If Alec and Will ever read the comments, I want to share why I started watching this channel. It was a video on how to forge tapers. It was good, solid, helpful advice about a specific technique. I learned something useful that I still apply when I'm at the anvil. That got my subscription. More recently, a short video about how to go about starting a blacksmithing business with only a couple of hours a week was a great insight into a business model that has been lucrative for Alec really got my brain thinking. I don't follow a similar path, but as far as being a way to make money, it appears to be a really good model. In truth, I'm not that excited about following the life of a very successful RUclipsr as he bounces between two continents and buys equipment I can't even think of affording. I don't need to see slick productions of videos shot in a shop I can't even dream of owning. I don't care what deodorant Alec wears or the audiobooks he listens to. Give me solid, useful, applicable blacksmithing content, tips for doing it efficiently, ideas for things to make. Show me how to do it right. Explain what makes this the right way to do it and why other techniques may be less efficient or less effective. TEACH me something. Don't just regrind a junk knife and claim it is now worth more. I have unsubscribed after this video. I will still watch AS videos as they pop up, but I'm not looking for them anymore. If Alec and Will read through the comments, they will see that I'm hardly the only one who is not happy with the way this channel is going.
While I get the whole thing about having to pay for good content somehow, I'm starting to get the feeling that this channel has changed forever. From the comments on this one, it looks like plenty others are not liking where this is going. I just watched an info-mercial, complete with a sponsor's advertising, along with the usual RUclips ads. It was nicely filmed/edited and Will has an engaging personality 𝑩𝑼𝑻 there was virtually no educational element to this video and barely an explanation of the processes involved. More time was devoted to prepping veg than making the knife. The title was pure clickbait: Will 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 turn "a $1 knife into a $500 knife", although the resulting knife was pretty nice - if only just practical. I wish Alec and Will every success with their new ventures but this is not what I subscribed for. I wanted, and still do, to learn something about forging and metalwork. I think there are other channels on YT that do that better and, unless things change dramatically, I'll be leaving Alec to his marketing. I have a feeling it's not just me that feels this way.😒
I AGREE! I subscribed for raw blacksmithing content coupled with Alec's amazing personality, and while he's clearly making money from the channel and his sponsors it really has stopped being about the process
@@sparrowthenerd Agreed. Videos have gotten shorter, with just enough sponsor time to push them past 10 minutes. Rewatching some of the old videos, we have lost so much of the old authenticity and honesty, blacksmithing. I feel like everything blacksmithing process is just a montage now. I get it takes long time, but alec used to always take a step away to explain things. We get none of that now. This is really turning out to be some terrible content. Honestly, I really enjoy watching Alec and Will, and as happy as I am for their success, I should not have to worry about their business. That's on them. More and more, each new video seems less like a video for the fans and more just another spot to fit in a sponsor.
Neither of them really teach anything. There are many other channels that actually TEACH instead of just show the process of making things... Often times poorly at first. Making the big forge was a good example of that. As soon as Will put that cardboard "mold" into it and tried to pack the cement around it I knew it would fail... Good save in the end... But still... I, a man who has never made a forge, saw it was going to fail immediately. How did he not see that?
I've always loved alec' enthusiasm and just jumping into mad projects feet first, without a lot of experience with whatever new things catches his eye any given week haha. However, I really prefer Will's craftmanship, obviously he has made tons of knives and it's a skill he's very practiced in, but it's great to see.
Yep.. And that's about all it's going to be going forward... They found out they could make money doing it so that's what they're going to do. No more fun stuff. Just a bunch of commercials... Disappointing for sure.
I love how Will is so good at very quickly and effectively sharing a little pro tip like the tape and super glue. Doesn't spend so much time on it that you are begging him to get back to the knife making, and doesn't run through it so fast, or skip over so beginners like me are wondering how the pros do it and making mistakes. I would have just super glued right to the wood and steel like an idiot. Quick clear communication. Bravo.
I didn't get any ads... In case you didn't realise, RUclips video authors don't get to choose how many ads are shown in their videos or where the ads are shown any more. Unless they changed it back again suddenly, they can't do anything about the ads showing on the video. A lot of vid channel owners were pissed at RUclips for this because people keep leaving their channels thinking they started spamming ads, when it's not their fault. It's RUclips's new policies screwing over their "partners" yet again. Only ad I saw was their sponsor, and the ad after the whole video is finished. So maybe they just advertise differently based on location or some weird algorithm or something.
@@georgemullens And not even that is a $500 knife... it's $400. The title represents NOTHING that is happening in the video. This is 5 Minute Crafts levels of clickbait.
So wait... I skipped through two adds at the start in order to get an add in the middle about deodorant while I watch an add for 500$ knives and then got another add at the end? Woof boys.
RUclips: We heard you like ads so we put ads after your ads so you could watch ads after you watch ads. Alec Steele: We heard you didn't like ads so we put ads after your ads so you could watch ads while you watch ads.
He doesn't miss being poor. Let him grow up, the money will even out and he'll get back to usual work. Probably start a family and be more divided. Try to support, instead of condemn.
@@scrowtch6103 It's that moment when you realize that, if you try to contribute something to every situation, rather than merely watching (or worse, taking away), you tend to feel much better about the situation. Add, don't subtract.
@@SickWheyfu yeah I understand that but if you made enough money you would not be in a tiny shed with a campfire forge and we should be happy to see Alec grow his business, not wish he back to being poor for our entertainment. There are many more black Smith channels you can watch that are very relatable. I see the American dream when I see alec. And I'm happy for him. I started wood working because of RUclips and started with harbor freight tools, now I have tons of tools and I guess I'm unrelatable now. I think it's just wrong for people to brow beat him for having success.
The video title should be "Turning a used low-quality $1 chef's knife into an impractical and oddly-shaped low-quality 1$ knife using $45 in materials and consumables". Also, the shape of the $400 knife is something no professional chef would choose, at least at this price.
Very dramatic voice "Are you tired of [insert cliché about cheap knife] ? Do you find it frustrating when [cliché n2] ? Well, thanks to [whatever they called their knife], this is a thing of the past !"
