Beautiful Pendray knife as well as the price!!

Tim Simmons · 30th April 2007, 05:33 PM

You are not alone. I thought this was bad enough with pearls and enamel. I have to sing my own praises

. Rather expensive garnets

.

Lew · 30th April 2007, 05:44 PM

That's my big gripe with the custom knife business today they make some nice stuff but they charge prices that are astronomical. I once showed a famous knife smith one of my wootz katars that I paid only $150-200 he said it was nice and if I wanted one made by him it would cost $2,000

So why buy a copy when you can have the real deal for much less

People just get caught up in the hype that's my opinion.

Lew

ariel · 30th April 2007, 06:52 PM

Agree with Lew 100%.
Modern swordmaking is an industry that manufactures toys and home decorations. Modern-made blades will never be used anyway ( are you going to slice sausages with a $8,500 blade?). For all I know, these high-priced Damascus blades may be no better than Taiwanese dinner knives from K-Mart: nobody will ever put them to practical test. And even if they are 10 times better than Ginsu knives, so what? Whose life had depended on the quality of his sword over the past 150 years?
Why would I want to have a blade with no history behind it? Without some romantic story, be it about the owner, the era, the war, the tradition?
Some want to revive lost technological process? More power to them. Some want to master old decorating techniques? Great! But to pretend that the final result has anything in common with the old weapons is like selling a "hand-painted" copy of Van Gogh's oil as a real thing and having a gall to ask twice the price of the original (" I had to work very hard to fake Van Gogh's style!")

Lew · 30th April 2007, 07:37 PM

Ariel

Pendray makes a great knife that's tuff nails and he doesn't charge that much for his work I actually paid very little for an all wootz knife with a 5" blade a few years back. The price sky rockets once the knife falls into one of these purveyor's hands. I have actually over heard them at shows telling other sellers that their prices are to low and to charge more so the big guys don't get under cut so buyer beware

I once traded a damascus camp knife a few months later it showed up on one of these websites where it went for fives times what I paid

go figure

Lew

Mare Rosu · 30th April 2007, 11:30 PM

I also agree on the "garish" as stated by Ariel as well as what Louieblades said. As the blade did not sell also indicates the "Price is not Right".
My comments are on the BLADE not the furniture. I think that Pendray's modern wootz is some of the best around. I am of the opinion that Pendray made just the blade and someone else made the rest.
I did learn something (any day is a good day when I learn anything, and most of my days are very good)

when Ariel stated that it is the cheapest style work. I am always amazed of the collective knowledge of folks on this forum.

ariel · 3rd May 2007, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mare Rosu

I also agree on the "garish" as stated by Ariel as well as what Louieblades said. As the blade did not sell also indicates the "Price is not Right".
My comments are on the BLADE not the furniture. I think that Pendray's modern wootz is some of the best around. I am of the opinion that Pendray made just the blade and someone else made the rest.
I did learn something (any day is a good day when I learn anything, and most of my days are very good)

when Ariel stated that it is the cheapest style work. I am always amazed of the collective knowledge of folks on this forum.

Here is an example of a contemporary, mass-produced Georgian "kindjal" with a filigree job similar to the $8,500 one

http://cgi.ebay.com/GEORGIAN-CAUCASI...QQcmdZViewItem

Lew · 3rd May 2007, 06:28 AM

A.G.

I understand that some knives are more work intensive but the smith who wanted to charge me $1200 for a using knife told me it took him a week to make a simple hunter and he broke it down by the hour in which he charged me for the time it took for the blade to cool after each forging 3 days where the blade just sat in his shop cooling slowly. A good knife smith should be able to make a standard knife in 3-4 days tops. Fancy art knives could take months of work and I can undestand having to pay a high price for one. Al Pendray would charge about $650-$800 for the blade so $8,000 just for the hilt and a scabbard is quite a bit much in IMO. There are good smiths here in the states that make good knives at affordable prices those are the only ones I deal with now when I want a good using blade. We have had this discussion at some seminars on custom knife making and feel that $35 an hour is fair for making knives most of these guys use trip hammers so it is quicker for them to bang out a blade. I think we just about exhausted this subject and there are always pro and cons when dealing with modern custom knives I think this thread should be put to rest at this point before it gets out of hand.

Regards

Lew

ariel · 1st May 2007, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOUIEBLADES

Ariel

Pendray makes a great knife that's tuff nails and he doesn't charge that much for his work I actually paid very little for an all wootz knife with a 5" blade a few years back. The price sky rockets once the knife falls into one of these purveyor's hands. I have actually over heard them at shows telling other sellers that their prices are to low and to charge more so the big guys don't get under cut so buyer beware

I once traded a damascus camp knife a few months later it showed up on one of these websites where it went for fives times what I paid

go figure

Lew

I am sure that Mr. Pendray's blades are technically superb and can cut regular steel like butter. But... who is going to try it for the price? I fully understand that there are 2 kinds of collectors ( many more in reality!): those who admire technical aspects of the blades and those who seek history and romance behind the sword. I am firmly in the latter camp and that's why I am not thrilled by modern blades no matter how beautiful and technically superb they might be. Give me an oldie, coming from a violent place with a fascinating history any time, something that likely saw a battle and bears scars to prove it and I am happy.
But, to each his preferences...
More from Zaza Revishvili:
http://www.balisongcollector.com/galleryZ.html
http://www.knifeshows.com/revishvili/revishvili.html
The best part, of course, he was a professional football player and is on the list of Best Ever Georgian Football Players
http://www.gff.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=112
This is for our European Forumites: no real American will be impressed by this info anyway. And, just for them: football means soccer

.

