PLEASE NOTE:
My knives and customized work are "hand made" to tolerances found by hand and eye, as opposed to fully automated production. Each knife was it's own journey for me, and I became friends with your knife. Many handmade things, which are usually worth more for that reason, show that they were hand done.
Knife measurements are approximate since no two hand made knives are the same.
PRICES:
Due to so many different combinations of steel and handle materials, I no longer put prices on particular knife models, but can say that the average kitchen or hunting knife i make cost about $150., a little more than they used to be, due to risen steel and handle material costs. My knives also include a kydex sheath with a Chaxloop, so please consider that some $25. to $35. of that price is taken up by the sheath.
The steel grades beyond 440c can as much as double a knife's cost, and some handle materials, like antler or mammoth ivory, ussually add $100. to $200. to the cost of a knife. The resulting knife though, has a value much greater than it's cost to have me make it. Steel cost can vary from $8. per foot to $400. an inch, and yet all be very good knife steel. So it completely depends on your prefference. I think i can safely say that the days of the $100. HANDMADE knife [having seperate handle material, other than skeleton knives], are pretty well gone.
Through the years it has been unanimous among my customers that my pricing has been totally respectfull for your dollar and that I have tried as hard as i can to deliver you the best you can get for your expenditure. Once there was a man who came to my showroom bent on castigating me for knife costs but after examining my knives and prices, the only thing he had to say was a question: "Who did you study under?" These are real knives, the ones you'll hand down through generations and will long outlive us all. I like making them and your payment enables me to do so.
KNIFE GUARANTEE:
If you are dissatisfied with any CHAX Knife, send it back in reasonable condition within 30 YEARS for a refund according to the condition of your knife. (See more on Fixed Blade Knives page.)
We want you to love the personality of your knife, in part, for the hand work of CHAX Knives.
If, in any case, there is a trait in the hand work that you feel you can not be satisfied with, tell me, and help me keep a good reputation. If you need me to, I will redo your job.
If we ever cause harm to your customized knife, we will buy and replace it for you with the job you want on it. You can't loose. We will make good.
If you are dissatisfied with any CHAX Knife, send it back in reasonable condition within 30 days for a refund according to the condition of your knife. (See more on Fixed Blade Knives page.) We want you to love the personality of your knife, in part, for the hand work of CHAX Knives. If, in any case, there is a trait in the hand work that you feel you can not be satisfied with, tell me, and help me keep a good reputation. If you need me to, I will redo your job. If we ever cause harm to your customized knife, we will buy and replace it for you with the job you want on it. You can't loose. We will make good.
OPTIONS NOTE:
You choose the options of the knife = steel type, grind, blued (carbon steel only), cryogenic, pin type or nut & bolts, scales (any kind of material & color in obtainable existence), finger guards, sheath, etc. See Contact/Ship/Pay for contacting me to discuss your wishes and their resulting costs.
HELP CHOOSING A KNIFE:
I plan to follow up with help on choosing which style or model, but for now, to a great extent, looking at the knife picture, and "reading into it" the tasks a particular knife is good for, does work very well. But to help move your available spec choices along I recommend:
3 EDGE THICKNESS CHOICES [if knife has not been made already]:
1. Standard edge thickness if you're not sure.
2. Heavy edge for chopping and brutal survival use.
3. Flesh edge for neat field dressing and butchery if you will glide along bones, an office environment usage, light carving, and a blade under 4" long. You can still have a Keemosabe flesh, but don't chop trees with bullets in them.
BLADE FINISH
1. Standard satin--nice finish showing grind lines.
2. Bead blast--non reflective and even.
3. Stone washed--perfectly even, 30% reflective.
There are available the following, at a small extra charge, in order of cheapest first:
1. Baked-on epoxy coating - we are now using a flat, grey earth tone.
2. Very fine ground satin--600 to 1200 grit ground finish.
3. Mirror polished blade.
HANDLE FINISH
Most handles will be finished in a standard smooth finish. In the case of micarta, you may request a highly polished finish at no extra charge.
Micartas, acrylesters, and many woods can be highly polished, where as g10 and carbon fiber take only a standard smooth, or, if desired, a rougher finish.
Almost all handles could have a bead blast finish, which has become popular for both it's looks and grippyness.
ANSWERS to FAQ (frequently asked questions):
- We will try (experiment on) any knife and any idea you may have.
- Folding knives made without metal liners are not recommended for modifying their scales.
- Yes, you will need to send in your knife.
- Alternate payment options will be discussed.
- Do not hesitate to e-mail or call with any questions.
- REMEMBER to include contact information, shipping preferences, etc. with your knife.
- PLEASE include detailed instructions on what type of customizations you are ordering. This will help us keep you (our customer) happy! Also tell us if you do NOT want all or part of your name &/or forum nickname used on this web site.
- Do NOT include any items that we do not need to complete your project. Such as original boxes, bags or cases. We do have some of these items and we do not know who they belong to. If we did not return your item, please email chase@chaseknives.com and we will gladly return them to you.
TURN AROUND TIME:
There will be NO RUSH Jobs Accepted. You must resolve the time needed to do a good job and for us to serve everyone in proper order. Thank you for your patience. Everyone is important to us.
At present "right away" service is about 2 to 12 weeks for fixed blades and for customizing your folder or fixed blade knife. Could be 2 weeks, could be 6 weeks, could be 12 weeks. It depends on the job and where I am in terms of sceduling oven time, etc.
We do not seek to get faster, rather we seek to get better! Turn around time for projects had been rather short in our first year. As our clientele increases, so does our workload. Extended turn around time is the standard among all successful knife makers unless it is a knife factory. Manipulating the worlds hardest steels and today's handle materials is work that can not be done in minutes. We appreciate your patience. Thank you.
LIABILITY:
We are not liable for any type of damages caused by anyone's use of our knives.
When ordering a knife you guarantee that you are over 18 years of age.