That knife looks fantastic! Pretty sweet how you guys got a great sponsor to pay for what amounts to an 11 minutes commercial for your new product as well!
Could you make a sharpening video? There’s always a cool montage but no explanation. I really just want to know what stones, strop and technique you use.
Check out burrfection I do knife making and found his whetstone tutorials to be very useful. I bought all of his recommend stones and they do work really well after some practice!
The only thing I could think about this whole episode was the fictional conversation in my head "So what did you do while I was away"? "Well, I made a knife". "Oh, what did you make it out of"? ::mumbles:: "...a... a bigger knife" "...oh..."
Especially when the good knife is only $400. But... I wouldn't pay $$$ for a knife without knowing exactly what I was buying, especially full details on the steel.
I see what you are saying, and yes they didn't turn the black plastic handled knife into the other knife, but I will say it looks like the thumbnail was an actual photo of those 2 knives a "$1 thrift store knife" and the other finished upgraded knife beside eachother, rather than a before and after. Maybe they just didn't get a good shot of the before version of the knife so they could make a photoshopped thumbnail of the two side by side.
@@BenKickert to be fair, all the views on this video will probably get them atleast $500. So while the $1 knife is not a $500 knife, they did turn $1 into $500.
Since Will is quitting the Steele shop to his own, I believe he is leaving to mainly make S knives as a staple alongside his own work, ensuring him a comfy income going forward and this video shows that. All of their videos are just big ads and always have been after the Montana move, all of them except the tool making ones, which just serve as fillers between the much obvious product/merch ones. I can't wait till Will goes off to his own shop because then I can unsubscribe to this one and go over to Will instead.
I was expecting y'all to forge weld all the blades together, do a few folds and make a totally new knife out of them (with some etching). The SA wood was a nice touch though, quality handle worth way more than the metal it was just riveted to.
Unless you are working with carbon steel it is extremely difficult to get a useable heat treat with an unknown steel. Even when you are using a carbon steel knife the heat treat would almost certainly be sub optimal.
Not the worst thing in the world. I live right in the area, and I've spotted myself driving past in a couple of videos where the overhead was open or the camera went outside.
Because of the ONE 30 sec sponsor?? You people are kinda losers nowadays. Expect everything for free. That is not how it works. They need to make money. Pay or look at adds.
@@TBNK007 Right, calling other people „kinda looser‘s“ has always been a sign for something important. There are Add‘s, there is Allec with the sponsor and Will with the nifes plus a cook and his place who is probably cooking for Will in return as well as participating in the commercial which makes him more known. There also is thee comparison to how the nife is better then a cheap one. Just like in thee commercial-TV. Obviously I don‘t make money spending my time watching a hole minute of raw commercial. That Allec and Will seperated Spaces for Corona purposes and Will just broke his powerhammer by forcing it with thee wrong tools and technik is a tragedy but „I was young and needed the money“ has never been a compliment. If you need money don‘t sell on your own pages exclusively but on Amazon so that people won’t have to type in aal there Data again and again and again which costs time and focus in manny different spaces. (Obviously there is Amazon-pay now for some Onlineshops but still many have not integrated it in there system). Over a hundred people got the comment right which makes me think that you might be a sales-person but this channel is coming from passion so once it might be funny and if you take in something like that once a month it might be ok for some people but you pull it more then three times and you’ll be fired by people starting to concidder leaving for implying people to be stupid like that and not realizing the change. This is a learning and improving channel not a selling one. Massproduction is an option but it shouled not be the focus while we are here for entertainment seeing new ways of production and amaizing craftmenship like thee Viking-Sword project that sold for over 15k and made a lot great rewatchebel content btw.
Not really. Well to a certain point. English is not my native language by the way. But there is a difference between a few mistakes and your whole freaking text that is barely readable....
That’s really cool that you guys got to work with a local chef and see how your wares perform against box store cutlery. A typical user wouldn’t notice any of the higher end features and could get away with general cutlery, but someone who does it professionally definitely can notice fine work, especially throughout a long day where seconds and minutes matter. Not having to stop and resharpen or hone your knife several times a day makes a big difference.
Families everywhere will be eating holiday meals with butter knives, since husbands and sons everywhere have taken all the knives into the garage and ground them all into ice picks.
Germanic tools: Form follows function. If it doesn't enhance the use, don't bother. Let the tool evolve to being perfect for the job. Japanese tools: We make it this way because we always have, we cannot change it. Americans: Japanese sounds exotic let's go with that.
While I'd agree that the Japanese have a tendancy towards maintaining unaltered tradition for tradition's sake, having seen what Japanese craftsmen can do with traditional tools and how well designed those tools are for their specific uses, maybe they're right.
I feel like germans focus more on maximizing utility for the common man making tools that are affordable and built for life while the Japanese focused mainly on a product's ability regardless of cost or utility. Hense sharper blades but easy to break.
@@carsonpog480 Historically speaking, Japanese steel broke easily due to the fact that the blacksmiths were working with poor quality iron and didn't have the smelting and forging technology of the West. Couldn't get enough heat. Hence the huge number of folds in Japanese swords, to even out the impurites (up to 20 folds, which is a bit much). I think the main difference between German and Japanese tool-making is their approach to utility itself. As you said, the Germans prefered to "available to everyone" approach. The Japanese would rather make a tool for one purpose and one purpose only and design it perfectly for it. Hence the staggering array of Japanese chef's knives.
Cant speak for all germans but almost everyone i know and myself realy value durability and consistency. I don't care if my tool look ugly or arent ultra perfect as long as they stay useable for a long time with minimal maintanence (though i still do that regulary) and the results are the same as when i first used it (getting better at the task not withstanding) i guess our toolmakes strife to create an ultra precision tool that never breaks even without maintanence and could withstand the end of the world though they mostly focus on number 2 and 3 for now
This video reminds me so much of my father. He used to make knives in his spare time. I still have some of his creations and will hold on to them forever.
I know it's supposed to be a sponsorship to get the knifes sold. But I really want to hear what that chef doesn't like about it. I find reviews that have the bad along with the good sell much more products than just all the good parts.
