I have a Stoil Manchev bird & trout knife that is in the mail to me now. Incredibly excited to get it (his pics of it looked great). And you were right, his prices are incredibly reasonable.
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
2023: A Knife Odyssey
- Thread starter d.2.the.p
- Start date
I have a Stoil Manchev bird & trout knife that is in the mail to me now. Incredibly excited to get it (his pics of it looked great). And you were right, his prices are incredibly reasonable.
d.2.the.p
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Awesome! I will be curious to hear your thoughts, and pictures are always welcome.
d.2.the.p
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6/15
Here are some recent acquisitions that deserve some attention:
1. Spyderco Kiwi - Yet another to add to my mini collection of Kiwis. This is the carbon fiber version that came to me legit NIB, and it is just as good as the others.
2. Arno Bernard Squirrel - As you may have seen in previous posts, I am a fan of AB’s knives, and this is my first experience with the Squirrel model. This little guy is 5 5/8” OAL with a 2 11/16” blade from tip to handle and a 2 3/8” sharpened length. It is sporting an N690 blade with stonewashed bevels and polished flats and some gorgeous blue & red dyed kudu bone handles.
I was hesitant at first about trying this model out because I tend to dislike a bunch of finger scallops bossing my fingers around like they own the place, but I have been pleasantly surprised with this design. On a larger knife, a more neutral handle is ideal, but there isn’t much room for innovative grips on this little guy, so the scallops held add positive grip to an otherwise small and potentially slick handle. All that said, I am a big fan, and it is in my pocket as I type this.
Here are some recent acquisitions that deserve some attention:
1. Spyderco Kiwi - Yet another to add to my mini collection of Kiwis. This is the carbon fiber version that came to me legit NIB, and it is just as good as the others.
2. Arno Bernard Squirrel - As you may have seen in previous posts, I am a fan of AB’s knives, and this is my first experience with the Squirrel model. This little guy is 5 5/8” OAL with a 2 11/16” blade from tip to handle and a 2 3/8” sharpened length. It is sporting an N690 blade with stonewashed bevels and polished flats and some gorgeous blue & red dyed kudu bone handles.
I was hesitant at first about trying this model out because I tend to dislike a bunch of finger scallops bossing my fingers around like they own the place, but I have been pleasantly surprised with this design. On a larger knife, a more neutral handle is ideal, but there isn’t much room for innovative grips on this little guy, so the scallops held add positive grip to an otherwise small and potentially slick handle. All that said, I am a big fan, and it is in my pocket as I type this.
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Just arrived today. It’s excellent. I got it in RWL 34 and with the stabilized maple Burl handle. It’s beautiful and the fit & finish is excellent. I was a little surprised at how small/short the handle is. On one hand, I wish it were a little bigger (it’s just 3 fingers, not even 3.5). On the other hand, it really just disappears in my front pocket, so it’s going to be a super sweet carry.
That looks awesome. Thanks for sharing.Just arrived today. It’s excellent. I got it in RWL 34 and with the stabilized maple Burl handle. It’s beautiful and the fit & finish is excellent. I was a little surprised at how small/short the handle is. On one hand, I wish it were a little bigger (it’s just 3 fingers, not even 3.5). On the other hand, it really just disappears in my front pocket, so it’s going to be a super sweet carry.
d.2.the.p
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Gorgeous! Yeah, they are definitely 3-finger knives but have a lot of blade for the size. I strongly recommend a lanyard to give your pinky a home. If you go back to my previous posts of these, you will notice I tend to do a couple snake knots followed by a bead (or a diamond lanyard knot will work too). The snake knots thicken up the lanyard enough to give your pinky useful grip, and the bead or diamond knot provide a nice backstop so that the knife won’t squirt forward out of your mitt.Just arrived today. It’s excellent. I got it in RWL 34 and with the stabilized maple Burl handle. It’s beautiful and the fit & finish is excellent. I was a little surprised at how small/short the handle is. On one hand, I wish it were a little bigger (it’s just 3 fingers, not even 3.5). On the other hand, it really just disappears in my front pocket, so it’s going to be a super sweet carry.
d.2.the.p
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Me again!
6/24
A fellow collector reached out to me because he knows I enjoy Bret Dowell’s work to see if I wanted to take this little fella off his hands. Yeeeeeup. At 3 1/8” closed, this stag trapper is absolutely adorable and just enough to be a functional knife. Per usual, the walk & talk is truly excellent, both butter smooth and perfectly snappy, and the fit & finish is just as impressive. As I get older, I seem to appreciate the little knives in life more and more.
Gratuitous glamor shot with a friend:
6/24
A fellow collector reached out to me because he knows I enjoy Bret Dowell’s work to see if I wanted to take this little fella off his hands. Yeeeeeup. At 3 1/8” closed, this stag trapper is absolutely adorable and just enough to be a functional knife. Per usual, the walk & talk is truly excellent, both butter smooth and perfectly snappy, and the fit & finish is just as impressive. As I get older, I seem to appreciate the little knives in life more and more.
Gratuitous glamor shot with a friend:
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d.2.the.p
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6/28
Here’s the one that started it all - my very first knife. I was given this by my parents when I graduated from Cub Scouts and moved into Boy Scouts. It is an official BSA Scout knife made by Camillus in the late 80s or early 90s and has 1095 blades and jigged delrin covers. It held up quite well considering how I abused it as a kid and never maintained it in any meaningful way. It blew my mind that you could pack so much cool stuff into one thing that goes in your pocket.
Here’s the one that started it all - my very first knife. I was given this by my parents when I graduated from Cub Scouts and moved into Boy Scouts. It is an official BSA Scout knife made by Camillus in the late 80s or early 90s and has 1095 blades and jigged delrin covers. It held up quite well considering how I abused it as a kid and never maintained it in any meaningful way. It blew my mind that you could pack so much cool stuff into one thing that goes in your pocket.
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d.2.the.p
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Aaand that’s it for this journey.
I will continue to update this thread periodically with new stuff here and there as it comes in, or if I unearth something cool that I forgot about and think is worth sharing. Aside from that, you have seen all but a small handful of junk drawer/basement/garage beater knives that aren’t necessarily worth a look (no one needs to see yet another Mora, for instance).
I hope you enjoyed the ride!
I will continue to update this thread periodically with new stuff here and there as it comes in, or if I unearth something cool that I forgot about and think is worth sharing. Aside from that, you have seen all but a small handful of junk drawer/basement/garage beater knives that aren’t necessarily worth a look (no one needs to see yet another Mora, for instance).
I hope you enjoyed the ride!
Thanks for the journey. It's been a pleasure seeing what you have. Thanks for sharing.
