Attention 2019 Forum Knife : Poll - Smooth Wood

[DelOro]

Senior Bocote No Good

If Ironwood is wrong? I don't want to be right!

- Del

 

[Prester John]

Interesting to see how the votes have tallied out since I've been away for the weekend. When I left, Blackwood and Bloodwood were neck and neck with Ironwood being a distant third. I return and Bloodwood is barely even a memory and Ironwood has had an epic surge...

(sigh....)

A couple of thoughts regarding Ironwood:

I am fond of Ironwood and have several pieces of it. It is a beautiful hard wood with the potential to have some very striking grain and varied character. Even when it darkens with use and age, it still maintains some level of chatoyance and the grain is still rather notable yet subtle.

That said... It is VERY popular right now (for good reason) so making the claim that Desert Ironwood will make our forum knife more special than Blackwood is rather laughable (and I say that with all due respect). I suspect there will be quite a number of folks who will be disappointed with their Ironwood knives. It is akin to Stag in its variety. Some will be happy, many will not.

When it comes to African Blackwood, showing me blocks of it and expecting me to be bored is very amusing. I am rather fond of black in general so where one might see only emptiness, I see untold depths. Plus... Black goes with everything (I learned that as a lad). African Blackwood is a stunning wood, a classic material that is used for many special things. It is far from "ordinary". Those who say that Ebony and the like are in regular use by GEC would be correct but how often do you get a special blackwood with a fancy shield? Not particularly often. I have a lot of Ebony knives with the dreaded hotdog shield...

So, my vote remains firmly with African Blackwood and though I will be happy with whatever the majority decides, I will certainly be left wondering at what could have been.

Also, those of you seeking to kill the vote before it has run its course, you must be a real peach when elections really matter.

Go, Black!

 

[Modoc ED]

Why can't Mike modify the schedule? Now you are asking him to change it again.

Never mind.

I will run the polls with the least amount of possible contention. This requires that the poll will not close before the latest published close date.

That is the current schedule - so changing it now would not be sticking to it; so since I will disappoint you either way I will take your advice and stick to the schedule.

I didn't realize that the poll dates had been shifted. Didn't see it for some reason. So, let's keep keeping on.

 

[Stumpy72]

I will run the polls with the least amount of possible contention........

IMO you deserve a BF Medal of Honor and a BF Academy Award for the amount of work and the amount of patience that have gone into running this show. If I ever tried to do what you’ve done and put up with what you’ve put up with thus far (and it’s nowhere near over yet), I would’ve died of the combination of a massive stroke and total cardiac arrest by now.

 

[H2O2HI]

IMO you deserve a BF Medal of Honor and a BF Academy Award for the amount of work and the amount of patience that have gone into running this show. If I ever tried to do what you’ve done and put up with what you’ve put up with thus far (and it’s nowhere near over yet), I would’ve died of the combination of a massive stroke and total cardiac arrest by now.

Poor Mike. Along with the massive stroke and cardiac arrest he surely will suffer brain damage!

 

[MCar]

Interesting to see how the votes have tallied out since I've been away for the weekend. When I left, Blackwood and Bloodwood were neck and neck with Ironwood being a distant third. I return and Bloodwood is barely even a memory and Ironwood has had an epic surge...

(sigh....)

A couple of thoughts regarding Ironwood:

I am fond of Ironwood and have several pieces of it. It is a beautiful hard wood with the potential to have some very striking grain and varied character. Even when it darkens with use and age, it still maintains some level of chatoyance and the grain is still rather notable yet subtle.

That said... It is VERY popular right now (for good reason) so making the claim that Desert Ironwood will make our forum knife more special than Blackwood is rather laughable (and I say that with all due respect). I suspect there will be quite a number of folks who will be disappointed with their Ironwood knives. It is akin to Stag in its variety. Some will be happy, many will not.

When it comes to African Blackwood, showing me blocks of it and expecting me to be bored is very amusing. I am rather fond of black in general so where one might see only emptiness, I see untold depths. Plus... Black goes with everything (I learned that as a lad). African Blackwood is a stunning wood, a classic material that is used for many special things. It is far from "ordinary". Those who say that Ebony and the like are in regular use by GEC would be correct but how often do you get a special blackwood with a fancy shield? Not particularly often. I have a lot of Ebony knives with the dreaded hotdog shield...

So, my vote remains firmly with African Blackwood and though I will be happy with whatever the majority decides, I will certainly be left wondering at what could have been.

Also, those of you seeking to kill the vote before it has run its course, you must be a real peach when elections really matter.

Everything said here, Pàdruig , is SPOT ON.

 

[cigarrodog]

Interesting to see how the votes have tallied out since I've been away for the weekend. When I left, Blackwood and Bloodwood were neck and neck with Ironwood being a distant third. I return and Bloodwood is barely even a memory and Ironwood has had an epic surge...

(sigh....)

A couple of thoughts regarding Ironwood:

I am fond of Ironwood and have several pieces of it. It is a beautiful hard wood with the potential to have some very striking grain and varied character. Even when it darkens with use and age, it still maintains some level of chatoyance and the grain is still rather notable yet subtle.

That said... It is VERY popular right now (for good reason) so making the claim that Desert Ironwood will make our forum knife more special than Blackwood is rather laughable (and I say that with all due respect). I suspect there will be quite a number of folks who will be disappointed with their Ironwood knives. It is akin to Stag in its variety. Some will be happy, many will not.