I love these vids about blades. I really liked the clips where aleck talks about shop safety. How about doing one about proper cleaning and maintenance of blades once in service?
@@johnhobson9165 if anyone thinks they spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours on a hammer to just give up they’re nuts; if it can be fixed it will be
I'm a chef and been cooking for 25+yr. There is definitely room to improve that santoku knife. Most Chinese Japanese chefs knifes tend to be single bevelled, as they offer a key advantage - they are extremely sharp. This is due to the fact they only need to be honed on one side so it is easier to create a much smaller, thus sharper, angle. The disadvantages are that it takes practice to learn to cut straight with a single-bevel knife, and the knives are specifically left or right handed. The santoku usually has another distinctive feature as well: a row of shallow dimples on the side of the blade. These depressions, called kullenschliff or a Granton edge, reduce friction and help prevent food from sticking to the blade.
I just love it when you hear a South African "local boy" is mentioned on a channel. Just awesome! Greetings from South Africa peeps and keep up the good work. Just love the episodes.
I'll be honest, I'm more interested in the idea of regrinding a thrift store knife as a skill builder, than buying a fancy expensive knife. Cheap way to get (dubious quality) knife blanks...
Its just because they are super small thus incredibly inefficient and have to sell them for much more than they are worth to make a Profit. From a Medium sized manufacturer you can get a way nicer knife for quite a bit less because they produce them faster and more efficient through higher numbers and more specialization
@@PZtv-pb2yn Some people like to pay extra for hand crafted things. Maybe it is not better or nicer than an industrial produced knife. But every time you use this particular knife you will think about all the stuff you have seen on their channel. Maybe you like this exact blade shape or handle material and can not get it elsewhere. So every time you use it you like it and you are glad you have it. I have a letter opener made from pure silver. I bought it used. Still, for the same price I could have bought 5 new ones. I have to polish it now and then, so it does not oxidise. But every time I open a letter with it I am glad i bought it. Because it has a certain shape I could find nowhere else. And it works great.
@@alias_not_needed Its not even Damascus, almost everything they make on this channel is some type of Damascus, this is just a ground down piece of stock steel. cheap money grab
How disingenuous. A $1 knife, turned into a differently shaped $1 knife that cut well for 20 mins, until the crap steel was exposed. What an utterly complete waste of time and talent.
I've tackled a similar project a few times already. the key is to start with a knife that is descent quality steel to begin with. I'm not talking about ruining a 200 dollar new wusthof. But many old French or German knives can still be turned into something good if you know what you are looking at.
Hey Alec and will, I wanted to thank you for getting me into blacksmithing, your videos are so inspiring and awesome. I love that you guys make videos dedicated to using simple tools to help us beginners.
"We have to pay for the second shop in england so Alec can visit his family for several months a year, because he didn't think about that when moving to America."
@@jamie696 videos full of ads are only free only if your time is worth nothing. I watch media for content in between working. Anything too full of ads gets quickly replaced with something without ads.
@@bsgconsulting I acknowledge your opinion but the guy has produced over 900 videos full of great content, its a bit fickle to suggest that you would stop watching his videos due to one that he used to showcase his product which in turn helps produce more free content. Also if you're that efficient in your day that 15/20 seconds worth of ads disrupts you're schedule then I applaud you
I’m not a huge fan of the bug gap between the handle and the blade. I generally hold the knife so that I’m pinching the blade of the knife with my thumb and index finger (see how the dude holds the thrift store knife). Also notice that he doesn’t have the same grip with the knife on sale. This makes the knife a lot less stable
I'm starting to feel this channel is becoming like those marketing channels that market to other marketers, creating an infinite loop. He actually got someone to sponsor a video advertising his own product. While this is certainly a bold accomplishment, worthy of praise in the field, I don't actually think I enjoy watching it. I was interested in the fixing of the old power hammer but I can't actually remember the last time something was made that wasn't expressly part of a push to sell some aspect of the blacksmithing business. I get that he sold those one off creations too, but they were unique. I don't think people come to a blacksmithing channel to for something that, no matter how well made, is mass produced. This channel is drifting away from the content that brought me here in the first place. To be clear, I'm fine with shilling your own stuff, I like and watch a lot of Linus Tech Tips videos and they shill stuff all the time. The difference is that Linus shilling his own water bottles will be put in a video that is actually informative and doesn't have anything to do with water bottles. This knife making video is an advertisement for for Alec Steel brand knives and we are unaware of this until fully 7 minutes in. I guess I'll see if maybe this will change course or maybe someone within the Alec Steel business machine will actually make a video about making something interesting with tips, tricks and possibly failures but right now all I see on this channel is thinly veiled add copy.
$400 for a plasma cut knife, ground on a jig to a low grit finish leaving horrible grit marks on the blade. Alec and Will will have done none of the work on them at all and what you are really paying for is Alec's logo. Paying $300 for a logo seems a little steep cause that knife is not worth more than $100 otherwise.
I have wanted to make a knife ever since I started watching this channel years ago. I've seen knives made from tools, chains, springs and lately even plastic, but never have I seen a knife made from... a knife. Thanks for that, Will. What a great way to learn some of the basic knife-making skills through reverse engineering without investing a lot of $$$ on material and equipment. Value Village here I come.
Let me ask this though. Why pay 400$ for a stainless blank ground to shape with a standard handle when you can get a hand forged edge tempered or even laminated Japanese knife with a mirror polish, ebony and horn handle for not even 300$? What is the leading difference that makes this knife more worth it?
I was wondering the same thing. I yelled when it happened and woke up my girlfriend. She did not appreciate the gravity of the situation like I did... 😂
The good one at the end was pretty nice. I'd like to see it after a few weeks of meat work. Going through cartridge, sinew, skin and small bones. After dicing 10 pounds of potatoes and raw beets.
As much as I admire the amazing craftsmanship that Will puts into his knives, having used that shape compared to a traditional chefs knife shape, I just hate using that particular design style. The knife is gorgeous, and I am sure it is amazing for someone who is more skilled than myself, which that design really needs to use it properly, and consistently.
