Who are the best makers of custom built blades?

says The sticky bit is stuck.
says The sticky bit is stuck.
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I am ofcourse!

just kidding, plenty of options to chose from.

I have only my own blade to go by, can’t compare with other builders.

Few (if any), I suspect, have consigned the same design to multiple builders. Yet many builders produce well-crafted, different, blades. So by what qualities would the best merit that distinction?
 

MDP

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MDP

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I have only my own blade to go by, can’t compare with other builders.

Few (if any), I suspect, have consigned the same design to multiple builders. Yet many builders produce well-crafted, different, blades. So by what qualities would the best merit that distinction?

The question is as impossible to answer as the question : what is the best blade?
 
says + Drinkhall Powerspin Carbon with Aurus Prime and Omega...
says + Drinkhall Powerspin Carbon with Aurus Prime and Omega...
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MDP
Alan Brown
Ross Leidy
Charlie
OSP

These are some with whom I’ve dealt with; and I rate them as:

1. OSP
2. Alan Brown/MDP (both are equally good and I love them for their work)
3. Ross Leidy
4. Charlie



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says The sticky bit is stuck.
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I would add Kevin / American Hinoki to this list.

My humble submission to that list is DA blades (DAb).

(Playing with a blade built by DA for abt half a year now, enjoying it immensely and perhaps it's worth a mention that I haven’t lost a single match with it yet. I think it’s beyond OK.)
 
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JST

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JST

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From purely hand-made manufacturers I've seen only Vodak (http://www.vodak-dreva.cz/) which is well known and regarded by players in CZ and SK including many professionals but because Mr. Vodak has only CZ web page (on purpose I believe;) he isn't much known on English speaking forums (although he has regular orders for custom builds from the whole Europe and US, just check the photos).

From three models I've had in hands I can say it's top quality and because pricing is reasonable (all "standard" models are ~50EUR for all-wood models and 60~80EUR for carbon/composite blades) it has reputation of being much better choice then well-known brands like BFLY (also because Vodak is typically having very good control and wight distribution, the guy also guarantees the weight +-2g). Highly recommended, there is email for English speaking people and if there would be any questions basically every CZ/SK member on this forum can help you;)
 
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Quote:
These are some with whom I’ve dealt with; and I rate them as:

1. OSP
2. Alan Brown/MDP (both are equally good and I love them for their work)
3. Ross Leidy
4. Charlie






Thanks Chris, I feel quite honoured to be on that list, it's very humbling. OSP and Ross Leidy have been real inspirations for me and MDP is such a craftsman.
 
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MDP
Alan Brown
Ross Leidy
Charlie
OSP

These are some with whom I’ve dealt with; and I rate them as:

1. OSP
2. Alan Brown/MDP (both are equally good and I love them for their work)
3. Ross Leidy
4. Charlie

Based on photos and real life experiences, the blade-makers above make some of the best looking, functioning, and consistent blades I've seen. I just started making my own a few weeks ago, and I aspire to create works as consistent and well-made as all of those makers.
 
says I would recommend all wood. Samsonov Alpha sgs is the...
says I would recommend all wood. Samsonov Alpha sgs is the...
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Thanks people. That was certainly helpful after the few first rambly posts.

I'll check with OSP. I want to have a blade commissioned for my brother for his birthday (and of course a better one for me heh)

I saw Nate's blades and I can tell for certain I will purchase one of his blades at some point even if just to support such a wonderful aspiring blade crafter. His blades look top-notch, if only he could get the weight down a bit ... :p



Apparently Ross Leidy doesn't use composites, and OSP aren't advertising personally customized blades...

Who's the best blade maker making personally customized blades other than Ross Leidy, that you know of? Thanks
 
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says The sticky bit is stuck.
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Who's the best blade maker making personally customized blades other than Ross Leidy, that you know of? Thanks

That is exactly the question that lead me to DAb. You don't just order a blade with a few parameters you can tweak in a web form, you engage in a lively design discussion with Dimitri. He is an opinionated discussion partner, actively proposing some options and advising against others. That iterative back-and-forth ends in a blade design, on which both sign off in the end.

In my case, I had specific wishes for the handle, the blade's composition, and the balance. My thoughts on composition were challenged in a helpful way, and I thought Dimitri's suggestions were both clearly rooted in sound experience, yet still often original and creative. I liked this process, and I like its outcome.
 
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There many good blade makers atm. and all you private non commercial guys are doing an awesome job! High five to you!
A guy to notice is Siam Ping Pong from Thailand. He is very passioned in his work and the blades looks very astonishing.
 
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says Hi In first i want to thank you for your interest...
says Hi In first i want to thank you for your interest...
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Siam looks good . i like the designs and looks of the blades he is making .... anyway ... from my humble opinion do not go for Ross Leidy if you want to use it .... it is more like art. You dont want to destroy it in real life, you will cry when you hit on the edge .
Me personally i do not like the Vodak compositions and feel of his blades ,but other players like them ... but craftsmanship is on high standard.
 
says I would recommend all wood. Samsonov Alpha sgs is the...
says I would recommend all wood. Samsonov Alpha sgs is the...
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Yogi, osp dont make custom blades. They just make blades
 
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
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Yogi, osp dont make custom blades. They just make blades

This is actually not true. They will make you a custom blade. You just need to contact them first. And to do that, you need to know how to contact them.

I will add photos of a custom blade from OSP in a few minutes.

However, one detail that is important: if you want an all wood blade that is custom made, there are a lot of good sources. If you want a composite blade that is custom made instead, I honestly would not choose OSP and I am not sure Ross Leidy even makes them at all.

I do like what bobpuls said about Ross Leidy. It made me laugh.

Blades by Charlie makes pretty good hand crafted composite blades. I have felt a few he made for Rocky Wang and they felt pretty darn amazing. They were composite blades that I felt I could play with and be happy. Which is not usually how I feel about composite blades.

But, I am also not sure there are any top quality custom blade makers who make really good ALC blades. Charlie's may have been. They felt like it. But I did not find out the materials in the blades Rocky had from Charlie because Rocky was uncertain.

All I can say is, the three I tried all felt better than any commercial composite blades I have tried. Much better. Much, much better. But they didn't look like anything special. They just played amazing. :)
 
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
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Custom OSP blade:

841e938b0955792527fff456a668e039.jpg


e076ce0bdf2ed0ce2a8f4b087f947ae6.jpg


61fa86603876b0320f487b78f49aad02.jpg


The blade is:

Limba-Spruce-Ayous-Spruce-Limba

42&backpains also has a custom blade from OSP where they made a faximils of an old Clipper Oversize which Stiga no longer makes.


Sent from The Subterranean Workshop by Telepathy
 
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