diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/CategoriesController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/CategoriesController.php
index f1ccb10668..1dbe7488fa 100755
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/CategoriesController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/CategoriesController.php
@@ -71,9 +71,7 @@ class CategoriesController extends Controller
      */
     public function store(ImageUploadRequest $request)
     {
-        // create a new model instance
         $category = new Category();
-        // Update the category data
         $category->name                 = $request->input('name');
         $category->category_type        = $request->input('category_type');
         $category->eula_text            = $request->input('eula_text');
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/CustomFieldsController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/CustomFieldsController.php
index bb2f4fa0cd..790b06d39c 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/CustomFieldsController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/CustomFieldsController.php
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 <?php
 namespace App\Http\Controllers;
 
+use App\Http\Requests\CustomFieldRequest;
 use View;
 use App\Models\CustomFieldset;
 use App\Models\CustomField;
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@ class CustomFieldsController extends Controller
     * @since [v1.8]
     * @return Redirect
     */
-    public function store(Request $request)
+    public function store(CustomFieldRequest $request)
     {
         $field = new CustomField([
             "name" => $request->get("name"),
@@ -81,27 +82,19 @@ class CustomFieldsController extends Controller
         ]);
 
 
-
         if (!in_array(Input::get('format'), array_keys(CustomField::$PredefinedFormats))) {
             $field->format = e($request->get("custom_format"));
         } else {
             $field->format = e($request->get("format"));
         }
 
-
-        $validator = Validator::make(Input::all(), $field->rules);
-
-        if ($validator->passes()) {
-            $results = $field->save();
-            if ($results) {
-                return redirect()->route("fields.index")->with("success", trans('admin/custom_fields/message.field.create.success'));
-            } else {
-                dd($field);
-                return redirect()->back()->withInput()->with('error', trans('admin/custom_fields/message.field.create.error'));
-            }
+        if ($field->save()) {
+            return redirect()->route("fields.index")->with("success", trans('admin/custom_fields/message.field.create.success'));
         } else {
-            return redirect()->back()->withInput()->withErrors($validator);
+           // dd($field);
+            return redirect()->back()->withInput()->with('error', trans('admin/custom_fields/message.field.create.error'));
         }
+
     }
 
 
@@ -169,7 +162,7 @@ class CustomFieldsController extends Controller
     * @since [v4.0]
     * @return Redirect
     */
-    public function update(Request $request, $id)
+    public function update(CustomFieldRequest $request, $id)
     {
         $field =  CustomField::find($id);
 
@@ -186,13 +179,12 @@ class CustomFieldsController extends Controller
             $field->format = e($request->get("format"));
         }
 
-        $validator = Validator::make(Input::all(), $field->rules);
 
         if ($field->save()) {
            return redirect()->route("fields.index")->with("success", trans('admin/custom_fields/message.field.update.success'));
         }
 
-       return redirect()->back()->withInput()->withErrors($validator);
+        return redirect()->back()->withInput()->with('error', trans('admin/custom_fields/message.field.update.error'));
     }
 
 
diff --git a/app/Http/Requests/CustomFieldRequest.php b/app/Http/Requests/CustomFieldRequest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f1f09e40db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Http/Requests/CustomFieldRequest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Http\Requests;
+
+use Illuminate\Foundation\Http\FormRequest;
+
+class CustomFieldRequest extends FormRequest
+{
+    /**
+     * Determine if the user is authorized to make this request.
+     *
+     * @return bool
+     */
+    public function authorize()
+    {
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get the validation rules that apply to the request.
+     *
+     * @return array
+     */
+    public function rules()
+    {
+        return  [
+            "name" => "required|unique:custom_fields",
+            "custom_format" => "valid_regex",
+        ];
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Models/CustomField.php b/app/Models/CustomField.php
index c0ddba3cc9..696b0454b5 100644
--- a/app/Models/CustomField.php
+++ b/app/Models/CustomField.php
@@ -25,10 +25,13 @@ class CustomField extends Model
     ];
 
     public $rules = [
-      "name" => "required|unique:custom_fields"
+        "name" => "required|unique:custom_fields"
     ];
 
-    public static $table_name="assets";
+    // This is confusing, since it's actually the custom fields table that
+    // we're usually modifying, but since we alter the assets table, we have to
+    // say that here
+    public static $table_name = "assets";
 
     public static function name_to_db_name($name)
     {
@@ -39,7 +42,6 @@ class CustomField extends Model
     {
         self::created(function ($custom_field) {
 
-
             // column exists - nothing to do here
             if (Schema::hasColumn(CustomField::$table_name, $custom_field->convertUnicodeDbSlug())) {
                 return false;
@@ -62,14 +64,17 @@ class CustomField extends Model
                     return true;
                 }
 
+                // This is just a dumb thing we have to include because Laraval/Doctrine doesn't
+                // play well with enums or a table that EVER had enums. :(
                 $platform = Schema::getConnection()->getDoctrineSchemaManager()->getDatabasePlatform();
                 $platform->registerDoctrineTypeMapping('enum', 'string');
-                
+
+                // Rename the field if the name has changed
                 Schema::table(CustomField::$table_name, function ($table) use ($custom_field) {
                     $table->renameColumn($custom_field->convertUnicodeDbSlug($custom_field->getOriginal("name")), $custom_field->convertUnicodeDbSlug());
                 });
 
-
+                // Save the updated column name to the custom fields table
                 $custom_field->db_column = $custom_field->convertUnicodeDbSlug();
                 $custom_field->save();
 
@@ -78,6 +83,8 @@ class CustomField extends Model
             return true;
         });
 