I don't really like that this was basically just a 10 minute add, the title wasn't even remotely accurate, you took a $1 knife, and turned into a different knife that might be worth a little more because it has some exotic wood in the handle, the knife isn't really any more valuable. And let's be honest, you can get knives of the same kind of quality to the premium one you showed for way cheaper than $400. The blade/handle shape does look really nice to use, but at $400? That's a really hard sell.
@@BobMarley-vl5gl pretty common for people to own Whustoff knives, they're often like £70-£120 so IMO that's the range that most people would look at for a NICE knife. £50 can get you a totally decent knife, and I think is probably even above the barrier that many people will go for. I don't think ANYBODY I know would drop upwards of £200 on a single knife without being some sort of enthusiast.
@@charliexoxox No, it most definitely is not. Somebody willing to drop $400 on a knife is an extreme outlier, I would imagine the amount of people who would even consider going above something like $200 is already something like
That knife with the wood handle is at literally every goodwill in existence.
That knife is in my kitchen right now.
Should make it easy to find one for your own project...
That knife is one of the best knifes I have in my house...
That's nothing. I can turn a $500 knife into a $1 knife
Me too 😆
Yeah. I believe Teddy did that in Bob's Burgers once with a hammer.
Being a maker, this comment made my day. And I've often felt that way too. LOL
@@CajunSmack I'm also a maker, this comment came from the heart lol
Proof or it didn't happen.
If Alec and Will ever read the comments, I want to share why I started watching this channel. It was a video on how to forge tapers. It was good, solid, helpful advice about a specific technique. I learned something useful that I still apply when I'm at the anvil. That got my subscription. More recently, a short video about how to go about starting a blacksmithing business with only a couple of hours a week was a great insight into a business model that has been lucrative for Alec really got my brain thinking. I don't follow a similar path, but as far as being a way to make money, it appears to be a really good model.
In truth, I'm not that excited about following the life of a very successful RUclipsr as he bounces between two continents and buys equipment I can't even think of affording. I don't need to see slick productions of videos shot in a shop I can't even dream of owning. I don't care what deodorant Alec wears or the audiobooks he listens to.
Give me solid, useful, applicable blacksmithing content, tips for doing it efficiently, ideas for things to make. Show me how to do it right. Explain what makes this the right way to do it and why other techniques may be less efficient or less effective. TEACH me something. Don't just regrind a junk knife and claim it is now worth more.
I have unsubscribed after this video. I will still watch AS videos as they pop up, but I'm not looking for them anymore. If Alec and Will read through the comments, they will see that I'm hardly the only one who is not happy with the way this channel is going.
While I get the whole thing about having to pay for good content somehow, I'm starting to get the feeling that this channel has changed forever. From the comments on this one, it looks like plenty others are not liking where this is going. I just watched an info-mercial, complete with a sponsor's advertising, along with the usual RUclips ads. It was nicely filmed/edited and Will has an engaging personality 𝑩𝑼𝑻 there was virtually no educational element to this video and barely an explanation of the processes involved. More time was devoted to prepping veg than making the knife. The title was pure clickbait: Will 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 turn "a $1 knife into a $500 knife", although the resulting knife was pretty nice - if only just practical.
I wish Alec and Will every success with their new ventures but this is not what I subscribed for. I wanted, and still do, to learn something about forging and metalwork. I think there are other channels on YT that do that better and, unless things change dramatically, I'll be leaving Alec to his marketing. I have a feeling it's not just me that feels this way.😒
I AGREE! I subscribed for raw blacksmithing content coupled with Alec's amazing personality, and while he's clearly making money from the channel and his sponsors it really has stopped being about the process
@@sparrowthenerd Agreed. Videos have gotten shorter, with just enough sponsor time to push them past 10 minutes. Rewatching some of the old videos, we have lost so much of the old authenticity and honesty, blacksmithing. I feel like everything blacksmithing process is just a montage now. I get it takes long time, but alec used to always take a step away to explain things. We get none of that now. This is really turning out to be some terrible content. Honestly, I really enjoy watching Alec and Will, and as happy as I am for their success, I should not have to worry about their business. That's on them. More and more, each new video seems less like a video for the fans and more just another spot to fit in a sponsor.
The channel had already much about change, so it’s appropriate the channel changes
i've been feeling that change since sam left tbh.
Neither of them really teach anything. There are many other channels that actually TEACH instead of just show the process of making things... Often times poorly at first.
Making the big forge was a good example of that. As soon as Will put that cardboard "mold" into it and tried to pack the cement around it I knew it would fail... Good save in the end... But still... I, a man who has never made a forge, saw it was going to fail immediately. How did he not see that?
Was getting worried we wouldn't see any more of will glad to see him
I've always loved alec' enthusiasm and just jumping into mad projects feet first, without a lot of experience with whatever new things catches his eye any given week haha. However, I really prefer Will's craftmanship, obviously he has made tons of knives and it's a skill he's very practiced in, but it's great to see.
(Alec)
I think Will leaves after the first of the year sadly
Yea since COVID he disappeared. Feared the worst for him.
I actually think the videos have gone down hill since will started doing some of them. I preferred it when Alec was doing them alone.
It makes me sad he put such a nice piece of wood on such a cheap blade.
Thats the pinacle of flexes
This is the best ad I’ve ever seen
This was filmed before the Fairbanks broke. Back when Will still had a spark in his eye.
Wasn't keeping up with the channel, what happened? Also might as well ask why the strange looking like/dislike ratio.
What's a Fairbanks and how does it break? I've read your post several times and still can't make sense of what you're saying.
@@Matt_Alaric its the power hammer
@@theflamingbanana7491 Ahhh
wow an infomercial with commercial breaks.
yeah getting really tired of this, its becomming 90% shop promo
Yep.. And that's about all it's going to be going forward... They found out they could make money doing it so that's what they're going to do.
No more fun stuff. Just a bunch of commercials... Disappointing for sure.
