Build a Custom Hunting Knife
Set the spec yourself. Choose the blade profile, the blade length, the steel, the handle material and the sheath, then add engraving if you want it. The tool below walks through it one step at a time and shows the price as the build takes shape.
Nothing here is sitting on a shelf waiting for you. When you order, your spec goes to the workshop in the Czech Republic and the knife is made by hand to match it. That takes 4 to 6 weeks. The finished piece is then checked in North Babylon, New York and shipped from there.
A knife built to your own spec cannot be returned, the same as an engraved piece. The lifetime warranty against defects still stands, with no end date.
How a commission runs
- You build the spec. Set every part of the knife in the tool above, from the profile down to the leather on the sheath. Nothing is locked in until you order.
- You order. Your choices travel with the order as a written spec, and that sheet is what the workshop builds from. Read it back before you pay.
- The workshop makes it. The knife is made by hand in the Czech Republic, one piece at a time, over 4 to 6 weeks.
- It is checked and shipped. The knife is inspected in North Babylon, New York against what you asked for. Any engraving is done in the United States, then it ships from there.
Picking the blade profile
Profile decides what a knife is good at more than anything else on the build sheet.
Drop point. The spine curves down so the tip sits below the line of the back. Broad belly for skinning, a tip strong enough to lean on, and forgiving when you work blind inside a body cavity. Most hunters end up here.
Clip point. The last stretch of spine is cut away so the tip drops low and fine. It gets into tight work and pierces cleanly, and it snaps sooner than a drop point if you pry with it.
Skinner. Wide sweeping belly, blunt rounded tip, built for long pulling strokes that lift hide without nicking it. Poor at piercing, which is the idea.
Gut hook. A drop point with a hook ground into the spine. Set it in and pull, and it opens the belly along the skin rather than into what is underneath. Sharpen the hook with a round file or a slipstone.
Bowie. Long, heavy, clipped point. It handles camp jobs a small knife struggles with. Most deer do not need this much blade.
Tanto. A thick, well supported point that punches through tough material without folding over. The straight edge is awkward on curves and on hide, so this is a utility shape, not a dressing shape.
Trailing point. The tip rises above the spine and the belly runs longer than anything else here, so it skins beautifully. That tip is thin, so keep it out of bone.
Spear point. Symmetrical, with the point on the center line. Piercing and slicing are both decent and neither is exceptional. A sensible general blade.
Lengths are 3.5, 4.5, 5.5 and 7 inches. Three and a half suits birds, small game and close work. Four and a half is the common all round hunting length. Five and a half gives more belly. Seven is reach and heft for larger animals and camp jobs, at some cost in control.
Steel, handle and sheath
1095 high carbon runs at 54 to 58 HRC. It takes a very keen edge and comes back fast on a stone. It will also rust, so wipe it, dry it and oil it lightly.
D2 holds an edge longer than 1095 and stains less, though it is not stainless. The trade comes on the stone, where it takes more patience to bring back.
Damascus here is forge welded from 1095 and 15N20 at 58 to 60 HRC. The pattern is not printed on. It is two steels folded together and brought out with acid, so the lines run through the blade. Oil it like 1095. There is more in our guide to the steel we use and how hard it is.
Blade thickness is measured at the spine. At 3 mm the blade is light and quick and skins well. At 6 mm there is no flex at all and the knife will take batoning and camp work. 4 mm is the common hunting choice and the safe answer if you are unsure.
Handle materials are natural, so no two are alike. Grain, color and figure vary from blank to blank, and yours will not be an exact copy of a photograph. Natural material also moves a little with heat and damp, which is normal.
The leather sheath is cut to fit the knife it belongs to, after the blade is finished. New leather grips hard and eases with use.
What we will not do
Call a piece something it is not. Damascus means forge welded 1095 and 15N20, not a pattern applied to one steel. The knives are handmade in the Czech Republic, the engraving is done in the United States, and that is what gets written.
Promise field performance we cannot stand behind. You get the steel and the hardness. You will not get edge retention figures nobody measured.
Take a commission we cannot deliver. If the combination you picked is not something the workshop will make, you hear it before any money is taken, instead of finding a quiet substitution in the box.
Questions
How long will my knife take?
4 to 6 weeks in the workshop. After that it is checked in North Babylon, New York and shipped from there.
Can I return it if I change my mind?
No. A piece made to your own spec is not returnable, the same as an engraved piece. The lifetime warranty against defects still covers it, with no end date.
What does engraving cost?
A name, a date or a line of text is $19. Elder Futhark runes are $19. A Norse symbol is $39. A family crest is $49, and the artwork is asked for at checkout.
Where is the knife actually made?
By hand in the Czech Republic, in workshops that still work the old way. Any engraving is done in the United States. Orders ship from North Babylon, New York.
Can I carry it?
Local law decides that, and it changes from one state and one city to the next. Read our knife laws by state guide and check the rules where you live.
Where to go next
If you would rather buy something already made, start with hunting knives or Damascus knives. Pieces marked to order sit in engraved and personalized. For a bigger run, see wholesale and group orders. You can also build a custom Damascus knife or a custom Viking axe.