Emanuel · 1st May 2007, 03:54 AM

Looks like he's really into garnets and excessive silver filigree

too bad for the blades.

katana · 2nd May 2007, 03:06 PM

It appears that the majority are in agreement....and I have to say IMHO they are right. Fantastic blade...beautiful curves

but the furniture

OTT and too 'fancy'.......not my cup of tea ...at all....especially at that price

You cannot beat the historical .....and dare I say... the romancism of old arms

Newly made edged weapons, are to my mind 'soul less'.........

30th April 2007, 05:33 PM	#1
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,842	You are not alone. I thought this was bad enough with pearls and enamel. I have to sing my own praises . Rather expensive garnets .

30th April 2007, 05:44 PM	#2
Lew (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: East Coast USA Posts: 3,191	That's my big gripe with the custom knife business today they make some nice stuff but they charge prices that are astronomical. I once showed a famous knife smith one of my wootz katars that I paid only $150-200 he said it was nice and if I wanted one made by him it would cost $2,000 So why buy a copy when you can have the real deal for much less People just get caught up in the hype that's my opinion. Lew

30th April 2007, 06:52 PM	#3
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Agree with Lew 100%. Modern swordmaking is an industry that manufactures toys and home decorations. Modern-made blades will never be used anyway ( are you going to slice sausages with a $8,500 blade?). For all I know, these high-priced Damascus blades may be no better than Taiwanese dinner knives from K-Mart: nobody will ever put them to practical test. And even if they are 10 times better than Ginsu knives, so what? Whose life had depended on the quality of his sword over the past 150 years? Why would I want to have a blade with no history behind it? Without some romantic story, be it about the owner, the era, the war, the tradition? Some want to revive lost technological process? More power to them. Some want to master old decorating techniques? Great! But to pretend that the final result has anything in common with the old weapons is like selling a "hand-painted" copy of Van Gogh's oil as a real thing and having a gall to ask twice the price of the original (" I had to work very hard to fake Van Gogh's style!")

30th April 2007, 07:37 PM	#4
Lew (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: East Coast USA Posts: 3,191	Ariel Pendray makes a great knife that's tuff nails and he doesn't charge that much for his work I actually paid very little for an all wootz knife with a 5" blade a few years back. The price sky rockets once the knife falls into one of these purveyor's hands. I have actually over heard them at shows telling other sellers that their prices are to low and to charge more so the big guys don't get under cut so buyer beware I once traded a damascus camp knife a few months later it showed up on one of these websites where it went for fives times what I paid go figure Lew

30th April 2007, 11:30 PM	#5
Mare Rosu Deceased Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: USA, DEEP SOUTH, GEORGIA, Y'all hear? Posts: 121	I also agree on the "garish" as stated by Ariel as well as what Louieblades said. As the blade did not sell also indicates the "Price is not Right". My comments are on the BLADE not the furniture. I think that Pendray's modern wootz is some of the best around. I am of the opinion that Pendray made just the blade and someone else made the rest. I did learn something (any day is a good day when I learn anything, and most of my days are very good) when Ariel stated that it is the cheapest style work. I am always amazed of the collective knowledge of folks on this forum.

3rd May 2007, 06:28 AM	#7
Lew (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: East Coast USA Posts: 3,191	A.G. I understand that some knives are more work intensive but the smith who wanted to charge me $1200 for a using knife told me it took him a week to make a simple hunter and he broke it down by the hour in which he charged me for the time it took for the blade to cool after each forging 3 days where the blade just sat in his shop cooling slowly. A good knife smith should be able to make a standard knife in 3-4 days tops. Fancy art knives could take months of work and I can undestand having to pay a high price for one. Al Pendray would charge about $650-$800 for the blade so $8,000 just for the hilt and a scabbard is quite a bit much in IMO. There are good smiths here in the states that make good knives at affordable prices those are the only ones I deal with now when I want a good using blade. We have had this discussion at some seminars on custom knife making and feel that $35 an hour is fair for making knives most of these guys use trip hammers so it is quicker for them to bang out a blade. I think we just about exhausted this subject and there are always pro and cons when dealing with modern custom knives I think this thread should be put to rest at this point before it gets out of hand. Regards Lew

1st May 2007, 03:54 AM	#9
Emanuel Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,242	Looks like he's really into garnets and excessive silver filigree too bad for the blades.

2nd May 2007, 03:06 PM	#10
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,658	It appears that the majority are in agreement....and I have to say IMHO they are right. Fantastic blade...beautiful curves but the furniture OTT and too 'fancy'.......not my cup of tea ...at all....especially at that price You cannot beat the historical .....and dare I say... the romancism of old arms Newly made edged weapons, are to my mind 'soul less'.........