@@BadPandaWoodworks well as long as I can skip the sponsor with double click and they pay alec to make videos I am all right with it
I love how Will is so good at very quickly and effectively sharing a little pro tip like the tape and super glue. Doesn't spend so much time on it that you are begging him to get back to the knife making, and doesn't run through it so fast, or skip over so beginners like me are wondering how the pros do it and making mistakes. I would have just super glued right to the wood and steel like an idiot. Quick clear communication. Bravo.
You just watched an 11 minute commercial.
But it’s only $399
Are you tired of having to constantly rework thrift store knives? We have the solution for you!
with extra commercials inside :)
With ad breaks...
A commercial within a commercial
That's a lot of ads I just sat through to watch an ad.
You even have a video sponsor for your own advert!
I didn't get any ads... In case you didn't realise, RUclips video authors don't get to choose how many ads are shown in their videos or where the ads are shown any more.
Unless they changed it back again suddenly, they can't do anything about the ads showing on the video.
A lot of vid channel owners were pissed at RUclips for this because people keep leaving their channels thinking they started spamming ads, when it's not their fault. It's RUclips's new policies screwing over their "partners" yet again.
Only ad I saw was their sponsor, and the ad after the whole video is finished. So maybe they just advertise differently based on location or some weird algorithm or something.
Cuts a third of the material off, slaps knife... 500$
Thats show-biz!
Not even $500, the $500 knife is the one they're selling.
@@georgemullens And not even that is a $500 knife... it's $400. The title represents NOTHING that is happening in the video. This is 5 Minute Crafts levels of clickbait.
@@TheCrathes So true, I'm really disappointed with the guys on this one.
So wait... I skipped through two adds at the start in order to get an add in the middle about deodorant while I watch an add for 500$ knives and then got another add at the end? Woof boys.
YT is putting up adds by themself now. Even on demonetized videos "unsuitable for advertisement".
Its Christmas! (*Excluding states and territories where prohibited by law.)
Gotta get that dough.🤷♂️
and this whole video is an ad, actually, so, even worse.
Welcome to 2020, only two ways to make money these days: 1. Advertisement 2. Fraud
RUclips: We heard you like ads so we put ads after your ads so you could watch ads after you watch ads.
Alec Steele: We heard you didn't like ads so we put ads after your ads so you could watch ads while you watch ads.
"...and now, time for our sponsor..."
Alec and Wil have ‘Jumped the Shark.’ It’s not too late, come on back!!
I miss the days when he was in small shop with a dirt floor actually forging cool stuff.
He doesn't miss being poor. Let him grow up, the money will even out and he'll get back to usual work. Probably start a family and be more divided. Try to support, instead of condemn.
Joshua Yingling, I think your comment changed me in a way, I don’t know how but it did.
@@scrowtch6103 It's that moment when you realize that, if you try to contribute something to every situation, rather than merely watching (or worse, taking away), you tend to feel much better about the situation.
Add, don't subtract.
The heartbreak from losing his power hammer due to his own ignorance of the law of gravity turned him to the dark side.
@@SickWheyfu yeah I understand that but if you made enough money you would not be in a tiny shed with a campfire forge and we should be happy to see Alec grow his business, not wish he back to being poor for our entertainment. There are many more black Smith channels you can watch that are very relatable. I see the American dream when I see alec. And I'm happy for him. I started wood working because of RUclips and started with harbor freight tools, now I have tons of tools and I guess I'm unrelatable now. I think it's just wrong for people to brow beat him for having success.
The video title should be "Turning a used low-quality $1 chef's knife into an impractical and oddly-shaped low-quality 1$ knife using $45 in materials and consumables".
Also, the shape of the $400 knife is something no professional chef would choose, at least at this price.
I see what you did there... how to turn the $1 knife, it's a commercial for your $400 knife!
All that's missing are some black and white scenes where someone tries to cook with an "inferior" knife and we would be at full infomercial level...
Very dramatic voice
"Are you tired of [insert cliché about cheap knife] ? Do you find it frustrating when [cliché n2] ? Well, thanks to [whatever they called their knife], this is a thing of the past !"
But wait! There's more!
I was scared we weren’t gonna see will on here for awhile
hi see and sub
Same. Was worried about the fella
Well considering he busted his power hammer, I think he’ll be sticking around for a while till he can get a hammer figured out.
@@TheVGphoto I think they said they were going to weld it with fireball tool.
That knife looks fantastic! Pretty sweet how you guys got a great sponsor to pay for what amounts to an 11 minutes commercial for your new product as well!
Could you make a sharpening video? There’s always a cool montage but no explanation. I really just want to know what stones, strop and technique you use.
Just go to the samurai carpenter on youtube. Those are just generic high end whetstones. Shapton is basically the best.
@Cheerio Jack I still love his content it’s some of the best on RUclips in my opinion
Outdoor55 has great video on sharpening
Check out burrfection I do knife making and found his whetstone tutorials to be very useful. I bought all of his recommend stones and they do work really well after some practice!
Can we have this one go up?
Me: sees the thumbnail
The video: ha ha deception
Yay, I can now look professional while having no clue on what I am doing!
"We hand-inspect each knife and reject any that don't meet our high standards."
Any way I can buy one of those?
🤣
No, they are cast back into the fires of Mount Doom.
They'll be on sale in just over an hour from now. They'll also be sold out in just over an hour from now.
They are stacked up and then sent to the Hydraulic Press Channel for new stuff to press to death.
The only thing I could think about this whole episode was the fictional conversation in my head
"So what did you do while I was away"?
"Well, I made a knife".
"Oh, what did you make it out of"?
::mumbles:: "...a... a bigger knife"
"...oh..."
Knifemakers don't make mistakes. Only smaller knives
Nothing would make me pay $500 for a reground knife.
Especially when the good knife is only $400. But... I wouldn't pay $$$ for a knife without knowing exactly what I was buying, especially full details on the steel.
I wouldn't pay email 1$ I could just make my own kitchen knife lol, best part of being a knife maker is you don't have to buy knives
Love the product your promoting but I’m a bit disappointed with using a misleading thumbnail. Stay honest guys. It suits you better!
Exactly
I'd hardly say the thumbnail is misleading
@@happynappy100 did you watch the video?
