2011 BladeForums Best Bowie - Here are your finalists - let the voting begin!

[RogerP]

Hearty congrats again to all the nominees, and to this fine group of knives in particular. Very interesting to see what captures your votes from year to year.

For future reference, the nomination thread can be found here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...2011-Edition-Voting-CLOSED-Finalists-Selected

The poll is set to close automatically in two days - so don't take too long pondering your choice. Good luck to all!

While the cumulative votes will be displayed in real-time in the poll, as always, it would be interesting for all if each person casting a vote would indicate in this thread which knife they chose and why. Not mandatory, it just adds to the fun.

Here are your finalists in alphabetical order:

1. Russ Andrews - Stag Subhilt Bowie

2. Adam DesRosiers - Damascus Integral Bowie

3. Don Hanson III - Ladder Damascus Bowie

4. Jason Knight Founder's Bowie Series (Paranee)

5. Nick Wheeler Fighter Series (Paranee)

6. John White Legacy #3 Dogbone D-Guard Bowie

7. Gerhard Wieland - Stag / Bronze Bowie

 

[Marcel54]

I voted for John White and his D-guard Bowie. I'm a great fan of John's work and his Legacy Series is his best work to date. I'm a great lover of "art knives" and this one is the best in this bunch. It also won the Best Bowie Award at Blade 2011, that's an other reason why it should win. Besides it is time that Roger has a winner in his collection

Marcel

 

[John M Cohea]

I really like them all, but I voted for John's D Guard.Why?Because this knife for some reason just does it for me, and If I could have my choice of these knives to own,this would be the one!

 

[Don Hanson III]

Very humbling! Thanks guys!

 

[Don Hanson III]

I Had to vote for #7. I don't know Gerhard and have only recently noticed his work here.

But man, that knife Really speaks to me!

 

[Steve Nuckels]

As John said "I really like them all" Great year for the Custom Bowie, all the nominees and finalist's were worthy.

My choice 1. Russ Andrews - Stag Subhilt Bowie
To me it has everything desirable in a highly collectable Art Knife, and everything I like in a using knife.

Steve
---------
Potomac Forge
ABS Apprentice

 

[RogerP]

It will shock no-one that I voted for the John White Dogbone D-Guard - heck, it's my knife.

But quite apart from overwhelming personal bias the piece has a lot to recommend. Its complex construction - flawlessly executed, speaks to the skill of the maker. It offers a unique combination of classic Bowie design elements (Dogbone handle and D-guard). The damascus pattern is beautiful and tightly controlled. It is part of a special series by a talented maker. It lives at my house.

The finalist field is chock full of entries I would love to own. I count myself fortunate to have one of the Wheelers and wish that the timing had worked out for me to add one of the Knights. Gerhard's piece is extremely impressive (great lines, terrific blend of materials, and just look at that hamon!) - as is his entire body of work. The Hanson is representative of Don's consistent awesomeness - I just love the low-layer open ladder here. High visual impact. But if someone said I could pick a knife from any of the remaining finalists and make it my own, I'd grab the Andrews subhilt. As long as I didn't have to actually wrestle Peter for it.

Roger

 

[JParanee]

Wow ! I am so pumped just to be involved with 2 knives that made it to the finals.

All are fantastic to say the least.

I have a different way of looking at knives . I reduce them in my mind to a line drawing and which ever knife stands out to me is the one I choose.

Neither the Knight or the Wheeler where conceived to be pretty,there proportions and geometry where meant to facilitate performance

That two knives like this made it this far shows some on here do like relatively plain performance blades

Again all of these knives are fantastic and I would be honored to own any.

When it comes down between the Knight and the Wheeler my Wheeler gets used more because of its size but the Knight is more Bowie sized I guess you would say.

If I where going to get dropped off on a sand bar in Alaska or dumped in Afganistan and I had to pick one of these knives I would take the Knight . With its massive spine thickness and radical distal taper I know it would do any job I asked it to do and beg for more

Congrats to all the finalists you all deserve to win

HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

[MT Damascus]

My vote went to Adam, all are great knives.

 

[Kevin Jones]

All great Bowies as usual.
Figured I would supply my thoughts on the finalist and reasoning behind my Best Bowie of 2011 selection. Even though this contest is meant for fun, I feel our knifemakers take this pretty serious and really see winning as quite the honor. So I like to take it serious as well.

I would like to thank Roger for putting this together every year as it takes considerable effort. It’s become a much enjoyed event to fill time as many take off from work between Xmas and New Year’s.

Russ Andrews – Stag Subhilt Bowie
An extraordinary example of an exceptional custom knife in every way. My choice for the “Best Bowie of 2011”. I not only weight overall visual appeal, execution, design, materials but complexity/degree of difficulty as well. I feel Russ’s piece scores the highest among these categories.

Adam DesRosiers – Damascus / Ivory Integral Bowie
A truly fine piece, but I’m just not into Integral Bowies that much which influenced my decision.

Don Hanson III – Ladder Damascus Bowie
No doubt this piece is typical of Don Hanson greatness in style, execution and material selection, however up against really strong competition and not my selection for “Best of 2011”. Even though I would love to own this beautiful piece.

