All About Pocket Knives

That's a good looking knife there Jerry.
Those Illinoisianites can make more than just tractors can't they!
What's the OAL of that trail guide?

Hi Jerry, RBH Custom Knives here..... You can ask me any questions i would be very happy to answer them. Thanks, http://www.rbhcustom.com

Hi Rich. Welcome to AAPK.

We have already discussed some things in the Chat Room but for the sake of the readers here I'll ask a few basic questions that seem to be on the minds of some of our members;

1. Where are your RBH Custom knives made?

2. Do you make all those knives you sell yourself ?

3. If not, who else makes them, and where do they make them ?

4. Do you need someone to field test some of those knives ?

Phil

Welcome aboard Rich. As you can see by reading this thread from it's beginning, there has been some confusion and a mini dust storm concerning your knives. Doing some research on the web after I first discovered the knives on eBay, I saw some references to Asian manufacture and it's not clear on your web site what the source is. (You don't have that big American flag with "Made in USA" in bold letters.)

That's why I sent the invitation to drop by AAPK. The members here would like to hear from you what you said in your email reply to me. "I make all my knives here in the USA." For me, I'm satisfied that the source for your knives is not Chindiastan (China, India, Pakistan).

Thanks for spending some time in the chat room last night. I hope they weren't too rough on you. Y'all come on back when you have the time. AAPK is a great group of people.

rangerbluedog wrote:That's a good looking knife there Jerry.
Those Illinoisianites can make more than just tractors can't they!What's the OAL of that trail guide?

Yep. We can also make hay while the sun shines and politicians who can look you in the face while they rob you blind. We're diversified.

Dimensions of the Trailguide are - Overall Length: 9.25" - Blade Length: 4.75"

Anyone get any answers from the source on the birthplace of those good looking RBH knives?

All this "heated discussion" about my knives. Oh my goodness, they are not stamped
"Made In The USA" on them! Well, the last time I looked, most of the custom knives
being sold are not etched "Made In USA". There is this old AMERICAN saying, "if you
have to defend your position, then you need to examine your position. This is a deep
& complicated concept to understand, so I am not going to try to explain it.

My knives speak for themselves and I refuse to defend my knives or myself. If you like
my knives, which a LOT of people do, then buy them. If you do not like them and
think they are made in India or Haiti or wherever, then do not buy them. There are
quite a few things that I look for when I buy a knife for my collection, where it is
made is not at the top of the list. Quality is at the top of the list. There are a
lot of buyers who think that my knives are of high quality.

My thousands of positive Ebay feedbacks will attest to that. I suppose that I should be flattered that so
many people are talking about my knives, but I do what I do because I love knives, not for kudos. Keep it sharp!

Hiya Rich,
Speaking for myself, I'm not as interested in whether they are etched "Made in the USA". I'm just curious if they ARE actually made in the USA. I think they are beautiful knives, and I don't mind if they are made in Pakistan or Russia. I'd just like to know for sure before I pop the wallet open for one.
If you are making them in the U.S. let me congratulate you, because you have discovered a way to keep your prices extremely low for a U.S. made knife. Randall can't do it, Ek can't do it, not even Blackjack can do it.
Welcome to AAPK!
<edit> Forgot to mention: yes, you should be flattered. There is a real interest in this group about your knives. Take a look at the comments on the first page in this thread! We want to believe that you are a legit knife maker, who is selling quality made knives made right here on Block Island, good ol' U.S. of A. and not just another knife shyster looking for a quick buck.

I asked some very simple and basic questions that any legitimate business person should have no trouble answering about where and how his product is produced. I didn't attack or put this person in a position that required putting forth a defense. All that was asked for was the courtesy of answering a few questions.
With an attitude toward potential customers such as Mr. Henn has displayed with his response, you can rest assured that I will not be spending my knife money with him now or in the future. If he gets this upset with a simple request for basic information, I can only imagine how he might respond should there ever be a problem with one of his knives.
Life is far too short to do business with someone that has no respect for their customers or who is unwilling to be forthcoming with the truth.

Phil

rich32046 wrote:---

My knives speak for themselves and I refuse to defend my knives or myself. If you like
my knives, which a LOT of people do, then buy them. If you do not like them and
think they are made in India or Haiti or wherever, then do not buy them.

There's more to it than that Rich. In your ebay ads you say the knives are hand made in R.I.
If they are made anywhere else, then it is fraud. There are laws against that.

Well, I descided to go ahead and pick up one of the folding knives that I had seen RBH sell before. I had no idea how big this knife was going to be. It is almost a foot long open and weighs 14.2 ounces. In no way does this look like anything I have seen come out of the orient but there are still alot of unanswered questions.

Some questions I have with this knife:

Why isnt it stamed with the makers name?

Could this knife come from overseas?

I know this is a good quality made knife? but why som much hostility? Why isnt it maker stamped? Why is there several feedback months ago of knives being direct shipped from Taiwan?