+
+        // Drop the assets column if we've deleted it from custom fields
         self::deleting(function ($custom_field) {
             return Schema::table(CustomField::$table_name, function ($table) use ($custom_field) {
                 $table->dropColumn($custom_field->convertUnicodeDbSlug());
diff --git a/app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php b/app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php
index a3184e72bc..d3527ee7ea 100644
--- a/app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php
+++ b/app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php
@@ -75,6 +75,41 @@ class AppServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
 
         });
 
+
+        // Yo dawg. I heard you like validators.
+        // This validates the custom validator regex in custom fields.
+        // We're just checking that the regex won't throw an exception, not
+        // that it's actually correct for what the user intended.
+
+        Validator::extend('valid_regex', function ($attribute, $value, $parameters, $validator) {
+
+            // Make sure it's not just an ANY format
+            if ($value!='') {
+
+               //  Check that the string starts with regex:
+                if (strpos($value, 'regex:') === FALSE) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                $test_string = 'My hovercraft is full of eels';
+
+                // We have to stip out the regex: part here to check with preg_match
+                $test_pattern = str_replace('regex:','', $value);
+
+                try {
+                    preg_match($test_pattern, $test_string, $matches);
+                    return true;
+                } catch (\Exception $e) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+            }
+            return true;
+
+        });
+
+
+
         // Share common setting variables with all views.
         view()->composer('*', function ($view) {
             $view->with('snipeSettings', \App\Models\Setting::getSettings());
diff --git a/resources/lang/en/admin/custom_fields/general.php b/resources/lang/en/admin/custom_fields/general.php
index f2e6df90cb..564a9617d9 100644
--- a/resources/lang/en/admin/custom_fields/general.php
+++ b/resources/lang/en/admin/custom_fields/general.php
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ return array(
     'field'		                => 'Field',
     'about_fieldsets_title'		=> 'About Fieldsets',
     'about_fieldsets_text'		=> 'Fieldsets allow you to create groups of custom fields that are frequently re-used used for specific asset model types.',
-    'custom_format'             => 'Custom format...',
+    'custom_format'             => 'Custom regex format...',
     'encrypt_field'      	        => 'Encrypt the value of this field in the database',
     'encrypt_field_help'      => 'WARNING: Encrypting a field makes it unsearchable.',
     'encrypted'      	        => 'Encrypted',
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ return array(
     'field_element'           => 'Form Element',
     'field_element_short'     => 'Element',
     'field_format'            => 'Format',
-    'field_custom_format'     => 'Custom Format',
+    'field_custom_format'     => 'Custom Regex Format',
+    'field_custom_format_help'     => 'This field allows you to use a regex expression for validation. It should start with "regex:" - for example, to validate that a custom field value contains a valid IMEI (15 numeric digits), you would use <code>regex:/^[0-9]{15}$/</code>.',
     'required'   		          => 'Required',
     'req'   		              => 'Req.',
     'used_by_models'   		    => 'Used By Models',
diff --git a/resources/lang/en/validation.php b/resources/lang/en/validation.php
index ee4ecbda4c..23116776e3 100644
--- a/resources/lang/en/validation.php
+++ b/resources/lang/en/validation.php
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ return array(
     'not_in'               => 'The selected :attribute is invalid.',
     'numeric'              => 'The :attribute must be a number.',
     'present'              => 'The :attribute field must be present.',
+    'valid_regex'          => 'That is not a valid regex. ',
     'regex'                => 'The :attribute format is invalid.',
     'required'             => 'The :attribute field is required.',
     'required_if'          => 'The :attribute field is required when :other is :value.',
diff --git a/resources/views/custom_fields/fields/edit.blade.php b/resources/views/custom_fields/fields/edit.blade.php
index 2709aaf9a6..918545de7f 100644
--- a/resources/views/custom_fields/fields/edit.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/custom_fields/fields/edit.blade.php
@@ -82,7 +82,9 @@
               {{ trans('admin/custom_fields/general.field_custom_format') }}
             </label>
             <div class="col-md-6 required">
-                {{ Form::text('custom_format', Input::old('custom_format', $field->custom_format), array('class' => 'form-control', 'id' => 'custom_format')) }}
+                {{ Form::text('custom_format', Input::old('custom_format', $field->format), array('class' => 'form-control', 'id' => 'custom_format', 'placeholder'=>'regex:/^[0-9]{15}$/')) }}
+                <p class="help-block">{!! trans('admin/custom_fields/general.field_custom_format_help') !!}</p>
+
               {!! $errors->first('custom_format', '<span class="alert-msg"><i class="fa fa-times"></i> :message</span>') !!}
             </div>
           </div>
@@ -102,7 +104,7 @@
 
       @if (!$field->id)
           <!-- Encrypted  -->
-          <div class="form-group {{ $errors->has('custom_format') ? ' has-error' : '' }}">
+          <div class="form-group {{ $errors->has('encrypted') ? ' has-error' : '' }}">
             <div class="col-md-8 col-md-offset-4">
               <label for="field_encrypted">
                 <input type="checkbox" value="1" name="field_encrypted" id="field_encrypted" class="minimal"{{ (Input::old('field_encrypted') || $field->field_encrypted) ? ' checked="checked"' : '' }}>
@@ -137,6 +139,14 @@
 <script nonce="{{ csrf_token() }}">
     $(document).ready(function(){
 
+        // Initialize selected index of the format dropdown
+        // If the custom_regex is ever NOT the last element in the format
+        // listbox, we will need to refactor this.
+        if ($('#custom_format').val()!='') {
+            $('.format').prop('selectedIndex', $('.format')[0].options.length - 1);
+        }
+
+
         // Only display the custom format field if it's a custom format validation type
         $(".format").change(function(){
             $(this).find("option:selected").each(function(){