I see what you are saying, and yes they didn't turn the black plastic handled knife into the other knife, but I will say it looks like the thumbnail was an actual photo of those 2 knives a "$1 thrift store knife" and the other finished upgraded knife beside eachother, rather than a before and after. Maybe they just didn't get a good shot of the before version of the knife so they could make a photoshopped thumbnail of the two side by side.
Just stfu. It’s not misleading. You got more content than just one knife, move in with your day and quit being so picky
How to turn a $1 knife into a $500 knife? Swap it out with one that actually IS worth $500! lol
Total clickbait. He didn't even temper the thing. Should have been called "Grind a cheap knife into a new shape and then sell your own product."
@@BenKickert to be fair, all the views on this video will probably get them atleast $500. So while the $1 knife is not a $500 knife, they did turn $1 into $500.
No such thing as a $500 knife just a $500 name.
Yo, we got a sponsor for this commercial so we can have a commercial in our commercial.
Nothing like throwing to a sponsor spot as a way to end a video designed entirely to sell your merch.
I'd call it a product but yea
Since Will is quitting the Steele shop to his own, I believe he is leaving to mainly make S knives as a staple alongside his own work, ensuring him a comfy income going forward and this video shows that. All of their videos are just big ads and always have been after the Montana move, all of them except the tool making ones, which just serve as fillers between the much obvious product/merch ones. I can't wait till Will goes off to his own shop because then I can unsubscribe to this one and go over to Will instead.
@Cheerio Jack got more details about this ?
“Austin can you tell us about yourself” ........“yeah I’m Austin”
I was expecting y'all to forge weld all the blades together, do a few folds and make a totally new knife out of them (with some etching). The SA wood was a nice touch though, quality handle worth way more than the metal it was just riveted to.
Unless you are working with carbon steel it is extremely difficult to get a useable heat treat with an unknown steel. Even when you are using a carbon steel knife the heat treat would almost certainly be sub optimal.
...that WAS you over at the ReStore, wasn't it. I should have said hi!
Missed opportunity lol
F
Not the worst thing in the world. I live right in the area, and I've spotted myself driving past in a couple of videos where the overhead was open or the camera went outside.
F
Anyone else getting the feeling this is degrading into an advertisement channel financed by other ads?
Misleading thumbnail... Suggested black plastic handle knife was the one you worked on... I'll never forgive
Welcome to the World of commercial-TV!😔
Because of the ONE 30 sec sponsor??
You people are kinda losers nowadays. Expect everything for free. That is not how it works. They need to make money. Pay or look at adds.
@@TBNK007 Right, calling other people „kinda looser‘s“ has always been a sign for something important. There are Add‘s, there is Allec with the sponsor and Will with the nifes plus a cook and his place who is probably cooking for Will in return as well as participating in the commercial which makes him more known. There also is thee comparison to how the nife is better then a cheap one. Just like in thee commercial-TV. Obviously I don‘t make money spending my time watching a hole minute of raw commercial. That Allec and Will seperated Spaces for Corona purposes and Will just broke his powerhammer by forcing it with thee wrong tools and technik is a tragedy but „I was young and needed the money“ has never been a compliment. If you need money don‘t sell on your own pages exclusively but on Amazon so that people won’t have to type in aal there Data again and again and again which costs time and focus in manny different spaces. (Obviously there is Amazon-pay now for some Onlineshops but still many have not integrated it in there system). Over a hundred people got the comment right which makes me think that you might be a sales-person but this channel is coming from passion so once it might be funny and if you take in something like that once a month it might be ok for some people but you pull it more then three times and you’ll be fired by people starting to concidder leaving for implying people to be stupid like that and not realizing the change. This is a learning and improving channel not a selling one. Massproduction is an option but it shouled not be the focus while we are here for entertainment seeing new ways of production and amaizing craftmenship like thee Viking-Sword project that sold for over 15k and made a lot great rewatchebel content btw.
Buddy.
I got cancer trying to understand what you wrote.....
I could write a reply on the 50% I got but wow!
@@TBNK007 I was expecting that. People like you tend to kill themselves on language and grammar.
Not really. Well to a certain point. English is not my native language by the way.
But there is a difference between a few mistakes and your whole freaking text that is barely readable....
So this is basically just an ad for your new knife. I'm surprised you didn't make the cheap knife's handle out of super glue and ramen noodles.
Oddly, ramen noodles encased in epoxy would be an interesting idea for a handle. Not that I disagree with your sentiment.
Glad to see the infomercial episodes are back 😂
The shine in his eyes is gone...
Ok , that´s enough for me, goodbye guys. I hope Will´s solo Career picks up where Alec left us hanging.
"not as hard as I would like it to be" heh thats what she said
that's kinda sad if she said that really
F
hehe
He likes the tip too
That was like the movie Inception but with ads instead of dreams
Made by Will worth $500, made just as well by anyone else $40
They probably won't all be made by Will either...
yo dawg i heard you like watching commercials so we put a commercial in a commercial so you can watch a commercial while watching a commercial
you sir win the internet today
I feel like i just watched a commercial.
You did
A good one
a sponsored commercial! :)
where have you been, this whole channel is a commercial, I think of all RUclipsrs, Alec has embraced American capitalism better than any.....
You did
That’s really cool that you guys got to work with a local chef and see how your wares perform against box store cutlery. A typical user wouldn’t notice any of the higher end features and could get away with general cutlery, but someone who does it professionally definitely can notice fine work, especially throughout a long day where seconds and minutes matter. Not having to stop and resharpen or hone your knife several times a day makes a big difference.
"How to trick your audience into watching a 10 minute ad with and ad in it about a knife." Bad form guys.
Families everywhere will be eating holiday meals with butter knives, since husbands and sons everywhere have taken all the knives into the garage and ground them all into ice picks.
Germanic tools: Form follows function. If it doesn't enhance the use, don't bother. Let the tool evolve to being perfect for the job.
Japanese tools: We make it this way because we always have, we cannot change it.
Americans: Japanese sounds exotic let's go with that.
