There are two reasons to be sensitive to chargeable versus non-chargeable options. First, a non-chargeable option incurs no additional cost, at least when ordering from a source that charges catalog price. Second, and perhaps most importantly, a non-chargeable option does not count toward the current limit of five chargeable options. The most common non-chargeable options are as follows:
A commonly-overlooked chargeable option is an alternate color for the spacers, specifically when metal—RMK-supplied brass or aluminum, or sterling silver sourced from Doug Cream—is one of them. The 2011 catalog price for this (non-catalog) chargeable option is $15.
The only exception to the chargeable versus non-chargeable policy with regard to options is when specifying that the knife is to be Scrimshawed, which is done by Rick Bowles, who has been the only authorized Scrimshaw artist for RMK, and who has done so for over 30 years. While specifying that the knife is to be Scrimshawed does not count toward the limit of five chargeable options, there is, of course, a charge for the Scrimshaw, and this charge will vary based on the complexity and other characteristics of the actual design that is to be Scrimshawed onto the knife.