Quote Originally Posted by Archangel View Post

Do we want forged blades?
Forged or stock removal makes no difference to me. Both methods will produce a good blade if properly tempered. A die cut, stock removal blade might be cheaper to produce in significant numbers than a bunch of hand forged blades, but most custom smiths do forge their blades. The bottom line IMO to producing a good blade is the steel used and the heat treating ability of the smith. One big advantage to having a sgian dubh made is that it's so damn tiny. Whether it's hand forged or ground out, the cost of the blade should be a very small percentage of the cost of the knife. The complexity and material of the sgian dubh's grip is where the cost really comes in. Speaking of grip, I do like the traditional look of bog oak but I'm not sure how much that would add to the cost.