Here some pics, you guys be the judge, I did buy this knife knowing that it could be from the orient so do not be afraid to speak your mind.

last pic.

Dear Mr. RBH,

Some nice looking knives you have up for sale on Ebay. I've personally sent you a message on Ebay referring to the point of origin of these knives. I don't think the question is invalid in any way, but I and many others would like to know whether or not your knives ( all or parts ) are made here in the USA, or if they are imports. All I'm looking for is a simple yes ..... they are made in the USA or no, they are imported. I do not see what all the mystery is about and why you cannot answer the question directly. Makes me think you are running for some public office ...... we all know politicians speak a lot but never address the real issues. Please take a few moments and just tell us the truth.

Thank you,

Dean

From my past experience people that are evasive usually have something to hide.

I agree with everything Phil said.

Well, I just received a reply from RBH knives and I quote

"Dear deanm56635w,

Dean,

Thanks for your email. Yes my all knives handmade here in the Block,Island, RI,USA. Bid with confidence you will not be disappointed. Any questions please let me know....thanks, Rich

- rich32046 "

So, there you have it from Mr. RBH himself.

Nobody, even RBH, has defined "Made." If the parts are from Pakindiastan and put together in RI, is the knife "made" in the USA? If I put it together, it wasn't anything until I "made" it. If there are kit parts on these knives, he's not lying if he says the "made" them. On the other hand, it's not the same as if he ground the blades himself, did his own heat treat, etc. I haven't seen him claim sole authorship, just that he "makes" them in Rhode Island.

Regardless, the blades look pretty good.

And when I say I "make" knives, BTW, I mean I start with annealed bar stock and blocks of wood. I wouldn't claim to "make" a knife if it was from someone else's kit parts unless I said up front that the knife was a kit. A little honest disclosure goes a long way.

Hello All

I have been watching these knives for some time now. As RBH states in his EBAY listings he makes the Knives himself, would therefore give him the award as the fastest custom knife builder known to man. He lists 50-56 of the same style knives almost every week. Would love to know his "SECRET".

Just my opinion, but I would have to say these knives are manufactured offshore and he assemble's them in the USA. That being said they seem to be of very high quality and he has a very good Ebay Feedback profile of satisfied buyers.

So if you want a good quality knife and don;t care where it was manufactured these may be the ones for you.

PS: He gives the same answer to all when asked where are his knives made.

Tom

He may market a very usable product.

The fact that he dances around with his answers and the fact that his logo and a lot of his designs are obvious "knock-offs" of Randall's is somewhat bothersome to me.

That being said, I doubt I'll ever own any of his products.

Never having handled an RBH knife, I can't do more than take the word of those who have. RBH wouldn't be the first (or last) company to base their design on a Randall. One could do a lot worse. However, when a very simple question is met by defensiveness and evasion, my gut tells me that I should stay away from the product.

My preference is for knives (and other things) made in the USA, but I have bought products made elsewhere and been quite satisfied. That the maker spoke Mandarin or Hindi did not mean he was unable to produce a high quality product. However, I want to know, up front, where the product is made. Country of manufacture may or may not influence my buying decision, but refusing to honestly answer a simple question will absolutely influence my decision and influence it negatively.

I agree Rich

Hi, RBH Custom Knives are now available after one year please visit RBH-Custom-Knives here you can find a lot of quality knives. Made only 3-4 of each style half sold out and few remaining. Next production may takes several months. Don't let them get away! Good Luck and Happy Bidding!

This is for sale on Amazon. Check it out and follow the maker around. No mention of RBH In fact there are a couple of guys selling beautiful looking knives like this for low low prices. They look great but no mention of where they are made. Mammoth bone and Mother of pearl with a Damascas blade? Don't miss the file work as well. WOW The price should tell you something. It's list price is over 500 bucks but you can steal it for $79 It looks allot like the one Mike Sexton bought last year. If I made something so nice my name would be all over it so the Guild would know where to send my certificate
http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Giant-D ... B006SHLMGK

I'm sorry. I'm a little thick this morning. Must be because I stayed up after my bed time to watch the Giants whip Detroit for the third time in a row. Hasn't anyone told Detroit you need to score some runs if you expect to win? And they did so well against the Yankees. Oops. There goes my mind wandering off course again. My question was what's the relationship to the folding knife on Amazon? Seems like peas and carrots to me.

jerryd6818 wrote: My question was what's the relationship to the folding knife on Amazon? Seems like peas and carrots to me.

During last year's blowout sales extravaganza, Mike Sexton bought from RBH, a folder knife that is a dead ringer for the one on Amazon right now. I think it's posted somewhere back a few pages on this very thread.

I would encourage anyone who is considering a purchase of one of these knives to read this thread through before placing a bid.

I started the thread and vaguely remember Mike buying a knife but I had it in my mind it was a fixed blade. Thanks for "getting my mind right" Phil. Maybe Linnea's right. Maybe I do need a keeper.