Photos 2019 Traditional Blade Forum Knife

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On the topic of a Lionsteel knife, I would certainly be interested. I've never had a Lionsteel knife, and I like that there would be an option for stainless. But they don't look super traditional to me. Also, I would hate to have to pass up the opportunity for M390, because I really need that stamp on the tang man! IT HAS TO HAVE THE STAMP!!! <hyperventilates spastically>

Sorry, calming down now. But in all seriousness, the tradition of stamping the dots for the traditional forum knife is important, and it limits the steels that we can use (based on what Buck said last year).

Lionsteel would be cool, and it sounds like it is a realistic option. I'll be on board with whatever, but I do think that it might not be traditional enough for a lot of the regulars on the porch.

Pàdruig said:
Against perhaps, my better judgement, I will bite.

For the sake of an objective conversation, I am curious as to the source of your admitted bias. As I am not fond of putting words in other folks' mouths and I try my very best to not make assumptions, I will not presume to know what turns you off when it comes to GEC products.

These discussions usually devolve into a GEC versus everyone else so I tend to be curious as to why. With a couple of near exceptions, I have yet to see anyone articulate anything more than a subjective bias. I can list, with relative certainty, the pros and cons in regards to more than a few cutlery firms, GEC included. As of yet, I know not of a firm that I would give a hard pass to, discounting known cloners and the like.



Honestly, I would not say no to another Buck endeavor. I was disappointed in my knife this year but that has little to do with anything other then subjectivity on my part. I didn't vote for the 301, preferring a 110, 112, or 501 instead. But lockbacks present a problem for our international brothers and sisters so I can see why those wouldn't be ideal choices.
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For myself, when it comes to GEC, my only criticisms are that they do not do enough stainless knives and they let the pulls get way too strong for my tastes. I am not a huge GEC fan for those reasons. I am definitely in the camp of embracing other options. But at the same time, when it comes to absolute build quality and historicity, GEC is just in a class by itself. I dislike carbon steel enough that I can't fully embrace GEC, but by golly are the GEC knives I own well put together. I think the biggest compliment I can offer to GEC is that their knives are so nice that I actually do carry some of them even though they are carbon.

If GEC ever started doing regular runs of stainless knives I would probably become as enthusiastic of a GEC fan as anyone else here.
 
Travman said:
We would have been lucky to have had the #14 option. We should be shooting for the most awesome knife we can possibly attain. Look at last year’s knife. It is basically an average looking knife at best. So what we ended up with was a knife that an average person would not even recognize as special. Now look at the top looking GEC #14 SFO’s such as Gunstock Jack’s. This was a work of art, a piece of jewelry, and thing of beauty.

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Both the 2018 BF knife and this Gunstock Jack cost under $100. Which one would you want? Which one has much greater long term value. I doubt I’m being clear, but I think we should be shooting for a knife that we really think is special. In the past GEC has allowed us to have the PPP (Pattern Production Premier) on patterns that have later gone on to become classics. We should ask for this again.

Also, we really need a shield. A knife without a shield is alright, but with a nice shield it becomes classic.
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I think it's vital that we all give our points of view and without that a Forum just becomes a hive of agreement, insincerity even ;) Also, you state yours with cordiality and articulacy.

However, you're quite wrong :D:D

Yes you have a point about shields, in the RIGHT context but what's this about the 'average' person recognizing a knife as special or not??:confused: Who cares about average people in this case? Most of whom don't even know how to open a slipjoint or one pattern from another:D I don't need their input:) It's all subjective as we know, and rightly. With regard to the 14 I have 3 of them, two Jacks and one single blade. The Jacks live out their lives as Tube Dwellers, the single is on my desk but it's an ornament. They're very well made but they are TINY and the single is a skimpy thin little thing offering not much grip etc, treasured toy :D Plus, they're all made of that cheap familiar rust magnet material that is ever so EZ to sharpen but ever so fast to lose it sharpness;):D The Buck is a unique Forum Knife as it is not a production run but a special order: FFG blades unlike their usual Sabre, Elk scales (check the GEC price on those...) 154 steel and all for 71 USD. Tremendous bargain:thumbsup:

The impression I gained last year was that GEC wasn't too interested in an FK and wouldn't mind a break, all they would deign to offer was to fit in an FK knife as part of a schedule of 14s nothing else. Well OK they were busy and that's how it is, they, I think have had a symbiotic relationship with the FK in that patterns used as FK knives morphed into important runs: Forum 11 Teardrop with opener (that didn't work..)as the much liked 85, 12 and 13 became runs, so too the very successful 14 (77/78), 16 became the ongoing 35 Churchill, and the 17 was from the already revered 15/TC Barlow. So we've all benefitted but it's not GEC doing us a favour, a lot of their sought after models have been due to interest on Forums, awareness from discussion etc and good thing too!

What I and many others would like is a GEC pattern not used for some years, or reworked and thus made special with our specifications etc but can they a) be persuaded to get a pattern out of mothballs? b) fit it into their now huge production schedule? Difficult to say:confused:

I also feel the 100 USD limit is rather flexible. Yes last year's was exceptional value for 71 USD but the Forum 13 knife cost 130 USD add six year's inflation to that and see what a current figure might look like....

