[Ed Caffrey]

My opinion is that freehand grinding is one of the things that makes a true custom knife. If your using jigs, clamps or other fixtures to make each blade come out identical, its more like a production knife. The subtle differences achieved when blades are ground freehand is what makes each one unique, and there for a true collectible "one of a kind". I can understand Bob's desire to make things in that manner, and that's OK if that's what an individual wishes to do....its just not something that I would want.

The argument could be made that if he is using CNC machined blades, or other parts, then is it really a "hand made" knife? Not taking anything away from Bob, he's a legend in the knife world, but the question that remains is where is the line drawn between "Custom", "Hand Made", "Bench Made", or "Mid-tech"? That's something that has always been a kind of "hot potato" issue, and I'm sure it always will be.