When it comes to African Blackwood, showing me blocks of it and expecting me to be bored is very amusing. I am rather fond of black in general so where one might see only emptiness, I see untold depths. Plus... Black goes with everything (I learned that as a lad). African Blackwood is a stunning wood, a classic material that is used for many special things. It is far from "ordinary". Those who say that Ebony and the like are in regular use by GEC would be correct but how often do you get a special blackwood with a fancy shield? Not particularly often. I have a lot of Ebony knives with the dreaded hotdog shield...

So, my vote remains firmly with African Blackwood and though I will be happy with whatever the majority decides, I will certainly be left wondering at what could have been.

Also, those of you seeking to kill the vote before it has run its course, you must be a real peach when elections really matter.

You said it better than any one else.

 

[Pàdruig]

Here are some examples of Ironwood that I have in my possession.

First up is a GEC 54 Big Jack. Note how much the Ironwood has darkened with use. This is also me getting the best angle/lighting to make what was left of the color to pop.

Next up is a minty fresh 77 from the most recent run. Note its rather ordinary appearance. Now, I like it but I don't fool myself into thinking that it is a particularly flashy piece. Beside it is a 78 with what I would consider decent figure to the grain, a nice piece.

Next up are a couple of Lambs that I got recently. Note the rather dramatic burl-like effect.

My point with this post is to show that yes, Ironwood has great potential to be an amazingly stunning wood but it is still a gamble and if you plan on using the knife, all that dramatic flair gets muted significantly.

 

[summey1963]

Sorry but I have to chime in ,being a painter in my youth its wood so if you receive a bad example of any of the wood options could you stain it black? Not being advantageous or anything just curious. Everything looks great to me ,so if you want Blackwood you can sand and stain any wood option being offered but you can't reverse it?

 

[mitch4ging]

Interesting to see how the votes have tallied out since I've been away for the weekend. When I left, Blackwood and Bloodwood were neck and neck with Ironwood being a distant third. I return and Bloodwood is barely even a memory and Ironwood has had an epic surge...

(sigh....)

A couple of thoughts regarding Ironwood:

I am fond of Ironwood and have several pieces of it. It is a beautiful hard wood with the potential to have some very striking grain and varied character. Even when it darkens with use and age, it still maintains some level of chatoyance and the grain is still rather notable yet subtle.

That said... It is VERY popular right now (for good reason) so making the claim that Desert Ironwood will make our forum knife more special than Blackwood is rather laughable (and I say that with all due respect). I suspect there will be quite a number of folks who will be disappointed with their Ironwood knives. It is akin to Stag in its variety. Some will be happy, many will not.

When it comes to African Blackwood, showing me blocks of it and expecting me to be bored is very amusing. I am rather fond of black in general so where one might see only emptiness, I see untold depths. Plus... Black goes with everything (I learned that as a lad). African Blackwood is a stunning wood, a classic material that is used for many special things. It is far from "ordinary". Those who say that Ebony and the like are in regular use by GEC would be correct but how often do you get a special blackwood with a fancy shield? Not particularly often. I have a lot of Ebony knives with the dreaded hotdog shield...

So, my vote remains firmly with African Blackwood and though I will be happy with whatever the majority decides, I will certainly be left wondering at what could have been.

Also, those of you seeking to kill the vote before it has run its course, you must be a real peach when elections really matter.

Dylan, brother, I must bring forth this line of thought... Although I understand and respect your point of view, going with Blackwood is more likened to driving you car down a country road at night... 1) It's dangerous! 2) There's no color to enjoy...just dark, black, colorless, no character death! But Ironwood has 1) Flavor, 2) Charisma, 3) Character!. So with this, I must say, sorry for your loss! He put up a good gunfight!

Of course this is all in good nature, variety is the spice of life, and either will be wonderful choices! (but ironwood rules!)

 

[Pàdruig]

On the other hand...

Black is sophisticated, suave, the embodiment of class, mystery, and soul wrenching depths.

It goes with EVERYTHING.

Yes, even Yellow...

There is nothing "ordinary" about black clad knives. 'Tis the unchanging embodiment of dependability, class, and elegance.

 

[mitch4ging]

On the other hand...

Black is sophisticated, suave, the embodiment of class, mystery, and soul wrenching depths.

It goes with EVERYTHING.

Yes, even Yellow...

There is nothing "ordinary" about black clad knives. 'Tis the unchanging embodiment of dependability, class, and elegance.

Yes, perhaps.
But everyone knows the the Black Spy was the bad guy / choice!

 

[cigarrodog]

Yes, perhaps.
But everyone knows the the Black Spy was the bad guy / choice!
View attachment 1089389

 

[Stumpy72]

Poor Mike. Along with the massive stroke and cardiac arrest he surely will suffer brain damage!

I doubt he’ll fall prey to any of it. He’s clearly made of sturdier stuff than me.

 

[Buzzbait]

James Bond never wore an orange and brown striped tuxedo. Black is classic.

 

[cigarrodog]

It wasn’t called Men in Ironwood.

 

[Rookie82]

I must admit I'm happy that my top 2 choices are both in the lead. Ironwood is a good backup plan for me, but that Blackwood has my vote all the way. Look at how nice those knives look that Pàdruig posted!

 

[ty_higg]

After seeing ironwood getting some love I switched over from bloodwood since its probably my favorite wood for any knife handle. I would be thrilled though with either of the top two choices. African Blackwood is classic and beautiful in its own right, I just personally prefer ironwood whether its heavily figured or not.

 

[Ernie1980]

I am still holding out for a surge again by bloodwood! Ironwood is a great second choice though.

 

[JOELSM]

Ebony lovers need to convert to AB!