My dad used to make knives out of leaf springs. He was a sailmaker and had to make his own knives, because they weren't available commercially. A sailmaker's knife is sharp on the straight side of the blade. The curved side of the blade is used to crease the canvas. Other sailmakers liked his blades, so he made quite a few.
In DneprDave's posting his dad made knives because the specific type he needed wasn't available. I understand that. However because you make a product by hand, charge $800.00 for it and it will do no more or less than my Buck, it doesn't make sense. How much would a custom made tooth pick be worth if I spent 100 hours sanding it from a log?
Because hipster's just gotta make knives... It's a thing now... [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1NBAQCZjk8"]A Day in the Life of Knife Maker, Chelsea Miller - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBb9O-aW4zI"]Maker Series: Artisanal Firewood - This Is That - YouTube[/ame]
I guess we'll never see you order a range hood from Metalman http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/off-topic-general/6255-made-one-these-today-10.html#post294522 because the one from Home Depot will do just as well.
The right price for something is whatever you can get a sucker to pay.... An $800 knife with a story explains WHY MINI is trying to change their formula from a great car to a good car with a story....the story is free or cheap, but it increase your margins, and even if the product us inferior, folks still love it.... A product with a story usually has a limited audience and therefore limited lifespans for said company....some outliers like ZIPPO and their lighters have proven it can be done long-term, but like I stated, a rarity in marketing.
I have lots of art and sculpture in my house. None of it does any more than a $5 piece of crap from Target would. But I like to look at it, and appreciate the talents of the artists who made them. May not be worth what they cost to everyone... but they are to me.
I don't think theres anything wrong with these knives. They look like they're well crafted, and they are a special piece for showing off in case you have a fancy catering event or some sort of thing like that. As an apprentice sushi chef I wouldn't mind owning one since it is my trade, and 800 dollars for a knife is actually pretty damn cheap. Some japanese knives made by a master can be up to 2-3 thousand dollars, they are show knives, not necessary but nice to have.
i can't emphasize enough... 800 dollars for a knife is mid range. If you just grab a piece of shite henkels knife for your occasional home prep (what like 1 onion??) it'll do just fine and hold up an edge. BUT if you're a prep cook at a busy restaurant you will eventually want to spend the money for a damn finely forged steel. Why? cause it pretty much does all the work for you, 64hrc just dropping down on anything and all you feel is the top of the cutting board. My most expensive knife is a basic Kiritsuke. It was the best 250 $ i ever spend for my chef equipment. It holds a sharp ass edge for a good 2 weeks, and thats without even strutting it with leather after a long day of slicing. Thats what 250 bought, White #2 steel which rusts and has a basic finish. No fancy polishing and not the best steel nor the best forging method. So this is why I say I can't emphasize it enough... Any sort of crafting will be expensive because of the effort and time put into it, its not easy, and it takes a lot of care therefore the price is high even though its less than 2 pounds of steel.
Even mainstream retailers such as Williams-Sonoma sell culinary knives in this price range. For a knife that's custom made to order with meticulous manual labor, these guys could have priced it much higher than they do (as evidenced by the waiting list).