Attention 2019 Forum Knife : Poll - Smooth Wood

Smooth Wood

  • African Blackwood

    Votes: 152 41.1%

  • Bocote

    Votes: 6 1.6%

  • Bloodwood

    Votes: 30 8.1%

  • Ebony

    Votes: 6 1.6%

  • Kingwood

    Votes: 2 0.5%

  • Jobillo

    Votes: 5 1.4%

  • Desert Ironwood

    Votes: 149 40.3%

  • Osage Orange

    Votes: 17 4.6%

  • Cocobolo

    Votes: 2 0.5%

  • Che Chen

    Votes: 1 0.3%
  • Total voters
    370
  • Poll closed .
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fishface5 said:
Waverave's help has really been fantastic in this process. It has helped me move from ebony to a brown wood. I think we should chip in to buy him one of the knives that eventually result! I'll lead that charge later
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Thank you for the amazing gesture but this has all been my pleasure I assure you. I just missed out on the forum knife polls last year and am really happy to be more involved this time. This makes it a lot more enjoyable to me and it is nice to get an idea of what it is we are voting for. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
Ode to a Bloodwood

To repeat what I said at an earlier date to my mind
Our knife should cloth in a color to find
in a color chart near the reds, don’t leave it behind

What should we do to obtain a nice vote
Point out the difference between Black and Red
Tell them the truth - mess with their head

Happy Brosimum rubescens, it is so reddish
so sleek so fine a handle not red like a radish
But tint like lips of a springtime movie star
Bloodwood so beautiful, so good, to carry so far

Black knife so dark and gloomy so nice
Easy to scare companions at work cutting cheese
Menace abounds call the cops please!
What will they do with this madman loose?
Throw him in prison for choosing a goose?

Don’t disparage poor innocent hobbyist
for wanting black knife.
He’s a wonderful porch sitter, wanting good life
 
Moved over to the Bloodwood side, Jobillo is very nice so is Osage.

Why did I move? It's the pins/liners being in brass (all production 86s will be brass and the FK is the same) great pity Nickelsilver can't be substituted. The 2011 FK was clad with NS liners/pins whereas production 82s were nearly, if not all, brass. Similarly, 2013 FK was NS liners/pins and subsequent production 13s were brass shod. So, why can't this Forum Knife be offered with NS liners/pins?? It's as soft as brass-cos it's white brass but you don't get green bleed verdigris from it:eek: Because of this, it looks and behaves better on ALL scales in my experience.

A large swell End knife will look better in a colour that shows of its shape, Black.W/Ebony are slab like on big Barehead knives, thus I'll change to Bloodwood or any other lighter colour wood with some characteristics. Blackwoods need steel/NS pins&liners, other woods suit all.:cool:

Momentum!:D
 
I won’t buy GEC’s Desert Ironwood, unless I can see pictures of the knife. It is one of the hardest to get a good one. Often the pics are taken with lighting that really shows off the contrast between the dark and light sections. Then when you get the knife in hand it doesn’t actually look that good, just dark.

Also, GEC has only been offering Ironwood with a brushed finish on the bolsters and shield, which means the wood is not fully polished. To me, this looks unfinished. Ironwood looks best when fully polished. Really all wood looks best polished.
 
Sticking with my first choice... Blackwood
If Ironwood makes a surge and could possibly overtake Bloodwood, I'll switch my vote.
I don't have anything against Bloodwood, I just prefer Ebony, Blackwood, and Ironwood... In that order.
If Bloodwood wins, then so be it. I'll still be a happy camper. :)
 
Ironwood
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Osage
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The rather bland Bloodwood in the middle
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Cocobolo
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Awesome African Blackwood:cool:
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Ebony
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L-R -Chestnut, Cocobolo, Osage
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Bloodwood on the right.
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Kingwood
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No "sinkhole" pins that you hear about on any of these wood knives.:confused:
 
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Travman said:
Also, GEC has only been offering Ironwood with a brushed finish on the bolsters and shield, which means the wood is not fully polished.
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Just goes to show that different people will like different things. I really like the way GEC does their Ironwood with the lack of polish and brushed metal. Gives it a real 'Industrial' look, like it was meant to be used hard and still remain attractive.
 
waverave said:
View attachment 1087799
View attachment 1087800
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Great work, Darren. This all I really need to make my decision. I could be happy with all of these choices shown here. However, I’m switching to Jobillo. It looks great with this knife and we haven’t used it in a few years. There really is no wrong answer here.

I would also like Osage Orange, but have to admit that I prefer it after the knife has aged for at least a year or two and the yellow starts to mellow a little.

TX Traditional said:
Ironwood 100%. Not even close.
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That is a nice one. I would be happy with that one. Polished bolsters :thumbsup:
 
Ramrodmb said:
Hive mentality.:):D:):D:):D:):D:eek: isn't that what you usually say?:p
I thought sure you were an Osage man!
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Ha ha! :thumbsup: Hive Mind/Groupthink only applies to those who have a particular angst about being on the winning side whatever the situation:p In this case, I don't really care which wins between Bloodwood, Osage, or Jobillo:cool: they're all good and all eminently more suitable than, you can have any colour you like provided it's black....;)

Anyway, hives are good when they make honey, otherwise.....:poop:
 
Really happy to see bloodwood on here - we haven't had a bloodwood knife in a while and it is exceptional on knives. Has that chatoyance that ironwood has.

Jody744 said:
I did not vote, I am sure it will turn out fine as all the others have. Kudos to Mike for undertaking this task! I have one question though? What is the difference in Ebony and African Blackwood? I LOVE my Ebony knives!
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African blackwood is definitely darker, smoother, and more uniform than Gabon Ebony. I'd be happy with blackwood, too, or jobillo, but bloodwood is friggin great. I love ironwood, but I don't love brushed bolsters. I always end up polishing them, and the knives look better for it.
 
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Will Power said:
Ha ha! :thumbsup: Hive Mind/Groupthink only applies to those who have a particular angst about being on the winning side whatever the situation:p In this case, I don't really care which wins between Bloodwood, Osage, or Jobillo:cool: they're all good and all eminently more suitable than, you can have any colour you like provided it's black....;)

Anyway, hives are good when they make honey, otherwise.....:poop:
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Honey is grand!:) I hope you know I'm just teasing ya.:thumbsup:
I think all of these options are good and there are no losers here. Same goes for shields. I will be happy no matter how the choices go.
 
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Ramrodmb said:
No "sinkhole" pins that you hear about on any of these wood knives.:confused:
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You're just easy to get along with. Nearly every one has a top pin sitting below the surface. Smooth wood can be cut to a precise and constant depth without destroying surface character, so they don't end up with a topography varied enough for one to have be very deep.

JohnDF said:
Just goes to show that different people will like different things. I really like the way GEC does their Ironwood with the lack of polish and brushed metal. Gives it a real 'Industrial' look, like it was meant to be used hard and still remain attractive.
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Ironwood seems to have two different densities in one. So when you put a full buff on it, as subset of the wood buffs away faster than the other leaving "veins". Makes it feel strange in hand to me. But anyone carrying the knife will negate a polished finish fairly quickly anyway. But these types of personal preferences is why I have a crocus and buff wheel setup in the shop.
 
My pick Kingwood is pulling up the rear. Really? Okay, but Che Chen too? :confused:

All great choices, but the opportunity for something unique I thought might get a little more attention.
 
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