There are several factors that set a handmade knife apart from a commercially mass produced knife.

The first factor is commercially mass produced knives have sharp 90 degree corners of the top (spine) and back (heel) that can be uncomforatble to the user when holding the knife in a pinch grip or when pushing down on top of the knife. Rounding over these portions of the knife make it more comfortable to the user and give the user a much more enjoyable experience.

Another factor that effects knife performance is the type of steel and the hardness it is heat treated to. This is referred to as HRC or rockwell hardness. Commercially available knifes are heat treated to around 50-55 hrc so they can easily be resharpened and resist chipping at the knife edge. All my knifes use AEB-L or Nitro-V stainless steel and are heat treated to 61 hrc making them much harder then mass produced knifes. This increase in hardness helps me grind the edge thinner while maintaining rigidity so the edge doesn’t roll or deform as easily as a softer knife. Also it isn’t much harder to sharpen a 61 hrc knife compared to the super high 63-65 hrc knifes out there that are harder to sharpen and chip much more easily. Everything is knife making is a trade off. Soft knives sharpen easily but lose their edge quickly. Hard knives hold their edge very well but a hard to sharpen and can chip or break off at the edge. I like to stay in the middle where the knives are not horrible to sharpen, hold a edge well and are chip resistant.