While I'd agree that the Japanese have a tendancy towards maintaining unaltered tradition for tradition's sake, having seen what Japanese craftsmen can do with traditional tools and how well designed those tools are for their specific uses, maybe they're right.
I feel like germans focus more on maximizing utility for the common man making tools that are affordable and built for life while the Japanese focused mainly on a product's ability regardless of cost or utility. Hense sharper blades but easy to break.
@@carsonpog480 Historically speaking, Japanese steel broke easily due to the fact that the blacksmiths were working with poor quality iron and didn't have the smelting and forging technology of the West. Couldn't get enough heat. Hence the huge number of folds in Japanese swords, to even out the impurites (up to 20 folds, which is a bit much). I think the main difference between German and Japanese tool-making is their approach to utility itself. As you said, the Germans prefered to "available to everyone" approach. The Japanese would rather make a tool for one purpose and one purpose only and design it perfectly for it. Hence the staggering array of Japanese chef's knives.
Cant speak for all germans but almost everyone i know and myself realy value durability and consistency. I don't care if my tool look ugly or arent ultra perfect as long as they stay useable for a long time with minimal maintanence (though i still do that regulary) and the results are the same as when i first used it (getting better at the task not withstanding) i guess our toolmakes strife to create an ultra precision tool that never breaks even without maintanence and could withstand the end of the world though they mostly focus on number 2 and 3 for now
@@FunkyFyreMunky they focus on the beauty and enjoyment of the craft. This video is a good example of what happens when you don't.
This video reminds me so much of my father. He used to make knives in his spare time. I still have some of his creations and will hold on to them forever.
I know it's supposed to be a sponsorship to get the knifes sold. But I really want to hear what that chef doesn't like about it. I find reviews that have the bad along with the good sell much more products than just all the good parts.
I love these vids about blades. I really liked the clips where aleck talks about shop safety. How about doing one about proper cleaning and maintenance of blades once in service?
Right as I was thinking "but it won't HOLD the edge long.."
"But this is still a 1 dollar knife with 1 dollar knife steel"
Me: ah there it is
One way of knowing native is good and alec isnt lying: you never see his armpits sweaty... He is a knifesmith... Think about that
Did..... Did I just watch an 11 minute ad, with another ad inside it?
Wasps and 🐝 bees coming after me with the sponsors candy cane deodorant😂
Does anyone else get the impression that Will doesn't even want to look at a power hammer right now?
I want to know what Will is doing about his power hammer.
@@johnhobson9165 alec already hinted at a fireball tool rescue
@@floivanus The operative word there is "hinted".
@@johnhobson9165 if anyone thinks they spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours on a hammer to just give up they’re nuts; if it can be fixed it will be
@@floivanus I'm sure he's going to do something. What I asked, if you had bothered to read it, is what is he going to do.
I'm a chef and been cooking for 25+yr. There is definitely room to improve that santoku knife. Most Chinese Japanese chefs knifes tend to be single bevelled, as they offer a key advantage - they are extremely sharp. This is due to the fact they only need to be honed on one side so it is easier to create a much smaller, thus sharper, angle. The disadvantages are that it takes practice to learn to cut straight with a single-bevel knife, and the knives are specifically left or right handed. The santoku usually has another distinctive feature as well: a row of shallow dimples on the side of the blade. These depressions, called kullenschliff or a Granton edge, reduce friction and help prevent food from sticking to the blade.
Please let us know when Will gets his own channel, I'll definitely sub. Nice to see you back Will.
I just love it when you hear a South African "local boy" is mentioned on a channel. Just awesome! Greetings from South Africa peeps and keep up the good work. Just love the episodes.
I've stumbled into QVC....
I'll be honest, I'm more interested in the idea of regrinding a thrift store knife as a skill builder, than buying a fancy expensive knife. Cheap way to get (dubious quality) knife blanks...
I don’t doubt the quality of the product, but that’s not a 500$ chef knife man lol
Its just because they are super small thus incredibly inefficient and have to sell them for much more than they are worth to make a Profit. From a Medium sized manufacturer you can get a way nicer knife for quite a bit less because they produce them faster and more efficient through higher numbers and more specialization
They're selling it for $400 no?
@@PZtv-pb2yn Some people like to pay extra for hand crafted things. Maybe it is not better or nicer than an industrial produced knife. But every time you use this particular knife you will think about all the stuff you have seen on their channel. Maybe you like this exact blade shape or handle material and can not get it elsewhere. So every time you use it you like it and you are glad you have it.
I have a letter opener made from pure silver. I bought it used. Still, for the same price I could have bought 5 new ones. I have to polish it now and then, so it does not oxidise. But every time I open a letter with it I am glad i bought it. Because it has a certain shape I could find nowhere else. And it works great.
@@alias_not_needed It is not handcrafted though
@@alias_not_needed Its not even Damascus, almost everything they make on this channel is some type of Damascus, this is just a ground down piece of stock steel. cheap money grab
Charcoal is the scent I bought for my husband. He says thanks for recommending Native.
🙌🙌🙌
An 11 minute commercial, awesome.
Wow ,that channel really turned into teleshopping.
At least i learned what i could do, with big toys.
How to turn a 1 dollar knife into a 1000 foller knife *proceeds to stamp alec's logo in it* anddddd done
How disingenuous. A $1 knife, turned into a differently shaped $1 knife that cut well for 20 mins, until the crap steel was exposed. What an utterly complete waste of time and talent.
Pretty much my thoughts as well. The video title should be “how to turn an ugly $1 knife into a pretty $1 knife”
So happy to see Will
next up is a food dehydrator and then spray on hair
Will’s back!
I've tackled a similar project a few times already. the key is to start with a knife that is descent quality steel to begin with.
I'm not talking about ruining a 200 dollar new wusthof. But many old French or German knives can still be turned into something good if you know what you are looking at.
0:37 (Holds up usable knife) "Let's get started on planning how are going to turn this thing into a usable knife."
But I getcha anyway.
Hey Alec and will, I wanted to thank you for getting me into blacksmithing, your videos are so inspiring and awesome. I love that you guys make videos dedicated to using simple tools to help us beginners.