Jason Knight Founder's Bowie (Paranee)
Extremely nice and ergonomically pleasing, but a fairly typical, Jason Knight piece IMO. Not seeing it as his most substantial work or the “Best Bowie of 2011”.

Nick Wheeler Fighter (Paranee)
Again, a very fine, but a fairly typical Nick Wheeler piece IMO. Not seeing it as his most substantial work or the “Best Bowie of 2011”.

John White Legacy 3 Dogbone D-Guard Bowie
An extraordinary custom Bowie demonstrating John White’s incredible skills and fine Joe Mason engraving and inlay, however Dog Bone style handles are not my favorite. I can definitely see this piece winning.

Gerhard Wieland Stag / Bronze Bowie
A Truly Great Bowie, with incredible design, execution and material selection. The “Sleeper” of 2011 IMO. This was my #2 choice for Best of 2011”, however could very well win.

 

[D lisch]

These are all very fine knives each one special in it's own way but I had to cast my vote for #6 John's dog bone D guard as a maker I see this as the hardest knife to build in the group and the level at witch john pulled it off well it gets my vote. May all are hands be filled with many fine bowies in the new Year a year I will be calling the year of the Big Bad Blades

 

[Michael Starr]

Anyone else notice that 6 of the 7 knives were photographed by the same man.
Speaks volumes of the quality of his work - taking nothing away from the knives themselves.

Rock on, Mr. Cooper!!!

That said - Russ got my vote!

 

[HikingMano]

I don't know much about the technical aspects of bowie design and construction, so the following is just based on what blades spoke to me aesthetically while looking like they'd be great users.

I had a difficult time choosing amongst the Knight Founder's Bowie Series, Nick Wheeler Fighter Series, and Gerhard Wieland's Stag / Bronze Bowie. I ultimately chose the Wieland. That knife is breathtaking while still undoubtedly functional. The lines are crisp yet flow, the hamon is spectacular, and the design and construction in the guard area looks superb, and the knife just seems well proportioned. The Knight Bowie came in second for me. A solid, clean, minimal, great looking knife that really looks like a good all around performer as well.

 

[stickfigureforge]

Well, I chose John White's dogbone bowie. That being said, however, I'm kind of disappointed that that Burt Foster laminate didn't make it. Sigh...so it goes. They're all beautiful knives, especially Mr. White's. I have a bit of a soft spot for the D-guards, and an even softer spot for exquisitely executed dogbone handles.

 

[Grapevine]

I voted Gerhard's. It's hard for me to articulate why that over the others since they all are extraordinary pieces and I wouldn't be able to find any faults with any of them. It came down to my thinking that if a benefactor were to tell me that I could have any one of these bowies for free, provided that I keep it for the rest of my life and not resell/trade it, which would I take? The Weiland appealed to me the most regardless of whatever technical merits the others may have over it. The flowing lines, the intricate guard without being over the top ornate, the hamon that looks like a picture of clouds backlit by the sun, the sense that if I were to use it and get marks on it that it would lose less of its appeal than the others would getting user marks on them yet be able to stand with the others as safe queens in its pristine form versus their pristine form, all those things draw me to it.

The other thing that probably made it stand out to me is that it's quite different than the others. The others are all beautiful pieces, but through the years with all the great bowies that have appeared in this forum, they start to blend in. Gerhard's doesn't really follow the many typical bowie profile, yet is unmistakably in the bowie realm.

 

[Kevin Jones]

Anyone else notice that 6 of the 7 knives were photographed by the same man.
Speaks volumes of the quality of his work - taking nothing away from the knives themselves.

Rock on, Mr. Cooper!!!

That said - Russ got my vote!

Good point Michael.
Kind of makes me wonder if the Gerhard Wieland beauty had been presented in a Coop image if it would have run away from the others in the voting by now.
Let's face it, Gerhard's photo isn't bad but he certainly doesn't depict the piece as favorable as Coop would have.
Coop is a master at drawing the most out of a subject.

 

[peterinct]

MANY thanks to Roger and everyone helping with the contest. It is a lot of fun and the knives this year are incredible.

CONGRATS to those that have shown their knives and to the makers that created them.

My vote goes to John White's "D" Guard with Joe Mason's engraving.

The decision was made purely from aesthetics from viewing pictures, as I have not had the pleasure of handling ANY of them.

That being said, there are NONE that I would not be happy to own!

HAPPY New Year everyone!

Peter

 

[Lorien]

I didn't choose any of these knives as my final 7, and not because I thought they weren't worthy.
Dave Lisch's ball end S guard was my favourite knife in this thread.

Gerard Wieland's work is so special and so out of the box. It exudes history, without being a copy of anything in particular which came before.

 

[Calhoon]

I went for Russ Andrew's Stag Sub Hilt Bowie. It's kind of crazy I did because I am not a strong stag guy or a strong sub hilt guy but Russ knocked this knife out of the park! Killed it! The details are superlative the colorations sublime. The blade profile subtle and masterly. From the first time I laid eyes on this knife I fell in love!

 

[Calhoon]

Anyone else notice that 6 of the 7 knives were photographed by the same man.
Speaks volumes of the quality of his work - taking nothing away from the knives themselves.

Rock on, Mr. Cooper!!!

That said - Russ got my vote!

Totally... major props go out to Coop! and once again thank you Roger and Lorien and Happy New Year to all!