Thread: Why are Damascus steel razors so expensive?

Actually how a craftsman values his work has a lot to do with the price.

In the dark ages the art of Damascus blade forging was lost to the west because no one could afford it anymore. Even Kings at the time couldn't afford one blade for themselves let alone to outfit their men. The only peoples that could still make such blades at the time were the vikings and the Japanese.

When the gun came into being armourers could make armours that could withstand rounds fired from a gun, but very few were ever made cuz even Kings from the superpowers at the time had trouble paying the bills for such armour

I feel your economic reasoning is a little to modern, more for mass produced goods that can be made by anyone anywhere. Many blade smiths spend years at the forge before they have the skill to forge weld with enough proficiency to keep from burning the metal or getting slag inclusions in the billet. And out of all of those smiths, even less will have the patients for the work. When you are dealing with a skilled craftsmen you pay what he asks for or you don't get it. If you want to only pay for half of what he is asking then that is what you will get, half of the smiths effort, or you go to wal-mart and pay even less and have it fall apart as you take it out of the box. If no one wants to pay for a smith's best work he is not going to pander to the masses and offer his best for less, he will just offer what you are willing to pay. If a smith pandered to the masses then blacksmiths and ornamental iron workers would still be main stream. the fact that they are not should tell you they are not willing to do the work for any less then what they feel their work is worth.