Let us continue to consider the prospect before us:)
 
abbydaddy said:
I'm always going to be in for a Forum Knife, and since I got what I wanted for 2018 I am happy to let other folks pick what they want (which is my way of saying that I will not be lobbying hard for a non-GEC and/or stainless option this year). I am always going to want a stainless Whaler, or Rope Knife w/marlin spike, but I don't think either of those is ever going to happen. So, whatever is clever is good for me.

That said, I think the most important thing is to find out if someone is willing to take lead on this. It is a big undertaking, and until someone steps up it is all just fantasizing. Hopefully someone will be willing to step up, because the forum knife process is my very favorite thing on the porch.
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Oooo, did someone say "Whaler"? They've always intrigued me, though never been able to pull the trigger. Maybe as a forum knife, I would finally be "forced" (haha) to scratch that itch.
 
I don't know much about Victorinox, but would that be an option?
I'd love to have a Cadet sized knife with a main spear, secondary sheepsfoot, bottle opener, and a punch... like a smaller Electrician... all in a cool Alox color :cool:
 
JohnDF said:
I don't know much about Victorinox, but would that be an option?
I'd love to have a Cadet sized knife with a main spear, secondary sheepsfoot, bottle opener, and a punch... like a smaller Electrician... all in a cool Alox color :cool:
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While Victorinox does make an annual knife for the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Collector’s Society, they stopped accepting orders for non-standard blade/tool configurations a few years ago.
 
Frailer said:
While Victorinox does make an annual knife for the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Collector’s Society, they stopped accepting orders for non-standard blade/tool configurations a few years ago.
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Good to know. Thanks.
 
Thanks to Travman for this early thread
GEC is good
#29 or #86 is OK
As Will Power said, agree the "tiny" #14 works well in the tube - IMO
Jack's #14 is cool but similar to other GEC smooth bones only smaller
The #15 and #77 need a rest
The #92 and the #47 are good but will go along with the majority on this choice as most have better ideas than my own
 
Frailer said:
While Victorinox does make an annual knife for the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Collector’s Society, they stopped accepting orders for non-standard blade/tool configurations a few years ago.
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SwissBianco make their own configurations of some SAK knives, albeit 'out of production' models. Not sure they'd be up for a true custom run of this size though.
 
Kiteman72 said:
Boker has been more active on the forums lately.

I wouldn't vote for them over GEC but I really like the look of that new lockback they have coming out.
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The more I look at that Boker, the more I like it as a forum knife. It's a good size for real work, it's stainless, it's a historical design, and it's made by a company with good ethics and a reputation for quality. If we could get a swedge on and a fancy cover, this would be right nice. I suspect that the production knife probably won't sell in buckets, due to the old-fashioned styling, and might get disco'd fairly quickly. That would add to rarity and uniqueness. I think I'd put them ahead of GEC, at least for this year.
 
gaj999 said:
The more I look at that Boker, the more I like it as a forum knife. It's a good size for real work, it's stainless, it's a historical design, and it's made by a company with good ethics and a reputation for quality. If we could get a swedge on and a fancy cover, this would be right nice. I suspect that the production knife probably won't sell in buckets, due to the old-fashioned styling, and might get disco'd fairly quickly. That would add to rarity and uniqueness. I think I'd put them ahead of GEC, at least for this year.
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Now that I look at my own comment again, I must say that my vote could easily go to the Boker if the GEC candidate wasn't a pattern I liked. I do really like that the Boker is stainless.
 
JohnDF said:
A unique #71 would definitely be cool. It's a good solid pattern that would come in below the price barrier. Perhaps with wood handles of some sort?
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I too suggested the #71 in an above thread. Smooth Ironwood would be unique and Jigged Brazilian Cherry Wood or East Indian Rosewood would make great covers too. NO SHIELD and NO BLADE ETCH.
 
Price point is vital for some. In the 2018 Blade Forums Comments thread, there were quite a few that said they could only get one because of the sub one hundred dollar price. One fellow went so far as to say the 2018 Forum knife was the only knife he had ever spent $71.00 on.

That said, the manufactures that are willing to make our forum knife are few and far between - the emphasis on few. It is my understanding that for the 2018 knife, GEC was too busy to work us in and blew us off. So, we may have to go back to Buck, which would be a good thing. Who knows. Maybe @knifeswapper could follow @SK Blade and wangle a deal with Macerin for one of their knives of course without screws.
 
I'd love to have Case do a forum knife (Barlow?) but they have showed an unwillingness in the past.
A Victorinox Alox Forum knife would also be nice - again unwilling.

In the past the only makers who have been willing are CSC, GEC, and Buck.

CSC is trying to get back on it's feet so they are out.
GEC is fine, but I want something unique thus why I voted for the #29. I also wish they offered more stainless.
Bucks recent offering looks great and I hope they are willing to do more.

I like the idea of a Lionsteel offering.
Also what about Viper? Their EZ Open Spear looks very nice.
 
@knifeswapper could Maserin put a bolster on their plow and make it look more like a Madison barlow? That would be a cool forum knife and not too expensive.
 
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