Poor Quality, made in China and Pakistan
To put it bluntly: within the knife and enthusiast community, Impact Cutlery is generally not considered a reputable, high-end custom knife maker.
While they are a legitimate registered business in the UK that will ship you an actual physical product, there is a massive gap between how they market themselves and what you actually get.
Here is what you need to know before buying from them:
1. The "Custom Made" Illusion
Impact Cutlery markets their blades as "100% hand-made custom knives" and "rare custom" pieces. However, community consensus and analysis of their stock indicate that they are primarily mass-produced import blades (typically sourced from large-scale manufacturing hubs in Pakistan or China). The operator acts as an importer/marketer rather than an independent blacksmith forging bespoke steel in a workshop.
2. Issues with Edge and Performance
A very common complaint among buyers who try to use these knives for actual work (like camping, hunting, or cooking) is that they often arrive completely dull. On knife enthusiast forums like Reddit's r/knifeclub, multiple buyers have noted that the blades have no apex or proper edge geometry right out of the box, requiring extensive sharpening just to cut basic paper.
3. Steel Quality Concerns
They heavily feature "Damascus" and "D2" steel in their listings. While the metal looks flashy and patterns well in photos, the heat treatment on these budget-tier mass imports is notoriously inconsistent. This means the steel may be overly soft (won't hold an edge) or overly brittle (prone to chipping or snapping under hard use).
4. Overpriced Pricing Strategy
They frequently use "auction" formatting on eBay or heavily discounted retail pricing to make it look like you are getting a £250 custom Bowie knife for £30 to £60. In reality, that lower price point is closer to the true, budget-tier value of the knife.
So, if you want a cool-looking, heavy fantasy dagger or Bowie knife to display on a shelf, and you get it cheap on an eBay auction or via their site, it will serve that purpose fine. But if you are looking for a reliable tool for survival, hunting, or professional kitchen work, you are much better off spending your money on established, transparent production brands (like Kershaw, Spyderco, ESEE, Civivi, or Victorinox).
My most recent purchase was as a gift for someone who wanted it for wall display only. I ordered the knife on 6th June with an advertised 3 to 5 months lead time. It did not arrive, and I was told on 10th July that it would take at least two more weeks, and today (31st July) I have given them a one week ultimatum, to despatch it, or I will be logging a complaint via PayPal to obtain a full refund. Impact Cutlery provide awful service, using the name "Steve David" to sound British.