With the forge or die hoody on, I died inside. And all the advertissement ...
Why not heat treat the “cheap” blade after sharpening it so it will hold an edge?
The soul of this channel is finally dead RIP
Stfu
Such overreacting xd
Sorry but its objectively true
The question is will that chef pay $500 for the second knife or will he save his money and just sharpen the thrift store knife everyday
It took a long time to dry those tears and deal with the trauma.
Love seeing Will doing projects, please don't leave the channel
So I got 4 ads in a sponsored video that is in itself an ad...I understand what you guys do is expensive but this seems excessive
Anyone would think this is free content right!
Why you no adblock?
"We have to pay for the second shop in england so Alec can visit his family for several months a year, because he didn't think about that when moving to America."
@@jamie696 videos full of ads are only free only if your time is worth nothing. I watch media for content in between working. Anything too full of ads gets quickly replaced with something without ads.
@@bsgconsulting I acknowledge your opinion but the guy has produced over 900 videos full of great content, its a bit fickle to suggest that you would stop watching his videos due to one that he used to showcase his product which in turn helps produce more free content. Also if you're that efficient in your day that 15/20 seconds worth of ads disrupts you're schedule then I applaud you
I’m not a huge fan of the bug gap between the handle and the blade. I generally hold the knife so that I’m pinching the blade of the knife with my thumb and index finger (see how the dude holds the thrift store knife). Also notice that he doesn’t have the same grip with the knife on sale. This makes the knife a lot less stable
Glad to see you back Will!
Nicest QVC advertisement I've seen
Hello my name is Will and I just stopped crying lets make some knives
Now that's the business! Will doing what he does well. Relieved to see Will and very interested in his blade smithing.
I'm starting to feel this channel is becoming like those marketing channels that market to other marketers, creating an infinite loop. He actually got someone to sponsor a video advertising his own product. While this is certainly a bold accomplishment, worthy of praise in the field, I don't actually think I enjoy watching it. I was interested in the fixing of the old power hammer but I can't actually remember the last time something was made that wasn't expressly part of a push to sell some aspect of the blacksmithing business. I get that he sold those one off creations too, but they were unique. I don't think people come to a blacksmithing channel to for something that, no matter how well made, is mass produced. This channel is drifting away from the content that brought me here in the first place. To be clear, I'm fine with shilling your own stuff, I like and watch a lot of Linus Tech Tips videos and they shill stuff all the time. The difference is that Linus shilling his own water bottles will be put in a video that is actually informative and doesn't have anything to do with water bottles. This knife making video is an advertisement for for Alec Steel brand knives and we are unaware of this until fully 7 minutes in. I guess I'll see if maybe this will change course or maybe someone within the Alec Steel business machine will actually make a video about making something interesting with tips, tricks and possibly failures but right now all I see on this channel is thinly veiled add copy.
$400 for a plasma cut knife, ground on a jig to a low grit finish leaving horrible grit marks on the blade. Alec and Will will have done none of the work on them at all and what you are really paying for is Alec's logo. Paying $300 for a logo seems a little steep cause that knife is not worth more than $100 otherwise.
I have wanted to make a knife ever since I started watching this channel years ago. I've seen knives made from tools, chains, springs and lately even plastic, but never have I seen a knife made from... a knife. Thanks for that, Will. What a great way to learn some of the basic knife-making skills through reverse engineering without investing a lot of $$$ on material and equipment. Value Village here I come.
Not really digging the commercial book-ended by commercials. /:
Let me ask this though. Why pay 400$ for a stainless blank ground to shape with a standard handle when you can get a hand forged edge tempered or even laminated Japanese knife with a mirror polish, ebony and horn handle for not even 300$? What is the leading difference that makes this knife more worth it?
Hay Will, how are you holding up after the power hammer incident?
He's thinking about trying a repair at Fireball Tools. That's the last I heard.
I'm a little concerned He's sharpening knives he looked like he was ready to commit seppuku last time.
I was wondering the same thing. I yelled when it happened and woke up my girlfriend. She did not appreciate the gravity of the situation like I did... 😂
@@highlander723 too soon
@@Roninx1980 Gravity had a lot to do with the situation.
The good one at the end was pretty nice. I'd like to see it after a few weeks of meat work. Going through cartridge, sinew, skin and small bones. After dicing 10 pounds of potatoes and raw beets.
So that’s how the new Steele Co knives are made
thats right!! remind alec what his channel was supposed to be about GREAT WORK
Nice looking knife. Even with all of your work put into this knife, it’s still worth $1.00.
As much as I admire the amazing craftsmanship that Will puts into his knives, having used that shape compared to a traditional chefs knife shape, I just hate using that particular design style. The knife is gorgeous, and I am sure it is amazing for someone who is more skilled than myself, which that design really needs to use it properly, and consistently.
I don't really like that this was basically just a 10 minute add, the title wasn't even remotely accurate, you took a $1 knife, and turned into a different knife that might be worth a little more because it has some exotic wood in the handle, the knife isn't really any more valuable.
And let's be honest, you can get knives of the same kind of quality to the premium one you showed for way cheaper than $400. The blade/handle shape does look really nice to use, but at $400? That's a really hard sell.
$400 knife is definitely in the common consumer market for people wanting a pretty nice knife
@@charliexoxox are you crazy I’m a common consumer and £50 for a knife is basically the max
@@BobMarley-vl5gl pretty common for people to own Whustoff knives, they're often like £70-£120 so IMO that's the range that most people would look at for a NICE knife.
£50 can get you a totally decent knife, and I think is probably even above the barrier that many people will go for. I don't think ANYBODY I know would drop upwards of £200 on a single knife without being some sort of enthusiast.
@@KevlarBurke I know a few professional chefs who put 200 Euro and more into their knifes, but they also worked in very very nice restaurants.
@@charliexoxox No, it most definitely is not. Somebody willing to drop $400 on a knife is an extreme outlier, I would imagine the amount of people who would even consider going above something like $200 is already something like
Give Austin at the Bozeman Supper Club a 2nd shoutout at the end! He earned it, I think. Gdday M8