is probably important to define the terms “custom” and “customization” for purposes of this article. “Custom” knives are themselves a misnomer, as the term typically refers to the largely hand-crafted product of small scale makers, even when made with no commission or input on the part of the purchaser. “Customized” knives are usually production offerings which have been modified on a spectrum starting with scale colors and replacement hardware, and ending with full blade regrinds/reprofiles and one of a kind scale treatments which can turn a production knife into an art piece.

This article appears in the February 2021 issue of KNIFE Magazine. Click the Blue Button below to view the whole thing.